There's a heat wave in Seattle! As I was driving to work on Friday morning the VJ announced that it was going to be unseasonably warm for this time of year. By 1 o'clock I understood what she was talking about. We hit temperatures of the low 80's. Now anyone who knows me knows that I don't tolerate heat well. 80 might not seem too high but when paired with zero air condition at work and at home, 80 might as well as be 100. I love the sunshine and it's been out in full force for 9 days straight but the heat and humidity (yes we got some of that too) I can do without. Poor Nala just looks at me with a little pathetic look on her face and spends a lot of time against the porcelin of the bathroom sink. Saturday Joe and I walked down to Pike's Place Market for the annual street fair. It's really a glorified version of the everyday market with more vendors, a stage for performers (have you ever seen a person play what looked like an old washboard with brushes?) and a beer/wine garden by the water. The nice day brought lots of people out. Later in the day Joe went to work and I went to seek solace in the one air conditioned place I could think of-the mall. I love the mall for many reasons but yesterday walking through the doors and feeling that wave of cool hit my face, was the best reason of all. I'm probably jinxing myself typing this and will wake up with rainy and cold weather tomorrow but I can't help it. I did say that if any bad weather is in the forecast I'd like it to happen and get it out of its system before mom and dad come. One just never knows what Mother Nature has in store for us. With such a busy weekend last weekend I was happy to have a low key Saturday night with a glass of wine and a chick flick. I watched "He's Just Not That Into You" and not only smiled often but also fell in love with Ben Affleck all over again. I had a poster of him on my bedroom wall many years ago.
I've got my countdown to the end of the school year....3 weeks and counting (and also my countdown for mom and dad's visit) Cant' wait!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Memorial Day Weekend
My blog is a little late this week as this is my first free day from the weekend as Amber and Gary came out to visit. We had such good time together and had the most perfect weather you could ask for. Four straight days of sunshine with temperatures hot enough to make you sweat. We were able to give them a nice over view of both the city and the mountains and covered quite a bit of territory in 3 short days.
They arrived on Saturday and after showing them our place we headed on foot down to the market. Shortly into our walk Gary commented how this didn't quite feel "within walking distance" as he had thought. That became the running joke of the weekend-that everything in Seattle was "within walking distance." Pike's Place market was packed with people enjoying the holiday weekend and the sunshine. We enjoyed taking in the large sea creatures for sale throughout the market and even purchased a full size Grouper fish to grill for dinner that night. The guy working at the fish place was kind enough to hold the fish and open his mouth wide to get the full effect of what would be making its way into our stomachs later on.....Let's just say that I had to look away. After some further food shopping-Gary was excited to find sausage from South Africa, we made the trek home. After dropping our fish off we headed over to Alki Beach for drinks by the beach. It's such a great ambiance over there on beautiful days. Our mango margaritas were pretty tasty out in the sunshine.
On Sunday we headed into the Cascade Mountains to the town of Leavenworth. It's a neat German town that sits in the base of the mountain and the views are stunning. After lunch of Bratwurst burgers (and my turkey sandwich) the boys headed to the German beer garden while Amber and I explored the shops and then stumbled upon some wine tasting. The town was bustling with tourists alike taking in the sunshine, the German music, and of course the food. Sunday was by far the warmest day and by late afternoon we needed some relief from the sun. The 2 1/2 hour drive back into the city gave us just that along with some stunning views of the mountains-some even still snow covered.
Yesterday we ventured to Discovery Park which offers trails along the "beach." The beach is more rocks than sand but the sound of the waves and the smell of the salt air is good enough for me. There is a little lighthouse that sits out on the point and there were sailboats out along the horizon. After more walking through the park we made our way to the neighborhood of Fremont for lunch. At least point I think I had gotten all the walking I could out of Gary and he needed to be replenished with food and beer. Another evening of grilling and drinks brought culmination to a wonderful weekend. I took them to the airport very early this morning and was glad that I had taken today as a personal day as it's been nice to just relax before putting in the last 3 days of the work week.
I'm heading out to a concert tonight (I can't pass up an opportunity to see some wonderful singer songwriters). The weather has turned gray once again but at this point we can't complain after the sunshine this weekend.
They arrived on Saturday and after showing them our place we headed on foot down to the market. Shortly into our walk Gary commented how this didn't quite feel "within walking distance" as he had thought. That became the running joke of the weekend-that everything in Seattle was "within walking distance." Pike's Place market was packed with people enjoying the holiday weekend and the sunshine. We enjoyed taking in the large sea creatures for sale throughout the market and even purchased a full size Grouper fish to grill for dinner that night. The guy working at the fish place was kind enough to hold the fish and open his mouth wide to get the full effect of what would be making its way into our stomachs later on.....Let's just say that I had to look away. After some further food shopping-Gary was excited to find sausage from South Africa, we made the trek home. After dropping our fish off we headed over to Alki Beach for drinks by the beach. It's such a great ambiance over there on beautiful days. Our mango margaritas were pretty tasty out in the sunshine.
On Sunday we headed into the Cascade Mountains to the town of Leavenworth. It's a neat German town that sits in the base of the mountain and the views are stunning. After lunch of Bratwurst burgers (and my turkey sandwich) the boys headed to the German beer garden while Amber and I explored the shops and then stumbled upon some wine tasting. The town was bustling with tourists alike taking in the sunshine, the German music, and of course the food. Sunday was by far the warmest day and by late afternoon we needed some relief from the sun. The 2 1/2 hour drive back into the city gave us just that along with some stunning views of the mountains-some even still snow covered.
