Seattle

Today, we went to Beth's Cafe for breakfast. Yum! And such a nice place: friendly workers, excellent breakfast, great artwork. I really like it there; it seems genuine. Then we went to the Volunteer Park and Conservatory. AWESOME!!! Such a beautiful, peaceful, rejuvenating place. And FREE!!! Lunch was required at that point, so we went to the Wallingford neighborhood and ate at the Rusty Pelican, which felt more country (in a good way) than nautical. The waiter was a sweetie who helped us figure out where we might find live music.

Of course, we had to see the Troll. Which is under a bridge. And he's impressive! We cruised on to Fremont to see Lenin and then on to Phinney Ridge neighborhood for shopping and beer. 74th St Alehouse supplied the locally brewed beverage and Metropolis supplied the gifts-for-home. Kim got something and Oreo's mom got something and, of course, I got something, too!

Now we're back at Sis's nest, in her tower, playing with blogs.

~~~~~

(updated months later, to include more pics -Aug 24)

One of my favorite places we went was the Volunteer Park and Conservatory (mentioned briefly above). It has extensive grounds with beautiful trees, which we climbed on; a tower, which we climbed; and water features, which we walked around. It's also got an Asian Museum. We didn't go in (I was exhausted and hungry), but I did climb on the camels!

Sissie and I outside the Conservatory


















Mr Handsome and Sissie inside the conservatory. A sign said "Please do not touch the bell" which is SO disappointing!




Being under this tree was like being in a big building's atrium! Sis and Mr Handsome look tiny!

















Looks ominous, doesn't it?



















The top of the tower has lots of windows - it would actually make a GREAT pub!







Can you see the heron that "Vanna-Sis" is showing? It was as still as stone until some koi curled up to its roost. Then - SNAP! But, no lunch for the bird; the fish were too fast!



I liked the camel!



Later, we went with Sissie's roomie, Russkie, to a pub down the street from their house.



It's a Soccer-and-Scottish themed place, called St. Andrew's. From the outside, it looked kind of "snuggy" but inside, it's just a sports bar. Slightly disappointing, but good beer.





Then, we walked to Green Lake. I, of course, bummed a smoke from Russkie.














Dusk at the lake. Pretty!














Oooops! Russkie got frisky and almost dunked Sis!


I especially like how Mr Handsome is just standing there. "Hope you can swim, Sis-In-Law!"

I'll Fly Away!

YAY! It's 7:15 am, Mr Handsome's brother is going to pick us up in an hour and we fly off to Seattle! I am so excited, I feel like I'm vibrating. So! Here's a cool little video! It has nothing to do with travel or Seattle or sisters, it's just neat!

Tucson

I had such a great time with Bro and Sis and the Spymaster! I brought cool weather and rainstorms with me. They'd had 105F weather the day before, but when I arrived, it was 70, partly cloudy, and occasional rainstorms! No lightning, though. Anyway, it was lots and lots of fun and I hope we can get together, all of us, including Mr Handsome, soon. Bro can't make it to Seattle.

My first day there, we didn't do a lot, we just had dinner at BD's (something or another) restaurant. Good pizza! And kinda looked around a bit. I was tired, so we didn't go do anything big. The next day, we had our FREE breakfast at Sis and Spymaster's hotel and went to the Pima Air and Space Museum, which was very interesting! I could've stayed there a lot longer! There are lots of planes to look at, up close and personal, both inside and out.

When we were wandering around the outside, it started POURING rain, so we hid under an F-15 (I think it was an F-15, I dunno, really, Spymaster would know. All I know is it was dry under there)!

The Super Guppy looks like a cartoon plane, such an enormous body and such stubby little wings! How did this sucker ever fly? Mr Handsome says NASA has a newer version. All I know is, this one looks like something Mr Incredible would fly! I shouldn't call it cute, I guess, but it was cute! Awwwww!



The grounds also have a Space museum. It was this weekend that the University of Arizona landed their Mars vehicle. Very exciting! They had a small exhibit about that and lots of other stuff in there. I was pretty tired by then, but I still enjoyed it and wished Mr Handsome was there; he would've really enjoyed the Air and Space Museums!

There was a museum dedicated to the 390th Bomber group. I don't have any pictures, but it is a very nicely done museum and memorial space. Lots of fascinating stories to listen to and pictures to look at and artifacts; I wanted to stay longer in there!

We went to a restaurant called Chuy's after that for lunch and walked around 4th Street; lots of quirky shops and stuff. Fun to walk around! We just went back to the hotel after that and watched a movie, took a nap, I sat in the hot tub until I got splashed out by some rotten kids. Actually, they were nice kids, but had no manners. Neither did their parents. grrrrr.... Anyhoo, it was fine, just mildly annoying. Spymaster and Sis went out on the town, while Bro and I hung out at the hotel for movies!



The next day, the 24th, we had our free breakfast again (hee hee!) and went to the Arizona-Sonoma Desert Museum. This was the place I REALLY wanted to go to, to see the Aviary and the Hummingbirds! It's a very large facility and we saw EVERYTHING! There was also a "Live and (kind of) on the Loose" show, where a couple of naturalists taught us all about a gila monster and a rattlesnake. It was nice to get out of the sun and see these creatures! The man was very insistent about people controlling their children, which I applaud!!! Awesome! So often, people just let their spawn run wild and loose in public settings. It's so annoying!

