Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Mom & I slept very good. It rained during the night and continued to drizzle through our early morning. We checked out and took the shuttle over to the airport. Because we had bought our tickets before March 29th we were both able to check 2 bags without an additional fee. And, guess what caused us problems? Mom and I both forgot about the rules and she made sure she packed her bottle of forgotten water in her carry on. Guess what they took away from her? We just laughed about it later.

As we took off for home, this time through Detroit, we played some Cribbage and had a $5 Snack Box for lunch which really is pretty good. I got a kick out of the Snack Box. It comes wrapped in cellophane which is a bear to get off with no fingernail file or jackknife - thank God for strong fingernails. Inside is a cellophane wrapped package of 3 crackers. After you get the cellophane off and the box opened the crackers are individually wrapped in cellophane again. There are 2 pieces of cheese wrapped in heavy duty cellophane, sealed to the cheese itself. They are Swiss and Gouda which tasted exactly alike and the ingredients say it is cheddar cheese made in Blue Mound, WI. One small can of Bumblebee chicken salad which I managed to pull the tab off of without opening the can but by this time I had my plastic fork out of its wrapper and was able to get it opened - quite tasty. There was a bag of Pecan Trail Mix Crunch that was very good and last, but not least, 6 vanilla Oreo cookies. Pretty darn good for $5, except for the excess use of cellophane. Even Mom said it was better than some of the dinners you used to get for free on the airlines.

Flying from Detroit to Appleton we weren't able to sit together so no more cards. We arrived to blue skies at home and John picked us up shortly after landing. We got to Mom's, said hello to Dad and I was on my way home within a half hour.

We didn't make any more plans for future vacations. Who knows if we will ever be able to afford to fly again! We'll just wait and see what's down the road. A very good time was had by these 3 Musketeers!

Monday, May 19, 2008

We were all up by 6:30 and started packing everything. Of course, now we all have more than we started with so everything is very full.

Becky and I went down to the lobby to check our flights for tomorrow on the computer. We also ordered tickets for the Seattle Duck Rides for later this morning. We picked up the luggage cart and headed back upstairs. I guess we were still tired or were talking too much. Becky pushed the elevator button for our floor. The door opened and she said, "This doesn't look right, did I push the wrong button?" And she pushed the lobby button again. As the door shut, we looked at each other and realized we screwed up. We were right where we were supposed to be. So we rode down to the lobby again. Thankfully when the doors opened no one was waiting to get on and we just went back up to our floor.

Anyway, we loaded up the cart and left for downstairs. As Mom and I checked us out, Becky started hauling "stuff" to the car. Mom bought 3 waters and set them down along side of her on the window seat to wait for Becky. When Becky got back we picked up everything else and locked it into the car in the garage. Then we walked to our bus stop and headed to the Space Needle and Duck ride. (We had already paid for 24 hours so there was no point in moving the car and paying another parking fee.)

We were a little early for our ride so we went across the street and had breakfast at McDonalds. (I think it was at this point that Mom remembered the 3 bottles of water on the window seat.) Again, it's a pretty nice looking day but a little cooler. We headed back to wait for our "duck." Our drivers name was Rocky Bottoms and he had a weird sense of humor. He gave us the safety talk about the life jackets above our heads because we are going to go into the water. Then he said that as the captain he had a special life jacket and he got out a child's inflatable inner tube that had the head of a duck on it.

He had recorded music for every one of his lines. We saw a woman walking a dog down the street and he played "Who Let the Dogs Out" - none of these songs are quiet either. He told about the time when Elvis was filming some movie in town and took his pink Cadillac to the car wash we were driving by now. Elvis stood on the corner singing while his car was being washed, so we had Elvis music for awhile. He played John Denver's "Country Roads" because Becky was from Montana.

When we got to the water, he came to a complete stop. He had to put his shower cap on because he might get wet. And, as we entered the water he played "Rubber Ducky." While we were in the water he talked about different landmarks. There were several ships/boats that are in the show "Deadliest Catch" and are fishing different waters right now and I think one was in dry dock for repairs (Rocky played song from Jaws). We also went by the houseboat that was in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle" and we listened to that theme song.

