| When I first moved to Seattle in 1996, I had no idea | | | | were elderly African American women who lived side |
| how daunting it would be to move to an enormous | | | | by side. One of them, it turns out, was an original |
| city, 3000 miles from home, and not know a soul. I | | | | Rosie the Riveter. She came all the way to Seattle |
| found a wonderful little one-bedroom bungalow with | | | | from the South during World War II to become a |
| a spectacular view of the Mt. Rainier and all the | | | | welder for the war effort, and never left. Later, she |
| Cascade Mountains. This stunning view of nature was | | | | raised her family there. |
| truly solace for my soul; however, I longed to have | | | | I visited with these two women regularly and hearing |
| some friendships as well. Quite frankly, I was lonely | | | | their stories about leaving their homes so far away |
| and needed to do something soon! | | | | and making a new life in Seattle made me feel more |
| So... I started baking bread: zucchini bread, banana | | | | confident about my own choices. I also got to taste |
| bread, French baguettes, you name it. | | | | and enjoy some of their bread recipes. |
| I could not wait for the neighbors to welcome me, | | | | Now, I am not saying it was easy to go door to |
| which might not ever happen in a large anonymous | | | | door with my meager offering of homemade bread. |
| city like Seattle. Instead, every few days, I knocked | | | | On the contrary, before each outing, I had to ready |
| on a new door and made a new acquaintance. I | | | | myself with lots of deep breathing and a little pep |
| made my first real friend in Seattle this way, a single | | | | talk. But, in the end we all benefited from the great |
| mom who lived across the street from me. | | | | bread exchange: I got to meet my neighbors and |
| I also got to know two of the most interesting | | | | make friends, they got to share their stories from |
| women I would ever meet. Two of my neighbors | | | | their past, and we all got to eat some yummy bread! |