Now what? travelogue

G'day all!

The in laws blew in like a summer storm and now are gone again.  We were soooo busy - lots of sight seeing, lots of activities and I put a thousand miles on the clock on the car - not that much really but it seemed like a lot of driving!

We went to Pike's Place Market (hmm, any shots?  Yes!) and made some really nice pasta with a fab GF mix of wriggly pastas

Guess where?

Love the sanitary market across the street

drove up to Snoqualmie Falls (umm, suddenly Google won't let me look at my own pics... sigh.  Stupid Google.), went to North Bend (which is where "Twin Peaks" was filmed but I never got into that show) and did some bush walks around there

?Twin Falls?

Rattlesnake Lake

looked at the Chihuly glass garden (that deserves a few more shots) - did you know that as a King County resident, my entry was discounted?  $15 instead of $19.  My entry cost less than my FiL's - he is a senior (just)!

Chihuly flowers, slightly fuzzy, thanks phone

I call this ship of fools

Hope there's no hail

rode on the monorail (a five minute trip each way if that - how bored must the driver get?), dined at the restaurant on the Space Needle (how I love thee, Space Needle!),

Space Needle!

They gave me a special sorbet, then had to give me one without the wafer....

had a rest day where we just tooled around Ballard a little

?Chinook? salmon in the fish ladder

Sunset from Anthony's restaurant

took off on a four day tour of the Olympic Peninsula (Nathan had been telling people he was taking his mother to the Olympics for her birthday - they thought he was really nice taking her to London!  But we meant the much more fun and a helluva lot cheaper Olympics) and Mt Rainier - that deserves its very own post because OMG I can't choose between photos and there is so much there.  I should put it on my travel blog.  However, you might have to put up with a few shots here just for the nonce

Up on Hurricane Ridge, Olympic Mountains

Mt Rainier from Reflection Lakes

Mt Rainier

had a rest day (well Nathan had to go to work) because we were knackered

drove up to Anacortes and did a whale watching trip (we thought we would see Orcas but instead we saw at least one Minke whale, sealions, porpoises and harbour seals.  And lots of birds)

A stinky Minke whale.  Honest.

Young Steller sealion bulls

A justifiably paranoid harbour seal trying to enjoy a salmon lunch

and then the in laws were in a cab and off to the airport before dawn yesterday!  I sat around for a while wondering what I would do with myself - I felt a bit lost without having to choof people off to see more sights.  As it turned out, I found plenty to do - several loads of washing, some cleaning and vacuuming, putting away the bed, some knitting, some reading remrants on Ravelry and a whole lot of sitting around.

I have to say that Washington state is quite lovely in summer (well most of the bits we saw were).  I have a new favourite town - more on that on the Olympics tour post(s), a new least favourite town, and a whole heap more places to go check out whilst the weather is good.  If only it was like this year round, it would be perfect!

anon!