Yesterday we ventured to Discovery Park which offers trails along the "beach." The beach is more rocks than sand but the sound of the waves and the smell of the salt air is good enough for me. There is a little lighthouse that sits out on the point and there were sailboats out along the horizon. After more walking through the park we made our way to the neighborhood of Fremont for lunch. At least point I think I had gotten all the walking I could out of Gary and he needed to be replenished with food and beer. Another evening of grilling and drinks brought culmination to a wonderful weekend. I took them to the airport very early this morning and was glad that I had taken today as a personal day as it's been nice to just relax before putting in the last 3 days of the work week.
I'm heading out to a concert tonight (I can't pass up an opportunity to see some wonderful singer songwriters). The weather has turned gray once again but at this point we can't complain after the sunshine this weekend.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
As I sat down to type my latest entry, I realized that I missed a posting last week! Somehow May is going by more quickly than I seem to be able to keep up! It's either going too quickly or I've got my eye at the end of the school year and seem to be missing the parts in between. I'm definitely taking time to enjoy some of the beautiful sunshine we got this weekend. I dare say that it reached 75 today and my whiter than white skin now has some lovely tints of red after my time outside. Yesterday we went to the Street Fair over in the University District. I read this morning in the paper that it is one of the largest street fairs in the country and dates back 40 years. Guess they started it to help with the shift towards something more positive than dealing with riots in the streets and shops broken into. The weather brought out people like crazy. The vendors were the typical mix of pottery, jewelry, "Go Green" memorabilia, and anything else random. It was no State College Arts Festival but was still a nice way to spend a sunny afternoon.
I got my running legs on this morning and ran along the water at Alki Beach before finding a nice bench to enjoy my book for a while. The smell of the the salt and the people all around were a great combination for a Sunday afternoon. If only Sunday weren't followed by Monday....all would be even better! I say that as an evaluation report is staring me in the face ready to be written and all I can seem to think about is enjoying the last hour of sunshine....Guess which side wins???
On another note, I know that one of my faithful readers has been dealt some hardship. Uncle Chuck- you're in my thoughts and I'm sending you a BIG hug from the west coast. Stay positive........
I got my running legs on this morning and ran along the water at Alki Beach before finding a nice bench to enjoy my book for a while. The smell of the the salt and the people all around were a great combination for a Sunday afternoon. If only Sunday weren't followed by Monday....all would be even better! I say that as an evaluation report is staring me in the face ready to be written and all I can seem to think about is enjoying the last hour of sunshine....Guess which side wins???
On another note, I know that one of my faithful readers has been dealt some hardship. Uncle Chuck- you're in my thoughts and I'm sending you a BIG hug from the west coast. Stay positive........
Monday, May 4, 2009
Hiking Boots....To Be Or Not To Be
Hiking Boots- an outdoor necessity or a fashion fo paux? After months of deflecting Joe's comments and constant insistance that I need to have a pair of hiking boots, I caved. I am now the not so proud owner of chunky, not at all cute hiking boots. I can't even bear to take them out of the box and place them near my other shoes for fear of what they will do to my family of fashionable footwear. Instead, they lay in their box in the bag in which they came while I take time to digest the events that took place to make me a an owner of ugly shoes.
It was a rainy day in Seattle and by a matter of coincidence REI started their big anniversary sale. How convenient that this big sale coincided with my birthday? Not only did I get ugly boots but I got them as a birthday present from my dear husband. Diamonds- forget it! A piece of jewelry-not even close! Hiking boots- Whoopty doo!
So we enter the store and it is swarming with Seattle's outdoor enthusiasts. I had scanned the sale papers to make this process as painless as possible and went straight for the boots that I had seen. What luck they had one pair left in my size. As I slid my foot into all of it's "chunkiness," my height increased by a few inches with the tracking on the bottom of those babies! As my face began to crunch, Joe was nothing but smiles. He pushed on my toes, squeezed my ankles, and even made me take a test walk through the "terraine." (aka- an incline that is supposed to represent the rugged ground). After giving confirmation that they would do, I thought I was in the clear until Joe mentioned wool socks. What does a girl with brand new hiking boots need? Wool socks of course! And to further top this already growing ugly ensemble was a pair of "outdoor pants" complete with pockets in the front, back, and sides, nicely accentuating all the "curvy spots" in the most unflattering way. So I ask the question again, hiking boots- outdoor necessity or fashion fo paux? Guess this one ends in a tie with pictures to follow when the ensemble braves the great outdoors!
It was a rainy day in Seattle and by a matter of coincidence REI started their big anniversary sale. How convenient that this big sale coincided with my birthday? Not only did I get ugly boots but I got them as a birthday present from my dear husband. Diamonds- forget it! A piece of jewelry-not even close! Hiking boots- Whoopty doo!
So we enter the store and it is swarming with Seattle's outdoor enthusiasts. I had scanned the sale papers to make this process as painless as possible and went straight for the boots that I had seen. What luck they had one pair left in my size. As I slid my foot into all of it's "chunkiness," my height increased by a few inches with the tracking on the bottom of those babies! As my face began to crunch, Joe was nothing but smiles. He pushed on my toes, squeezed my ankles, and even made me take a test walk through the "terraine." (aka- an incline that is supposed to represent the rugged ground). After giving confirmation that they would do, I thought I was in the clear until Joe mentioned wool socks. What does a girl with brand new hiking boots need? Wool socks of course! And to further top this already growing ugly ensemble was a pair of "outdoor pants" complete with pockets in the front, back, and sides, nicely accentuating all the "curvy spots" in the most unflattering way. So I ask the question again, hiking boots- outdoor necessity or fashion fo paux? Guess this one ends in a tie with pictures to follow when the ensemble braves the great outdoors!
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