land(ing)

while my father's departure point on the tug boat was always from the same dock along the Foss Waterway, my location on land changed frequently. i lived in 8 places in Tacoma and Gig Harbor during the first 10 years of my life. the houses have names like "the bomb shelter" or "next door to Ronnie and Rennie" and "the house we lit on fire". it wasn't until my adult life that i took inventory of these places. visiting each one, walking the trails and sidewalks that used to be my racetrack and escape routes. much like my father had the Puget Sound to navigate his way through, i always seemed to have a new school, new classmates, and a new neighborhood to become familiar with. i mapped the terrain in my head, keeping a chart of the short cuts, bike jumps, mad dogs and even madder boys. my dad and i have this in common.... we remember places and pathways as if our lives depended on them. his are on water. mine are on land.