breakfast of champions

Grama would come down the stairs and sit at her computer to check on work and home and such; I would go back to sleep until 7am. We would have a slow Saturday morning. Amanda would make some phone calls and Grama and I would watch HGTV (Home & Garden TV) where they deal everything having do with refurnishing, remodeling, and rebuilding homes, gardens, and businesses.

Breakfast will be had at the Macrina Bakery in Seattle at 10:30. They have breads, cupcakes, and cookies and prepare sandwiches and French toast – that Amanda will try. I order a fried egg sandwich with Muenster cheese on potato bread with a side of herb-roasted potatoes. Grama will get the brioche bialy egg sandwich and then we wait in line again for some sweets to go.

We drive around to find closer parking to the Space Needle – all of Grama’s visits to Seattle and her fear of heights has kept her from going to the top – on with the touristy attractions! We park near the Ride the Ducks of Seattle tours – bus through the city and ferry through the bay on the same vehicle – genius! We walk past the EMP museum that Amanda and I agree we need to return to – we are both music fans, and get tickets for the needle at noon.

Seattle and Mt. Rainier

Seniors save $3 on their tickets and military only a $1. We visit the gift shop before going up. I forget that we will have to pass through it on the way down. I think it takes about 45 seconds to make it to the observation deck at 520 feet. I’d been up before and it might have been the time of day or that it was October, but today’s views will be beyond amazing. Everything is so visible up to 120 miles away – Mt Rainier, Mt Olympus, and the Cascades.

I go outside and take my time taking pictures through the crowds of people. This place is always busy, but it is so great to be out here and not have a coat on. I feel happy for all the people who get to be up here today. If it’s their first time they have no idea how lucky they are. Amanda has been up a few times – she went to school near here to get her Masters, and says this is the best she has ever seen.

If that wasn’t enough, even the view looking up to the top from on the ground proves to be spectacular today. We drive through the Queen Anne neighborhood to look at beautiful architecture before heading home to ingest carbs and take a nap. Grama is in the mood for fish ‘n chips and Amanda is looking at moving to Mukilteo so we decide on Ivar’s for dinner –  a nice place located near the ferry dock.

Space Needle

Amanda has had some of their fast food before and is amazed at the fanciness of the place. I find the vegetarian item on the menu that’s not a salad and order that – roasted asparagus mushroom risotto cakes with Romesco sauce, balsamic syrup, sautéed spinach, and charred carrots for $18. Grama gets some oysters, her and Scott get fish, and Amanda gets a steak. We all saved room for dessert.

We order the blueberry lemonade Panna cotta for $7; a trio sampler of: vanilla bean burnt cream, chocolate decadence torte, and chocolate hazelnut mousse for $10; and a 2 oz. sample of loganberry liqueur for $10 from Whidbey Island Distillery – which we decide we now need to visit. I admire their wooden fish with nail scales and spatula fins, and their rogue wave alarm that I’m sure says, “when such conditions exist, serve dessert first, then sound the alarm immediately.” We all have our priorities.

Caleb will call me on the way back to the house and I will Skype him from Grama’s room for two hours. I don’t mean to be anti-social, but I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t understand what these conversations mean to us when we are separated for so long. He’s off to work and I’m off to get my dirty clothes to be washed while watching Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts. I love the idea of the film.

dinner and dessert

It’s based on a true story about Elizabeth Gilbert that goes to Italy for pleasure, India for devotion, and Bali for balance and finds love. She has written a sequel about how that love would force her into another marriage so that they could return to the U.S. I think everyone’s life has a chance for this kind of romance if written by the right person in a shortened, made-for-film, way. It’s still good inspiration to enjoy life and don’t settle for less just because you may feel comfortable.

The washing machine and dryer are quiet and I almost forget my clothes are upstairs. I retrieve them into a bag to be folded and put back in. After 12 days on the road I washed four pants, five shirts, three pairs of socks, and six undies. Some might think this is gross, but I know hikers and cyclers that travel with less and there is no point in changing (unless covered in chunks of something) unless I can get a shower and feel clean underneath too. It’s easier to go a day or two without changing when most of my hours are spent behind the wheel or on the trail with no one else to smell me.