Ferries (Seattle part 5)

This is a continuation of my Seattle series. Back in March my husband, my mom and I all visited Seattle. It was my first trip minus the kids in many many many years. As such, we made the most of the trip and enjoyed every second of it. I am taking the time to chronicle the trip through a series of posts here. To read them in order see: Kubota Garden (Seattle part 1), Magnolia (Seattle part 2), Space Needle (Seattle part 3) and The Waterfront (Seattle part 4).



Growing up, traveling on a Ferry was always considered part of the Seattle experience. And if you think about it, it is really interesting the number of ferries in and out of Seattle. I don't want to turn this into a huge history lesson, but I thought I'd share a bit of how the system of ferries developed. The ferries were originally privately owned but are now run by the state government. Originally, the plan was to build bridges in the 1950's but the plan was scrapped. Puget Sound is a lot deeper than you might think. It averages 450ft deep, the deepest point is just north of Seattle at 930 ft. This made the whole plan of bridges rather complicated and expensive.

On this trip, we decided to take a ferry across to Bainbridge island during sunset. We figured this would make for the most spectacular pictures. Unfortunately we were running late trying to get back to the water front after picking my husband up at his training. It also had gotten much cloudier to the west by the time the ferry set off across the sound.

As a child, I have memories of running around the ferries, and of falling down stairs on the ferry. We always went in the mid afternoon, so it was warm and sunny. I loved to stand at the front out on the sun deck and let the wind whip my hair around into a tangled mop. It was an extraordinary sense of freedom.

The Monday evening we were riding across the water was not warm, nor sunny. It was cold. The wind was biting and the air smelled of fish. But you know..I stood out on the deck, my gloved hands in pockets and my coat was zipped all the way up with the hood up. It was invigorating. The views were even more magnificent than I remembered. After all, as a kid, I didn't care so much about the views, the ride was the best part.

We didn't end up taking any pictures on the trip across to Bainbridge. But the sky was amazing. Off to the west was cloudfilled. The blues fluffed from a deep navy to bright baby blue. To the east, over the skyline was the reflection of the sunset. The sky was a soft pink. The ferry was surround by a flock of seagulls, waiting to see if we would share our dinner. (Reminded us a bit of Finding Nemo.)

When we got to Bainbridge, we didn't really have anything planned. It was about 7:20p and the ferry back was scheduled to leave at 8:10p. What were we going to do for the next forty minutes?

We ended up driving our little rental car around the town, Winslow. We thought this was funny as there is a Winslow in northern Arizona. You probably have heard of it. It is mentioned in the Eagles' song Take it Easy. We drove by the Winslow Mall. We were quite amused. Ok, I admit, we were feeling easily amused that evening.

Anyway, we ended up at a little grocery store. We decided to get a snack and find a restroom. Well, let me tell you what I saw. In the restroom they had this little seat you can strap your toddler into so that the kid doesn't run around, or squeeze under the stall doors. I thought it the most wonderful bathroom invention I had ever seen! I've not seen anything similar here in Arizona, but it was made by the Koala Bear Kare. We had to take a picture it was so remarkable.

Isn't that GREAT?!?!?

I really had not seen anything like it before. Those Koala Bear Kare people must be mothers.

At the grocery store, they were selling unopened cut daffodils. My mom and I had this brilliant idea! We would bring those daffodils home with us to open on our countertops in Phoenix! So we bought two bunches. On the way out of the store, we saw this poem. My mom loves pussy willows. She grew up with them always in her room. She had bought some the day before at Pike's Place Market but she had to have a picture of the poem.

They call them Pussy Willows
But they are not
A cat to see

Except the
Furry little toes
That stick out of the tree

And every year
What worries me
I can not ever find

Those willow cats
Who ran away
And left their little toes behind!

(I googled the poem, but nothing came up, I wanted to credit who wrote it. If you've heard it before, please let me know so that I can give the author credit.)
We always had cats in the house growing up. My mom now has four cats that keep her very good company. So, you have a touch of insight as to how sweet we find this poem.

Then, we were back into the rental and back onto the ferry. It was completely dark now and the trip back was even colder. Still, I spent the majority of the time out on that sun deck. We did take a few pictures on the way back.

This is the view of the Seattle skyline on the way back.
Most of our skyline pictures turned out even worse than this.

Go figure, taking pictures on a moving ferry, with the wrong setting on the camera..and you get blurred pictures. Still they turned out to be rather artistic.

