We had a wonderful trip to Seattle! I'm excited to share a lot of the pictures we took and some of the memories we made while on vacation. It was a beautiful place to visit and we had lots of fun hanging out with our friends, Chris and Teresa...they are fabulous friends and great hosts!
We left at 6:40 am on Thursday...bright and early...actually, dark and early! Donald worked all night the night before finishing a project that was due on Thursday...so we were pretty tired for the plane ride. Not Mason! He was so excited to ride on the airplane! We arrived in Seattle at about 10:30 their time. Our bodies were definitely still on Texas time and we were starving so Teresa took us for our first Seattle experience...lunch at World Wraps!
After lunch we went on our first guided tour--courtesy of Teresa--to the Ballard Locks and Ship Canal. Teresa told us that the water level between the fresh water lakes and the salt water Puget Sound can be around a 20-foot difference. For the boats to pass from one body to the other, the boats enter the locks and the water level is made to rise or fall for the boat to be at the correct level for the intended body of water. It was very interesting to watch up close!
In the backdrop along the Locks area you can see a draw bridge. While we were exploring the area, the bridge lowered to allow a passenger train to cross, then raised again for the boats to pass underneath on their way to the locks.
Near the Locks is the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden. It was an amazing area with beautiful flowers and green grassy hills. The pictures we took do not do justice to the beauty of the flowers and greenery. We caught Mason bending to smell the flowers. Chris and Teresa's dog, Parker, also joined us on our walk and liked to smell the flowers too!
After our short excursion, Teresa took us back to the house for a nap! It worked out really well for us during our visit because Chris and Teresa had just signed a lease on a different house and their leases were overlapping. They were very gracious to allow us to have our own place to stay at their new house. When we arrived at the house, we were welcomed by baskets of food and provisions...even toys for Mason by his bed. It was like staying in a bed and breakfast!
After our nap we ventured to the Freemont neighborhood for dinner at Roxy's diner--a little eclectic restaurant.
On Friday morning we walked a long Seattle's Waterfront. The area that juts out in the background is the Magnolia neighborhood where Chris and Teresa live. Along this area of the Waterfront were various pieces of outdoor art. It was a beautiful cool morning.
Inside this building near the waterfront we found these fun doo-dads. I don't really know what they were, but Mason got a kick out of them. They hung suspended inside and he could climb around inside. He talked about them the entire trip!
For lunch we met Chris at this chowder restaurant at the Market. Donald and I were really excited about the chowder and wanted to try several different kinds. We ordered way too much and had our fill! It was really good!
We found the original Starbucks in the market. They had a little bluegrass band outside playing some cool music and were packed inside. We got a family picture in front of the original Starbucks logo...it used to be a little scandalous! We're big fans of Starbucks so it was fun to see where it all started.
These are some pictures from inside the Market area. It was very busy. Teresa and Chris said that it gets even busier and can be wall to wall people. You could buy pretty much anything at the Market. One of the most impressive things we saw were the bunches of flowers. You could buy a huge bouquet for only $15.
We stopped at the Pike Place Fish Market where they throw the fish. It was fun to watch them. One funny thing happened there: When we walked up Teresa motioned to a guy behind the counter then took Mason over to see this ugly fish:
Mason got kind of close to it to look at it and the guy pulled it back from behind the counter so that it's mouth came up. We all jumped and a lady behind us screamed which scared Mason even more and he started crying. Teresa felt terrible...who knew, right!?! Mason probably will never forget that ugly old fish!In this picture, if you look closely you can see the fish flying over the women's heads. I'm really glad they didn't choose me for that game!
After dinner on Friday night we went to one of Seattle's many coffee shops, Cafe Madro. We fit right in in Seattle with our coffee drinking habits!
This view is of the Seattle skyline from the Queen Anne Hill:
One of our favorite parts of our trip was to Snoqualmie Falls about 28 miles east of Seattle, Washington in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Snoqualmie Falls is a natural landmark well known for its spectacular 270 foot cascade and one of the most visited tourist sites in the State of Washington.
After our trip to the falls, we ventured to the beach in West Seattle.
Chris and Teresa said that the water usually comes up to the rocky place on the beach. The tide was very low during the time we were there. We walked in the muddy sand to get out to the water...it was messy, but fun!
We stopped a Tully's, a coffee shop along the beach, for a pick-me-up. Tully's is almost as common to see in Seattle as Starbucks.
Saturday morning Teresa received her results from the Washington Bar exam and she passed!!!! Go Teresa! Saturday night we were able to celebrate with Chris and Teresa and enjoyed dinner at the Cheesecake factory in downtown Seattle. After dinner we walked over to Game Works to play a few games. Donald, Chris, and Mason enjoyed driving the 18-wheeler!
