Day 40 Yakima, WA

Almost all the little libraries I have visited in the last six weeks have had Wi-fi (even if I could not always get connected). So I called from Ellenburg last night to be sure the Yakima Library would be open this afternoon and it never occurred to me to ask if they had Wi-fi, since Yakima is a fair sized city - and they don't. They have computers, a few, and they have a waiting list of people to use them. The nearest Wi-fi is a block down the street at a little bakery they tell me, so I will see if I can find it.

I'm thinking I'll take in a movie this evening. I forgot to tell you that all the little towns in Iowa and some in South Dakota had movie houses, usually with one film showing on Friday and Saturday nights only. Here there is a slightly better selection. The Art Museum is also open to 5:30 so I'll give that a try, too.

I tried out The Stone Church this morning at 11. There was no UU church in town and the info on this church did not give clue one to what denomination, but I thought I'd go. The first 20 minutes were all music, with video screens giving you the words so you could clap and sing along. There was a good sized band, two guitars, a keyboard, drum set, coronet and four singers. The congregation, 250+, stood during all of this and raised their arms and generally expressed a feel-good sentiment. The theology was God-centered, upbeat, and expressing the need to do more in "this city". After the music stopped, though, it became definitely a Jesus-died-so-we-could-be-saved evangelistic message. I left about half-way through, too much evangelistic fervor for me.

It is hard to believe that I am within one day of Seattle, after all this time. Mostly I have just concentrated on the next place on my itinerary and the next task or visit and tried not to think too much about how much further I have to go. I have once or twice thought I've had about enough of this, but not more often. My usual goal-oriented self just says, okay, what's next? And I keep going. Like the Energizer Bunny.

This is actually being sent on Day 41, on my way back through Ellenburg from Yakima, where it was worth the bother of going there again. More on that later. Today I see Jon and Beth! Wow.