Seattle sprint day 3

On Sunday, we had a tasty brunch at the hotel and explored the grounds. 

Then we headed for the Point Defiance Zoo to see Ume. She was born in February and already weighs 200 lbs! She was very lazy and didn't move much.

Finally, D wanted to drive over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, so we had a leisurely lunch in Gig Harbor.

Then we headed back to the airport and flew back to Denver. We met Geo there on his way back from the Oregon Coast. Our weekend blitz was over!

Seattle sprint day 2

Day 2 was rainy and cold. We had lunch at Ivar's and saw a harbor seal pop its head up. Then we headed over to Redmond for D's reunion, which had a big turnout. Finally, we went to our new hotel, which was a former seminary now in a state park. It was a slower day to rest and recharge for our final push to see Ume!

Ferry seen from our Mukilteo hotel room

The treats waiting for us in our Kirkland hotel

Otto, our otter ambassador welcomes us to our Kirkland hotel

Seattle sprint day 1

D dragged M to Seattle for a whirlwind trip, ostensibly for his 30th high school reunion but really to try to visit Ume, the adorable tapir born at the Point Defiance Zoo in February.

They stayed in Mukilteo to take advantage of the amazing view from their hotel, which was right on the water.

Day 1 was an attempt to visit three pre-WW1 forts guarding the Puget Sound. We have visited Fort Casey on Whidbey Island many times, but never Fort Flagler or Fort Worden. First, they drove up to Deception Pass, then down to Fort Casey. However, they messed up their ferry timing and instead of taking the ferry to Port Townsend, they had to detour back to Mukilteo, then take the Clinton Ferry. It was a fortuitous delay, because they saw a cute orca blocking the way back to Mukilteo.

There were lots of nice views of Mt. Rainier on the last ferry ride, from Bainbridge Island to downtown.

They also saw a bald eagle and some deer. Overall, it was a successful day of forts, ferries, and fauna! 

Bolder Boulder

H ran the race for the third year in a row and shaved nearly 5 minutes off last year's time, despite rainy weather.

Snowball

R got a new kitten, a Maine coon named Snowball. Snowy (as M calls him) is playful and easily entertained by a laser pointer. H and Geo have been begging for a cat, but half an hour with Snowy caused D to sneeze nonstop. Plus, they never did anything to care for their fish.

Three recitals in three days

On Saturday, M and D had a chamber recital. They played Stand By Me (D's chance to shine on double bass) and It Takes Two (a tango) with their string quintet.

On Sunday, M and Geo had a duet recital and played Sarabande by Carl Bohm.

On Monday, Geo will have his last FRYS concert of the year.

Geo is angling for a full-sized cello because he shot up in height the last few months. M is in denial and wore heels to the recital, but Geo in his sneakers was still taller. 😑

I'm flying!

Geo got to go to iFly for a friend's birthday. He had a lot of fun flying around a wind tunnel. Hopefully this doesn't make him want to jump from a plane.

Spring break staycation

M and D wanted to go away to mark their 25th anniversary, but D had to work. So M stayed at home and tried to sort through the boxes from the storage unit. Aside from a romantic trip to Buc-ee's, the highlight of her break was washing our Ikea sharks, installing a zipper in Sherlock, and rechonking them. Here are some pictures.

Quick updates

1) H got an "academic letter" for having good grades. It is supposed to be a big honor but we all think it's a bit cringe since letters are for sports.

2) H's teacher said he scored in the top 90% of the national German exam. We think she means top 10%.

3) Geo played in his Stringathon and reached level 10 again. He is going to be trying out for high school orchestra soon and complains constantly about having to practice his scales and audition piece.

4) G and D have been doing some classes at Swallow Hill and have a performance tomorrow. G is doing drums and D is doing bass. D and M are in a chamber music group, too. G and M are going to play a cello/violin duet at her spring recital.

5) H started track and is going to be running middle distance.

Are you tired reading all of this? You should be, because this is all so exhausting and we can't wait for spring break.

Throwback Tuesday

D and M were born in the year of the snake, and it's once again that year. So they are feeling a bit old and sorry for themselves. Here are some pictures of young D (kind of like Young Elvis?), before we made him old and haggard 

Remodel update

The laundry room is basically done. The master bath needs the shower hardware installed and some vanity parts. The end is in sight!