As we left the water he was telling us about Seattle often being referred to as the Emerald City so naturally we got "Off to see the Wizard." Then we rode through Pioneer Square. He told us the story of the totem pole in the square. "Someone" stole this totem pole from a tribe in Alaska. Years later a tribe member found it in Seattle and the tribe charged the city of Seattle a whopping $20,000. They did pay for it then. At some point, another "someone" accidentally burned down the totem pole. But, Seattle had the receipt for it, so the tribe in Alaska built them another one; so the moral of the story is 'always keep your receipt' - I don't think we had a song with that one.

As we headed back to the starting point Rocky put on his hard hat so we could all sing along to "YMCA." We pulled into the yard and he said he wanted to play something so we would all remember him. You guessed it, the theme song from the movie, "Rocky."

I thought it was a fun ride, I knew all the words to all the songs. Mom thought it was a little too corny. For $20 we could have had a picture of the 3 of us that really turned out pretty good but none of us wanted an 8x10 picture.

We walked across the street to the Space Needle. Becky stopped at the Science Museum to see if it was anything Flynt might like for another time. Then we headed for the Needle. It's a nice ride up in the glass elevator. We went out on the Observation Deck - it was windy and very cool. We were all wearing shorts and no coats, so a little too cool and we didn't stay long. It was a little overcast but we still had a great view of everything and got decent pictures. Mt. Rainer is awesome. They took another picture of the 3 of us. This one was only $14.95 and 5x7 but the background was blurry so we passed on that one also.

So now we got on the bus back to the parking garage. Mom & I headed to the garage and Becky wanted to ask someone at the Moore what was the best way out of town. Mom told her to ask about the water. When Becky got back she had one bottle of water. The lady at the desk said none were turned in and she really couldn't give us 3 but she would be happy to give us at least one.

Becky was driving us to the Ramada at the airport for our flight tomorrow morning. Our vacation was done and we wanted Becky to get on her way as soon as she could. She was getting antsy and we knew Dan would like her back ASAP too. So we checked in to the Ramada but then went to a nearby Denny's for a last meal which was the most uninspiring meal of our trip. But we figured out who owed what for this trip, settled up and Becky was on her way by 3 p.m.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

We were up early again. Becky went out for coffee but didn't stop at the bakery because we hoped to leave early and get something ourselves. By 8:30 we were on our way down Stewart Street again. It was a little cooler today so Mom had a jacket along. We stopped at the bakery - Mom & I got skinny chocolate filled eclairs and Becky got a pastry filled with ham & cheese and shredded cheese on top. Everything was $3.50 each.

Then we walked through some of the shops across from Pike Place Market. We were just killing time until we caught our next bus to Pioneer Square, which is considered the heart of Seattle. Again, this definitely is in walking distance from our hotel and Pike Place but it saved wear & tear on all of us, especially Mom.

We finally headed for the bus stop, we wanted to be at the Square in time to go on the Underground Tour. We got off the bus and looked at the Smith Building, 522 ft, built in 1914 and, at the time, was one of the 4 tallest buildings in the world and was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi for 50 years.

Across the square was the Underground Tour location in an old saloon. What a hoot! For $14 it was a lot of laughs and you had a hard time telling fact from fiction. We laughed at all the stories and only at the end of some of them would our guide say, "just kidding." So I'm thinking a lot of this is true but laughable.

Seattle was originally built on the flats of Puget Sound. It rains a lot here (winter season) plus when the tide came in there would be a lot of water in the streets - constant muck. Contributing to this mess was the stench of the outhouse's overflowing into the streets when the tide came in and washed them out.

Thomas Crapper, from England, designed the first flushable toilet for Queen Victoria. Seattle ordered a bunch of these that were shipped in with instructions to attach the pipe in back to the sewer system which Seattle didn't have. So they constructed one out of wood. In theory, everything worked well. This system worked w/gravity. Homes on the low end of the system could flush but everything might not clear out until the people on the top end of the system came home at night and flushed. Then everything would have enough force to get all the way down to Elliott Bay.

The reality of the system was that when the tides came in the pipes would back up. Between the pressure of that and someone flushing farther up the line you could literally be shot right off your toilet.

June 6, 1889, someone working in a cabinet shop was melting glue to use. It caught fire. Instead of smothering the fire he poured water on it - wrong thing to do. It spread rapidly through the sawdust and turpentine on the floor, moving upstairs where paint was stored, then moving on to two Hardware Stores next door that had just gotten in their supplies of ammunition and dynamite. There was a huge explosion which pretty much led to everything else in the area catching fire. If you couldn't see the fire from a distance you certainly could hear it.