My favorite part of the Desert Museum was probably the "Desert Loop" which is a half-mile trail through a natural desert setting. We got to see a coyote and javelinas. And lots of cacti! Sis wanted to see cacti in their homeland, so this was a good opportunity for both of us. I got to see the birds and she got to see the cactus! Bro got to see a coyote and Spymaster got to take a nap during the critter show! It all worked out great!

Afterwards, we considered going to "Old Tucson Studios," thinking it was the original settlement or something like that, but it looked super-duper ticky-tacky tourist-trappy. So, instead, we went back to 4th St, to a Mexican restaurant, I can't remember the name! It was named after a revolutionary... had a cute interior, not cutesy, but genuine, like people other than tourists go there, y'know? Good food, good to rest. I was bushed. As was Bro. It was a long day in hot sunshine. I've got tons of pics. So we all went back to the hotel again, napped, read and watched movies. Mostly, everyone napped. I read. YAY! Reading! My favorite thing!



That night, we went to see the Red Elvises at Plush nightclub. It's a band the Spymaster really enjoys and plays on his DJing gigs. They're a fun band, along the lines of the B-52's and have a VERY dedicated fan base! Sis and Spymaster even did a little dancing! Sadly, Bro and I were truly drained, really exhausted, so we weren't much fun to be with. Poor Spymaster! We left early. He was a good sport about it, though.

Let's see, the next day, the 25th, Sis and Spymaster had to leave, but we had time to check out "A Mountain." It was named by University of Arizona students in 1915. At first, I thought they named it A, as in ABC, which showed a marked lack of imagination, I thought. Then, much later, I realized it was in honor of Arizona! Duh!

So, we climbed to the top, checked out the view, and then Bro and I climbed down the A, painted on the mountain face. Two days later, I can still feel the effort in my muscles. It was STEEP! And I am FLABBY!

I'm really tired still, just got home last night around midnight, but had such a good time. We leave for Seattle the day after tomorrow! I look forward to meeting Mr Handsome's sister's baby daughter and taking him to Beth's Cafe and Duck Island Brew House. Sis is going to take us on a "food tour" of Seattle, too! I'm just excited to be traveling again!

Traveling

I leave tomorrow morning for Tucson to visit my FAVE Bro. Or at least his house. And I definitely get to see Sissie-pooh and The Squid Master! YAY! I'm bringing the camera, both batteries AND the charger! And I'm proud I even thought to bring the charger. Very not techie. Me. I will miss Mr Handsome and the Kitties, though. I'll only be gone for five days, then back for two, then Mr Handsome and I go off to Seattle to visit our respective sisters! YAY!

I thought packing would take, like, five minutes; I'll only be gone for five days for heaven's sake! But, no. It took over three HOURS. I got stuck on toiletries. "How much hair gel will I need????" I rarely use hair gel, so, this was just - pointless! But it's done now, waiting at the bottom of the steps! I hope I can sleep tonight!

Pretty as a

When Mr Handsome and I were wandering around, looking in resale shops for an Anniversary Outfit for me, we came across a fave art gallery of ours and I commented on how very much I liked a couple of the paintings in the windows (you can see where this is going, I bet). Well, the next day, I went off to take care of sweet TJ kitty and darling Samba (best boy dog in the world), which takes a good couple of hours. I cam home and there it was, above the fireplace, looking JUST RIGHT! Turns out, he'd been in that neighborhood earlier in the week, taking the car to the "doctor" and saw the paintings, too. Admired both of them, just as I had. Liked the firey one the best, as did I. Sometimes I think we're never going to make it, that we've got zip in common. Other times, I think we're more alike than I realize. I know it's time to get to re-know each other before it's too late.

Ten Years

It sounds like such a looooong time: Ten Years. Mr Handsome and I have been married ten years (yesterday). Geez, it just doesn't feel that long! Not to imply we're blissfully happy at all hours of the day; we're not. We annoy each other and wonder why in the hell we married each other sometimes. But other times, I just can't even imagine sharing my life with anyone else. I won't gush, but I AM lucky. Damn lucky. He's sweet, patient, kind, handsome (duh), easy-going... I could go on! Anyway, we have a nice life together. I am so very lucky!
We went out for a very nice dinner, nothing earth-shatteringly exciting, y'know, just nice to be with each other. He was kind, too, 'cause I felt kinda grubby but Mr Handsome likes to go to the nicer places, so I wanted to find a cute outfit. We went into a couple of re-sale places, I tried on some cute outfits. But they were ALL too small. I'm chubbier than I thought! But he was nice about it all, very patient and not irritated. And we just went "as is" and had a very nice dinner. It was good! I got flowers!


Cleo is such a pretty cat. That's just a random thought. But all the pics I've got of her up here are her in her nest! So I thought I should have one that shows how dainty and pretty she is. Especially for being 17 or 18 years old!!!

Still no pictures of the Great Girls Reunion. I'm hoping Mic or Bon will send 'em in! Serves me right for not bringing my own camera with me. I'm trying to get in the habit of bringing it with me so I can take pictures all the time. I love pictures! Well, who doesn't, really? Yesterday, I spent about four hours at TJ's; he's an awesome kitty! I got lunch from the pizza place across the street. A very yummy ham & cheese sub, deluxe.

It was much yummier than this picture looks!

Four Bucks

I had SO HOPED Sheri could come up early to visit before her yoga class, but I haven't heard from her, so she must not be able to. