Marijuana Venture publisher Greg James (right) celebrates a bountiful fishing trip alongside son Jonathan James.
I’m an empty nester!
The week of August 17 represented a major milestone for me and my youngest son Andrew. For Andrew it was a significant life change. He left Seattle in his Audi and drove 12 hours to Salt Lake City and the University of Utah on Thursday the 20th. The journey took him through some of the most amazing scenery in the western United States as he transitioned from the green of the Seattle area over the Cascade Mountains and into the desert-like interior of Eastern Washington. Once past the Columbia Basin, he then hit the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon and the western extension of the Rockies in Idaho and Utah. We take amazing vistas for granted on the Pacific Coast, but if you’ve never driven the open highways of the West, you’re missing something.
For me it was different. My youngest kid was now entering university. I had mixed emotions. He was the baby. And now he’s gone too. I flew down and met Andrew at his Utah dorm. Along with hundreds of other freshmen and their parents, we spent the day unpacking clothes and setting up his room. (It was interesting to think that when I went to college, we had dial-up phones, typewriters, tube TV sets and no internet/Google.) Once we got everything in order, we did the Salt Lake City tour of fast-food chains not found in Seattle (In-N-Out Burger, Del Taco, and Raising Cane’s).
For Andrew, it was a huge step into a new life of independence and challenge. I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’s always done well and been able to tackle new things with aplomb. For me, it was a day of mixed feelings. My last child off to college? What now? (We both had teary eyes that evening.) I flew back to Seattle feeling proud but somewhat anxious.
I’ve long told the gang here at Marijuana Venture that once Andrew entered university, I’d be spending a lot less time in the office and working. In fact, it’s always been my intention to let them run the place without me, and as they see fit. In a way it’s the same as having your child go off to college. In other words, “You’re on your own now, so go with it.” Incidentally, my son Jonathan, who recently graduated from Berkeley, is now working at the magazine and helping with event planning. I’m sure he’ll contribute to MV’s ongoing success.
All that said, I’m actually not going anywhere for a while. However, what I am doing is more in-state road trips that take me to parts of Washington I’ve not seen, while also enjoying fly fishing at lakes I’ve not yet fished and visiting pot shops I’ve not had time to visit. It’s been fun so far. I’m ready for new adventures and more international travel. In the meantime, enjoy the photos in the “road show” section. They were all taken when I was on the road and usually with my trusty fishing dory in the bed of my Nissan truck.
Oh yeah, and while it was fun stopping by rural cannabis retailers and saying hi to many friendly budtenders and store managers, I have to be honest: As of this writing, the fishing has been marginal at best. My catch consisted of one small bass in Pass Lake (the Deception Pass area), a single rainbow trout in Blue Lake in Okanogan County (a week before the huge Sinlahekin fire broke out), and blanks at a couple of other lakes. They say it will get better when the water cools in the fall and the trout start to stir and become more active. We’ll see.
Greg James
Publisher