THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN 2 DAYS APART AND I THOUGHT THE CLOUDS WERE VERY INTERESTING. THEY BROUGHT NO RAIN, THUNDER OR LIGHTENING BUT I ENJOYED THEM ANYWAY.

I AM HAVING A HARD TIME TODAY TO GET MY BRAIN IN GEAR TO FIND SOMETHING TO POST. THEN I CAME ACROSS THE FOLDER OF GARDEN FLOWER PHOTOS THAT I HAD TAKEN LAST WEEK AND THOUGHT YOU MIGHT ENJOY SEEING WHAT PRETTY SIGHTS I HAVE BEEN SEEING IN MY FLOWER BEDS THIS MONTH.

I AM NOT GOING TO BOTHER YOU WITH THE TECHNICAL NAMES OF THESE BEAUTIES....I THOUGHT YOU COULD JUST ENJOY THEIR BEAUTY AS I DO EVERY DAY.

ISN'T THIS AN AMAZING PHOTO? THE SHADOWS OF THE ZEBRAS REALLY GIVE IT A VERY STRANGE LOOK. IF YOU CLICK ON THIS PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT, IT MAY MAKE A LITTLE MORE SENSE!

SEVERAL OF MY HIKING GROUP SPENT SOME TIME OUT IN THE WOODS THIS MORNING AND I ENJOYED EVERY MOMENT OF IT. WE WENT OUT EARLY ENOUGH THAT THE AIR WAS CRISP AND CLEAN AND THE QUIETNESS OF THE FOREST WAS WONDERFUL.

I SPENT AN HOUR ON THE RIDING LAWN MOWER AFTER DINNER AND WAS ABLE TO GET MOST OF THE GRASS CUT. IT ALWAYS LOOKS SO PRETTY WHEN IT'S FRESHLY MOWED AND I LOVE THE SMELL OF FRESH CUT GRASS.

THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 104 DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON SO I DECIDED THAT I NEED TO POST A PHOTO THAT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL A BIT COOLER THAN 104!
I HAVE BEEN "HOUSE SITTING" FOR THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS SINCE LAST THURSDAY AND YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW MUCH FUN I HAVE BEEN HAVING! OKAY, YOU PROBABLY GUESSED IT...THEY HAVE 2 HORSES. THEY ALSO HAVE 2 DOGS AND A PRECIOUS 17 YEAR OLD CAT.

THEY DO HAVE THE MOST WELL BEHAVED ANIMALS THAT ARE A JOY TO BE AROUND...EVERY ONE OF THEM. THE HORSES RETURN FROM THEIR STAY IN THE PASTURE WHEN I CALL THEM, THE DOGS FOLLOW ME AROUND LIKE THEY HAVE KNOWN ME ALL THEIR LIVES. AND THAT PRECIOUS CAT...SHE LOVES TO CUDDLE INTO ME WHEN I CARRY HER TO HER FOOD DISH EACH DAY. AND THE OWNERS HAVE THEIR PLACE SET UP SO EVERY CHORE IS VERY EASY TO DO AND TAKES ME VERY LITTLE TIME. YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LIKE BEING AROUND ANIMALS SO I REALLY HATE TO SEE THIS VENTURE END TOMORROW. BUT THERE IS GOING TO BE SOME HORSEBACK RIDING INVOLVED IN THE COMING WEEKS SO THAT'S GREAT PAY BACK FOR ME!!! JW SPENT PART OF THE DAY REPAIRING SOME OF THE BACK DECK. THERE ISN'T ANY RAIN GUTTERS ON THE DECK SO WHEN IT RAINS IT FALLS DIRECTLY ON THE BOARDS AT THE STAIRS GOING OUT INTO THE BACK YARD. THEY HAD BECOME ROTTEN AND HE WAS AFRAID WE MIGHT FALL THROUGH AND GET HURT. SO THE DECK IS BACK IN REPAIR AND LOOKS SO MUCH BETTER.