Even if you always heard it rains all the time in Seattle, they were having a dry spell. Meanwhile the fire department was called out; they had to get the hoses into the bay so they could pump water. Of course it is now low tide. The "truck" got stuck trying to get out to the water and the hose was not long enough to reach anyway. The town burned down.

City fathers and businessmen wanted to rebuild fast. A law was passed that there would be no more wood structures; had to be brick or stone. The merchants complied and got their buildings up immediately, they didn't want to lose any money. The city fathers took a little more time. They wanted the sewer system to be improved and wanted the streets to stop turning to mud constantly. So they built a series of stone walls in a grid like manner up the slopes. They buried their new sewer system in these walls and filled them to the top with whatever material was available for the roads.

Now the streets were done but in most cases they were at least 8 feet above the sidewalks and first floors of all businesses. There were no guardrails on these raised streets either. To help people get from one side of the street to the other, or just to get to and from their horses, wagons, carriages,etc. the city fathers put a ladder by each intersection.

Miraculously there were no deaths in the fire of 1889, but later there were 17 recorded deaths from falling "off" the streets. These deaths were listed on the death certificates as "involuntary suicides".

Later they put some sort of iron girders across from the street wall to the top of the first floor of the buildings. Then brick arches were built. Finally they laid cobblestones over this for new sidewalks leading into the 2nd floor windows of all the buildings. At various intervals they installed skylights that are still in place along the sidewalks. In this way there was natural lighting for the underground city.

Mom had decided not to go on this tour because they had advertised uneven footing. Halfway through Becky and I knew that was a wise decision. A lot of up 2 steps, down 3, down 10, up 1, some steps were high, some short, lighting was poor. I didn't get a lot of pictures down here because it was too dark and I couldn't find postcards later.

As we ended our tour at their gift shop, Paul, our guide, told us when we tell others about the tour, don't tell them we had nice weather. It seems no one in Seattle wants that to get out. When finished we just sat in the square for awhile. Becky found the Mystery Book Store around the corner so she had to check it out and got an autographed copy of a book she was interested in. We walked back to Ivar's for lunch. Again Mom & I had baby shrimp & chips, Becky had fish & chips and salmon chowder. I tasted the chowder, it was very good.

We ate outside this time and fed the seagulls. Mom almost lost a finger - dainty eaters - I don't think so!

We grabbed our now favorite bus #16 and got back to our hotel around 3:30. Becky stopped at Bed, Bath & Beyond and found Mom another buckwheat pillow that we'll have to pack home.

As I stated before, this is an old hotel. We did laugh over the things that weren't here: no counter space in bathroom, no bathtub, no separate area for shower, no hair dryer, no coffee pot, no box of Kleenex, no free samples of shampoo. But, besides having computer availability in the lobby we had Bob, our favorite desk person. He was great, very friendly, very informative, always helpful. He gave us directions where to park our car, how to locate the things we wanted to see and where to eat at good prices. Tonight we wanted to stay in. We took our popcorn down by Bob and asked if there was a microwave anyplace we could use. He put a "Be Right Back" sign on the desk and took us to the 2nd floor where the staff break room was and let us use their microwave. What a guy!

We got in our pj's, ate our popcorn and Pepsi and watched tv. I don't even remember if one of us played Cribbage with Mom tonight.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Becky was up early and walked down to Pike Place Market. She found the first Starbuck's in the U.S. and got coffee for her and Mom. She also found a French Bakery next door and picked up warm pastry for breakfast.

We ate our treats and started taking showers. We found out the water hook up in this shower is backwards - you had to pull out the shower faucet and turn to the right for hot water. The faucet in the sink you turn to the left. Becky said the weather was warm already so we finally dug shorts out of our luggage for the day.

I wrote out my postcards to mail and forgot them on the table when we left around 9 a.m. We walked down Stewart Street. It's very steep. There were 2 stools sticking out of the side of a building that Mom could rest on. Then we went into Pike Place Market. The flowers were beautiful - huge bouquets for $10.

There was a cheese festival at Pike Place, set up in the street in front of the Market. There was so much to look at inside that we really didn't look at any cheese.

