Seattle

I, who slept through a nearby tornado once, was woken this morning at 5:30am by my dear downstairs neighbor & her friend who was departing today for Tucson. At first I was quietly grumbling then realized the sun was already bright, so why not get up? Shocked aren't you, those of you know know how much I love to "sleep in". But the sun has definitely arrived in PT for an extended stay, per NOAA. And the area is thrilled at the 70+ degrees today with not a cloud in the sky.

After a brief stop at 523, I was on the road to Seattle. Unfortunately, the Hood Canal Bridge had other ideas. I've been so fortunate to have only been stopped once before when it had to open for water traffic & it wasn't a time where it made us late. Today, it made me miss my timed ferry for Seattle. I'm only hoping that it was a Navy carrier or submarine that stopped us - not a single sailboat like the first time. For those of you new to the blog, the Hood Canal Bridge is a "floating bridge". Due to the depth of the water it can't be rigidly secured (and such depth also makes it so perfect for submarine traffic). You can't feel any bobbing - it's not THAT much of a floater - but just to know it... Once when Sam was up, we were on the ferry going to Whidbey Island & we had to "tread water" while a carrier went by. I went back to the hotel to check its number - the only marking - and it was the carrier that Bush landed on with the "Mission Accomplished" banner as a backdrop. The area has a strong Navy presence down the canal and on Whidbey Island and PTers are often fortunate to see these vessels go by on their way to base or back out to sea.

Chris from Old World Granite met me in Seattle to select the countertop material. Poor Chris - he got the assignment since Gilles is in France. This was my third trip over to "shop", but my first with the all-important stone that will cover the walls next to it. I asked Chris to meet me since I am not trained in "bad slabs" as he is. We went to five slab sources today - all on foot (easy when it's in the low 70s) - and I found "the winner" at the first store. I'm posting a photo of marble being moved into the sunlight for a better look - what a procedure! Even though this is my 5th experience with stone, it's always exciting.

On my way toward the airport area I came around a corner on I-5 and saw this jaw-dropping sight. Mount Rainier is the "Drama King"! I took these photos supported on the steering wheel after frantically digging through my purse for the camera while driving 60+ MPH along with lanes of other equally speedy drivers. Not for the faint-hearted.

And the last photo is of Port Townsend at 8:15pm. I thought I saw some masts while outside & when I walked closer to the bluff, this is what I saw - notice Rainier had to get into this photo as well! What a beautiful, peaceful setting in the "late" evening. Beautiful sunlight, still waters. Loved it. Hope you do as well...