The Miracle of Living in University Place, Washington

Good fortune, work and opportunity have exposed me to places in the world from Efate' to Jerusalem, Kuwait to London, Chengdu to Jakarta and beyond.  At sunrise in many of these places, what you may hear is the guttural crank and throats clear of a freight truck or transport bus and quite possibly, air or water filled with unknown molecules that provide a burn of nasal passage and a foul taste or undetermined smell.

As I stroll at dawn on this beautiful day towards University Place's Day Island in Washington State, I gaze west at Gig Harbor and to the north at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  These peaceful moments remind me of the miracle of living in University Place.  All I can hear are a Robin's chirp at a quickly approaching Spring and Starling's call serenading Black Capped Chickadees' search for Birch Tree bugs.  Ever so faintly in the distance I hear the fall of water and rush over rock as the hillside slopes into the Puget Sound with the splash of rain and runoff.

The Olympics just to the west are kissed with a snow dust as a harbor seal barks with a missed attempt to grab his morning fish.  Canada Geese honk in laughter as they coolly paddle in synchronicity with the strong channel current. To have a choice, to select a home anywhere in this wide and wonderful world, I would always choose the miracle of University Place, Tacoma, or Gig Harbor Washington.