Every week I notice familiar faces from the Norse Home Retirement Community sitting in straight back chairs by the sliding exit doors at Bartell Drugs, their distinctive bus parked nearby. Weather willing, each Wednesday, Molly Holscher, the activities director, helps residents on-board, then drives down into Ballard, eventually parking on 22nd Avenue Northwest, as close to Bartell’s as she can manage.

“Wednesdays in Ballard are sacred,” Molly told me straightaway when I asked if I could ride with them. Residents sign up for one of the 18 seats; shortly after their 3:15 p.m. return she puts out a sign-up sheet for the following week. About 1 p.m. the riders for the week begin to gather in the Norse Home lobby, checking the thermometer by the garden and picking up their copies of the newly delivered Ballard News-Tribune.

There are loaner canes in a stand by the main doors; Kay Courtland borrows one for the trip. Some of this week’s participants use walkers; one still has a car but chooses to ride along with Molly. Driving down 45th toward Market Street she’s simultaneously able to navigate traffic, check in with each passenger on their plans and contribute to questions posed in the back row.

“Northgate has a Chinese Buffet now,” she tells Kay. First stop is in front of Ballard Hair Salon; a drop-off; Barbara will return to Norse Home by taxi later.

Dwayne is headed to Abraxus Books to purchase “The Reader.” Others are going to the bank, the Lodge, the library, the Dollar Store, and of course, Bartell’s. Once a month they also go to the Fred Meyer. “In Ballard,” Molly assures me.

Other destinations can include Goodwill and Ballard Market, but Bartell Drugs is the constant – home base away from Norse Home.

Molly will have been at Norse Home for 20 years in June; one resident has been there her entire tenure. A woman who doesn’t own a car by choice she is currently the only driver for the bus, and a veteran of 14 years as driver for the Syttende Mai parade. As activities director, she seems to have her finger in nearly every pie, although more often it’s birthday cake (Inge will be 100 on Friday). It’s obvious that everyone on the bus adores her.

While the residents do their weekly errands in Ballard, Molly carries out a slough of requests from those who stayed behind, with stops at Olsen’s Scandinavian Foods and Secret Garden Book, Jo-Ann’s Fabrics. In between she drops her bags at the Norse Home bus and tries to discourage residents who have finished their errands early from simply waiting in the bus.

Betty Hansen is done with her Bartell errands by 2:10 - and has missed the accordion players at the Lodge -so we walk to the library together. She was born and raised in Ballard. She told me her parents used to pay $10/month in rent. When the rent increased to $15/month they decided it was time to buy their own home.

“They always wanted to live on Sunset Hill,” she said.

Indeed her mother lived on Sunset Hill until her death, despite the fact that one of her closest friends was a founder of Norse Home in 1957. Now Betty is at Norse Home, with two daughters still in the area and a peripatetic son. She graduated from Ballard High School in 1945 and worked at Seafirst Bank in Ballard during the war,

“Back when they had spittoons for the men, and the men used them.” Although I try to interest her in the periscope or magazines Betty decides to go back across the street to Bartell’s to wait. Two other residents, Marvel Kolseth and Dwayne Hinrich are already in the chairs by the doors.

Soon almost everyone from the bus is there, Helen in a bright yellow sweater, Molly with a cart full of goods to be rung up separately. Betty waits behind the chairs, the doors opening and shutting as other customers enter or leave. Between them they’ve replenished t-shirts and beverages, reading materials and favorite mints. We walk back to the bus and Molly tries to determine who has not returned without consulting the sign-up sheet. “Where’s Ragni?”

Molly sets out to look for Ragni Osterberg, others on the bus are discussing the Westminster Dog Show, pleased that Spunk, the overall winner was an “older” dog who had been considered a has-been. With everyone accounted for and buckled in, Molly heads the bus back to the Norse Home.

They always go back by way of Northwest 65th as residents share their separate adventures. “A teller at Washington Federal said she’d heard the Norse Home is a wonderful place,” Helen said. Marvel mentioning seeing two friends from her years at the hospital who happened to be shopping at Bartell’s.

“They should put in a fireplace at Bartell’s,” Molly called back, “like the one at QFC in University Village. Then you could all really hang out.”

We head up the steep hill to Phinney; Ballard at our backs. There’s persistent but unconfirmed mention of Bartell’s becoming an anchor tenant at the development slated for the corner of Market and 15th Northwest, the former Manning’s/Denny’s site. Even if it happens it doesn’t necessarily mean they would close the location across the street from the library, but it’s a concern.

The same pharmacists behind the counter have seen my family through 20 years and two tonsillectomies. The new library brought my two most frequent destinations across the street from each other. But after riding the Norse Home bus just one week I realized that the Ballard Bartell’s is a lifeline. It serves as the hub for downtown Ballard, connecting retirees with women with newborns, the Real Change vendor with the Activities Director at Norse Home - and everyone in-between.

Like Wednesdays; it’s sacred.