Page 22 - Pierce County Lawyer - May June 2024

TPCBA MEMBERS
Travel
Eastern Washington, the Eclipse & a Family Reunion
By Catherine Case
At this exact time, I am driving back to Washington from Arkansas. I drove out to a family reunion in Guy, Arkansas (outside of Little Rock) with my three kids. Our family planned this event years ago when we found out the next solar eclipse would be right over Mami and Papa’s property. Kill two birds with one stone, gathering of our family and witnessing an epic eclipse.
This trip almost didn’t happen for me and my kids, but as family does, we come together to make sure nobody is left out. The route taken took us through Washington, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The route taken back added Texas and New Mexico. It will be a total of 6 days of driving. What did I enjoy about the drive? I loved seeing
all the different places and their specific beauty. Wyoming
has beautiful plateaus covered in snow and lots of open land filled with cows, horses and antelopes. Crossing into Utah and Colorado I was taken aback by the gorgeous mountains. Then I couldn’t get over how flat Texas is, how a Texas rainstorm is not fun to drive through, that Texas means business with livestock, and there are no restrooms at Texas rest stops. New Mexico
has a fabulous landscape of plateaus and ridiculously cool rock formations. Every state had perfect sunrises or sunsets. Plus there were funny signs along the way: Cement Plant Road (which shockingly led to a cement plant), “Respond your way to the 2020 census”. A helpful Construction sign reminding drivers “Don’t hit our workers- Save yourself the $10,000 fine”, and a divorce attorney billboard asking “Are you married to a Snake?” Just a few of my favorites.
Once in Arkansas, I was able to gather with my uncles, aunts, cousins, bothers, nieces, nephews, close family friends, and don’t forget Mami and Papa who were amazing hosts. Family members traveled to Arkansas from Hawaii, Washington, Iowa, Mississippi, and Tennessee. To have everyone together for the eclipse made the experience more meaningful. And leave it to my family to put a funny spin on it and take a ‘post-apocalyptic’ photo to poke a little fun.
It was great to have everyone together. The culture of my family is that of a manatee. Our family is full of happy and social people. We love to eat and are considered ‘thicker’ people. We feel it is just more to love. The way we look at it, food is life and love. Our family can usually be found floating in some sort of body of water or laying around. We spent this time together cooking, eating, and exploring the land in Guy, AK. After this trip, I have more of an appreciation of my family’s culture and how it is so important to take advantage of every opportunity to get together. We hugged each other so tight, said dozens
of ‘I love you’s’ and promised future visits. Heading back to Washington’s luscious green scenery, I can’t wait to be home.
There really is no place like home.
Catherine Case is the 2024 President of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. She has been practicing law since 2015 and is currently a child representation attorney contracting with the Office of Civil Legal Aid.
22 PIERCE COUNTY LAWYER | May/June 2024