I ran across this postcard in the storehouse and I hate to admit it… I didn’t remember who Karla was straight off. It took some twists and turns down Memory Alley to finally recall that I met Karla in Capri, that little island near Napoli in Italy, where I was shipwrecked for two weeks.

We met by the pool, a place I barely left. She was from Mexico, traveling alone too. We stayed in touch for awhile and she even moved to Seattle, working as a software developer until her visa ran out. I think I gave her my mattresses when I moved to Italy.

This postcard is a little sneaky, leading you to believe that Pike Place Market is a hidden treasure of Seattle, devoid of activity and apparently of people. A helpful tip: do not believe this. Also, I think the crumpet shop is gone, replaced by strumpets.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market offers the best of everything from imports to domestics, baguettes to crumpets to pastries, seafood, meats, fruits, crafts, art, antiques–you want it? You can find it here!

Photo (c) Terry Donnelly

A wee distraction: Years ago, Karla was flying from Mexico City to London and when her plane landed in Chicago, the Immigration officials showed up to “escort” her to her next plane and handcuffed her to her seat until she got to London.

With these kinds of immigration policies in place, it’s a wonder Arizona took so long to develop theirs. Then again, it’s probably why Arizona could: the camel’s nose was already in the tent.