Wonderful fruits and vegetables. We bought 1/2 pint of raspberries for $5. A box of strawberries was $5 also. The berries were so huge it looked like they were packed 3 in the bottom layer and 4 on the top layer. Asparagus was running $1.99 to $2.50 per pound. Morel mushrooms were $39.95/lb; we had to take a picture for Dad. We can pretty much walk out in the woods back home and pick them so this price was astonishing.

In the center of the market is "Pike Place Fish" famous for it's flying fish. When anyone buys a fish the clerk throws it to the next clerk calling out "One Salmon, Going to Wisconsin" or whatever. This keeps on until all the workers have caught this fish and the last one is packing it up to go. It was fun to watch and there were a lot of people there for that reason.

About 10 a.m. we went upstairs to Maximillian's so we could sit out on their patio and watch the harbor.(I think it was Elliott's Bay) We just ordered cold drinks. We looked across the bay to the Bremerton Shipyard - I remember Lindberg used to have a lot of equipment there.

We finished our drinks and went down another corridor and down some steps. We found a place Mom could sit with a quilt shop nearby. Becky & I went down 3 more floors to look at the different shops.

We picked up Mom and went out a back door (and, yes she did check out the quilt ship), down another block to Alaskan Way, which is where all the docks are. We had decided it was going to be hot enough we would spend some time inside and went to Seattle's Aquarium ($15/each, we had $1 off coupon and Mom got a senior rate too). We asked about a wheelchair and got one so Mom could sit because we kept telling her she had to walk back UP all the streets we came down earlier(just kidding). We took in a couple of educational talks and watched them feed the native Washington fish under a glass dome. Later we watched them feed the otters and sea lions.

Becky had been talking about eating at Ivar's since Day 1, it's her favorite place. We finally convinced her that, yes, we could walk that far if we took our time and stopped when Mom wanted to rest. It really was only a few blocks. On the way I stopped at a sidewalk vendors and bought T-shirts for the grandkids.

We got to Ivar's around 4'ish and opted to eat inside for the air conditioning. It was truly wonderful! Now we know what Becky has been talking about. Becky ordered one of her favorites, "Acres of Clams." Mom & I ordered Giant Prawns and chips - Delicious!!

On the dock side of Ivar's, the seagulls were going crazy. Other places we ate at had signs telling people to NOT feed the seagulls. This picture tells you what Ivar's has posted. A fire station is right next door - fire trucks on the street side and fire boats in the water.

We walked around several different shops and picked up more postcards. We thought we would get a cab back to our hotel for $7. We started looking at the bus schedules for $1.50 each. A Seattle native saw us and told us which # bus to look for. Then we found out that the ride is free in the downtown area. We were dropped off 2 blocks from our hotel but on a relatively flat street for Mom - no more hills to climb up.

We were back around 6:40. Becky went out for Pepsi's, we were all thirsty. Mom called Dad - he's doing well on his own with friends and family stopping in to visit. Mom & Becky played cribbage with Becky being soundly beaten. She said that was enough. She and I walked over to the parking garage to plug more money in and I remembered to take along the post cards to mail.

We had to walk 2 blocks to find a box. Then we walked another block just because the weather was perfect! we were now on 3rd Street, one block away from our hotel. This was the first time either of us felt uncomfortable. Lots of people on this street - bag ladies, people in doorways, meeting in alley's, one homeless person sleeping in wheelchair with all his possessions. We were both thankful it was still very light out and just zipped along until we were on our street again. It's amazing what one block's difference can be!

We got back to our room and I beat Mom in cribbage - Yeah!! She asked if I wanted to go again. I declined, saying I wanted to hold onto the good feeling for the moment.

Friday, May 16, 2008

We were all awake by 6 a.m. Dan called Becky, Mom called Dad and I called Shannon because I knew Howard would be at work. I told her to tell him I would call tonight. Becky had gone out for coffee for the 2 of them (this hotel has nothing). So Becky went down to the corner coffee shop and I opened a Pepsi. We decided to take it easy and did our nails for the fun of it.

About 11 we walked a different 2 blocks to Macy's. Mom found a pair of sandals right away and we got something to eat. Then Becky & Mom went to 3rd floor for some power shopping. I even ended up helping them. We were looking for something for Mom for their anniversary and class reunion this summer. We had a good time but we were exhausted. Then Becky & I shopped for ourselves. I found a pair of jeans that I loved so I grabbed 2 pair right away. Becky didn't have as good of luck and decided to call it a day. We left around 3:30 and stopped at a McDonald's for ice cream. From the next corner Mom walked a block back to hotel and we went across the street to Nordstrom Rack. Becky had pretty good luck and we were back "home" by 5:30.

