We did make it out alive, however, and walked down towards the Fremont Bridge in time to see it raise to let a sailboat underneath. Beyond the bridge was the unique, creative, off-beat neighborhood of Fremont...

 

Fremont is also home to the infamous Fremont Troll. According to the Wikipedia page, "The [Troll] was the winner of a competition sponsored by the Fremont Arts Council in 1990, in part with the goal of rehabilitating the area under the bridge which was becoming a dumping ground and haven for drug dealers. The Troll was sculpted by four local artists..." He was also featured in the movie "10 Things I Hate About You," which I totally do not remember and now need to watch that movie again to see for myself.

(I nearly sprained my ankle climbing up on his arm, too. Just thought you'd like to know.)

Following the encounter with the Troll, Lib, Mike, and I ventured further into the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle in search of lunch. My appetite had been momentarily quieted earlier in the day thanks to a stop at the Theo chocolate factory and their lovely samples of sugary confections. (I highly recommend the Chai Tea chocolate bar from the 3400 Phinney line.) Though by the afternoon hunger reared its ugly head once again. The lunch establishment of choice was Lombardi's, where I had THE. BEST. caprese sandwich EVER. I mean, fresh tomatoes, melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella, and peppery arugula layered in between a soft, toasted ciabatta bun. HEEEEAVEN.

Growling tummies yet again satisfied, it was on to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. What are the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, you wonder? Glad you asked...

(In case you can't read that, it says, "The locks control the elevation of the lakes behind the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. This allows vessels to move back and forth from one water elevation to another. Notice how the water level of Puget Sound is lower than Salmon Bay. Freshwater of Salmon Bay meets the saltwater of Puget Sound at the locks. Depending on tides, there can be a 6- to 26-foot difference between fresh- and saltwater. We raise and lower water levels in the locks as needed to allow vessels to lock through."

Salmon Bay to the left, Puget Sound to the right... Biiiig difference in water levels.

The boats and ships are lining up in the lock...

 

The water level lowering was taking a while as everyone filed in, so the three of us headed down to the salmon ladders where the fish traverse up the ladders from the saltwater Puget Sound to the freshwater Salmon Bay to lay their eggs and then die.

Sorry buddy...

By the time we tired of the fishies the water levels in the lock had severely gone down and the vessels were able to go on their way to the Sound.

Fun, huh?

Now that we were thoroughly educated in the ways of locks we headed out to Green Lake Park for a leisurely stroll. The weather was absolutely gorgeous so all Seattle-ites (Satellites?) were out in full force - new moms jogging with their babies strapped into four-wheel-drive strollers, friends walking their dogs, kids on roller skates and bicycles, couples lounging on the lake shore, etc. I took a cell phone picture of a duck waddling across the walkway towards her buddies and sent it to Michelle, completely forgetting that it was around 9:30 p.m. EDT. Oops. Sorry Chel! Hope I didn't make you jealous with the bright sunny skies in the photo background. :)

By this time I was approaching 20,000 steps for the day and my feet were on fire. We trudged across the street to a Starbucks for drinks and then hopped on the bus back to Queen Anne.

This was the night that I found the trend I'm hoping to start in the local WC bars... board games in the bar. I don't think this would take off in places like Barnaby's or Kildare's, but Ryan's and Jake's would probably be good candidates. The Nabob was a typical low-key neighborhood bar where folks came to relax, bring their dogs (I saw an AmBull puppy and some sort of foofy dog), play some Scrabble or UNO, and munch on good bar food. Divine. Plus the place has a cool name... it's fun to say. "Nabob." :)

And thus endeth the third night.

A few "happy tales" adoptions from Saturday's shift:

Connor, a "Back Shelf" cat, who had been at the SPCA since March. He was a stray so had no history and was an all-black cat, both strikes against his chances of getting adopted. Though, a nice woman in her 20s fell in love with this beautiful boy and (hopefully) took him home today.

Mark, a 4-month-old kitten born at the SPCA to Megan. This little guy stood out from the rest of his brothers and sisters - he became blind. Though not being able to see never stopped him from exploring his cage and craning his neck towards the voices of visitors who passed by him. I cuddled him while a co-worker went over the adoption paperwork with his new owners, and after a few minutes of squirming around, he settled down in my arms and began to purr. Such a lucky little loverboy!

