Satisfied in Seattle I

Seattle was even more green and blue than usual when I flew there on January 31, 2014.  The Seahawks played the Broncos in the Super Bowl that weekend, and the city was decked out with "Go Seahawks!" signs.  At night, some of the city buildings were lighted green.  The number "12" was everywhere, signifying the enthusiastic Seahawks fans as the 12th member of the football team.

I met the Flindts at Itadakamasu, a Hawaiian/Japanese/Korean restaurant in the University District.  The mix of cuisines reflected the mix of ethnic groups in Hawaii, where the owners came from.  We enjoyed the "Udub" (University of Washington) vibe, with tiny tables close together, students all around us, mostly Asian, and great chicken teriyaki, shrimp tempura, noodles, fried rice, and beef bulgogi (a Korean specialty).  The variety of outstanding restaurants in Seattle seems infinite!

On Saturday morning, the big people slept in, but Bryce, Alyssa, and I slipped out early for a walk in the light drizzle.  Bryce suggested the park behind their Margaret Mead Elementary School.  It had all the ingredients for a great outing--slides and a short trail through the woods, with old stumps, moss, a bit of swamp, and lots of big, very green trees.

It was Chinese New Year--the Year of the Horse--so Lisa and Kirsten soon joined us to explore the festivities in Seattle's International District (formerly Chinatown and Japantown, but now populated with people from all over the Far East).

We were greeted, fittingly, by a giant panda bear.  We listened to Japanese drumming, caught a bit of a martial arts exhibition, and enjoyed the great people watching--Asian families from all over Seattle gathered for their festival, as well as lots of tourists like us.

We watched the Chinese lion dance, including the intriguing sight of groups of Asian-American teenagers taking off their silky lion heads and neatly stashing them in parked vans after the performance was over.  They could have been any high school pep band putting away their uniforms and instruments!

As we walked back to our car, we stopped for fortune cookies at the fortune cookie factory.  We bought the crispy new chocolate and lemon flavors, but we were tempted by the "flat rejects."

As we drove out of the International District, we noticed this dragon, advertising that this American-looking block had a special culture!

Next stop was our beloved Pike Market.  As usual, we bought a pound of orange-flavored hazelnuts and checked out the artisan foods, from the spices to the special honeys and flavored olive oils.

There were Seahawks signs all over the market.

We ate lunch at another favorite place--Pike Market Chowder.  There was a pizza shop next door for the members of the group who weren't seduced by smoked salmon chowder, New England chowder, lobster bisque, corn chowder, or dill and scallop chowder.

And, of course, there was a musician with his dog.

Back to the Basement

Dave's and my first house together, in 1970, was a basement apartment.

A basement apartment on Lake Street in SLC was the home we brought Lisa and Camille to from the hospital, when they were babies.

The week of January 20, 2014, we moved back into a basement apartment again.  The reason?  We began a major remodeling of our house, starting with the two upper floors. The contractor had us move into the basement while he finished the upper floors, and we'll move back upstairs in a couple of months, while he finishes the main floor and basement.  We took one last look at our bathroom tile and cabinets, before the workmen ripped them out.

 

 

The master bedroom, guest room, and studies were bare, as well.

We sent a U-Haul trailer with our living room furniture to Seattle with Lisa at Christmastime, and we hired a group of Tongans to lug another trailer of furniture to Deseret Industries.  Dave rented a storage unit to handle part of the overflow, we filled the garage with more, and we stuffed the rest in the living room.  How did a young couple who started with nothing in 1970 acquire so much stuff?

We are, actually, still very comfortable.  We have our upstairs family room and kitchen.

 

 

 

In our basement apartment, we have our "man cave," bathroom (though we have to share a sink), and laundry room.

 

We set up a basement study.

We bought curtains for our basement bedroom, hung a photograph we took in Hawaii, and Dave even added a teddy bear and Bongo the Monkey on the bed.  Life is good!

Babies and Missionaries

"A picture is worth 1000 words".  That Chinese saying expresses the delight Dave and I feel to receive photos of our grandchildren.  We occasionally get photos from Michael and Spencer, on their missions, and it is a treat to see, as well as hear about, their companions, their investigators, and even the food they eat.

 

 

 

 

Jonny provides a continuing stream of "Sam pictures."  Sam is just starting to eat solid food, so Sam's feedings are well-documented.

 

 

 

Sam loves his bath, so we see him with rubber duckies and fluffy towels.

 

Sam is a traveler, jetting back and forth from North Carolina to Utah, and taking a cross-country flight to Pasadena, California, to see his Aunt Tori and visit the beach.

 

Sometimes Sam gets tired from all the adventures in his life, but we never get tired of seeing his pictures!.