Seattle Sights

I've been to Washington state many times to visit family ~ but we've very rarely done a lot of actual sight-seeing while in Seattle, so I decided on this trip, I wanted to make a point of doing some 'touristy' activities...one being a visit to the Space Needle.  This is usually as much as I get to see of it...

But this time, I was able to see it up close and personal...

My mom remembers visiting it in 1962, when it was built for the World's Fair.  And she agreed to go see it again...

It was nice being able to see a 360* view of Seattle ~ it would be pretty amazing on a really clear day.  It was somewhat overcast on the day we visited, but we could still see some nice views.

My friend Amy arrived from Chicago on Thursday.  She is my fellow road-tripper on this drive, but she has never been to the northwest, so we planned a couple of days for sight-seeing in and around Seattle before getting on the road.

First up?  Seattle's famous Public Market Center of course!  I fully admit that much of the market is wasted on me, given the abundance of fresh fish and other seafood of which I am not a fan.  However, I do appreciate the quantity and size(s) of lobster tail, scallops, crabs and other fish that are available.

We stopped at Pikes Place Fish Market...

 the spice and tea shops...

the fresh fruit and veggie stands...

and my favorite...the fresh flower stands...

You can get THE most amazing flower bouquets for $10 and $15!  There are multiple vendors, making up fresh bouquets right in front of you ~ the flowers are all gorgeous...one of my new favorites...peonies!

I know people who love Starbucks and people who hate Starbucks...but regardless of how you feel about the franchise, it's still pretty cool to see where it all began...

here's Amy in front of the original Starbucks location...still up and running...in fact, there was a long line of people waiting to order...which is pretty funny considering there is another Starbucks just another block over...and another one after that...and another one after that...we seriously lost count of how many Starbucks locations we saw...a quick google search shows anywhere from 27 up to 424 locations.

I wanted to make a stop here... Beecher's Handmade Cheese shop

to taste their self-proclaimed 'World's Best Mac N Cheese" given my admitted past 'obsession' with macaroni & cheese. :)  The cheese sample they handed out was REALLY good, and it was interesting seeing the cheese-making process.  The macaroni & cheese was very tasty...I'm not sure I'm ready to proclaim it the 'world's best'...but it was definitely worth eating!

Seattle is a great city to visit ~ so many activities going on and things to see, lots of people-watching opportunities, and conveniently, they have one or two places that you can stop and get a beverage if you so desire. :)

Duncan & Dave

I've had several people ask me how the boys are doing on the trip...and they are doing great...I'm so glad they travel well, and are pretty adaptable to any situation.  They definitely have not been lacking attention...they were quite a hit at the reunion, particularly with the younger crowd...

 My cousin's little girl, Emory, seemed to especially enjoy them...

 as did my other cousin's baby, Harper...

 she smiled every time she first saw the dogs

They continue to enjoy their favorite past times...

 chillin'

 beggin'

 nappin'

 watchin'

& sleepin' (some more)

Duncan was not a huge fan of the fireworks...they were REALLY close and REALLY loud...so every time I looked, he seemed to have found a new 'friend'

 cuddling with Aunt Claudia

 being consoled by Aunt Sandy

Dave's 'selective' hearing served him well that night as he seemed rather oblivious to the noise. :)

Everyone has been very kind in letting me bring the boys along to their homes on this visit.  I'm working hard to convert every house I visit into a 'Cavalier' household...and Duncan and Dave are good ambassadors for their breed! :)

The First of Many 'Firsts'

I expect to have many new experiences once I'm in Alaska, but I was able to experience some 'firsts' while here in Washington as well...

First time on a jet ski...

SO MUCH FUN!!

First time in a kayak...

 SO GLAD WE DIDN'T TIP OVER!! :)

I've been in touch with my AK friends over the last few days...they told me that while they were enjoying a morning cup of tea the other day, they saw a black bear stroll across their front lawn...and the other night, they came home to these visitors on their front lawn...

These will definitely be firsts for me as well...haven't seen too many mama moose and babies in my front yard before! :)

Happy Belated 4th of July

I'm so thankful for the stop over we've had here in Seattle...it's been so nice to have a break from the road, re-group, catch up on some rest from the hectic-ness that was my life before leaving CO but most of all, getting to spend time with family.

 Six of the eight siblings

My mom comes from a family of 8 children - she's the oldest, and only girl, with 7 brothers following behind her.  My grandparents are gone, so she and her brothers are now the matriarch/patriarchs of the Blazer family.  My Uncle Sam & his wife, Joan, have very generously offered up their home over the past many years and hosted a big family reunion over the 4th of July weekend for whoever is able to make it.  There is a good bunch of family already in the WA area, however, others are scattered in California, Iowa, Oregon, New York, and even Brazil so it's been almost impossible to have ALL of us together at the same time.  Last year, they managed to have at least all of the original siblings together, but this year there were just 6 out of the 8 in attendance.

We still had a good turn out though - 49 total with the original siblings, their children, and their children's children (and that's not even counting all of the family dogs that were there). :)

 me with my Blazer cousins (minus 1 who missed the pic...) sorry Holli :(

and according to one cousin-in-law...
'proof that the Blazer kids can reproduce' 

aka the Blazer grandkids :)

If I had my act together, I'd have borrowed old family photos from my mom and posted a pic of all of the Blazer cousins when we were all kids at another family reunion way back when, but those pictures are back in CO...would be fun to see a comparison photo of the group then and now. :)

It was a great day, full of fun things like bouncy castles, volleyball, games, catching up, lots of food, and a grand finale of some pretty amazing fireworks, put on by those daring family members who like to light things on fire...

A BIG Thank You to Sam & Joan and family for all of the time and effort you put in to another spectacular reunion! 

Finally...On the Road

I can't believe it's finally here, but the time has arrived!  After a whirlwind last couple of weeks in CO, the moving, sorting, packing and cleaning is done.  We left Friday, at the crack of about 4pm (NOT what I'd originally planned, but what can you do...).  We made it to Sheridan, WY the first night...and the dogs were raring to go the next morning...mainly because they kind of hogged the bed that night.

 Leaving Sheridan, WY

Some sights along the way...

 The wide open spaces of Wyoming...

Mountains in Montana

I was able to fit everything I wanted to take with me in to the trailer without having to cram the rest of my things in the back of the car.  I "generously" left the whole backseat open for the dogs to spread out...but THIS is what they do whenever they are in the car...

 they both squish close together on one side of the seat so they're crammed together...

you can see they are really impressed with our road trip

We're spending the 4th of July in Seattle with a bunch of extended family ~ looking forward to seeing everyone, and spending several days here before continuing on the way!