I HAVE PICKED AT LEAST 5 GALLONS OF THESE YUMMY BERRIES THIS MONTH. LAST MONTH I WENT ON EBAY AND FOUND MYSELF A "SEAL-A-MEAL" AND HAVE FOUND IT INVALUABLE. I HAVE PUT IN MANY SIZES OF THE BAGS INTO OUR CHEST FREEZER FILLED WITH THESE DELICIOUS BERRIES. CAN YOU IMAGINE TASTY JUICY RASPBERRIES FOR DESSERT AFTER THANKSGIVING AND EVEN AFTER CHRISTMAS DINNER??? OH BOY!

THE BEST THING ABOUT THESE RASPBERRIES IS THE BUSH THEY GROW ON HAS NO THORNS. IMAGINE, A THORN LESS RASPBERRY BUSH...AMAZING!
THE FOLLOWING PHOTO WAS TAKEN THIS MORNING ABOUT 6:00 AM. OF COURSE WE WONDERED ABOUT OUR PEAS, TOMATOES AND THE REST OF THE UNPICKED RASPBERRIES BUT THEY TURNED OUT TO BE OKAY. (WHEW!!!)

BUT BY 2:00 THIS AFTERNOON THIS NEXT PHOTO SHOWS WHAT WE HAD LATER IN OUR DAY. OUR POOR PLANTS AREN'T SURE WHAT TO DO WITH THEMSELVES. BUT I MUST SAY THAT THESE CHILLY NIGHTS SURE MAKE FOR SOME GOOD SLEEPING!

SO AUGUST SEEMS TO BE HAVING A GREAT TIME KEEPING US GUESSING WHAT THE NEXT DAY WILL BRING. WE HAVE A DAY HIKE PLANNED FOR MONDAY AND I SURE HOPE THE TEMPERATURE STAYS A BIT LOWER THAN THIS!

DAY 8 OF MY "GREAT ADVENTURE" I'M GOING HOME

I STARTED TO FINISH MY PACKING THIS MORNING AND I GOT THE FEELING SOMEONE WANTS TO GO ON THE TRIP WITH ME! 'RUDY' SEEMED TO ENJOY MY VISIT AS SHE WARMED UP TO ME QUICKLY AND EVEN SLEPT BY ME EACH NIGHT. SHE KIND OF FELT LIKE A LITTLE PIECE OF HOME.

SO SADLY, I HAD TO TELL 'RUDY' THAT SHE COULDN'T GO HOME WITH ME EVEN IN MY LUGGAGE.
I ARRIVED AT THE BUS TERMINAL A BIT EARLIER THAN SCHEDULED AND WHEN IT WAS FINALLY MY TURN AT THE TICKET COUNTER TO CHECK IN, I TOLD THE AGENT THAT I WANTED TO PAY THE EXTRA MONEY TO GET A RESERVE SEAT. I DO NOT WANT TO EVER GO THROUGH ANOTHER BUS TRIP LIKE I DID FROM MISSOULA HEADING TO SEATTLE. THE YOUNG PEOPLE SITTING AROUND ME USED THE MOST OFFENSE LANGUAGE I HAVE EVER HEARD AND OF COURSE THE BUS DRIVER MADE NO NOTICE TO IT. IT WAS THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE TRIP I HAVE EVER TAKEN. SO THIS TIME I WANT TO ASSURE MYSELF THAT I COULD GET A SEAT UP FRONT CLOSE TO THE DRIVER.


SO BECAUSE I PURCHASED A RESERVE SEAT I WAS ALLOWED TO GET ON THE BUS...AND WATCH MY LUGGAGE LOADED, ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE REST OF THE PASSENGERS. SO I SENT SON OFF SO HE COULD GET STARTED WITH HIS DAY OFF AND I SETTLED IN WITH A GOOD BOOK AND A SOFT COMFY PILLOW FOR THE LONG JOURNEY HOME.

SO GOOD BYE SEATTLE....