 

And this little (relatively speaking) girl also found a home. Her name was Sweetie and she was a 5-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog/St. Bernard mix... needless to say, she's going to be a biiiiiiiig girl when fully grown at about 2 years. She was already nearly 50 pounds! Her new owners live in Philadelphia, so she will spend a few more days at the SPCA until she can be spayed.

Though the lingering jet lag is a small price to pay for 4.5 glorious days in Seattle. Those claims of 24x7x365 rain couldn't be less true... or at least for August anyway. Bright blue and sunny skies were present for the duration of our stay and the weather hovered anywhere from the low- to high-70s.

Wednesday started off at the unGodly hour of 4:30 a.m. in Philadelphia. No one should have to be awake and functioning that early, especially when expected to drag a carry-on suitcase through dark streets and into an eerily-quiet train terminal, all while wearing flip-flops (might not seem too much to ask for a normal person, but I have a condition that prevents me from walking without stubbing my toe and/or tripping at least 50 times in as many minutes). The train ride to the airport and the flight to Houston were generally uneventful, and before we knew it Lib and I had arrived in the great state of Texas and were munching on delicious blueberry scones and sipping cafe mochas from an airport ice cream eatery. Two hours later the boarding call sounded for our flight to Seattle... it was all I could do to not jump up and down in excitement (though I may have bounced on the balls of my feet a couple of times).

Now, this was my very first time flying to the west coast; first time flying anywhere west of Dallas, really. Needless to say my camera's lens was permanently plastered to the plane window, much to the amusement of my seatmates Margie and Jim from Beaumont, Texas. Margie and Jim were visiting their daughter, Lisa, who has lived in Seattle for the past 15 years. They make the trek to the Northwest at least twice a year and always enjoy their time hiking and camping among the mountains. Though this time they were embarking on an Alaskan cruise midway through their stay. Oh, and they were very happy to hear I would be spending time in Queen Anne, as it was one of the nicer neighborhoods and close to the Seattle "hub." And I say all of this without a hint of sarcasm; Margie and Jim truly were a pleasure to sit with and made the almost-four hour flight that much more bearable. They also helped me identify several landmarks such as...

The Colorado River and Salt Lake

 

And Mount Rainier

Thanks Margie and Jim!

After landing and having a little snafu with our pick-up location (who knew arrivals had to be picked up at street level?), Mike had whisked us away in the Honda Element zipcar towards downtown Seattle. Lib and I clicked away on our cameras the entire time. Poor Mike didn't know what was in for him.

The inaugural eating establishment was the 5 Spot in Queen Anne. The restaurant frequentlly changes its menu to revolve around certain themes; this time it was centered on Puerto Rican fare. I had a "Top of the Hill Tostada," followed by tempura bananas with coconut ice cream. *slurp*

After dinner the three of us walked through some quiet neighborhoods in Queen Anne (with Libby and I "oooh-ing" and "awww-ing" over the multitude of cute homes) on the way to a great lookout point at Kerry Park.

We then walked to another lookout point for more views of the Olympic mountain range, Elliot Bay, and the marina.

And one of these...

Thus endeth the first day.

On Thursday, Lib and I were on our own to explore the city while Mike worked to bring home the bacon. Our first stop: The Space Needle!

 

A semi-shaky elevator took us up to the observation deck, 520 feet above ground level. And that's where I was able to see this:

Once we were back on solid ground we navigated ourselves down the city's steep hills to the Pike Place Market.

This is the infamous Pike Place Fish Market, home of the salmon toss. A customer would order a select cut of fish, one fishmonger would shout it to the counter, the rest of the guys would shout the order back, and then a fish would come sailing out of nowhere. I was able to witness a salmon toss, but sadly did not get my camera out in time.

Following the visit to the Market, next on our list of "OMG plaster a tourist bumper sticker on my forehead" things to do was to partake in the Seattle Underground tour in historic Pioneer Square. Here we "roam[ed] the subterranean passages that once were the main roadways and first-floor storefronts of old downtown Seattle." It was a pretty interesting tour... we learned about how sections of the city were built on sawdust, the history of the "crapper" (toilet) in Seattle, and how, after the Great Fire, the entire city was raised by 20+ feet.

Mike hooked up with us later that afternoon after the tour and we headed back to the Market because somehow Libby and I had missed seeing the original Starbucks location.

