Seattle, round 3

This was officially our third trip to Seattle....however the first two don't count because we were only passing through (on our way to Whistler the first time and catching a flight to Hawaii the second). This time we finally got to spend some time in this wonderful city. Pauline had been staying with us for the week in Portland and was ready to discover more of the Pac NW, so we all headed up to Seattle to visit with Jo and Clayton for the weekend (thanks again for a place to crash!!). Emily and Pauline ran the Seattle half marathon (13.1 miles) on Saturday morning. Yes, they are crazy....especially considering the steep hills in Seattle.

Em and Pauline showing off their medals for completing yet another half marathon

After the run, we headed back to Jo's place to regroup and clean up for a day touring the town. The first stop was Pike St Market...it reminded me of Fisherman's Wharf in San Fran.....yes, touristy galore, but ya gotta do it once.

Em and Pauline at Pike St Market

Fresh salmon; when you order one, they literally throw it up to the cashier to weigh it. While we were there, a foreign TV show was filming the spectacle of throwing fish. The host of the show tried catching the flying fish; needless to say, it took him several tries before actually catching the slippery salmon!

Emily just HAD to make a pilgrimage to the original Starbucks location

Continuing to be tourists, we went up the Space Needle:

The view from atop the Space Needle (observation deck at 520 ft): downtown Seattle with Mt Rainier in the distance

The next morning, we took a stroll to a nearby cemetery where Bruce Lee is buried. Brandon Lee is buried alongside. The grave is easy to find by the crowds of constant visitors.

Next, we stopped by a local farmer's market. This one is more of the real deal and not so touristy like Pike St market. It is a lot like the markets we frequent in Portland. We enjoyed some crepes....the chefs were quite artistic as they cooked:

a walk through a random park where Jo ran into one of her friends, who was gracious enough to get a group photo for us

Our last stop with the group was to go to the Chittenden Locks, where the bay and river differ by about 30 ft in height. We watched a couple of vessels navigate the locks, however the more exciting part was watching the salmon swim up the fish ladders. I have always wanted to see a salmon jumping upstream; this is probably the closest I will get, short of wading in a river in Canada. The fish ladders are a system of graduated pools that allow the salmon to negotiate the height differential at the locks and get upstream to spawn. Very cool. Sorry, I couldn't get a good pic or video of the salmon going up the ladders because they were very swift and the lighting was not proper. Here's the salmon hanging out in the observation area between the fish ladders:

Our time was quickly running out, as we had to get Pauline to the SeaTac airport in time for her return flight home. Emily and I had one more mission to accomplish while in Washington: we needed to pickup a phonograph that was located about 2 hrs east of Seattle. The phonograph was my great-grandmother's. She passed away at age 97 when I was in grade school, however I still remember visiting her house and playing the old phonograph. It is a Thomas Edison brand and dates back to the early 1900's. It features a hand crank (it was used before electricity was commonplace) and has a flywheel design to maintain constant speed. It has a warm crackly sound that takes you back in time. As an engineer, I am amazed with the simple, yet effective design. For instance, to adjust the volume, you move a lever which pulls a cable, which moves a muffle in/out of the megaphone (speaker). I am even more amazed that it still works as well as new after over 100 years! I guarantee my iPod will not work in 100 years....maybe not even 10. They just do not make things with this level of craftsmanship anymore.
Long story short, the phonograph sat at my parents' house for years because I was living in apartments during school. Recently, a family acquaintance was hauling some stuff from Ohio to Washington, so I quickly asked if they would mind if the Edison rides along. They agreed, my parents mummified it in bubble wrap, and now I just had to pick it up in Washington. Done.

My great-grandmother's Edison phonograph now resides in our dining room to provide many more years of enjoyment. I've decided not to refinish it; the rustic patina adds too much character!

Our drive back from picking up the phonograph took us through the eastern/central portion of Washington....I must admit, originally we dreaded the extra couple hours of driving, however, once on the road, we soon came to appreciate the wonders that met the eye. The terrain changed from lush evergreen forest to barren prairies where only sagebrush grows....then as we approached the Columbia Valley, the trees appeared as an oasis.....(sigh) back to the beautiful forests we know and love. Here are some random pics taken during the drive:

windfarms.....another way the NW produces green power (the others being hydroelectric and solar)....take notes everyone!!

farms with million dollar unobstructed views of Mt Hood

Mt Hood at dusk, viewed from the Columbia River Gorge