"If you weren’t born in Seattle or the Northwest, you’ll never be one of us."
Though born in Rhode Island, my parents were born in Washington, as were all my grandparents. My father and his mother were born in Seattle. Next: my parents met at UW. And I was supposed to be born in Seattle, but my timetable was a bit off-kilter. The family was in Rhode Island as my father attended the War College. So, I guess if I must be disqualified from "one of us" status, I'll accept the consequences of my father's service with pride.
Deeper: why do I consider this place "home"? Well, the biggest reason was that we always called it home. Flying out to Seattle was always "going home to visit grandma" (sorry grandpa, but it was always "to visit grandma".
Lastly, this is the place we moved when my dad decided to retire from the Navy. And where I've lived the vast majority of my life here. Lastly, there's the simple fact I love it here.
Please note: I'm hardly offended by Mr. Rudd. Actually, I find him quite witty, and the piece is quite clever. It did give me pause to consider, though. Which is worth a heap of oysters, shucked by hand along the Edmonds beach: my happy place.