This is me. I am all wrapped up in that too big coat, with the hood up. My husband is next to me. He is the one with the beard, making a face. It was really cold.

This was our view as we waited to disembark the ferry. The motorcyclists get to get on and off first. We also noticed many/most bicyclists wore bright yellow jackets like the one on the motorcyclist in the picture. We wondered if it was law or something to have to wear bright yellow jackets on bikes. If you know, please share.

This Monday evening was such a wonderful change for us desert rats. I recommend a ferry trip just to ride the boat, for all tourists.

A Story? Yep, A Story. Is it long? Yeah, It's Kinda Long, But Read It Anyway, ok? Ok!

I am feeling SILLY! I absolutely Love it!

The past couple of weeks I have been working on my longest assignment for my Creative Writing class. It is a piece of short fiction. I honestly haven't actually completed a short story in a long long time. I write the non-fiction personal essays all the time. You see a lot of them here. I feel quite a sense of accomplishment having actually finished a rough draft of my story. I am going to put a link here to it, so you can all read it and tell me how wonderful I am. LOL

Ok, I am really not that egotistical. The euphoria of having finished is a great high! I am sure I will reread it in a week or so and wonder what I was thinking. But before I get to talking myself out of it here ya go.

Mr. Jammison

The sting of the Jellyfish

My six year-old daughter recently made a family of jellyfish. She glued them to a piece of cardboard she pulled out of the recycle bin. She used it because it is blue and she wanted the family of jellyfish to live in the water. I asked her, what does she know about jellyfish. She told me three things she knows:

1. They live in the ocean.

2. They are like octopuses.

3. They sting.

I asked her if her jellyfish sting each other and she said, 'sometimes, but only when they are mad at each other.' She went on 'Like if they take each other's things, they might get mad at each other and sting each other, until their mom tells them to stop. That is unless their mom is in with them....or dad.'

She learned about jellyfish in Kindergarten. She learned about family dynamics here at home.

It made me think. I asked myself, 'Do I sometimes sting too?'

The answer is a shameful yes. I think of just this morning when my kids were (supposed to be) getting ready for school. How many times did I yell at them to hurry it up. At least a half dozen stings on each of them there. Was I kind and patient when they were getting me to sign their homework assignments? (Requirement for entire class not because they are doing poorly). No, I asked why they waited until this morning to get it signed. Sting! Was I sweet and kind and patient while doing my little girl's hair before taking her to afternoon kindergarten? No, I reminded her of the many times (stings) I had to tell her to get ready. And I brushed extra quick to make my point. (She hates this, even if she loves the end result of the hairdressing). Sting again!

Ah, then let me think about my husband. The little verbal jabs I aim his way when there is something bugging me instead of just coming out and telling him. STING! If I am unhappy with him, I should just say so and resolve it rather than sting him.

Why is it that I sting those closest to me, while with strangers, I am different. After all, I put on makeup to go to my writing class. I sit respectful and calm through out even if I disagree with some of the choices of those around me. I think sometimes, 'I am glad I don't have to go home to you!'

But what about my family. They have to come home to me. Although, today my kids are walking home extra slow. I was just thinking about how I need to drive out and find out what is taking them so long....(a mental sting in their direction).

I don't think myself a bad mother. (most of the time anyway)
But I need to remember to think before I sting.
Besides, look at this beautiful, innocent (if stubborn) little girl. She is my teacher today.

A Little Bright Spot

I had a most frustrating afternoon! However, I am not going to vent about it here. I have already done all my screaming and crying over it. I am going to pick out something good that happened during all the crap. So there bad day...I'll beat you yet!

This afternoon I was off to find a place I had not been before. So, I found (what I thought) was the right address and began looking for a place to park. Now, this is an address in downtown Phoenix. The one and only place in the entire city (exaggeration here is only minor) where you have to sometimes parallel park. Now, I don't usually do much parallel parking as the city usually has an abundance of parking lots, but not where I was, by the state capitol. To top it off, I was driving a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4x4 extended cab truck. Actually, it is very similar to the first vehicle I ever tried to parallel park in, only this one is minus the camper shell. I remember my dad trying to direct me around these barrels he had set up to parallel park that huge beast of a truck. I never did get it right at the age of 16. Well, the Dodge Ram and the Honda Civic I parallel parked between this afternoon are probably very grateful that with age has come a better depth perception. That's right! I parallel parked in a rather tight spot between two actual vehicles. I did it my first try! I backed on in and then pulled up about two feet and it was PERFECT. Just the right distance from the curb on the side and the two other vehicles in front and back. I was so proud of myself I practically hopped to the front door of the building that ended up being the wrong place, but I wasn't going to talk about that. So there is my bright spot in an otherwise horrid afternoon.

