The week before July 26, 2020, my eightieth birthday, Joyce and I went over to Kelly and David’s on Wednesday. The kids had rented a lodge up on Hooker Road in Sequim and most of the family were going to spend the weekend there, celebrating my birthday. But first Joyce and I spent Thursday at a B&B, Greenhouse Inn By The Bay, in Sequim. A really nice B&B overlooking the bay and Dungeness Spit, where I had spent some time working at the Lighthouse when I was stationed at the electronics shop in Port Angeles. It was a fun stay, provided by Chris, who had reserved a room but changed her plans and gave it to us. I was able to regal Craig, the proprietor, with some of my stories about my life living in Sequim back in 1946 and 47. I also shared stories about working at the lighthouse.
Friday morning Kim, Jadyn, Chris, Kelly and David met us at the B&B. They wanted to see the place before we did a tour at one of the Lavender Farms, B&B Family Farm, and had lunch at one of the local golf courses. After lunch they went off shopping at Costco and Joyce and I went up to the Lodge.
We got to the lodge just as the owner was finished cleaning and they let us in early. I experienced a Deja Vu moment right from the time we walked through the garage where the big board games were. Then again walking into the downstairs day room where there were saws hanging on the walls. As we walked upstairs there was a cabinet at the top with Coke memorabilia. The feeling really hit when we walked into the kitchen where there was some large Coke memorabilia. The feeling was just at the back of my mind then we found the master bedroom. The feeling like everything was familiar persisted and I realized I was having Deja Vu. It’s not the first time it has happened to me. I’ve had these Deja Vu moments all my life. I just wish I could remember them before I got to some place or did something after.
I woke up this morning after having a dream. There was this little town out in the middle of nowhere. And all of the men who lived there wanted to be remembered for having been the first to be known for accomplishing the same thing. I can’t remember what it was, Robert Redford told it better in my dream, but they almost came to blows over it. The bickering and arguing went on for days, weeks and months. One day someone was searching for something in the basement of city hall and came across an old suit case, long stored and forgotten. It was on a shelf, back in a dark corner, where no one ever went. After wiping the dust off, they discovered something written on the lid. The name couldn’t quite be made out but it told the story of him having come and gone from their town after having accomplished what they all had been wasting time arguing about.
Needless to tell the entire story of the party. Ya, there were some bumps. But we all had a good time and will remember it in our own way. I hope it will be fondly. I’ve accomplished a lot over my first eighty years and hope to accomplish a lot more for a long time to come. Someone, someplace, may say, “I remember Bill Towne from way back when we did….”. What I hope is, that I’m remebered for all the good things when someone thinks of me.
