Friends in Seattle

When we  learned that a friend needed to travel to Seattle for surgery we offered to go with her to help so we hopped in the car and headed back to out. The day before her surgery we spent the day hanging out with her and her husband. They came to the boat to drink tea, we walked to the beach and ate fish & chips, and then we all grazed at the fabulous Ballard Farmers Market. Being seasoned veterans at the all-day progressive dinner, we encouraged them to pace themselves as we headed to Pike Street Market next. It was so fun to have them in Seattle and get to show them around a little bit. With much relief and joy, I am so happy to say that the surgery went as well as it possibly could. After two-and-a-half weeks of on-site recovery and minus two lobes of a lung, my friend was able to head home to recover in the comfort of her own home.

While we were there, in addition to offering a helping hand, we got to enjoy Seattle for the wonderful city that it is, getting to know it and the area around our marina much better. During our stay the weather was insanely gorgeous and the spring flowers, even more so. The boys and I played at the park and on the beach, visited the zoo twice, and wandered through the flowery arboretum. We made two attempts to hike up Mount Si in the Cascades. On attempt one we left a sunny Seattle to find Mount Si socked in low clouds with an even lower fresh snow line. As we hiked, we dodged sloppy snow bombs falling from the branches above, only to be turned away by a very slushy, slippery trail higher up. On attempt number two, Aaron and I made it to the top where we were treated to spectacular views of Mount Rainier and 84 degree, sunny weather. One afternoon, we took Jason's team out for a sail where we watched everyone's face light up as each took a turn at the helm. Our friends' son flew in to visit so we took him and his dad out for a sail, clocking our fastest speed yet at 9 knots through the water. They also paddled the kayaks, with the boys as guides, to the beach, meeting Jason and I for fish & chips on the way back to the boat. On a sunny Saturday, we took another friend and his wife out for a sail in the sound. When we reached a headland there was a lull in the breeze so we took the opportunity to eat fancy crackers and cheese, washing it all down with bubbly water. A short distance from the boat, a fur seal feeding frenzy began. We spent an amazing hour watching as the huge, furry beasts thrashed around grabbing monstrous fish and shaking them violently before munching them down. We spent our last evening enjoying a gorgeous sunset sail before we bid Seattle ado. All in all, it was a very busy and successful three weeks, I am very thankful things went so well.

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