AND GOODBYE SEATTLE MARINERS SAFECO FIELD (ON THE LEFT) AND GOODBYE SEAHAWK STADIUM (ON THE RIGHT).

AS THE YELLOW SIGNS STATES IN THE PHOTO ABOVE, THIS IS THE ACTUAL END OF INTERSTATE 90 THAT RUNS FROM THIS SPOT TO THE EAST COAST OF THE USA.

I MUST SAY THAT IT WAS A WONDERFUL SIGHT WHEN I SAW THE SIGN THAT TELLS US WE ARE NOW IN MONTANA. WHAT A WONDERFUL FEELING!! AND THE FEELINGS WHEN I FINALLY SAW JW STANDING AT THE BUS TERMINAL WAITING FOR ME TO COME HOME!! OH MY GOSH..I AM HOME AT LAST!! IT'S SO WONDERFUL TO BE HOME AGAIN. THE "GREAT ADVENTURE" ON THE BIG BUS AND IN THE BIG CITY IS OVER.

DAY 7 OF MY "GREAT ADVENTURE"

TODAY IS THE LAST FULL DAY OF MY GREAT ADVENTURE IN THE BIG CITY. JW SENT A SHOPPING LIST WITH ME SO TODAY I AM OFF TO FILL THAT SPECIAL LIST.

THE MOST IMPORTANT STOP WAS AGAIN AT PIKE PLACE MARKET TO VISIT THE TEA AND CRUMPET SHOP. THIS IS THE ONE AND ONLY PLACE WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND JW'S FAVORITE ENGLISH TEA SO I PURCHASED HIM SEVERAL BOXES OF IT IN HOPES THAT IT WILL LAST HIM UNTIL WE CAN RETURN TO SEATTLE AGAIN.
SO THESE BOXES OF TEA ARE SAFELY TUCKED AWAY IN MY BAGS FOR THE RETURN TRIP HOME. YES, I TOO LAUGHED WHEN I SAID "SAFELY TUCKED AWAY IN MY BAGS"!!! THAT REALLY IS FUNNY BUT I HAVE BIG PLANS OF NEVER LET THAT BAG OUT OF MY SIGHT AGAIN!!!

I DID A BIT OF WANDERING AROUND THE MARKET BEFORE HEADING HOME. IN A SMALL ALLEY JUST OFF THE MAIN MARKET AREA I FOUND THIS VERY SMALL THEATER...A VERY ODD SIGHT AT FIRST. BUT THE SIGN HELPED EXPLAIN THE ENTRANCE TO THIS PLACE.

THIS IS THE WALL RIGHT AT THE ENTRANCE AND TICKET WINDOW. IT IS COMPLETELY COVERED IN PREVIOUSLY CHEWED GUM! I WONDER IF IT STARTED FROM ASKING TICKETS BUYERS TO PLEASE LEAVE THEIR GUM OUT OF THE LITTLE THEATER. MAYBE THEY TIRED OF CLEANING IT OFF THE CHAIRS AND FLOORS!

AND IT LOOKS LIKE THIS WALL IS A CONTINUOUS WORK IN PROGRESS! AMAZING.

I SPENT THIS EVENING PACKING ALL OF MY NEW PURCHASES FROM THE MANY PIKE PLACE MARKET SHOPS, PLACING THEM DEEP DOWN IN MY BAG HOPING FOR A SAFE RETURN BACK TO MONTANA IN THE MORNING.

DAY 6 OF MY "GREAT ADVNETURE"

TODAY I WENT DOWN TO THE PUBLIC MARKET AND DID LOTS OF SIGHT SEEING. AS USUAL THE MARKET WAS FILLED WITH TOURIST.....SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH!

