Seattle

 

Departure gate at DFW airport (yes, I take pictures of everything, because I'm a nerd like that)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

My friends' outdoor space

 

 

Pike Place public market

 

 

Flowers

 

Vegetables

Seafood



 

The original Starbucks

 

 

The stall at Pike Place where they toss the fish

 

Barney, the Leopard Seal at the Seattle Aquarium

 

Starfish (you can pet them!)

 

Moon Jellies at the Seattle Aquarium

 

 Chocolate-dipped Belgian waffle

 

Outside Ivar's Seafood--we fed the seagulls

 

They are definitely not afraid of humans!

 

 

Otter being fed by staff at the Seattle Aquarium

 

Dinner at Din Tai Fung, Chinese dumpling restaurant

 

Snoqualmie Falls

 

Mount Rainier--as clear as it got!

 

 

We went on a short hike

 

View from the trail

 

Paradise Falls

 

Yep, Mount Rainier National Park has already had snow

 

What's left of Mount Saint Helens, the top of which is obscured by clouds

 

The flora and fauna around Mount Saint Helens has only barely returned in 33 years

 

Display at the Chihuly Museum

 

Seaforms at the Chihuly Museum

 

Glass floats at the Chihuly

 

Zelda, the German Shepherd dog

 



Back to the grind--part one

Well, the company is all gone--Martha left this afternoon to visit her brother and his family in Indiana.  I did have to check her bag to make sure she left Poquito behind, though!  We are all sad to see her go--the puppies love her just as much as I do.

I just realized that this was the longest vacation that I've had since I began working full-time in 1987!  If I hadn't had to have those dratted tests right in the middle, I would have enjoyed it so much more.  But you have to do what you have to do, right? 

Not only was this the longest vacation I've had in forever--it was very busy and eventful.  The first week of the break, my cousin Kris visited.  Kris is from Oklahoma and is the only one of my Oklahoma relatives who is brave enough to battle the Dallas traffic to visit me.  If you aren't used to it, Dallas traffic can be quite intimidating.  We did some shopping, in which she actually talked me into buying some new clothes (I abhor shopping for myself!).  We went to a party where she was definitely out of her element, but she fit in like she'd been in the same situation a million times.  We visited some antique stores, ate a lot, and just generally hung out and talked.  Unfortunately, she had to cut her visit short due to some impending bad weather in Oklahoma.  The day before she left, I slipped in my kitchen and fell; I managed to badly wrench both of my knees when I landed quite awkwardly.  I've been hobbling ever since!

On the 31st, I picked up Martha from the airport.  We had one day of fun, and then I had to get ready for those dang tests.  Let me just tell you, I was a complete and utter cranky-pants!  Not being able to eat was bad enough, but then having to drink that salty, grape-flavored stuff was just awful.  Not only that, after drinking 16 ounces of that (two CUPS!), I had to drink four more cups of water over the next hour.  So I was slightly nauseous, bloated, and dashing to the bathroom every two seconds!  I give Martha credit, she's a real trooper, and was so patient! 

The tests themselves were no big deal because I was sound asleep before I even realized that I was about to be put to sleep!  I woke up and felt like I'd had the best nap ever! 

Stay tuned for part 2...