Seattle

When I heard that daughter Casey wanted to go to Pike Place Market to celebrate her birthday, I said 'Seattle?! We are only an hour away! We could come meet you!' So that is what we did. We left Blake Island Sunday morning and headed to Seattle.

We met at the pig, where Casey, Richard, Madalyn, Evan and Milo posed. Then the kids 'fed the pig', because she really IS a big piggy bank, and they rubbed her nose for luck. Unfortunately, this is the happiest Madalyn was all afternoon. She began to have tummy troubles, got pale and tired, and just wanted to go home. The boys were sweet and cuddly, enjoying being picked up and carried by Grammie and Papa. Our short visit was cut shorter so poor Madalyn could rest and get back home to her bed.

Yesterday Al and I went out for breakfast, eating at the french bakery Le Panier. Today we ate at the Bacco Cafe. And we agree, Seattle just does coffee right! Yes, it is the home of Starbucks, whose strength is it's convenience and consistancy. But the REALLY good stuff is at the little corner cafes.

We did our grocery shopping, getting most of our fresh fruits and veggies at the Pike Place Market before walking up to the IGA for the rest of the items on our list. Gotta tell you, downtown Seattle food prices are higher than what we found in the San Juan Islands, and we thought THAT was expensive!

We ate dinner at Anthony's. Our first experience with Anthony's was in Richland WA last fall. They have a fabulous value, a Sundown Special--three course meal for just $19.95 from 3-6 PM. I remember my glass of L'Ecole No 41 'Perigee' cost more than my whole meal, but worth every penny! Our second Anthony's location was in Bellingham to celebrate my 50th birthday (this time we shared a whole bottle of this wonderful wine). We took friends Chuck and Betty to the location in Anacortes, but arrived too late for the special. We felt 'judged by our jeans' when we were led to a table in the corner first, though staff readily moved us to one of a couple window tables upon request.

Last night's experience was not so grand. There were no linen tablecloths. The butter was foil-wrapped patties, instead of coming in it's own little ceramic dish like the other locations. The menu was a bit cafe-style, under plastic, instead of printed with an elegant font on fine cardstock inside a binder. In addition, the bartender had not observed that there was an infestation of fruit flies in their campari, and my cocktail was served with three 'swimmers'. No problem--she made an even bigger replacement with fresh campari to compensate. The food was as good as ever, but the whole experience was a bit 'less' than we expected.

Later sunrises make it more likely we can observe them, and it was a pleasant morning in Seattle, cold but dry, very Autumnal. Yesterday morning we heard THUNDER during the early morning rain.

Sunrise over CenturyLink Field

Those familiar with Viking Star may be able to spot her tucked into Bell Harbor Marina, below the Seattle skyline. Others, look at the farthest row of boats, facing away from the camera, the one most left is us!

The sunrise reflects on the Olympic Mountains, behind Bainbridge. You may want to click on this one to get a better view.

The lamps at Pier 66 had these weird 'hair-do's' that remind me  of Marvin the Martian's bird. 

I loved the color combo in this plantar.

The grandkids LOVE the movie 'Ratatouille' so I considered ordering it, but I don't much care for eggplant or peppers.

Maybe there ARE Martians in Seattle?! They DO have a  Space Needle...

Loved this piece of art, an inside-out umbrella, that would pivot in the wind!

Gee, Viking Star looks so small!  Al says that's what happens when you move the decimal point a few spots to the right, in comparison.  Oh, and he calls those 'Mickey Mouse Ears'

Goodbye, Seattle, until next time!