Seattle, Take 1

We have been out and about, getting to know this wide and wonderful city. I've gotten kind of stressed at the thought of trying to do a post about each attraction we visit. I also thought that a lot of you might get bored and think, "Abby, we don't live in Seattle, are not planning a visit to Seattle, and wish you'd stop making us go along on every site-seeing adventure!" So, I decided that about once a week, I'll do a "Seattle" post. That way, I will have record of our time and a reference to look back on when our family and friends come to visit, and you can skip the "Seattle" posts if you aren't interested. Ok, here goes:

The Locks, in Ballard

I just read through all the purposes of the Locks on their website, and if you want to know exactly you can go there. From what I could see, the Locks move boats from Puget Sound to Lake Washington and vice versa. Since one side is fresh water, the other side salt water, and they lie at a difference of 20 feet in sea level it would make it difficult for a boat to pass without their help.

It was pretty intimidating to stand on that bridge, that had the potential to open wide underneath our feet, with that low railing. Especially with a two year old who has a compulsion for climbing on everything and a fear level of zero.

We watched the boats rise and fall for a while and then we walked over to see how the salmon were fairing in their journey across. You can't really tell from this picture, but there were a TON of them and they are ginormous.

And ugly up close :)

They call this a fish ladder and it is sort of fascinating to see these delicious creatures in the wild. It was hard for me to picture them in a way besides A) wrapped up at Sam's with a price tag on their orange belly or B) on my plate at dinner. But there they were.

Golden Gardens Park

We heard there was a park near the Locks that had a beach. So, instead of naps, we decided to check it out.

The dark sand, rocky coastline, chilling breezes, and mountainous backgrounds were very different than what we are used to down on the Gulf Coast.

But I think I could have pushed the girls on the swings until my arms fell slap off, if I could just keep looking out at this view.

The Farmer's Market, Queen Anne

It seems that almost every neighborhood has a Farmer's Market. Capitol Hill has one on Sunday and Queen Anne has one on Thursday. Sine the girls were already delirious from the jam-packed day, I thought one more stop couldn't hurt us too bad.

The fruits,

And vegetables,

And breads,

And flowers,

Are so fresh and beautiful and locally grown, they can cause a poor girl to lay a lot of money (she didn't have) at their feet, with aspiring dreams of all the food she will prepare!

And then, when she realizes that it's way to late to start chopping away at all the fresh goodies this day, she can stop in at one of the many food stands (or BBQ trucks in this case) to buy dinner :)

And since there is a cute pregnant lady teaching kids how to make gelato and mini waffle cones, why not have dessert as well!

The Space Needle

On our kid's map of the US, the symbol for Seattle is...the Space Needle (surprise, surprise). Therefore, the girls learned to equate Seattle with the iconic symbol. I have heard over and over, "Mommy, when are we going to go to SEATTLE?" "We are IN Seattle girls. Right now. You are here." "No, no, I mean the real Seattle!" Pace proclaims, pointing to the needle.

Welllllll, I checked immediately upon our arrival here, but learned that tickets were $18/adult and $11/child just to ride up in an elevator and look at the view. I love my kids, but $58 is a little steep (plus parking which is always expensive around here). So when a friendly blogger (Thank you AMY!!!) commented letting me know that this past Friday was FREE admission at the Space Needle, you can believe I packed up my cheap self and two excited girls and booked it over there...to stand in line for an HOUR AND A HALF. And in all my haste...I forgot my camera.

I have two camera phone pics and one of the cheasiest, funniest, tourist shots ever, to share with you :)

That cloud-like formation in the center of the shot is actually Mt. Ranier. It really does look like it is floating in the sky in real life too. Sorry you can't see it better because I am scatter-brained.

No, she is not really about to fall to her death. There is some extremely thick glass behind her. She is just ever-so-thankful to have finally reached Seattle.
And then this...
I don't know if its how extremely realistic the shot is, or how Mary Aplin is doing her dangdest to pry her little fingers from my hand in defiance of the hour and a half she's been waiting in a line, or the pacey-please-a-lot smile plastered on my oldest daughter's face, OR the ridiculously short sundress that was a heinous mistake on my part (the winds at the top are a force to be reckoned with--and not in a short, flowey skirt), but no matter what the reason, I chuckle every time I look at this one.

Will this post EVER end? Is anyone still reading besides my family???

Leavenworth, Washington
About two hours outside of Seattle, there is a cute little Bavarian village tucked into the mountains.

We spent a magnificent day there on Saturday!

Not everything is quaint...

Some sights border on the majestic...

After a day spent in the sun and water, we sampled the gelato and chocolate.

And listened to some locals strike up a toon :)



(A special thanks to Aunt Caroline for making Mapple's dress. We LOVE it and are wearing it out!)

One big regret I have is that we couldn't see The Sound of Music. Apparently they do a show at sunset in their outdoor theatre, and Maria comes marching through the fields singing "The Hills are Alive" with those mountains at her back. I am glad that none of you were there to see my face when the woman told me that they had very. strict. rules. about not allowing any children under the age of five into the theatre (as she looked my sweet girls up and down). If they hadn't been sold out anyway....ohhh it made me mad.

We are excited about going again at Christmas. Apparently there is a big light show and I bet I could get a mug of hot chocolate :)

Whew! Good night!