This is a similar truck, but the one I was driving is a gorgeous maroon color.

A Few New Additions

I have a few new additions to my blog!

First, I am rather fond of my new weatherpixie. Expect to see her wearing shorts, tank tops, and perhaps bathing suits all summer long. I enjoy looking at Hope's little weather girl. Her's is always so classily dressed. So, thank you Hope for helping me turn me obsession of all things weather into a pretty little addition to my blog.

Next, I have added four more people to my blogroll. It may seem a bit silly, but I don't add people to my blogroll I haven't been reading awhile. These are quality writers who are very entertaining. I hope you enjoy them too:

Mary on a Mission is getting used to a new job and working toward her goal of skinniness. Join in with her cheering section. We all know how hard such goals are.

A Day in the Life Jaime is someone I relate well to. She hasn't been blogging long and is sometimes infrequent in her posts. I would love to see her update us more often. She has had fun adding interesting features to her blog. Music videa and scrolling pictures. Very fun!

Anybody Home Judy is a new grandmother who has an adorable little grandbaby. She has a great take on the world around her despite her introvertedness. She has a wonderful migraine poem up right now that I totatlly understand.

Mom / Ma'am / Me Nancy was having a bad day a few days back see Rebel Yell with this post alone I was hooked on her. Virtual scream and selective amnesia all rolled into one.

Anyway, that's it for tonight. Oh wait!

I just watched Narnia for the first time. I am wishing now I had seen it in the theaters. Some great panoramic shots. It was better done than I had anticipated. My husband absolutely loves movies in any format, but prefers to go to the theaters. We don't get many opportunities for going out like that tho. Lately, I haven't been much in the mood for the DVD's altho he would watch them every night if I was equally enthusiastic. So, if you haven't seen it yet, I do recommend it. I love the books and they have done a good job of not destroying C.S. Lewis' dream.

The Waterfront (Seattle part 4)

This is a continuation of my Seattle series. See my previous posts: Kubota Garden (Seattle part 1), Magnolia (Seattle part 2) and Space Needle (Seattle part 3). I know I am taking a long time to get this completed. After all, we took the trip in March. But you know, I am really enjoying taking the time to do this right. Going back over the pictures and remembering the fun little details of the trip has been like taking another vacation.

On Monday of the trip, my husband was off to his seminar. (All about use cases if that means anything to you.) My mom and I had the rental car and the whole day ahead to do whatever we wanted. I haven't felt that sort of freedom in a very long time! The only time restriction we had was that we needed to pick up my husband at 4:30p. The day before at the Space Needle we had picked up City Passes.

We had looked into such options before the trip and had decided that it would be a great way to help motivate us to find things to do and to cut the cost dramatically. In fact, it ended up taking us places we wouldn't have considered otherwise, which in the end made for a better trip.

So, Monday we decided to stick around the waterfront. We got there around 9:15a and quickly learned nothing opens until 10a. How frustrating it was until in our wandering we found a little gift shop with a pirate theme. We had fun sifting through everything pirate.


We then walked down to the Seattle Aquarium (it was part of the citypass). The Aquarium is under construction right now and it ended up being a quick hour walk through. With the construction, it seems to be a pretty minimal place. I would have loved to see more about the giant octopus.
All in all, I don't recommend the Aquarium if your group does not include any children. My mom and I agreed that for the two of us perhaps the best part of it was this cool otter bench that was sitting near the restrooms.


After the Aquarium, we drove up the hill and finally found a parking space near Pike's Place Market. This is a must visit for all visitors to Seattle. Walking past all of the flower stalls was amazing. Daffodils everywhere! Not just at the market. Daffodils lined almost every building we entered on the trip. March is a wonderful time to visit Seattle.



Ok, back to Pike's Place Market. We had such fun wandering around the shops. The fish throwers are a lot of fun. We didn't get any good pictures of the fish flying, but I got this one of one of the nice young men. He picked up the fish and smiled just so we could take pictures. Isn't that nice?