About 7:15 we picked up the car and drove down to the pier. We were going to go to Eliott's for seafood but instead we ate at Steamer's which is a little more casual. Mom & I had popcorn shrimp and fries. Becky had calamari. We sat on the outside deck to eat. We had done a little shopping for postcards and picked up something for the kids. We were reading magnets and especially liked the one that read "Mom's know everything - just ask them!" All 3 of us talked each other out of buying one for home.

It was a little chilly by the time we were done eating so we found the car, went up the hill to our street and parked back in the all night lot and went back to our room. I know I said there were no amenities here but we decided not to move anyplace else. The rate was good, it was clean, we found a decent, safe place to park the car for all day & night, AND EVERYTHING WE WANTED TO SEE WAS 2 BLOCKS DOWN THE HILL. Also, in spite of being right downtown it wasn't that noisy. We did have a fan in the room that we used every night for a little "white noise." It did seem to block out any traffic noise and, of course, the snoring problem we all seem to be afflicted with these days.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

We slept great - got up, took showers and got ready to check out. We called for a cab and rode downtown to the Empress Hotel. Becky stayed with the cab and went over to the Clipper office and checked in our luggage. Then she walked back over to meet us. We didn't want to pay $50 to have high tea at the Empress so we walked through it and around it looking for the advertised Miniature World and couldn't find it. We asked someone that worked there who was neither friendly nor knowledgeable. So we went across the street to Sam's Deli for lunch (another one of Larry's recommendations).

After lunch Mom said she would sit at a table outside and people watch while Becky & I walked up and down Government Road. We checked out a couple different stores, including a bookstore and talked to a local author who had originally come from Australia. We walked back to Mom and found out she had gone shopping in the nearby stores and bought herself a new cloth shopping bag.

Then we took our walk along the harbor across from the Empress. We stopped several times along the way to watch street musicians and one particularly entertaining man called "Plaster Man." He was covered completely in white "plaster" with a plaster bucket in front of him to collect tips. He stood on top of a box like a statue until someone dropped money in his bucket. Then he would move, stepping off of the box and scaring whomever dropped the money in.

We walked a couple blocks farther down to get a carriage ride around the city. Mom requested a white horse so we got Dylan with driver Mike. He was another character that kept us laughing (he might have been related to Larry).

We went by the house of Emily Carr - a very eccentric painter. She kept a pet monkey and dressed him up in clothes and pushed him around town in a baby carriage. The chairs in her parlor were hooked up to pulleys - if you left the room and she didn't like you, when you came back all the chairs were on the ceiling and you had to leave.

After our ride we still had time before the Clipper left so we stopped at another place and got something to eat. We got to the Clipper office right at 6 p.m. with departure set for 7. As we got our boarding passes I was finally able to say something that I always wanted to. When asked the usual question, "Do you have anything to declare?" I immediately said, "We had a lovely time visiting." She just smiled, she's probably heard that before.

We finally got on board - everything was full for this return trip. Absolutely every seat was taken, but weather was clear and we were able to see everything. Seattle has an impressive skyline that was worth watching as we got closer. We got through customs, Becky walked a couple blocks back and picked up the car to come and get us. We found our way back to The Moore and this time used the parking garage across the street for $19/24 hours. We were checked back in before 11 p.m.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

We were all awake by 5 (even earlier) because we just couldn't stay in bed anymore. We got dressed, packed everything up, checked out and down to Bell Pier parking by 6:30. We walked across the Alaskan Way (aka Hwy. 99) to where the Victoria Clipper was docked. It was very overcast - we dressed warmer but everything is inside on the Clipper so we were fine. It was not choppy but you couldn't see too much. They pulled over by a very small, unoccupied (possibly unnamed) island to show us an eagle nest. There were probably a dozen eagles nesting here now.

We pulled into the dock at Victoria (on Vancouver Island) around 11 a.m., went through customs and got on our bus to head to Butchart Gardens, about 20 miles out of town.

We had a fantastic driver named Larry. He talked the entire trip and kept us laughing. He definitely is a redneck. As we drove past their Parliament Building he explained that when their Prime Minister is running for office, much like the American President, he tells nothing but lies and when elected, spends the next 4 years explaining why he can't keep any of his campaign promises.

