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Glad to see you here, Trility! I used to live in Seattle, and have taken the Vashon ferry several times. The wait can be excruciating now. Since the pandemic, they don't have enough experienced crew, so they cut sailings without notice if not enough crew shows up! And seastars! I studied invertebrate marine biology and never knew that about the head! Sort of like the octopus! Oh, I had better quit or we will be buried under exclamation points! Great article! Beautifully written!

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Thank you so much for your wonderful reply, made my day!

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Beautiful piece, Trilety. I love the way it travels from elliptical to direct.

And on a personal note, I can’t imagine growing up landlocked! It’s a treat to read about that aspect as well.

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Thank you so much, and apologies for this late reply. Maybe I shall write more about being raised landlocked ha!

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Did you know that while waiting for the Vashon ferry that you were mere blocks from my house? Or my ex-house depending on when you were there. I used to travel the Vashon route quite frequently, either to visit the island itself or as a stopover on the way to the far side of Southworth and points beyond.

Did you know that I knew nothing much about starfish and now I know more thanks to you? Your poetic vision of these creatures gives them a glow I didn't know they had. They do feel fun in your hand, too.

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Omg, no way! This was likely 15 years ago - so 2008. . . ? We were visiting friends who lived on the island. A couple who worked with my friend (both couples are shown on the beach (stone upperlip of a deep mouth really)) invited us for the weekend and their place was amazing. I will send you pics. One of the men in the couple shared a bday with me, and it felt like i'd met my twin -- not a soulmate but someone identical both on paper in the heart. It made the whole trip even more magical. I imagine taking the ferry more than twice would've eased my worries, but being raised as a landlocked midwesterner has always made me wary of deep or boundless waters.

I've never held a starfish!! They've always intrigue me, they way they cling and glide, the way people see them as stars too heavy for the heavens, as if they fell to earth because they weighed more than gas. And after reading new research about how they are all head and no body just tickled me to no end.

Thank you, as always, for reading and especially for commenting. So, was I a mere few blocks away from you that autumn of 2008?

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Yes, in 2008 I was there. I lived in West Seattle from 2002 until 2010 when I moved to Mexico. I kept the house there (and lived in it from time to time when I went back to Seattle to take care of something) until 2017 when I sold it and said good bye to the Pacific Northwest. A beautiful place with all its river and lakes and trees....

I grew up near the coast and as kids we'd pick up starfish from the rocks just to hold them for a while. I remember a weird, tickling, sucking feeling. Ah... kids.. the whole world is so cool...actually, it still is for me, but in a different way. I still love to hold odd bugs (and there's some odd ones here, alright). Yes, send me some pics, that would be great!

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