We ended up having teriyaki chicken for lunch. We figured it wouldn't be right if we didn't enjoy it at least once while there. Almost every other corner of the city has some sort of Teriyaki place. It was great!


This was the view looking out from one of the doors at the market. You can get a bit of the feel of how high up the hill it is. Amazing city, Seattle is. You can go from water level up hundreds of feet in a matter of a half mile. I gained a whole new respect for my mom, learning to drive on the hills.

We didn't have nearly enough time in the market, we had to hurry off for the 1:30p departure of our cruise!



We went on an hour long harbor cruise through Argosy Cruises. This was also part of the citypass. The boat we rode on is named the Spirit of Seattle. We sat on the top deck and had the most amazing views of the waterfront. We also were treated with a well done tour of much of the history of the buildings of Seattle. It was really well done. If you have the chance to take one of the cruises offered through Arogsy, I am sure you will enjoy yourself.

Here are some of the pictures we took. (It was really quite cold and windy as we were moving, but the sun was shining and I had my gloves on. So, it was almost perfect!)

This is a look at the water side of the Seattle Aquarium. It really is on one of the Piers. My mom remembers as a kid, them having whales and dolphins out in pens in the water. That would have been fun to see.

This is looking at one of the Ferries. We passed by a couple of them as we made our circle of the harbor.


This is looking at the Magnolia Bridge. At least that is what my mom called it. It leads right up to what was Grandma's house. They now have another way to get up to Magnolia. Not as much traffic goes across the bridge anymore. At least that was our observation driving there.


Just one of the places private boats are docked. This is off of Magnolia. Many people actually park the boats in Lake Union, to avoid the barnacles. I found all that really interesting. I will talk more about it when I post about visiting the Locks. I am such a desert girl. Anything ocean related is so fascinating!

This picture is from when we reached our furthest point out as we went back across the harbor. The Seattle skyline is so pretty.

This is a continuation of the picture above. Couldn't get it all in one photo.

These are some of the cranes used to load and unload containers from the ships. Container shipping really was quite revolutionary. Also, Tom Cruise uses one of these cranes in the movie War of the Worlds. So you might recognize them from that.

This I believe is one of Todd Shipyards dry docks. Todd Shipyards is one of the longest surviving shipbuilders in the country. During WWII they were one of the biggest suppliers of battleships to the Pacific. Since, however, the needs for ship building have diminished they have become a company that mainly does Ship Maintenance. This is a Coast Guard Cutter in the dry dock. They do work with private companies as well. Very interesting isn't it?

This is the shot coming back into Pier 56 where Argosy sails out of.

Watch for my next installment to see our adventure that night. Ferries (Seattle part 5)

I'm Nobody...in need of an attitude adjustment

I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us — don't tell!

They'd banish us, you know. How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!

I love this poem (of course by Emily Dickinson). It is a different take on feeling alone.

I think I am in need of a good kick. A good shake to wake me up.

So! As my fellow bogging friends as my witnesses! I will no longer wear my pajamas until it is time to pick up my kids from school. I will no longer focus on what is wrong with me but on what is RIGHT! I will brush my teeth! I will plant those damn flowers! I will play with my kids AT THE PARK! Yes! I hearby proclaim, my pity me parties are OVER! The messy house is NO friend and as my enemy it shall be Snuffed OUT!

um..ok..that's all for now.

Updates

This is just a couple of updates on what is new with me.

This week I have been working on moving my blog to a new hosting service. It hasn't gone as smoothly has I had hoped. After all, I am so new to all of this. I should have given myself more time for learning curve. Yesterday, blogger seemed to be having trouble too. So, if my blog hasn't been working right for you, now you know why. If my hallucinations aren't showing up for you at some near future time, know I am just still learning, and they will be back.

On a positive note, I finally got the pictures my mom took on our Seattle trip. (She had a MUCH better camera). So, I am looking forward to posting about the rest of my trip.

My writing class is slowly winding down and there is only a couple of more weeks. I think I'll post a couple of the scenes I've written. They have been exercises and not full stories. I am findind though, that I have much more humor in me for fiction than for the nonfiction. Perhaps I need to learn to laugh at myself more.

Finally, I am going in for some medical tests this week. I haven't been feeling well. As they work to rule things out, I was thinking I could use all the positive energy and prayers anyone wishes to send. Today I go in for a pelvic ultrasound. The hope is they find absolutely nothing wrong. I will be more than happy to find out stress is the cause of it all. Thank you my blogging friends.

