Travelogue: Washington State
We venture westward!
Before we flew out west, we were watching the forest fires all across Washington State - after a drought, there were even fires in parts of the rainforest. Three days before we flew out, the Air Quality index was reading 258 - which is very high and very bad. Two days before we left the rains finally started, and the AQI dropped to 208, and then the next day it was down to 25! Never have I been so excited to see rain in the forecast for our trips out to the Seattle area.
Sat Oct 22: We arrive at SeaTac on a Saturday morning, after waking at 4 AM in New Jersey. The trip was smooth, but by the time the rental car agency double booked the our car, and we were ready to peel out of the parking lot with those other folks chasing us. Fortunately, it was resolved quickly and we didn’t have to run from the law or move children and booster seats and suitcases.
We ate lunch at Small Fry’s (a burger stand) because it’s tradition.
I were shocked to find that it was only 1pm, even through I was certain that I had been awake for at least 32.5 hours… but heroically I remained awake. The Seattle area has lots of drive-up coffee shacks, and I love them. I am also glad that they aren’t in NY because I would buy too many peppermint mocha lattes.
Sun Oct 23: Family time and then dinner all together. I stay awake until 8pm today.
Mon Oct 24: We have a birthday brunch at Snoqualmie Falls, but you can’t tell because it’s so foggy that we can’t actually see the falls. But we can hear them. The fog shifts a little afterwards and we can prove that the waterfall on all the signs, postcards and menus, is in fact right next to us.
Afterwards, we take the kids to the Museum of Flight and had to be herded out 5 minutes after closing because we did not want to leave.
Tues Oct 25: Jim and Gail tell me that we are having the most PNW of memorial services. It’s a quiet moment to remember their dad and we drop ashes and rose petals off the back of a ferry, into the Puget Sound. At least 3 members of then family were wearing flannel button-down shirts, and the rest of us were wearing fleece. We eat some salmon at lunch just to clinch the deal.
It was sad saying goodbye to Will, but a sweet family moment.
Back on shore, we hug the Harpers family before heading for Canada!
Cross stitch details
This is the first full cross stitch project that I have done! I learned while doing a few 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch kawaii fruit patterns from a kit I picked up two summers ago. This measure about 8 inches by 6 inches. I followed a pattern I bought on Etsy from VladaXstitch - it is part of a set of three, but I don’t think I will stitch the other two. Cross stitch is very interesting and makes such beautiful pieces, but it’s not an everyday craft for me right now.