On Thursday, we went to Seattle

Thursday, October 12, 2006, farmers from all over Washington converged on Seattle for a tractorcade through the city that showed our urban neighbors that farmers do, indeed, want Initiative 933 to be passed by the voters.  While there may be a few farmers across the state who aren't so sure about I-933, our presence in Seattle on a beautiful day in harvest season illustrates just how important the Property Fairness Initiative is to us.

The first farm equipment arrived at the staging area Wednesday evening, with most showing up Thursday morning, arriving at a lot full of tractors, trailers, and trucks ranging from small pickups to tractor-trailers.  Several tons of fresh produce was hauled in, too, and would be donated to a Seattle-area food bank when the event came to a close.

With reporters interviewing anyone who looked like a farmer, television cameramen taping everything in sight, and news helicopters circling overhead, the serious work of decorating the tractors and converting trucks and trailers into floats occupied the time between arrival and hitting the streets.

 The Seattle Police Department provided security, traffic control, and escort assistance, and we very muck appreciate their efficiency and smooth professionalism.  It's not easy to insert a twelve-block-long procession of slow-moving farm equipment into city traffic in the middle of the day, and they did it with apparent ease. 

As we got under way, people came out and welcomed us to town . . . well, some did . . . others seemed to just take it as part of another day in Seattle.  It's amazing the number of people who are carrying a digital camera around with them as an everyday accessory, though.

The closer we got to downtown, the more cameras we saw, along with smiles, waves, and shouts of encouragement.  While some folks seemed to be wondering why there were tractors crawling along the city streets, most were very welcoming.

When we arrived in the midst of the high-rises, though, the number of people who seemed to need to go about their business determined not to notice  that anything was different today than yesterday . . . air horns and tractor noise notwithstanding . . .  picked up.  That made for an interesting mix with those cheering us on. 

Approaching Westlake, where a rally in support of the initiative was held, we encountered some folks opposed to I-933 who were holding signs representing their point of view, with others supporting the Property Fairness Initiative mixing in.  While some of the opposition folks were fairly chilly, others smiled, and a few even waved.  We encountered only a couple of in-your-face opponents the entire time we were in town, and we really appreciate that touch of civility.  We're sure the police do, too! 

We dropped the rally leaders at Westlake, and motored onward, making the turn back toward the south end of town, continuing to receive more encouragement from many of the pedestrians along the way. 

Arriving back at the rally point, most stayed long enough to help load all the produce to take to the food bank.  Several of us accompanied the trucks to the delivery point to help unload.

Pumpkins . . . lots and lots of pumpkins . . . and several other types of produce . . . but so many pumpkins! 

It turns out that the people associated with this particular food bank had been praying for . . . pumpkins.  They had been worrying that there wouldn't be enough to go around for the kids for Halloween, and here we were, with enough for their needs and more to share with other food banks.  It's incredibly humbling to be the answer to someone's heartfelt prayer.  Tends to underscore the faith you carry in life.  Kind of makes you water up some, too.

It was a perfect note in a pretty near perfect day.