Seattle, WA (USA)

Kids don't seem to be tiring yet... Woke up early again and headed over to Seattle Center on the monorail (0910) - this was another hit. Weather yesterday was hot (40+ C) but better this morning. Arrived in time (0930) to get up to the top of the Space Needle with small crowds. Kids enjoyed the cameras that could be manipulated to explore the skyline. Mollie a little afraid of the glass balconies/heights, so she and I stayed inside while Nicky and the twins explored the entire place. Extra bonus was a "flyby" by the Navy's Blue Angels (part of the Sea Fair Festival) - they went right by the Needle while we were up there! After our fill of Seattle skyline scenery, enjoyed a quick lunch at a nearby restaurant. Walked around the entire park, watching kids playing in a huge fountain, visiting a northwest art gallery and eating cracker-jacks and cotton candy. The park was very nice - we didn't do the museums because we were having such a nice time in such a green, safe place. Got some great souvenirs. Walked over to the Library so everyone could see the building and the kids' section (spent about an hour there). Later headed back to the Pike Place Market and bought some flowers and some other nick-nacks. Had arranged to meet up with Joanie's mother, Lenora (we met her in Fort Worth last fall) around1630 and drove the car there with no problem. She lives in an apartment overlooking Lake Union - very pretty. Spent several hours with her, talking about her lifetime in Seattle and the other relatives that lived here since the early Twentieth Century after they moved from Iowa. The kids and I walked down a hillside stair to the waterfront and picked up some dinner - which we enjoyed on Lenora's balcony. When we left her home, everyone was in good spirits. Decided to visit Discovery Park to watch the sun set. On the way, stumbled across two more sites from the "Larry Gets Lost in Seattle Book": the troll under the WA-99 bridge and the statue of the people waiting for the bus (more photo opportunities). Checked out University of Washington campus before heading back to the waterfront. Found Discovery Park - but because the visitor center was closed, didn't have a map of the trails or where the best place to see the sunset was. We walked around for about an hour - pleasant for most of it, but only saw the sun setting over the Olympic Mountains after we made several failed attempts to get to the beach (LOTS of walking!!!). I still think it was worth the effort... Later drove along the nearby locks connecting Elliot Bay with Lake Union. Back at the hotel before 2200. Nicky and I went to the restaurant downstairs (Elephant and Castle - see JAN 2008) for a nightcap. Bed around 2330.