Secret Service in Kenmore!

Today Mike and I met our friend, Jackie, at Madison Park on Lake Washington for a day in the sun and swimming in the lake. This park is special to me because many years ago, when I worked nights as a bartender, I spent summer after summer after summer at Madison Park with several other restaurant-working sun bums. I have been back many times over the recent years, but this was my first visit since our return from Mexico. And I was not disappointed.



Right off the bat, Casey (one of the sun bums from years ago - smack dab in the middle of the top pic) spotted Jackie and me and he came over to talk. The sun was blazing and we spread out our blankets, towels and chairs for a lazy day. Jackie brought a picnic lunch from a local deli and soon enough we were chowing down.


Yesterday Puget Sound was COLD, but today Lake Washington was not too bad. Mike stayed on shore, but Jackie and I got into the lake and splashed around. It felt so good after sitting in the hot sun.


The floating dock has 2 diving boards..."in the day" I used to jump off both of them...but not today. Oh, and Mr. Bill Gate$' mansion is just to the right of the bridge in the far background...

It wasn’t long after our 2nd swim that we heard a loud BOOM. And then another BOOM. Everyone on the beach was looking around at each other and it was an eerie feeling. Mike and I knew President Obama was visiting Seattle today and we immediately wondered if the booms had something to do with him. I remember looking up in the sky toward downtown, hoping I would not see a plume of smoke originating from that area. Like many Americans, I never really forget about watching the Twin Towers and the billowing smoke on 9/11. However, soon enough the beach activity was back to normal and we didn’t think much more about it.

It wasn’t until we were home and watching the evening news on TV that the boom question was answered. We learned that a pilot in a small Cessna floatplane had inadvertently entered the “no fly zone” that was in place for the day due to Obama’s visit. The floatplane’s activity sent a pair of F-15 Eagle fighter jets from Portland into the air, causing the sonic booms we heard at the lake.

The Cessna landed at our own Kenmore Air marina. And that’s when the Secret Service arrived. They interviewed the pilot and his passenger and determined that it “does not look to be anything sinister at this point” – although the pilot may face sanctions due to his actions.

Wow. Secret Service in Kenmore.

And another wonderful day in paradise. Thank you for lunch Jackie – we had a great time with you!

Alki Point

This morning Mike loaded our bikes onto our bike rack and we took off for Alki in West Seattle. We headed south on I-5, took the West Seattle Bridge, got off on Admiral Way, and looked back at the city.


Now I know why Jimi Hendrix sang Purple Haze...


We parked the truck, unloaded the bikes and biked west on Alki Avenue. We cruised past Alki Beach Park and turned onto Beach Drive.


Years ago I had friends who lived at Harbor West Condos and I remember the sound and feel of the waves splashing hard against the pilings.

The houses, condos and apartment buildings are either very quaint or quite unusual…following are some of the ones I found interesting.


I just love the blue and white color combo.


This one looks like a cozy beach cottage.


Here's a tall, skinny house making the most of a narrow lot.


Colorful condo.


Dark condo that just seemed out of place on Alki.


My favorite!


And I guess these neighbors have a real “keeping up with the Joneses” attitude.


The sun was shining and the waters of Puget Sound were as blue as could be. I was surprised to see this kayaker so far out.


And I was even more surprised to see this lone diver getting ready to enter the water solo.


We came back around to Alki Drive and then went east to Harbor Avenue. Mike took a break on the stairs that lead right into the water...until the tide goes out...and then the stairs lead to the beach.


The water was very, very clean and clear.


I never get tired of seeing ferries. They are such a vital part of the transportation story in Seattle.


And here are a couple of alternative types of “beach transportation.”


Can you see the small, colorful “balloon” with the little thing dangling from it? That’s someone parasailing – being towed by the white boat right over Elliott Bay in downtown Seattle!


We stopped before turning back and gazed over at the city.


This is Alki Beach and it was filling with people for an afternoon in the sun. We parked our bikes and relaxed on the beach for a while, never tiring of watching all the wacky people. I waded in the water, but it was TOO COLD for me to go swimming.



And that was our day at Alki. It is so different from our neighborhood that it was like a little one-day vacation. Hope you liked it!

teresa in Lake Stevens

If you’ve been reading any of the ex-pat Mexican blogs that I read, you know of “teresa in Lake Stevens.” She doesn’t write her own blog, but she reads and comments on several blogs.