I SPENT SOME TIME NEAR THE FISH THROWING AREA AS IT IS ALWAYS FULL OF TOURIST AND THE FISH GUYS ALWAYS PUT ON SUCH A FUN SHOW FOR EVERYONE. EVERY TIME SOME FISH IS ORDERED THE SELLER YELLS WHAT THE CUSTOMER WANTS AND ALL THE CREW SHOUT BACK WHAT HE JUST SAID. AND THEN THE SELLER THROWS THE FISH UP TO THE CREW STANDING UP BEHIND THE COUNTERS AND ONE OF THE CREW CATCHES IT IN PAPER READY TO BE WRAPPED AND SOLD. THE CROWD JUST LOVES THIS AND THERE ARE ALWAYS PLENTY OF CAMERAS AND VIDEOS GOING ALL THE TIME.

I HAD TO WALK THROUGH THE ISLES AND SEE ALL THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS FOR SALE. WHAT AMAZING COLORS AND SMELLS THERE ARE!

I WAS HARD NOT TO TAKE A FEW BOUQUETS HOME WITH ME. BUT MY TIME HERE IN BEAUTIFUL SEATTLE IS GETTING SHORT SO I DID SPEND QUITE A BIT OF TIME AT THE MARKET SEEING AS MANY SIGHTS AS POSSIBLE
SO AFTER MANY GREAT HOURS AT PIKE PLACE MARKET I HEADED BACK UP THE HILL TO THE CONDO AND SPENT A RELAXING NIGHT VISITING AND REMINISCING WITH SON ABOUT DAYS GONE BY.

DAY 5 OF MY "GREAT ADVENTURE"

I HEADED OUT THE DOOR AND CAUGHT THE BUS FOR A RIDE DOWN TO THE WATERFRONT FOR LUNCH AND SOME SIGHT SEEING. THE WEATHER IS WONDERFUL AND THE COOL AIR OF THE WATERFRONT SHOPS WILL FEEL GOOD TODAY.

I STOPPED AT MITCHELLI'S FOR LUNCH AND ATE A WONDERFUL SALAD THAT CONTAINED SEVERAL FLAVORS THAT I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH BUT I CERTAINLY ENJOY MY LUNCH IN THIS QUAINT LITTLE PLACE.
I WANDERED INTO A MALL TYPE OF BUSINESS SITTING RIGHT ON THE WATERFRONT AND FOUND THIS INTERESTING SHOP THERE. THIS GENTLEMAN SAID HE MAKES ONE BOAT AT A TIME AND LOVES WHAT HE DOES. THAT I COULD TELL--EVEN HIS VOICE HAD A SMILE TO IT AS HE TALKED.

FARTHER DOWN THE WATERFRONT THERE IS ANOTHER PIER THAT HOLDS THE SEATTLE AQUARIUM AND THE LENGHT OF THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING HOLDS A REAL LONG LARGE AQUARIUM THAT IS VIEWED FROM THE WATERFRONT. THIS CREATURE WAS LIVING AMONG SOME OF THE LARGE FISH ON DISPLAY.

THIS IS ANOTHER VERY COLORFUL CREATURE LIVING IN THE DISPLAY AQUARIUM. SUCH PRETTY COLOR.
THIS WAS A VERY FUN ADVENTURE TO THE WATERFRONT. I SAT ON A DECK OVER THE WATER AND ENJOYED A SNACK AND A PEPSI WHILE WATCHING LOT'S OF TOURIST STROLLING BY AND ALL THE SEAGULLS BEGGING FOR SOMETHING TO EAT. A GENTLE COOL BREEZE ACCOMPANIED ME ON THIS REST STOP SO THIS WAS A VERY PLEASANT AFTERNOON.

DAY 4 OF MY "GREAT ADVENTURE"

ON THIS BEAUTIFUL DAY I DECIDED I JUST HAD TO VENTURE NOT FAR DOWN THE STREET FROM SONS CONDO TO SEE THIS NEW SEATTLE LIBRARY THAT I HAVE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT. NOW, I MUST BE HONEST THAT THE ONE COMMENT ABOUT THE NEW BUILDING THAT I HAVE HEARD SO OFTEN IS...."WHERE'S THE BOOKS?" I THOUGHT I SHOULD REALLY FIND OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS COMMENT FOR MYSELF.
THIS IS THE LOOK OF THE NEW LIBRARY THAT STILL HAS ME PUZZLED. THE DOOR IS JUST TO THE RIGHT IN THE PHOTO WHERE YOU WALK THROUGH A LARGE COVERED AREA THEN THROUGH A TURN STILE DOOR THEN INTO THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE BUILDING. THIS IS THE AREA WHERE I COULD SEE WHAT THERE WAS OF THE BOOKS. THERE WERE ESCALATORS JUST BEHIND ME SO I RODE THEM UPSTAIRS TO SEE WHAT WAS UP THERE.

