Seattle, Washington

Moving to Seattle

As we grew older, we recognized that maintenance of a large, old house would become an increasing challenge. We assumed we would probably move to a retirement residence in the Portland area, and we had found one we felt would work for us although we did not fall in love with it. However, Martin moved to Bend, a nearly 4 hour drive from Portland, so we began to think of Seattle, where Matthew and his family lived. As fate would have it, in early 2024 we lost power for 10 days and Matthew happened to be collecting Alex from a nearby college and invited us to Seattle until power was restored.

While in Seattle, we decided to visit retirement homes and fell in love with Murano Senior Living, with its large, modern apartments with beautiful natural light and dramatic views of the water and the mountains. So over a complementary lunch, including a well-made whiskey sour (for Mike, not Elizabeth), we made a long-term financial projection on a table napkin. We both agreed it was more expensive than we could afford, but nonetheless decided to move in 2 months later!

Getting Settled at Murano

Murano proved to be a very friendly and dynamic environment where everyone was welcoming and very interested to learn our life story. We in turn were fascinated to hear about the many different lives other residents had led and their wide range of impressive careers. Elizabeth soon found herself working with Lois Steinberg to revitalize the library and with Marilyn Bergstrom in launching the incipient Art Group (see the following section).

Murano had a tradition that you could invite anyone to lunch, so we were quickly able to meet a wide range of people.

Our apartment was quite spacious, and both Elizabeth and Mike were able to find space for both their office and art projects. The art room was also always open and Elizabeth worked there on several mixed media art projects.

Elizabeth bought a sofa bed, and she was delighted that we were able to host regular visits from Martin and Heidi and Josh and Noah - none of whom seemed deterred by the 7 hour drive from Bend and the 3 hour trip from Portland.

We both became involved in a wide range of activities at Murano including exercise classes, the book group, music performances, lectures and movies.

Working With the Library

When we arrived at Murano there was a tiny and very dark room on the ground floor with piles of books squeezed into tiny bookcases or lying in piles on the floor. This was the Murano “library”. A dedicated team led by Lois Steinberg had been trying for years to find a better location. All members of the team agreed that the ideal location would be in the beautiful 24th floor lounge with its magnificent views and wonderful light. Unfortunately, the only possible location was occupied by a golf simulator which no-one used. Working with Lois and the team, Elizabeth made it her mission to have the library moved to the 24th floor and to make it fully functional. She developed a good working relationship with the General Manager, and they finally worked out a plan whereby the golf simulator would be stored away until a more suitable location could be found. Murano also generously provided funds to purchase bookshelves and other equipment as well as a monthly allowance for purchasing new books.

Cooperating with the people who had been working for years to keep the library afloat, she helped build up a very active and dedicated Library Committee. By the time her declining health led her to pass over the reins, the library was fully functional, widely used and greatly appreciated by many residents. It is also one of the places that Murano proudly shows to prospective new residents.

* The Committee is now led by Nora Smith and Claudia Anderson.

The Art Group

Since moving to Murano, Elizabeth worked closely with Marilyn Bergstrom, assisting her in developing the Art Group. Marilyn Bergstrom had always been the driving force behind the Art Group, and Elizabeth found it very rewarding to assist her in developing the program by formalizing the group, attracting teachers, and obtaining funding from Murano.

Between Fall 2024 and Summer 2026, the Art Group organized some 10 or more classes ranging from abstract art and design to gelliplate printing, collage, and wire sculpture, among others. Along the way they managed to create a “core” group of a dozen or so gifted and committed art enthusiasts, now led by Marilyn and Kim Campbell.

Life in Seattle

We began to explore Seattle on foot and became fans of the Rapid Ride bus system. Seattle is an interesting and attractive city with all of its lakes and waterfront, but it is difficult to orient yourself because there is water on so many sides. We discovered the lively theater scene and found a number of favorite restaurants. We were particularly pleased that we were able to invite Marcus and Alex to join us at the Seattle Rep, as they had little experience with theaters, and they both seemed to enjoy both the plays and the suppers together to discuss the plays. They were also pleased to discover that Murano has a bistro offering 20 flavors of ice cream.

A highlight of each week was the Sunday brunch with Matt’s side of the family. Often one or more of the Oregon-based family would also manage to attend. Matt and Juliana had designed and overseen the construction of their house, which included a very large kitchen where several people could all work on food preparation and cooking, and each member of the family (except us) had an assigned cooking task. The conversations over brunch were fascinating as the younger generations inhabit a completely different world in terms of the movies they watch, the board games they play, and their knowledge of AI and new computer technologies.

Expeditions

In early 2025 we went on an interesting cultural tour of Mexico City with Road Scholars. The history, architecture and art are all overwhelming. We are both fans of Mexican women surrealist artists, as well as Diego Rivera and the muralists and modern Mexican artists, so we had a real intellectual feast. It was great to get back into Latin American cuisine and culture.

Several times we were invited to join Matt and Juliana for a week in Mazama, a popular vacation area in the Methow Valley in Eastern Washington. This was always a highlight because mountains, flowers and trees were something that Elizabeth missed living in the center of Seattle.

We also flew several times to Bend, where Martin took us on tours of the gorgeous mountains and riverside walks. We met members of the different running, biking, and winter sports groups to which Martin and Heidi belonged. The Bend region is incredibly beautiful.

We also took advantage of the ferry service which allows you to get to know Puget Sound and the surrounding islands. One memorable ferry trip took us to Victoria, British Columbia, where we stayed for a few days.

Elizabeth and Mike’s Art Show

Elizabeth and Mike were invited to organize a joint art show at Murano to showcase Elizabeth’s fabric art and Mike’s sculptures. This was our first opportunity to reflect on how, through fabric art (Elizabeth) and sculpture (Mike) we had been able to express common themes from our shared life experiences, and it was a challenging, but extremely satisfying culmination of our art making.

We selected the title: Journeys: Reflections from a life of travel. Elizabeth wrote:

For over 65 years, our lives have been shaped by a shared passion for travel - covering Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Living in Venezuela and El Salvador, and working in community development, gave us a deeper understanding of cultures, and daily life beyond the lens of tourism. This exhibition reflects both the beauty of these places and the challenges low-income communities face, highlighting the resilience and community support networks we have witnessed around the world.

Working in different mediums, we bring distinct yet complementary perspectives informed by our shared backgrounds in sociology. Our work explores themes of community, environment and social change.

The Art Show continued

We each included 10 of our works which were organized around three themes: Climate change, Voyaging through space and time, and Community support networks.

Elizabeth’s explanation of “My kind of town” captures her perspective on traditional communities and small towns and how they contrast with large cities:

This work incorporates elements from many traditional towns and villages we have enjoyed visiting in widely different parts of the world. Perhaps the curving lines and vivid colors of adobe houses built of natural materials that will dissolve back into the earth over time, the cobbled streets, the steep and wandering staircases that connect them, and the jumbled informal settlements that appear on hilly and unincorporated land, create a more harmonious habitat and closer human connections between people than large modern cities.

A video about the show is available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obxCtWOMYd0

The end of a long journey

Elizabeth left us on September 8. She felt her time had come and she died peacefully. surrounded by family and with no regrets of things she had not done or places she had not visited. She was able to say her individual farewells to each member of the family.

We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and gratitude from so many people at Murano, both residents and staff, whose lives she had touched. A few impressions from the messages we received:

“Elizabeth was one of the Murano favorites - cheerful, talented, wise, and witty”

“She always seemed delighted by a chance encounter, enlivened by a challenge, and both peaceful and positive about the journey she was on.”

“How fully Elizabeth lived her life and shared her extraordinary gifts with people all over the world.”

“She was always so pleasant and interested in our well-being when we would meet. Her courage was remarkable, and her ability to care for others extraordinary.”