Wheaties Box Fame

Hey! Guess who is on the Wheaties box?
One of my favorite canadian athletes! Take a LOOK!

Did I ever tell you...

I was recently tagged with the "6 weird things about me" meme by broominyaya.
I've see it on many of the blogs I read and so I am unsure I will be able to come up with six to tag with it. So let's see what I can come up with.

1. Clean laundry tends to pile up, waiting to be folded. As I don't like to let anybody else fold it. I fold most everything into (almost) perfect squares that fit so nicely into drawers and cupboards. I admit I know that when I then send my children to put their clothes away, they tend to mess up my neat little piles. I just can't sit and watch them fold the clothes to look that way to start with.

2. I do some of my best thinking while sitting playing online games. The mindless repetitiveness somehow frees the rest of my mind to figure out some of the most difficult problems.

3. I have trouble listening to music as I get much of anything else done. I can train myself to do it and Enya "Sheppard Moon" will always be my study music. But when it comes to falling asleep, music doesn't help to ease my racing thoughts. I turn on talk radio when I need to go to sleep. Not so much that it is boring, I really do like some talk radio, but that it uses a different part of my mind. It allows me to stop thinking about everything else for enough time to fall asleep.

4. When I am anxious or stressed about anything, or everything as the case often is, my hands constantly roll into fists. Not tight, I'm going to hit you fists, just loosely closed. Even as I lay in bed, (I like to my hands above my head) they will close into fists. I don't have to be thinking about the problems. It is like my body remembers there is stress, even as I try my hardest to avoid thinking about any of it.

5. There are a couple of topics I have had to learn that most people do not find as interesting as I do. If I'm not careful and the topics of dentistry or linguistics come up, I can go ON and ON and ON. I have a devotion and passion for each topic in little bit different ways. Most people don't want to hear about my enjoyment working in a dental office (and honestly I don't want to hear their dental horror stories). I seriously considered in the past, going into linguistics. It is amazing how language works and how different languages are related etc. It is a topic most people don't know much about, and so cannot share my passion. Knowing when to stop when I get going can be really tough. (hmm..nobody can look at me strange if I pour the all the passion in to a blog post. Muhhahahaha!)

6. If my husband is driving somewhere that I often drive and he decides to take a different route than I ALWAYS go. I jump and ask him where he is going (of course worried that he forgot what we were doing....). I, having driven the route many many times know the quickest way and easiest way to avoid all the traffic lights. It is hard on me when he drives there the 'Wrong' way.


If you are reading this and have not been tagged...consider yourself tagged. This means you (Jensen Five). I have really enjoyed getting to know other's idiosyncrasies. Makes me feel a bit less lonely sitting here in my own uniqueness.

Happy Easter

Happy Happy Easter Everyone!
I know I've been a tad absent the past few days. I've been a bit busy. In fact, last night my husband and I went out to dinner with his brother and the brother's new girlfriend. I suspect those two will be a post topic soon. :-) (My bro-in-law couldn't stop smiling. Very welcome change in him). It was a good dinner, at a pretty good steak house called The Keg. It is a chain place, but it was my first visit. Very good service, pretty good food. The prime rib was well enjoyed at our table. They have 90 locations throughout Canada and the U.S. So, if you like a big hunk of meat on your plate..you may want to check them out.

This is going to be a spring cleaning day for my household. So, join me in rolling up the pantlegs, putting the hair back in a pony tail, and lets get to it!

I hope you all have a special, enjoyable Easter tomorrow. We will spend time at church and with family. It is a great time to stop and count those blessings.

A Smack to the Forehead

Ok..in doing work for my writing class a childhood memory has been revisited. It is rather embarrassing, but somehow the idea of thousands of people (lol ok I mean tens of people...I do have a realistic understanding of my blog viewership) laughing at me is kinda fun.

When I was in the forth or fifth grade, I forget which, I had to get stitches in my forehead. The scar is now barely visible. So, I guess I can finally explain all of how it happened.

In elementary school I was a bit of an outcast. It wasn't til near the end of the fifth grade that I ended up making some truly devoted friends. I had a tendency to cry easily, which was exploited frequently. One day, I was in quite a funk. I was so angry and unhappy. I felt like the whole world hated me. I wanted to lash out at something, but knew it would only make things worse.