THIS IS A PICTURE LOOKING BACK DOWN FROM THE TOP OF THE ESCALATOR SHOWING A COFFEE SHOP (WELL, IT IS SEATTLE AFTER ALL!!) WITH SEVERAL TABLES WHERE PEOPLE WERE PLAYING BOARD GAMES OR WORKING ON THEIR COMPUTERS.

THIS IS WHAT I FOUND AS I EXITED THE AUTO STAIRS UP TO THE SECOND FLOOR. BEHIND THIS ORANGE COUNTER WERE SEVERAL HUNDRED PUBLIC COMPUTERS. I APPROACHED THE SERVICE DESK AND TOLD THE LADY I HAVE NEVER USED A PUBLIC COMPUTER AND COULD SHE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME. WHEN SHE FOUND OUT I DID NOT HAVE A LIBRARY CARD...APPARENTLY MY SMALL TOWN LIBRARY CARD FROM MONTANA WASN'T ACCEPTABLE!!...SHE CHECKED MY DRIVERS LICENSE THEN GAVE ME AN ID NUMBER AND A PASSWORD, ENOUGH INSTRUCTION FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND, THEN SENT ME OFF TO A COMPUTER FOR MY USE FOR FREE FOR AN HOUR. I DID ENJOY THE SUPER HIGH SPEED ACCESS THAT THESE COMPUTERS HAVE AND IN NO TIME AT ALL I HAD CHECKED MY EMAILS AND STOPPED BY MY EBAY STORE TO FIND EVERY THING WAS OKAY.

I DID FIND THIS LIBRARY FASCINATING AND I DO REALIZE THAT THIS IS DEFINITELY THE COMPUTER AGE AND WE ARE USING AMAZING TECHNOLOGY. BUT I SURE MISSED THAT CERTAIN SMELL OF A WONDERFUL LIBRARY FILLED WITH BEAUTIFUL OLD BOOKS BECKONING ME TO READ THEM ALL WITH THEIR WONDERFUL SMELLS AS THEY REST SNUGLY ON THE LIBRARY SHELVES.

SLOW DOWN DEAR WORLD, I AM HAVING A HARD TIME KEEPING UP WITH ALL OF THIS!

DAY 3 OF MY "GREAT ADVENTURE"

This is the view I see of I-5 Freeway when I walk down to downtown instead of riding the bus. Some days I would just stroll around and look at the different stores and sites instead of riding the busy, fast buses.

There are a lot of great views in this beautiful city of Seattle. The tallest building we have in our little town in Montana is a two story building with apartments above the business! There's no place like home!!!
This is the bus tunnel in down town Seattle. They just reopened it after a 2 year remodel job. At the top of the photo are 2 round circles...those are the "tubes" the buses travel through to get to this beautiful "terminal". At each end are escalators that take you up to street level or into Macy's store. Nice! If you click on the photo it will enlarge and you can get a better look at the bus tubes.

DAY 2 OF MY "GREAT ADVENTURE"

ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON SON SUGGESTED WE RIDE THE CITY BUS DOWN TOWN AND FIND A STORE TO REPLENISH MY CLOTHING SUPPLY. BUT I WAS JUST TOO TIRED TO THINK ABOUT PURCHASING A NEW WARDROBE KNOWING THERE WAS A LARGE BLACK SUITCASE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE---- POSSIBLY LOOKING FOR ME!!

