A Big Day

It's only my third day in Washington, but it feels like much longer, because each day has been very full. Full of phone-wrangling Craigslist flakes, checking boxes on insurance company web sites, and driving around Tacoma ("The Oakland of the Northwest") touring used car lots. But I've finally squared away the largest and most troublesome purchase of this entire venture: a vehicle.

I'd initially wanted a little pickup truck with a camper shell, in no small part because I used to have a little pickup truck with a camper shell, and I like their scrappy looks. But after comparing many makes and models, I did what any good Vermont girl would do when faced with buying a 4-wheel-drive, cargo-friendly vehicle:

I got a Subaru.

Attention stalkers: The plates are temporary. I will upload photos of my permanent plates as soon as they arrive.

It came with an Indigo Girls album pre-loaded in the CD player.

It's ten years old, getting up in miles, and could use an upgrade on the tires. But it runs beautifully, was immaculately maintained, and has no mechanical issues. The price was fair, edging toward good. It took calling in a favor from my uncle, but I also managed to secure inexpensive insurance at an address across the country from my permanent residence.

In addition to the auto saga, today also brought us a bike ride, a nature walk, a drive to the boonies to get a glorious view of Rainier on a rare cloudless day, getting lost in said boonies, buying 3 pounds of beef jerky at a locally famous meat market in said boonies, going out to Thai food in Olympia, buying my dad a cheesecake (it's his birthday), and eating it around a bonfire.

I'm just about asleep.