At the time there was a protest in front of Parliament. Larry referred to them as "tree-hugging, whale-kissing Commies." He was on a roll, he went on to talking about the Royal Family and referred to them as the result of 400 years of inbreeding and he wasn't too sure about the guy with the big ears (Prince Charles) - whether he was playing with a full deck or not.

We arrived at Butchart Gardens at 12:15. As we drove into the main gate Larry pointed out one spectacular garden area in front. He told us that was their graveyard - pick a flower and you can have a spot here too. He said if we weren't back at the bus by 2:30 we could take a picture of the back of the bus as it drove off - that and $65 would get us a taxi ride back to town.

The gardens were incredible. We got a wheelchair for Mom right away so she could keep up with us. Becky was pushing her down a steep incline when very sweetly she leaned over Mom and asked, "Mom, who do you like best?" And, of course, that set us off laughing for a long time.

This was the time of year that all the spring bulbs were at their best. Tulips of every color imaginable - bright, cheery daffodils, my personal favorite. Unfortunately, the irises were done already and the roses weren't in bloom but, those are for other trips I guess.

Two people were late for the bus but Larry did manage to get us all back on board. We got a little tour of town as Larry dropped everyone off at their individual hotels. Apparently, if you book your hotel through the Clipper line at the same time you book the ferry and the Gardens they will take you right to your hotel. We didn't know that and had only done the ferry & gardens through Clipper. Larry might be a redneck but he also was very nice and took us to ours anyway.

On our mini tour we drove past Chinatown (2nd oldest in No. America) with the Gate of Harmonious Interest across the street entrance. Larry's story on that one is that the gate is guarded by 2 stone lions - if an honest politician ever walks through the gate the lions would roar - so far, they have remained silent.

Anyway, he dropped us off about 2 blocks away from Chinatown at Paul's Motor Lodge which is a nice, clean place, not much traffic and all the basic amenities - coffee pot, hair dryer, shampoo, etc. Larry recommended that we eat at the White Post across the street. We checked in and found we were on the 2nd floor and no elevator but we managed one flight of stairs.

About 4:30 we went across to the White Post. Either we were very hungry or the food was very good - it was delicious and reasonably priced. Becky and I walked Mom back to the motel and continued walking over to Chinatown. Most of the stores were closed but we enjoyed looking at everything else.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Finally, after 2 years, Mom & I are on our way to meet Becky in Seattle. Cousin Tammy picked us up at Mom's at 5:15 a.m. to take us to the airport. The weather was gorgeous in Appleton, but overcast in Minneapolis. We arrived in Seattle on time at 1:15 p.m.PST - everything was wet from a recent rain. Becky was there waiting for us. We tried to get lost but, in the end, managed to find our way downtown to The Moore Hotel on the corner of 2nd & Virginia. We are just a couple of blocks from the water.

The Moore is an old establishment, built in 1907, with a theater along side of and in back of it. It may be old and does not have a lot of amenities but it is well maintained and updated with new paint and very clean. We got into a tiny elevator - door isn't even a safety width by today's standards. We are on the 6th floor of a 7 story building. The windows in our room open up all the way with no protective restraints on them - anyone could fall (or jump) out of them. They have no parking place here so we parked a block away for $10/day and again $10/night.

After we got checked in and left Mom to rest, Becky and I walked down to Pike Place Market (just 2 blocks down the hill) - lots of flowers, vegetables, fruits AND fish. I can't believe I didn't bring my camera today - what kind of tourist am I? There are a lot of colorful shops in the area. We were approached by at least 3 different people asking for money also.

We got back to the room by 5 p.m., picked up Mom and drove to Cutter's Restaurant. We got a window table looking out at the harbor. The food was great - Mom & I split an order of Seafood Fettuccine. Becky ordered a plate of various types of sushi. Becky had me try some kind of raw tuna wrapped in seaweed or kelp. I thought it was nasty and kelp is chewy! Becky treated us to supper, the fettuccine was delicious and we cleaned that up.

We got back back to our room by 7:30 when I finally realized it was 9:30 back home and we had been up since 4:30 - no wonder we were tired. I forgot to call home earlier and we have a wake up call for 5:30 tomorrow morning so we can get to the ferry to Victoria, Canada.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++