Week 2 Recap: Clinic overview and Bellingham Explorations

Week 1 in the clinic is in the books, and I'm happy to say things are going well.  Some of you may know that my last clinical rotation was busy (and that may be an understatement); however, my current clinical has a much different feel and focus, one which I happily accept.  I continue to be challenged in providing holistic care, while building relationships with my patients.  I'm finding transitions to be hard, as I am at my best with patients when I know who they are and what matters to them.  This is much harder to do when starting at a new clinic, but I'm up for the challenge.  It also never ceases to amaze me that even though the anatomy and foundation of PT never changes, the exercises, exams and evals, perspectives and treatment approaches differ widely from clinic to clinic.  Confusing to say the least, but also nice to have a different perspective on treatment and care approaches.  The other "bonus" about this affiliation is the opportunity to learn more about private practice and the "in's" and "out's" of running a business.  My CI, Steve, has indicated he is willing to provide further mentorship to me on that front, and I am looking forward to learning more on the business side of the aisle.

Since coming to the NW I've had it in my mind that I am not going to take for granted the time Laura and I have while here.  To that end, Laura and I sat down this last week and made our "to do" list while here.  We're excited!!  (No, I cannot tell you what was on the list...that would ruin the point of coming back to the blog if you knew what our next "normal" was to be) This weekend was devoted to exploring our own "backyard" - Bellingham, WA is located about 12 miles to our south, and is the main city in Whatcom county.  It was incorporated in 1904, and has an awesome downtown just off of Bellingham Bay.  Here's your history lesson - "English Captain George Vancouver first explored the area in 1792 and named Bellingham Bay for Sir William Bellingham, Vancouver's British Navy provisioner" - you see A LOT of B.C. (British Columbia) license plates in and around Lynden/Bellingham.  The Canadian border is only 20 min. from Bellingham, and it turns out they love US retail and shopping, most notably, Trader Joe's and Costco.

First exploration was to Larrabee State Park and Whatcom Falls Park - both were AWESOME!  Trails abound everywhere around here, but both parks have an abundance of scenic and nature-esque trails.  Our hike at Larrabee took us over 5000+ ft of elevation gain in a little over 5 miles.  We weren't expecting to be hiking quite as much as we did, but could not pass up a view of Bellingham Bay and Fragrance Lake, a secluded lake a top Larrabee that can only be reached on foot.  It seemed as if we were in our own private rain forest as the day consisted of gray, misting fog.  However, the green growth and mossy trees "popped" so much more against a dull backdrop.  Pictures of both explorations follow:


Throughout the day Laura and I continue to notice two very distinct characteristics about the Washington state's population.  But...you'll have to read her post for more details...

Lastly, even though Whatcom county has the most churches per capita (Steve believes they actually may have the US record) only 2 LCMS churches are anywhere close to where we are, and 1 is a deaf ministries congregation.  That narrowed our choices.  (Note: most of the churches around Lynden and Bellingham are 'reformed,' and as such there are 5-6 varieties of the same church...i.e. "First Christian Reformed Church," "Christian Reformed Church" and the "Reformed Church of Christ" - too confusing for me)  We attended Trinity Lutheran in Bellingham, and, through a connection at LFPT (Lynden Family PT), already have felt welcomed by the ministry staff.  It's a smaller church with an "A" frame design.  Why that is important is because nearly half of the churches Laura and I have seen in and around Lynden have an "A" frame design.  I have no idea if it is an architectural fad or something else, but it definitely is a popular design.

Stay tuned in the coming days for an update from Laura, as well as more pics and stories.  Also, if you have a question or comment feel free to drop us a line at the bottom of the blog.  We'd love to hear from you!