On Sunday morning Chris and Teresa took us on a hike at Discovery Park. Discovery Park is a 534 acre natural area park and is the largest city park in Seattle. It wasn't too far from their house--on Magnolia Bluff overlooking Puget Sound. We hiked down to the beach, then over to the lighthouse, and enjoyed a picnic while watching the boats on the water. While at the beach we spent time walking in the wet sand, looking at the birds and searching for shells. With the tide very low, we found lots of beautiful shells!
One of Hillarie's favorite parts of our trip was her morning runs. Chris and Teresa live in the Magnolia area of Seattle and part of the neighborhood overlooks the Puget Sound--an area they call the bluff. From the trail along the bluff you can see the water, the mountains and the city sky-line. This picture was taken from the trail:
After dinner on Friday night we went to one of Seattle's many coffee shops, Cafe Madro. We fit right in in Seattle with our coffee drinking habits!
This view is of the Seattle skyline from the Queen Anne Hill:
One of our favorite parts of our trip was to Snoqualmie Falls about 28 miles east of Seattle, Washington in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Snoqualmie Falls is a natural landmark well known for its spectacular 270 foot cascade and one of the most visited tourist sites in the State of Washington.
After our trip to the falls, we ventured to the beach in West Seattle. 
Chris and Teresa said that the water usually comes up to the rocky place on the beach. The tide was very low during the time we were there. We walked in the muddy sand to get out to the water...it was messy, but fun!
We stopped a Tully's, a coffee shop along the beach, for a pick-me-up. Tully's is almost as common to see in Seattle as Starbucks.
Saturday morning Teresa received her results from the Washington Bar exam and she passed!!!! Go Teresa! Saturday night we were able to celebrate with Chris and Teresa and enjoyed dinner at the Cheesecake factory in downtown Seattle. After dinner we walked over to Game Works to play a few games. Donald, Chris, and Mason enjoyed driving the 18-wheeler!
On Sunday morning Chris and Teresa took us on a hike at Discovery Park. Discovery Park is a 534 acre natural area park and is the largest city park in Seattle. It wasn't too far from their house--on Magnolia Bluff overlooking Puget Sound. We hiked down to the beach, then over to the lighthouse, and enjoyed a picnic while watching the boats on the water. While at the beach we spent time walking in the wet sand, looking at the birds and searching for shells. With the tide very low, we found lots of beautiful shells!
One of Hillarie's favorite parts of our trip was her morning runs. Chris and Teresa live in the Magnolia area of Seattle and part of the neighborhood overlooks the Puget Sound--an area they call the bluff. From the trail along the bluff you can see the water, the mountains and the city sky-line. This picture was taken from the trail:
We spent some time on our first and last days at Green Lake. Our first day we ate lunch at a place called World Wraps that sits near the park. On our last day, Monday, we got donuts and coffee at a local shop and sat on a park bench for a breakfast picnic. Green Lake is one of Seattle’s favored parks and lies in the center of a dense urban neighborhood. There were people there from all over the city. We saw lots of runners, bikers, skaters, and walkers. Many others use the athletic fields or visit the park for boating, picnics and swimming. It was a beautiful spot. 
We took a Water Taxi ride our last day in Seattle. The Water Taxi service took us across Seattle’s Elliott Bay, between Pier 55, at the foot of Spring Street on the downtown Seattle waterfront, and Seacrest dock in West Seattle. The crossing time between Pier 55 and Seacrest is approximately 12 minutes. It was a beautiful, warm, clear day--Mason loved riding on the boat.
These are the orange container cranes stationed at Seattle’s waterfront:
This is the view from our boat--in the distance you can see the snow-capped Olympic Mountains. Because of the mostly overcast skies, we were not able to see these mountains until the last day. 
This is the downtown area of Seattle--we are heading back to Pier 55 at Seattle's waterfront.
These are the orange container cranes stationed at Seattle’s waterfront: This is the view from our boat--in the distance you can see the snow-capped Olympic Mountains. Because of the mostly overcast skies, we were not able to see these mountains until the last day. This is the downtown area of Seattle--we are heading back to Pier 55 at Seattle's waterfront.Before leaving Seattle, we stopped in a Pirate shop to find one last souvenier to remember our trip. Mason and daddy had fun looking at all the pirate statues. Here they are saying, "Arrgh."
This is a view from inside the airport. They had an amazing glass wall and sitting area where we could watch the airplanes take off. Mason (and mommy) got excited each time! It was a really beautiful view--you can see the mountains in the distance.
This is Mount Rainier from our airplane. It was overcast throughout most of our time in Seattle and we were not able to see the mountain. Our last day was beautiful and clear and we were able to finally see it while enroute to the airport. We made sure to sit on the side of the airplane that would give us the best view...it's amazing!
This is Mount Rainier from our airplane. It was overcast throughout most of our time in Seattle and we were not able to see the mountain. Our last day was beautiful and clear and we were able to finally see it while enroute to the airport. We made sure to sit on the side of the airplane that would give us the best view...it's amazing!