“Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?” So sang Joni Mitchell about the Big Yellow Taxi 🚕 and paving paradise to put in a parking lot! Alki Beach⛱️ is our local paradise, and it hasn’t been paved (yet), but it’s been harder to get there. For the past 15 months, stores have been in varying forms of restriction, so there wasn’t a lot of reason to go to @alkisurfshop, 🌊 but to make matters worse, the main bridge that links the main part of Seattle with West Seattle (home of Alki) was found to be unsafe and was closed last March. 🌉⛔ How did a major thoroughfare connecting two vital parts of the city could go for years without being inspected? 🤔 With the bridge closed, it turns a 15-minute drive into a 50-minute drive. ⏱️ Not exactly fun! 🛣️ So, I’ve really missed hanging out at the beach🐚 but spent time there last Sunday with @postindimps, who is doing her capstone project on Alki Surf Shop. 🏄 It was my first visit there in 2021. 🏖️ It felt great to spend the day in the store, 🧹 engaging with customers 🤙 and cleaning and restocking. Emma was awesome to come in and help. Part of her project was to set up “shopping” on Alki’s website 🖥️ and social media using Shopify. It looks like it’s up and running on the store’s Facebook page! Very cool, Emma! 👍 I had a much-needed break from editing my book. 📕 This evening I finished a round of edits on chapter 14, and now I get to start all over, incorporating Beta feedback on earlier chapters. 📝 It feels like this book will never be done. 😬 You guys, I hope it turns out OK. I’m experiencing a serious case of imposter syndrome! 🦹♀️ Have you heard of, or ever experienced, Imposter Syndrome? How did you handle it?😧 Happy weekend, everyone! 🙏🙋🏻 Photos: A nice day at Alki Beach #alkisurfshop #beachstores #westseattlelife #alkibeach #lifeisbetteronabeach #alkibeachseattle #westseattle #westseattleisbestseattle #pugetsound #bestwashingtonbeach (at Alki Surf Shop) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQAsxrLs_n0/?utm_medium=tumblr