Blogs from Washington, United States, North America - page 240

The next morning I woke up to Bryan's cheery voice saying he was on the ferry and on his way to Seattle. I got up and got ready just in time for him to pick me up. It was raining, which just made me feel that I was truely experiencing Seattle. I also enjoyed the cool air since it had been in the high ninties and hundreds for the past few weeks in SLC. We drove around looking for a place to eat breakfast and saw more of Seattle in the daylight. All the while chatting and catching up. We wondered around Pike's Place Market and had a snack at a Thai/Morroccan Restaurant.Bryan wanted me to see the new modern city library. We wandered around admiring the arcitecure and "modernness" of the colors and design. Ian ... read more

I woke up at seven with Brea and we are playing SORRY! on the computer. Everyone else got up around 9 and Roy made cheese omelets and bacon and we shared our breakfast muffins. We all had a chance to havce a hot shower, which was awesome, considering we hadn't showered since Friday night before we left! Nikki fought with Dot over food and Dot wouldn't even come out to me, if Nikki was by me. They got over it eventually though. We drove to Mt. Rainier N.P. hoping to camp at the White River Campground, but it was disgustingly full. We drove out and are now camped in Mount Baker and Snoqualamie N.F. Grantwood is 15 miles north of here which is good, we need gas badly. Mt. Rainier N.P. was breathtaking. The trees are ... read more

It’s hot. The sun is at its zenith. It’s noon. A grandmother just drove by making an obscene gesture. Here we are, walking as a group of fourteen, northward along the Old Jackson Highway near Toledo, WA. We just received one of the many “one-fingered peace signs”. Granny was certainly lazy and forgot to bring up the other, so three of us responded, giving her the full symbol we walk for. A peace walk. We walk for peace some three hundred miles. We walk to educate ourselves about the nuclear issues across Washington State and beyond. We march to bring awareness to others and to remember the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Their 60th anniversary nears as we walk for hope, with the prayers that acts of war will become a part of an ugly ... read more

It was really wonderful to come home just in time for glorious afternoon weather, a perfect welcome, and fireworks on TV! Here's a quick wrap-up of my impressions of travel in Europe. Great stuff in Germany, et al.: * German toilets (use less water and flush better). * Public pay toilets (almost always worth the price). * Euro-style windows (and doors). * Cathedrals. * Sparkling mineral water. * Eisbecher!! * Eierlikör (an essential ingredient in my favorite Eisbechern). * Trains, trams and buses. * Sidewalk bike paths. * Beer gardens. * Their laid-back and healthy attitude about alcohol. * Drea and her friends and family, of course! Stuff I missed about the USA: * Free refills. * Table napkins. * Really cold drinks. Hell, even the ice cream in Germany is lukewarm. * Having "Y", "Z", ... read more

PAT: Ok, it's clear to me that we won't be keeping this as up to date as I once thought. I had hope to compose entries that were witty, poignant, and informative, but that takes too long. For now, you get the Reader's Digest condensed versions so I can get some pix posted. July 4th - Waterfalls & Fireworks. Today we traveled with my sister and her family along the Columbia River gorge. Unwittingly, we also became part of a 4th of July parade. I forget the names of the towns, but after our first route to see many of the waterfalls along the Columbia River was blocked, we went a different way. Soon there was a big backup. Eventually we figured out that a parade had just gone through and we were right behind it. ... read more