SONS PHONE RANG AT 11:30 SATURDAY EVENING AND THE TERMINAL MANAGER TELLS MY SON SHE HAS RECOVERED MY BAG AND HAS IT UNDER LOCK AND KEY IN HER OFFICE. SHE SAID WE COULD RETRIEVE IT AT ANY TIME. SO A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP FINALLY CAME TO ME AND THE THOUGHT OF GETTING OUT OF THESE CLOTHES WAS EXCITING!

EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.....STILL WEARING THE SAME FRIDAY CLOTHES!...WE HEADED BACK DOWN TO THE BUS TERMINAL TO FIND MY LONG LOST BAG. MY SON HAD OFFERED ME A SET OF HIS SHORTS AND A TEE SHIRT TO WEAR BUT I AM 5 FOOT 6 AND HE IS 6 FOOT AND THE SHORTS LOOKED LIKE A TENT ON ME!! SO I POLITELY DECLINED HIS NICE OFFER. THE BUS TERMINAL MANAGER WAS NOT THERE WHEN WE ARRIVED BUT WE COULD SEE MY ABANDONED BAG THROUGH THE WINDOW OF HER OFFICE. IT DID TAKE A BIT OF TIME TO TRACK DOWN SOMEONE WHO WOULD OPEN THE DOOR SO I COULD RESCUE MY BAG...OR WAS THE BAG RESCUING ME?? I MADE THE GENTLEMAN STAND THERE TO WATCH ME OPEN THE BAG SO I COULD MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS STILL THERE. I KNEW WHEN I SAW THE LAPTOP THAT EVERYTHING WAS OKAY. DON'T WORRY, THE LAPTOP RODE BACK TO MONTANA IN MY BACKPACK...A LESSON LEARNED!

AFTER A GOOD LONG HOT SHOWER AND GETTING INTO A CLEAN SET OF CLOTHES (FINALLY!!!) WE VENTURED DOWN TOWN TO VISIT PIONEER SQUARE. THERE WAS A POLICE OFFICER THERE ON HORSEBACK AND WAS QUITE AN ATTRACTION WITH THE TOURISTS.
THIS IS ONE CITY THAT SEEMS STILL FULL OF TOURIST EVEN WITH THE GAS PRICES BEING SO HIGH. ALL THE LITTLE RESTAURANTS AND STORES ON PIONEER SQUARE HAD LOTS OF PEOPLE IN THEM AND ACTUALLY, FINDING A PLACE WHERE WE COULD GET IN TO EAT WAS QUITE THE CHALLENGE.

BUT FINDING A CITY BUS IN DOWNTOWN SEATTLE WAS NO PROBLEM! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME!

SO I HAD A VERY ENJOYABLE AFTERNOON WONDERING AROUND SEATTLE INVESTIGATING ALL THE INTERESTING SHOPS.

DAY 1 OF MY "GREAT ADVENTURE"

JW and I arrived at the bus terminal the appointed 1 hour before departure for Seattle, Washington. My bus was scheduled to leave at 10:40 p.m. When I was finally able to get up to the ticket counter and check in my one suitcase,...I had bought my ticket online several weeks ago... the ticket agent told us the bus was going to be about one and one half hours late arriving at the terminal. Later the ticket agent told me he had to keep the ticket counter open until the bus arrived so I told JW that I would stay inside near the agent and that JW should drive the 70 miles back home before it got any later. So off my sweetie went and I settled in with my good book. The bus did arrive at the later time and the bus driver stepped off the bus and started yelling that he needed to get back on the road as fast as possible! I politely showed him my ticket and he said "Just get on the bus!" I hurried up the steep steps and quickly realized that this bus was just about as full as it could get. About 3/4 of the way to the back I did find one empty seat with a young man stretched out in it and his window seat asleep. I carefully woke him and sat down. I had hardly gotten my behind rested in the chair when the driver slammed the door and took off. I have to say, I have been over those roads many times myself and knew how sharp many of the curves and corners are but this driver thought he was at Nascars Brickward!! And I have to say I was very thankful that it was dark so I couldn't see what was really happening.