I came to know Teresa because of a picture on Bliss' blog back in February 2008 that shows Teresa and her son swimming up to the SV Bliss in Chacala Bay. I found out more about Teresa and when I learned that she was teaching English in Mexico we began emailing...it was the beginning of a friendship that began in the blogosphere and has resulted in more than one visit to each other’s homes, including Teresa's visit to us when we lived in Salem, Oregon.

Today Mike and I went to Lake Stevens to meet Teresa’s husband, Steve, Jack (the dog), Rico and Red (the cats.) It was another scorcher here in the Seattle area with temps in the high 90s and the 25-mile drive north on the mostly 1-lane highway with views of Mt. Baker and the Cascade Mountains was nice and cool in the cab of our truck with the AC on full blast.


Mt. Baker. (Pic from the web, not my camera.)

Teresa and Steve bought their new home last summer and we got the grand tour. They have lived around the world including Japan and Italy and their furnishings and decor reflect their international style. Plus, the house is filled with plants, plants, and then some more plants.


Here’s Jack, the Jack Russell Terrier, sporting his new cool haircut that he just got yesterday.


Teresa with an orchid we brought to add to her voluminous plant collection.


And here’s the orchid in front of Teresa and Steve’s son’s kimono (now a wall hanging) that he wore for a ceremony when the family lived in Japan – aren’t the colors glorious?


Steve grilled chicken on the BBQ and Teresa made three salads. We all sat down to enjoy lunch in the cool house…it was just too hot to be outside!

We looked at photographs and yakked and yakked and even had some of Mike’s homemade Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Before long it was time for one more pose with Jack and then we hit the road.


Jack and Teresa.

Now we’re home and watching the evening news and we hear that temps were 99F in some places! Aye yi yi. THANK YOU teresa from Lake Stevens (and Steve) – we had a great time. Stay cool everyone!

The Ready, Set, Bag! Grocery Bag

Recently I wrote about seeing the Ready, Set Bag! documentary – it was so good – go see it. And yesterday my reusable grocery bag that was part of the Groupon offer came in the mail. I love it! I wish I had about 5 of them.


Now when I have a crummy bagger who attempts to squish my grapes and tomatoes by putting them on the bottom of the bag I can just point out the correct position – on the top, of course!

Hot, Hot, Hot

Yes, it was HOT here today. Well, hot for Seattle that is...mid-80s or so in our neighborhood. No problema. I sat in the sun to read and Mike hosed me down with the garden hose. We ate late and now it’s nice and cool.

Continued heat is expected over the next few days. Ugh. I think I smell a beach day coming up!

Ride the Ducks and the Pike Place Market

Sunday afternoon we got a surprise call from the wife (Mira) of one of the attorneys I worked with in Salem. Mira and her daughter (Miju) were in Seattle! They had taken the train from Portland with Mira’s mom, niece and nephew who are all visiting from Korea. We made plans to meet them on Monday morning and spend the day together.



Soooo...what to do with visitors to Seattle? Ride the Ducks, of course! This is a tour of Seattle on an amphibious World War II vehicle that looks like a duck. The tour takes off in downtown Seattle with a “quacky/wacky” tour guide who shares lots of interesting tidbits about Seattle. We went straight to Lake Union on wheels and then right into the lake.




Captain Fun Tastic – he was very entertaining and had a plethora of funny hats that he donned during the tour. As an aside, all the tour guides have at least a 25-ton USCG Master's License and a Class C commercial driver's license.


The Horizon was the original ship from the first season of Deadliest Catch.


The Banjo, a sternwheeler Mike and I wanted to buy several years ago.


Gas Works Park.


My hometown.




Houseboats – in the top pic, the green house on the very far left is where Sleepless in Seattle was filmed. It sold not too long ago for over $2 million.


Another duck on the water.


Mira's mom was really getting into singing Y-M-C-A!

Back on land we toured the Fremont neighborhood, headed to downtown, the waterfront, Pioneer Square and finished the tour at our starting point, Westlake Center.


Controversial Waiting for the Interurban statue in Fremont.


Next on our agenda was a walk to the world famous Pike Place Market.


Mike kept his eye on all three kids!



Miju got cute with one of the flying fish guys at Pike Place Fish.


I could not believe the size of these lobsters! They were $25 a pound and each weighed about 3 pounds so that’s a $75 lobster.


I don’t ever remember seeing these small red king salmon.



The produce stands make good pics.



And so do the flowers fresh from the local fields.


Lastly, we couldn’t leave the Market without the kids getting on Rachel the Pig!

We had a wonderful day with our friends…maybe I could get a job as a tour guide….