The three of us meandered down to the piers afterwards to take in the sunset glistening off of the water and making the mountain ranges glow.

 

Argosy Cruises offered an hour-long trip around Elliot Bay for $10.75. The marketing ploy worked.

 

The shipyards contained these gigantic cranes that looked like giraffes. So that's what I called them.

 

Once back on dry land it was off to the Market for another stroll and then up to Steelhead Diner for dinner. I had (half of) an awesome pulled pork sandwich that was as big as my head. We were seated right at the bar looking into the kitchen, so were able to see the staff prepare each customer's meal. It was like something straight out of "Top Chef," and I found myself trying to figure out the kitchen hierarchy by listening for "Yes, Chef" and "Yes, sir"...  pretty fun! Service was a bit slow, however, and we didn't leave until around 10:00, after having been there since 7:30. No idea how I managed to get ready for bed once back at the apartment.

And thus endeth the second day.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will follow soon (hopefully)...

Tater found a new home today. Such a big, fun, goofy boy. He sneezed on my head last week.

Buster found a new home, too, with a nice older lady and her daughter who are making it their mission to fatten this skinny senior boy up and give him all the love and attention he needs and deserves. His new name is Mose.

Tigger the brindle pit is going home as soon as his boys are removed. :) He loves to lick fingers and have his neck scratched.

This pretty girl came in this morning, so she doesn't have a home yet. Kairie is a 5-month-old Alaskan Malamute and is very much the energetic puppy who loves to sing. "Wooo-wooo-wooooo!"

And, unfortunately, these two beautiful girls were not as lucky. DeeDee (left) was the very first dog I ever worked with as a volunteer (here's my post from January 2008) and she is the one who started my love for pit bulls. She changed it all for me and I will always, always remember her and thank her for that. And Abby (right) was my introduction to a deaf dog. I'd always find her quietly sitting in her kennel, silently taking in the world around her, watching other dogs come and go. I only wish we could have done more for her. :(

Goodbye sweet girls. 

 

-Peace Prayer of St. Francis, Patron Saint of Animals

So, obviously we know that this month I've gone to a baby shower, spent some quality time with my nephew while celebrating the nation's birth, bemoaned the inability of a certain University to leave me the F alone, and went out on the town in some not-red high heels. I've also:

[*] Visited the Philadelphia Zoo for the second time in as many months after not having been there for approximately 15 years. A llama stole my juice box when I was a tyke and it took a while for me to get over that traumatic experience.

[*] Observed the Iron Hill Twilight Criterium in downtown West Chester for the first time. I never realized what a big deal this race was until I heard that teams had traveled here from as far away as New Zealand. Wow! This was the same night I had fun at a few bars, met a cute boy, and walked home in a torrential downpour with a very good friend.

[*] Had the best massage of my LIFE. I can't remember the last time I felt so relaxed that I could barely stand up after 30 minutes of deep-tissue massage. Natalie, the massage therapist, held my heart for the rest of the day.

[*] Saw the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with Libby and Alli, as has become tradition.

[*] Met some new people.

[*] Rode this crazy mofo at Hersheypark: Fahrenheit. But not before standing in line for nearly two hours whilst playing Jeopardy and singing along to "Elmo's Song," courtesy of lldangerous and carnyfeet's iPhones. Thanks, job, for the free tickets!

[*] Said goodbye to a few people.

[*] Visited a sweet college friend who's nearing the end of her pregnancy and who has been on modified bed rest recently. The 173G girls did nothing but sit around and talk, laugh, play with a ridiculously cute pup named Huck, watch trashy TV ("Sixteen and Pregnant" and "Real World"), eat yummy lunch from Isaac's (oh, how I've missed their pretzel rolls), and sit in awe that one of us is going to be a mother in a few weeks. Wow again!

[*] Helped a few doggies and kitties find new homes. :)

So, yeah, busy month! August is shaping up to be pretty insane, too. Looking at the calendar, I have one free Sunday open. That's it for the weekends. The other days are filled with the full-time job, work at the SPCA, a visit to Simon Pearce with Chel and Em for lunch and glassblowing demonstrations, Dad's birthday thingy (tomorrow), and... SEATTLE! I seriously cannot wait to see the Northwest and all of its pristine, green glory.

Oh, and I may have to sneak in a day trip to the shore in there somewhere... hooky day from work maybe?