70 fast and scary miles down the road we pulled into a small town and changed drivers. What a relief!!!!

Of course we pulled into the Seattle terminal on schedule!!! As the bus emptied the driver and another gentleman opened up the bay doors under the bus so the weary travelers could recover their luggage. Well, of course my luck had definitely run out by that time... (6:50 Saturday morning in Seattle!) as I looked everywhere and my bag was no where in sight. I let the bus driver know but he said I would have to go inside to the ticket counter and talk to them

Well, this advice brought me no new luck as the lady agent said she could only give me a few phone numbers to call and good luck! She did suggest I return when the next bus from Missoula arrives to see if my bag is on that one.

So son and I went to his condo and returned to the bus terminal at 10:00 that morning. Of course there was no bag on this bus!!!! I knew in my heart that it wouldn't be there. But my luck was changing...just a bit...as the manager of the terminal happened to be on duty that day. I told her my story and she said she would see what she could do to help me. She said 2 more buses were coming in today so she said she would call me if they were on any one of those.

So son and I returned to the condo again. I called the phone numbers the agent had given me and the first one happened to be the office in Missoula. You can't imagine the shock I felt when the agent told me that it was really my responsibility to track down my bags!!! I was speechless. Of course I let him know in no uncertain words just what I thought about that statement. Then I called the second number I had been given. Of course it was the main office in Texas and all I got was a recording.

It was now early afternoon and son suggested that we go somewhere to relax. So we caught the bus (the city bus!!!) down to the waterfront at Elliot Bay.

The weather was wonderful and it almost made me forget that I was still wearing Fridays clothes.
We took this cute little shuttle boat over to West Seattle for a stroll on the sand and a wonderful lunch of fish and chips on the pier. As we were enjoying a very tasty meal we were able to watch the amazing Blue Angel Jets as the performed over Lake Washington for Seattle's SeaFair Celebration. What a beautiful sight! They were fantastic. This added some bright moments to our day.

This was the wonderful view from the shuttle as we were heading over to West Seattle. Downtown Seattle really is beautiful but the steep hills don't show up in this photo. I know why they don't sell very many stair stepper machines in Seattle....just go for a walk and you get all the "climbing up" exercise you need!

So that is my first post of my "Great Adventure" to the big city. The story continues tomorrow!

I AM LOADING UP AND HEADING OUT TODAY TO TRAVEL TO SEATTLE TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH MY SON. IT SHOULD BE QUITE THE ADVENTURE AS I AS RIDING THE BIG BUS WITH THE DOG ON THE SIDE OF IT. IT ACTUALLY IS MUCH CHEAPER THAN DRIVING AS SON LIVES RIGHT IN DOWN TOWN SEATTLE AND WE CAN GO LOTS OF PLACES WITHOUT DRIVING. AND THE NEAREST TRAIN DEPOT HERE IN MONTANA IS A COUPLE OF HUNDRED MILES AWAY SO THAT IS OUT OF THE QUESTION. OF COURSE PIKES PLACE MARKET WILL BE MY FIRST STOP. AND I GO WITH STRICT INSTRUCTIONS (AND A LIST) TO MAKE A SPECIAL TRIP TO THE TEA AND CRUMPET SHOP FOR JW.
I WILL TRY TO DO SOME BLOGGING WHILE I AM ON MY GREAT ADVENTURE BUT IF NOT I WILL UPDATE YOU ON EVERYTHING WHEN I RETURN. AND I AM HOPING TO FIND THE WEATHER A BIT COOLER THAN WHAT WE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING HERE AT HOME.

I WILL MISS MY HIKES WITH MY HIKING GROUP BUT I KNOW I WILL GET PLENTY OF EXERCISE ON THOSE STEEP STREETS IN SEATTLE AS I AM SURE I WILL HIKE DOWN TO THE WATERFRONT AND THE MARKET MANY TIMES WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK! SEE YA WHEN I RETURN!!!