Chinatown and Scout Sunday

No trip to visit the Flindts in Seattle is complete without Educational Adventures and without watching all the kids perform at Church. Over the February 5 weekend, Gretta found plenty of both. The Educational Adventures were an ethnic mix. We ate supper Friday night at the local Mexican restaurant in Sammamish and then explored the International District (Chinatown and Japantown) on Saturday.

The chef liked us and, after fixing our burritos and fajitas and enchiladas, he sent out a gratis dessert--tortilla chips dribbled with honey and cinnamon and topped with cream.

After a good card game and a good book, we went to bed.

On Saturday morning we visited the tooth fairy at the dental clinic at Lake Washington Technical College, where Bryce, Kirsten, and Grant got sealants on their teeth. The tooth fairy showed a stuffed molar, with little yellow bacteria stitched to it, which, she explained, exuded "poop" that caused cavities.

Bryce and Alyssa listened in awe.

We thanked the ladies who made the tooth sealants and the tooth fairy possible...and free!

Then it was off to Chinatown (more properly, the International District), with Alyssa keeping her doll close at hand.

There were many enticing store windows...

as we walked smartly along.

We loved the Wing Luke Asian Museum...

with its marionettes...

and an exhibit on "Yellow Terror," documenting discriminatory images of Asians.

We loved lunch at the Tang Tau Restaurant--sizzling rice soup, beef noodles, fried rice, chicken cashew, and beef curry with lots of fortune cookies for dessert.

And we loved a walking tour of the International District, with our pretty Chinese-American guide.

We paused to locate the headquarters of Chinese "family associations," like those of the Wongs and Lees, high in apartment buildings.

We watched the Chinese girls' drill team practice for their Chinese New Year parades, where they'll be dressed in satin robes with elaborate headdresses. They were accompanied by a huge drum and cymbals.

We explored alleys with little shops which had been there for 100 years.

We visited a fortune cookie factory...

that also sold rejects.

We even found our "dog of the day," with one blue eye and one brown eye, caged within a car and photographed through the window.

We headed into the Japantown area and posed by the iconic stone lantern...

and in the community garden.

And we stopped at the Panama Hotel...

where Japanese who were interned during WWII left behind their belongings. The Panama Hotel is the scene of the best-selling novel, "Street of Bitter and Sweet."

And, finally, we waded through Umajimaya market, which displayed thousands of Asian items, from sushi to noodle bowls to bright red envelopes for holding gifts of money for Chinese New Year.

Spencer shot photos of the lake as we rode home.

Kyle and Lisa had a party Saturday night, so Grandma and the kids went to the movies...

"Sherlock Holmes" for Michael, Spencer, and Grant...

"Tooth Fairy" for Grandma, Kirsten, Alyssa, and Bryce. The little guys read books and made new friends at Barnes & Noble until the big guys' movie was done...

and then we had ice cream and "mix-ins" at Cold Stone Creamery.

It was Scout Sunday, so Michael, Spencer, and Grant all wore scout uniforms. Lisa and Alyssa gave talks in Relief Society and Primary, Kyle and Spencer taught lessons, Kirsten had her interview to enter Young Women, and Grant collected fast offerings. Only Michael and Bryce got to relax (just this week).

Art and Rivalry

The last week of January is usually the coldest, dreariest time of the year. On January 30, there were blue faces, but they were not cold, but painted blue for the BYU/Utah basketball game in Provo. Kids pitched their tents next to the fieldhouse for up to three days and nights to get the best seats. We captured photos of some of the more colorful characters.

Art is not usually as flamboyant as real life at BYU, but the new contemporary art show at the BYU Art Museum had some interesting video images.

There was also an exhibit on images of divinity...

a sculpture celebrating love...

and a display on the history of the BYU art collection (with a favorite painting by Minerva Teichert).

We paused to savor the views of the mountains around BYU.

After getting our fill of art and BYU/Utah rivalry, we searched for and found a new ethnic restaurant in SLC--the Asian Star. We read advertisements for Lion Dances at the restaurant on Chinese New Year, and we wished we could be there.

And our favorite event of the weekend--sharing fresh tuna steak and chocolate hazelnut cake with berries and cream with Michael on Sunday afternoon. Of course, Jonny called to tell us the meal he cooked--braised short rib sandwich with melted cheese and arugula--was even better!