Prince Charming!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jog!

And so Monday morning we're back at the airport ready to board a small plane to Seattle--from there to Dullas (Washington) and then to Binghamton. Ev charmed many of the passengers around him. If only all children his age would be such a joy to travel with. He learned the word "propeller" and told me what it does. He also told a fellow traveler that he was flying to "Seattle," pronounced very clearly. All flights were on time, with enough time between to get sufficient lunch and dinner. I could not resist Five Guys fries at Dullas, "balanced" with a veggie sandwich, something I had never seen at a Five Guys. We finally arrived home a bit after midnight.

The Warye Residence

After returning from the market, we went back to the Fabric Depot to allow Meisha to marvel at all the project possibilities, frustrated by the fact that she couldn't take much back with her. We took Meisha back to Stephanie and Mark's and Sue insisted on feeding us. The food was delicious. We're back at the hotel now preparing to return home. We fly out tomorrow: from here to Seattle, then Washington and home.

Gardens along the River

At the Market

The Portland Marathon

One of the reasons we decided to walk was because many of the streets in Portland were closed due to the Portland Marathon. Here are some of the runners.

The Hotel

After breakfast this morning, Meisha, Nancy and I started out to walk along the Willamette River to the Saturday (and Sunday) Market, a 2.4 mile hike. We passed in front of our hotel on the onset.

The Bride and Her Dad

Nana and Ev

Meisha and Ev

Prince Charming

The Bride's Brother and Mother

The Bridal Cake

The Ring Bearer

Ev was the cutest ring bearer ever.

The Bride and Groom

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Mark Warye. Oh wait, they're busy.

Old Home Day at the Wedding

Stephanie, the bride, is not only David's sister but also a former student, one among a particularly favorite class. We enjoyed catching up with Ike Smith and Adam Botzenhart. Ike, an English teacher, has recently been named Teacher of the Year in his school district, a district with 3 high schools in North Carolina. Adam, after finishing his degree at Harvard Law, is a patent lawyer for a very large firm in San Francisco.

The Labyrinth

Meisha, I took this shot as a reminder of the time when we were in Norwich, England, at the Cathedral. We both walked the grass labyrinth.

The Monastery

The Gardens

For Ted

The Pieta

Also in the observation area is a bronze exact replica of Michelangelo's Pieta made from a plaster cast.

Mt. St. Helens

Above the cliff above the grotto is an observation area, a place to contemplate the wonders of God. One of those wonders is Mt. St. Helens.

One More Canopy

Portland Grotto

When our tour guide learned that we were heading back to Portland, he told us about a little known gem back there, the Portland Grotto. That's where we headed once reaching the city.

Mt. Rainier

As we were leaving Seattle via I5, Mt. Rainier kept popping up in front of us.

Walking Back to the Hotel

On our way back to the hotel we passed by the Space Needle on more time, but this time in the dark.

Teatro ZanZinni

Ian and I did not have a lot of time because we had reservations at the Teatro ZanZinni, a combination dinner theatre, music, and acrobatics. These two acrobats were nothing short of stunning! The dinner and program ran from 6:00 to 10:00. The food was good too.

Catching up with Ian Saunders

After going back to the hotel for a bit of a rest, I went out to meet Ian Saunders at SPUR Gastropub. Ian is a former student of both Nancy and mine who presently works as creative director for bgC3, one of Bill Gates' companies described as a cross between a think tank, incubator and venture capital firm. Ian has also won three Emmys while writing for Bill Nye, the Science Guy. He is also the son of former colleagues of ours, so it was particularly enjoyable to catch up with him. He was quite flattering about the education he received at Newark Valley and suggested it contributed to his success and the success of others in his class.

The "Hospital" in "Gray's Anatomy"

We had passed this somewhat nondescript building on several occasions, but Charles told us that "Gray Anatomy" chose to use this building as the outside of the hospital because the real hospitals in Seattle did not look modern enough.

Behind the Market

We took a walk behind the market to see Puget Sound.

Pike Place Public Market

After lunch at a small Greek restaurant, we took the monorail to downtown and then walked to the Pike Place Public Market, a remarkable place, indeed. If I lived in Seattle, I would be there buying one of the beautiful bouquets of flowers just about every week. I also saw the largest fresh scallops I had ever seen. There were all sorts of produce, arts, crafts, jewelry, used books, antiques and, of course, junk.

Other Views from the Space Needle

Mt. Rainier

Yes, that is Mt. Rainier in the distance. It can be seen from the city on average only 70 days per year. We are mighty lucky tourists.

From the Space Needle

We asked to be dropped off at the Space Needle so we could go to the observation deck to take in the view.

Friday Morning Tour

Friday morning found us on a most entertaining tour of the City of Seattle. Charles was the most animated--and at time down right goofy--tour guide we have ever encountered. Our adventure included interesting facts and details about the city, along with jokes, quizzes, bubbles, a roll down map, various flying objects, and just plain corny fun. We were accompanied by fellow tourists from Sydney, Australia, and Texas.

Street Musicians

We are both suckers for pan flute music, so we stopped, sat on a park bench and listened to Quichua Mashis play several songs, before buying a CDs. After that we stopped at place offering gourmet pizza and micro-brews for dinner.

Exploring Seattle Center

We did a combination of exploring Seattle Center (the one time site of the 1963 World's Fair)and looking for the Teatro Zanzinni, where we will be enjoying a dinner theatre performance tomorrow night. This is a shot of he EMP, the Museum of Music, Sci-fi and Pop Culture.

A Closer Look

We went out to do a little exploring, taking in a closer look of the Space Needle.

Arriving in Seattle

We arrived in Seattle at about 3:00. We can see the Space Needle from the front of our hotel.

Alder Lake

After leaving the park entrance, we encountered a lengthy detour, but it too was scenic.

Mt. Rainier National Park

Please don't think we are as politically unaware as too many Americans are. We knew that Mt. Rainier National Park would be closed thanks to the tactics of a small faction within one party of one house of Congress. We were hoping to at least get close enough to see the mountain. Thankfully the route was at least more scenic than staying on the interstate would have been.

Mossyrock Dam

After breakfast we packed up to head out for Seattle with the plan to swing a bit to the east to try to take in a view of Mt. Rainier. On the way we stopped a few times for the view. This is a shot of Mossyrock Dam which created Riffe Lake along Route 7 in southern Washington.

Fabric Depot

Even thought I had to drag Nancy kicking and screaming, we went to this enormous fabric store on the outskirts of Portland, so "I" could buy fabric and such for all "my" sewing projects. We headed back to the hotel after that and decided to have dinner there. I went for a swim after dinner.

Portland Art Museum

I took a picture of this sculpture particularly for the horse lovers in the family, i.e., Kendal and Emery.

The Farmers' Market

We asked at the museum gift shop for a good place to eat lunch. A few blocks away we found the Elephants Delicatessen. After lunch we stopped that the farmers' market on our way to the art museum and bought peaches and cookies.