Picking up where we left off with Mark and Charlene, Saturday afternoon I took them to see Matt at REI, then we headed off to Snoqualmie Falls.
Lovery loverly.
That evening after Matt got home we headed downtown and had dinner at Black Bottle, a great little restaraunt that's worth returning even if we have to pay the $10 parking fee! Can I saw how amazinly meltingly wonderful the beschamel and proscuitto flatbread was?! Holy kinokoly Batman!
After that Charlene and I followed the sound of a steel drum band while the boys headed off for a sunset walk around Downtown. We were just following the music, actually, it was my co-worker Trisha's bridal shower held at her sister Michelle's (my boss) condo in Belltown.
We really did figure out the building by the music - this lovely, relaxing, feel-like-you're-in-Jamaica music. It was the first honest-to-goodness GORGEOUS summer day and everyone was out and enjoying the sunshine.
Michelle had clued me in on the music and the flower lays and the good food, and let me know there weren't going to be strippers or anything like that at all! Just a cute bartender who would flirt with the single ladies...
Char and I get there and I'm sipping a Mojito and we're mingling when suddenly there's a knock on the door.
It's two (cute) men in cop uniforms.
The ladies at the party INSTANTLY let out excited squeals and begin snapping pictures at the would-be-strippers. For a few seconds they were squinting into the flashes like paparazzi-hounded celebrities.
Only they were real cops.
"We don't appreciate that," one of them said gruffly, but by that point most people were already laughing at their mistake. It turns out the cops were there because it was after 9:00 and a neighbor had complained about the (not any louder than a restaurant) music.
I sigh and look at Char, "Sorry, Seattlites can sometimes be grumpy."
After the shower we meet up with the men and Matt decides he wants ice cream from Metropolitan Market in lower Queen Anne. Sound good to the rest of us so off we traipse, but as we pull out of the parking lot we see that the way back to the freeway was completely stopped with traffic.
This is where knowing that area of the city helps, because a few turns later Matt had us at the top of Queen Anne hill, Mark ran into 7-11 for some spoons and we ended up at Kerry Park overlooking the night skyline of Seattle and eating our ice cream.
The next morning we slept in late and watched a sermon by Mark Driscoll on our TV (via laptop...all his sermons and lectures are available for free from http://www.marshillchurch.org/ ).
Then we piled in the car and headed to Seattle proper for a little local tour. Before getting lunch Matt swung by our old place, and drove up to the lookout point we used to walk Roy to.
As we were standing there, looking at the cruise ships in Interbay and snapping pics of the view, Mark noticed a young woman in the apartment next to the lookout was taking pictures of us with her cell phone.
"Hi!" he waved his arm, "I'm Mark!"
The woman tucked her chin and mumbled something.
"What?" we all asked.
"I don't talk to people from my window!"
"Um...ok..." we all kinda looked at each other.
Charlene asked if this was that apartments property and I said no, we're on a public sidewalk we can be here.
Then the woman got crazy eyes and looked like she was going to whip out a bazooka so we got in the car. As we drove away the woman picked up a cat and stood there rubbing its belly like a good luck charm and staring at us until we were out of sight.
I don't know if she was a little off or what, but Mark and Char weren't getting the best impression of people in Seattle!
With the creepy feeling of that lingering over us we headed to the best fish and chips place we've found in Seattle--Little Chinook's. I'm sure "Big" Chinooks next door is good too, but you have to shower and wear shoes to order from there and the prices reflect that. Little Chinooks is right on Fishermen's Terminal and is the place the fishermen just off the boat can grab some grub to go.
The fried clam strips and tasty fries relieved us of any ill feeling we were harboring, and afterwards we strolled around the docks. I was almost sure Mark was going to fall into the water at some point as he climed onto boats and posed for pictures, but we all left safe and dry and with no angry fishermen chasing us.
Matt then took us to the Ballard Locks, which has become one of our favorite places to take visitors. Free, cool and entertaining...what more could you ask for?
In case you're not clued in, locks is "a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal."
Thank you Wikipedia for that succinct definition.
As we watched the 30' sailboats and 50' power boats come in, I chuckled to myself at how big I used to think they were. Now that I work at a megayacht builder anything less than 130' seems like small fry. When a large tanker-style boat came in that was maybe 120', I pointed to that to help give Mark and Char an idea of the size of boat we build.
To finish off our time in Seattle we headed back to Queen Anne (Matt and I feeling just a twinge of missing it), got a coffee from our favorite Cuban coffee place, El Diablo, and played in the flowers in front of Metropolitan Market.
I made my cacciatore for dinner that night and we all cozied up and watched a family classic...Multiplicity.
Monday Matt got to hang out with Mark and Char while I headed off to work, but they stopped by and I got to take them on a tour where they ooohed and aaahhed over Delta's impressive facility. When they saw some of the boats that are in the works, Mark commented on how no wonder I wasn't all that impressed with those small boats at the locks!
That's all for now. Matt and I are headed off to the sunny Sierras where I'll get to spend my birthday (yes that's today if you're reading this on the 2nd) with my Dad and Mom-in-loves (in-laws, for those who may not be so blessed). When I get back I'll post some pics from the present my bestest most wonderfulest hubby and parents got me...a real life digital SLR camera.
Be still my heart...and stay tuned for some great pics! (hopefully)
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