Greg needed to spend a couple of weeks in Seattle for a work trip. Since it was such a long duration, the rest of us decided to tag along. Since we drove and saved his company on airfare, they were willing to get us a bigger hotel (though it was farther from downtown so Greg had to hop on the light rail.) But it was a lot of fun to be able to explore Seattle for a couple of weeks, as well as getting to road trip there and back.
Shoshone Falls, ID
Multnomah Falls
Multnomah Falls. Can’t believe the last time we were here was 16 years ago on Grace University’s chorale tour to the Pacific Northwest. It was fun visiting again with our girls.
Visiting Butch and Mary-Lou in Portland
They let us stay the night with them and also took us to the OMSI. It was so good to see them. Bree really took to Mary Lou. I think she reminded her of her dear Grammy.
Alki Beach
The girls enjoyed playing in the sand, wading in the water, and finding rocks and sea shells. Cate had sand EVERYwhere.
Madrona Beach
We also visited Madrona Beach on Lake Washington, which had more sand than Alki Beach. (We still loved Alki Beach though because of all the fun rocks and shells we found there!)
Discovery Park
More pictures from yet another beach last week. To get to this beach, we had to hike about 1.5 miles down (and then later, back up) a bluff. The views were worth it, though. Bree loved the beautiful hike because she said “bee ponies” lived there. (Bee ponies are a small variation of My Little Pony that she has made up that are tiny, can fly and, as far as I can tell, sting like bees but are still ponies.)
Seattle area
On Saturday, we did the typical touristy things in Seattle. We visited Pike Place, saw the Space Needle (though we didn’t go up), and we also visited the EMP Museum. (Experience Music Project) The EMP museum was so very cool. They had sections devoted to Fantasy, Sci-fi, Music, etc., with memorabilia from great movies such as Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, The Princess Bride, etc. And the light rail train drives right through the museum! We rode the light rail to the Seattle Center and also rode the monorail from the Seattle Center back to downtown.The girls enjoyed the drum table, as you can tell from the video of Bree jamming. I think drumming might be in her future. 
Adrianna enjoyed the World of Wearable Art exhibit. I could see her mind working as she watched all the masterpieces of clothing displayed as works of art.
Deception Pass and Rosario Beach
Last Sunday, we drove up to Deception Pass and Rosario Beach. The beach consisted of mainly smooth and interesting rocks, which we ALL loved. There were also some small tide pools where we could find various small sea critters.Afterward, we had some delicious fish and chips at The Rockfish Grill in Anacortes.
Our last stop on our trip was to visit an island near Seattle. I got to meet an online friend IRL (in real life) and we all went to a beach at low tide and discovered many sea creatures! And the girls enjoyed talking to my friend’s daughters. I think Adrianna found a kindred spirit in one of the daughters who also loves Minecraft and has an entrepreneurial spirit, too. First, we rode a ferry to the island, which the girls thought was pretty cool. Bree was amazed that we DROVE our VAN onto a BOAT.When we originally made plans to visit at low tide, I was just expecting tide pools in rocks like ones I’ve seen at other places at low tide. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was more a beach or just water very low (ankle depth and lower) for a LONG way, filled with many wonders that I’d never experienced, growing up in land-locked states! We saw hermit crabs, spider crabs, clams, sand dollars, fish, and were squirted by geoducks under the sand. And we saw (and heard) bald eagles, too.I wish I would’ve taken more pictures but honestly, I think I was just in awe of the moment and enjoying myself. And busy filling my pockets with neat shell treasures. After our sight-seeing, we headed back to our friends’ house where the little girls were delighted to play with toys again with their friends (especially after being away from most toys for 2 weeks) and Adrianna and her friend played Minecraft together while us moms chatted about homeschooling, technology, and other geeky things. It was the perfect day.
Whidbey Island