So, this day I was wandering around the playground at recess, alone. It was a hot day and so the asphalt behind the huge block of a PE building was pretty empty. I stood there for a while, my shoulder pressed against the building. The building was hot too, so I started walking along, my shoulder sliding along the adobe painted wall. I walked, watching the ground, lost in the thoughts of my own misery.

When I reached about a third of the way down the building I paused. I reached into my pocket and felt the newly sharpened pencil I was carrying and the little devil on my shoulder whispered to me. The little rebel inside of me really had a good friendship with that little devil and so I quickly succumbed to the evil idea. I snuck that pencil out and turned my body toward that oven of a building. I wrote in little letters a four letter word. If I had said the word, I would have ended up with a mouth full of soap. I snuck that pencil back into my pocket and with a rush of adrenaline continued down the building, my shoulder still dragging.

I continued to watch the ground as I went, but my inner rebel was cheering. Then, I walked into a metal cage sticking out from the building. It was a small cage used to protect the electric meter at the back of the building. It happened, however, to be the same height of my forehead. My forehead smacked so hard into a corner of that cage the blood from the cut ran down into my eyes and I ran around the building to find a teacher. I was rushed to the nurses office where my parents were called. My mom came and I had to get five stitches.

So is there a moral to my story? Ah, I am sure you can think of a half dozen. It was the only time in my life I have attempted such graffiti. So, moral or not, a lesson was learned.

Tagged...

Last week Hope tagged me.
Today, since I am feeling wholy uninspired to write a post. I will succumb to the tagging.

1. What is something that you have done that you regret?

There are so many. But see the final question for my take on this.


2. Name one thing about yourself that very few people know.

My husband and I dream together about buying matching motorcycles and going on road trips.


3. Have you ever cried to a love song?

Of course. Savage Garden's Crash and Burn gets me almost every time.


4. What are your three "WORST" qualities?

one- I have a tendency to only see my mistakes.
two- Depression
three- I have to remind myself to let my kids finish their sentences.


5. Aside from your blog...which other blog could you not live without?

hmm..I lived ok before I found blogs, so I am sure I could live without them again.
I would miss all of you though.


6. What is your favorite body part on YOUR body and why?

My hair. It is getting long again.


7. Are you gay, straight, or bisexual?

This is an interesting question to have lodged in the middle of a seemingly benign questionaire. I honestly don't see that it matters.


8. What is your passion?

I was going to put down, my children. But that isn't quite right. My children are my life. I love them, but there are days if I didn't have other passions, they would suck the life right out of me. One of my passions is singing. I no longer have time or money for voice lessons, but when enough time and money return I'll be going back.


9. When are you going to put a picture up?

I like my picture. Altho, with summer coming, I might want to find something new.


10. What do you hope to be doing within the next 5 years?

I hope to have published some of my writing. This summer, I will begin submitting. I think I will have enough strong material by then. Fingers-crossed, wish me luck.


11. If you could have any job, what would it be?

Right now, the best job for me is what I am doing. I wish I were doing it better, but I have learned there is no such thing as the perfect mother.


12. Where are you going on your next vacation?

I'm not sure. We haven't made plans to go anywhere this summer. As a family, we will probably spend time out at Roosevelt Lake again this winter.


13. If you could turn back time and redo something, what would it be?

I wouldn't redo anything. Not that I don't wish I could change events in my past. I am just not willing to give up who I am now and (un?)fortunately those mistakes have molded me into who I am.


Well there ya go. I'm not sure how much of me you learned from those, but it was kinda fun to ask myself the questions.
If you are reading this and have not been tagged. Consider yourself tagged. After all the whole point of doing this should be fun, not forced.

Space Needle (Seattle part 3)

Just a reminder, I went on a trip last month to Seattle with my husband and my mom. My husband was attending training for his job and so for the most part my mom and I explored Seattle, where she grew up. It was the best trip I've had in a long time. I've been sharing the trip with all of you through two previous postins Kubota Garden (Seattle part 1) and Magnolia (Seattle part 2). I think you might enjoy this post even more if you read both of those first.

The evening of our first night in Seattle (it was a very full day) we spent at the Space Needle.
This is the Space Needle's hompage.
This is to a history of the Space Needle.

But just in case you'd rather just stick it out here with me, instead of visiting those pages. Here is a brief history of the Space Needle.

