Saturday, August 6, 2011

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2006. It almost seems like another lifetime ago when our home was filled with toy cars, trucks, trains, tinker toys, and Legos. Back then our living room and dining room always had a Mattie building or construction project as its focal point. Now all these scenes are just memories, along with the sounds and character of Mattie.

Quote of the day: The death of a dear friend, wife, brother, lover, which seemed nothing but privation, somewhat later assumes the aspect of a guide or genius; for it commonly operates revolutions in our way of life, terminates an epoch of infancy or of youth which was waiting to be closed, breaks up a wonted occupation, or a household, or style of living, and allows the formation of new ones more friendly to the growth of character. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yesterday was a grey and cool day in Seattle, but today, was the perfect weather day. We saw Seattle with beautiful sunshine and 70 degree weather. It is a glorious city to see when the sun is out. As we opened our hotel curtains this morning, Peter introduced me to a sight I may have overlooked. On the rooftop below us, was a mother seagull and two of her baby seagulls in tow. The babies are unable to fly yet, but their mom does fly away throughout the day, but periodically comes back to check on her young. I have watched her at different time points today, and I couldn’t help but take a picture of the babies. A sight Mattie would have appreciated and most definitely commented upon.

We began our adventure by boarding Seattle’s Monorail. There was quite a line to get aboard this elevated train, but patience and persistence paid off. The Monorail took us directly from our hotel to the famous Space Needle.

In 1961, construction for the Space Needle broke ground. Once it was completed in 1962 (for the World’s Fair, with a science-based futuristic theme), it was the tallest building West of the Mississippi at a whopping 605 feet tall. This retro-meets-futuristic tower instantly became an icon of Seattle! The other popular attraction created for the World’s Fair was the Monorail, which zips people between downtown and the Space Needle.

We waited over a half an hour in line to get aboard one of the three elevators that take you up to the observation deck of the Space Needle. The waiting time wasn’t that bad in all reality and directly in front of us was a young couple from Sweden with their 15 month old daughter. The 15 month old was very entertaining and delightful, though I must admit it was a hard sight to watch. When I think that Mattie too looked healthy and happy at 15 months, and then of course later developed cancer and died, it is a sobering reality. Why certain children are chosen to get cancer is a fact I don’t quite understand and why some parents are lucky enough to keep their children and others aren’t is beyond me.

Once we were atop of the Space Needle, 520 feet above ground, we saw amazing sights of Seattle, from the downtown skyline to Union Lake, and we even got to see The Blue Angels perform their air show in the distance!

In our one full day to explore Seattle, we REALLY got around. This afternoon we headed to Pike Place Market, which is a 104 year old farmers market of grand proportion! The market was started to cut out the middleman between farmers and consumers and today, it remains a shining example of the true “producers’ market” where you can find anything from fresh strawberries to handmade local crafts. While at the market we saw the famous fish throwers, who literally throw large pieces of fresh fish over the heads of observers. This is basically done for entertainment and as a way of moving a piece of ordered fish from ice to its wrapping and packing station to be transported home with a buyer.

A block away from Pike Market is the flagship Starbuck’s store. It was a charming store with a lot of character and one observation I have regarding Seattle is there is literally one on every street corner. Not unlike Dunkin Donuts in Boston! I have to imagine in grey and rainy months, this shot of caffeine is not only desired but VERY needed.

Later this afternoon, we continued exploring the city and visited the Seattle Glassblowing Studio . While there we had the opportunity to observe several skilled artisans in action and also we saw several of their finished products. I particularly loved the flowers in the front of the studio designed completely of glass.

We have had many wonderful meals so far here and fresh fish is in abundance! It is wonderful to be back in a city surrounded by water. In Washington, DC, I sometimes feel land locked, despite having the Potomac River nearby. Tomorrow our cruise to Alaska begins and we will be saying goodbye to Seattle. Time has a way of flying by and sometimes I wish we were able to slow it down especially when on vacation.