Houseboat Livin'

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July 30, 2017

Place: Seattle, WA

Weather: 77 and sunny

Hours Driving: 10 hours

States Drive Thru: Montana, Idaho and Washington

Miles: 677

Restaurants: The Smokehouse BBQ and Saloon

Movies: Spies Like Us

Games: The Office,

Books: "Lion" (audio book)

Hotel: Ginger Houseboat on Lake Union



We hit the road for another long drive. 10 hours ahead of us to Seattle,WA. We had our Marriott breakfast and got an 8:30 start. We passed time listening to our book, "Lion". It is so good. The kids even keep telling us to turn it back on. Amazing story.

We made a stop in a little town called Wallace, Idaho. It was an unexpectedly cute little historic town nestled within the mountains. You could sense the history of the buildings disguised in a cloak of present day like True Value Hardware and artsy boutiques. We ate at the Smokehouse BBQ and Saloon. There you could feel the ghosts of the past within the walls and at the saloon bar top. The walls were covered in a confusion of current day memorabilia and the fading antiquities of long ago. There was no air conditioning on in the restaurant which disappointed our bodies coming in from the 90 degrees outside adding to the feeling of what this place was like a hundred years ago. It was tolerable and not really that uncomfortable. Just disappointing. We decided to try the pulled brisket, half chicken, rib combo and mac and cheese. When the waitress asked us what we'd like to order, we were thrown from a 1890 saloon to a Turkish bath. We know all the waitresses were Turkish because we asked. It was the weirdest twilight zone place. They were exchange students from Turkey for the summer. They hardly spoke English and stood behind this 1890s bar speaking Turkish. Just a little strange. Actually, the food was really good. I had pulled pork. If it's on the menu, I usually order it. Very interesting side stop.

We are heading through the east side of Washington state. Between Spokane and Seattle, it is pretty flat. The mountain ranges of western Washington are on the horizon. My excitement is growing, as is Paul's. I spent a lot of time in Seattle because my sister and brother both lived there and I have visited many times. I love it there. Paul has been there a couple of times as well. We went together while we were dating. We love it. In the summer anyway. I have a lot of memories visiting my sister and brother and I can't wait to share it with my kids. We have rented a houseboat on Lake Union. I haven't told the kids. It is a surprise. It is such a nice boat, too. I hope they like it.

(finishing this in bed)

The last leg to Seattle was a tough. I should say the last few hours. There was some construction once we got into the mountain passes. Not horrible but after driving 7-8 hours, every minute counts. Paul was losing patience with driving. His moral was falling fast. On the sly, I found a pizza restaurant near our houseboat, placed a carry out for a giant double pepperoni pizza, a salad and a gluten free pizza for me. I wanted to take away the worry of finding dinner once we did arrive. Instead of navigating him to the houseboat, I steered him to the pizza joint. We grabbed the pizza and headed for the boat. Mind you, the kids still didn't know. We told them we were going to eat on the docks by the water and we led them to the very end of the dock where there sat a charming little house on the water. I walked right into the boat, to their surprise. That's when they figured it out. I think the laughter and shrieking meant they were happy and mom done good...again. They ran around like toddlers exploring and taking it in. This boat is so cool. You know how everyone wants a hotel with water views and views of the city and sunsets, well we have it all! We ate on the roof overlooking downtown Seattle as the buildings and sky changed from blues to oranges and then faded to greys only to light back up in the night sky. Before going to bed, we decided to take a drive into town by Ben's request. He LOVES it here. He said he could live here. It is a great place. Tomorrow, we explore town and we can share our experiences with them. Now a slumber on the water. Bucket list...check.

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Comments

[Gramps]

A Houseboat!
Okay, now I'm really jealous. A houseboat on Lake Washington with the downtown Seattle skyline across the water. WOW!