The Space Needle was completed in 1962 and opened the first day of the Seattle's World's Fair. It was built to convey the theme of the World's Fair "The 21st Century". It was meant to look futuristic. It has always be owned privately but is known as one of the top Seattle landmarks. Here is what the Space Needle looked like at it's opening:


Later an observation deck was built at 100 ft (the tip of its point is at 605 ft.) It also has a rotating restaurant slowly turns as you eat.

This is what it looks like today:



It was nice and windy the night we visited. There was a great jazz band playing and they have a wine bar if you are interested. We watched the sunset and the lights appear through the city. At the homepage they have webcams set up so you can get live views of Seattle as if you were standing on the Space Needle's observation deck. I think a trip up is a must for anyone first time visitors to Seattle. Every time we would go visit Grandma growing up, we would take a trip on the Monorail (which is currently shut down for renovations) and go up the Space Needle. Both are wonderful, unique Seattle experiences. Here are some of the pictures we took from way up there.




Finally, I want to mention what we did for dinner. For those who already know me, you know I do not enjoy eating sea food. My mom and husband on the other hand are quite the opposite. For my mom, visiting Seattle, means eating fish and chips at Ivar's. So, we went for fish and chips. I actually got chicken from the next door KFC, but my mom and husband really enjoyed themselves. So, I will pass on their recommendation. If you like fish and chips, fried clams, or clam chowder and are going to be in the Washington area...visit Ivar's.

A Little Laugh (Woof bark, grrr...)

Aren't those Canadians funny?

I really enjoyed this post by Bobita. It gave me some well needed perspective today.

Oh I love squencial numbers..check out the date and the time of this post!

1:23 04/05/06

I love that!

Daily Blessings

This is my little boy, Robert. He will be two years-old in May. He likes to have his picture taken and after the flash of the first one, you can't get him to not smile. He is a bright beaming light in my world. He gives tight close hugs, and will just cuddle for hours. One of his favorite things is to sit on my lap while I am at the computer. He sometimes grabs at the keyboard, but mostly he just cuddles back against me and watches. Today, he joined me in another passion of mine.

He climbed up into his high chair (which was in the living room at the time, wheels are wonderful). Then he let me know he had forgotten his cup on the floor nearby, so I handed it to him. Here he is:





And here is what he was getting all comfy to watch with me:



Isn't that wonderful?!

Today was the start of the Major League Baseball season. I watched my Diamondbacks go into extra innings with the Colorado Rockies and unfortunately, they ultimately lost. I have missed baseball and I really enjoyed watching it with my little boy. I am so blessed!

Magnolia (Seattle part 2)

My mom grew up in Seattle. She learned to drive on the ups and downs of Magnolia and Queen Anne. She went to Queen Anne High School (which is now condos). So, Sunday afternoon after we visited Kubota Garden we traveled over to visit my mom's childhood memories.


As a child she lived in three different houses in Magnolia. Each move brought her family further up the hill. They ended up here in the house here. To me this was always Grandma's house. It used to be painted dark brown with yellow trim. The house is now an extended care group home as an alternative to nursing home care. The workers there let us come inside for a quick look. My memories consisted of summers and Christmases spent there. My memories rushed through me like crazy. I can only imagine how strong a wave of emotions it was for my mom to look into her old bedroom. To look at the corner near the huge window where they always put the Christmas tree. Those tiny details that childhood memories pull out of us.

I remember picking blackberries in front of the house. I didn't take any pictures of the grown over bushes still there as it was the wrong season. It would have been pictures of sticks. My mom later reminded me of the bushes at the elementary school where we spent more time picking the berries.


This is the view my mom grew up with. I will admit I couldn't be as high up as the picture window of the house, so I stepped to the otherside of the street to get the picture. There was a small tree in the way otherwise. Still, isn't it beautiful? From what I understand the houses in this area have skyrockets in cost over the past twenty years. No wonder!






My mom attended Magnolia Elementary, now closed. It seems that the population of Magnolia and Queen Anne through the 1970's-1980's had a shift from families to primarily adult residences. I read in my searches of the area that in at the 1990 census only 15% of the population of Magnolia was children and only 10% of Queen Anne. Which explains why most of the schools there have been closed. Magnolia Elementary is closed now. For several years recently it was used while another school which had burnt down was being rebuilt but it is again empty. The playfield behind, which I remember playing at, is being converted into a park. The park will have the best views I've ever seen at a park. See this article to learn more.


As a teen my mom attended Queen Anne High School. (This is linked to the school's alumni association web site. I link it as much for my mom who was singing the fight song as we drove around the school.)

Here is a great article about the Queen Anne area. It explains the High School was saved in the 1970's from being torn down by Historic Seattle. In order to save the amazing building it was turned into condos.


I wish I could do justice here to the stories my mom shared as we drove around the two hills. It sounds like an amazing place to grow up. What struck me more than anything is mix of new developments and the strong history around every corner. While driving around Queen Anne we came across this house. I somehow doubt that this is how it was painted when originally built. I think it is a perfect example of the creative expression I found throughout the city. The old architecture of Queen Anne, the hair styles on the young people I saw in Ballard. The magnificent views EVERYWHERE! There are parks around every corner, which actually have grass and history! One of the parks on Magnolia "Magnolia Park" leads practically to the water's edge. (The site linked with Magnolia Park also explains why the community got the name "Magnolia")

I think the few hours we spent just driving around these two communities were my favorite of the whole trip. I am so lucky to have gotten to see some of the important places of my mom's childhood. The stories of pirates and feeding the elderly are priceless. I need to keep encouraging my mom to write them down. If that fails..I'll have to pull out that tape recorder.

Keep an eye out for the next installment The Space Needle (Seattle part 3)

Search Engine Fun

I have learned that I am not nearly interesting enough!
Check out Dawn's blog: I am doing the best I can
She writes a letter to all the people who have done odd searches and found her blog.
Only boring searches find my blog. The most interesting search that found me last month was

severely nearsighted athletes

So my goal for the month of April is to use interesting words and see what searches turn up. I will not be crude and it will all pertain to me somehow. If you have any topic suggestions please leave them. It could turn into quite the ride to link myself to some ideas. So challenge me and I'll see what I can do!

Indie Virus

Mel from "Actual Unretouched Photos" Recently infected me with the "Indie Virus"

This is actually a very nice thing, not an evil computer virus as you may think.
So I thought I should pass it along.

Broominyaya has a way with brooms. You should take a look!

And dear Hope, the first blog I ever commented on will always deserve a look. "Wandering and Ponderings"

Also Gina has a way of keeping me laughing. Check her out at "Just Another Day"

For a little background on this:

You see, Pearsonified has started a small, casual social experiment, it's called "The Indie Virus." Here's how Pearsonified describes this experiment:

The experiment, henceforth referred to as "The Indie Virus," has two goals:*

1) To bring exposure to lesser known blogs (especially those outside of Technorati's top 100);
2) To explore the metrics behind a viral linking campaign launched by the 'little guys' (less popular blogs).

To learn more click on the Indie Virus link above. I am just learning about some of this, so I hope I did it right.
And if I didn't do it quite right..so what? These ladies are great fun and you will enjoy them.

Thank you Mel.

April Fool's Day Perfection

I wanted to share with you the funniest April Fool's Joke I've experienced in some time. The best part of it, is that it was well executed (by a 6 yr-old) and was harmless fun.

My kids are in a city run soccer program (See previous post). My sister's kids are in the same program. As it is a city run league, the cost is rather minimal ($20 per kid). I like this. It, however, then does not provide treats for the kids after the games. So, we as parents take turns bringing juice bags and snacks for the team after each game. Today being April Fool's Day offered an opportunity my sister's son D jumped on.

The game was over, his team had won, but that wasn't why D was so excited. He ran back to his mom and asked, "Is it all ready?".

She smiled and handed him the two bags. He then stood and called out to his teammates "We have the snacks here!". The other children ran over expecting to be handed their snack but D said "No, I want to wait until everyone is here." So the children crowded around him.

Then he opened up the snack bag and handed to each child waiting with hands out a potato. That's right a potato. The kids stood there and looked confused at the unlikely snack. Several children got excited and ran back to their parents exclaiming their joy at the snack. D kept a straight face through it all. Until every child had received his/her potato.

Then he shouted out, "APRIL FOOLS!" and starting laughing hysterically. The bewildered children (for the most part) laughed along and happily returned their potatoes for a bag of cheetos and a juice bag. A couple kids desperately wanted to keep the potatoes and so they had their hands over flowing as they headed off with their parents.

Isn't that sweet? While the initial idea to do something funny was not his, my nephew pulled it off like a pro! I am so proud!

Happy April Fool's Day!

I hope your day is filled with laughter.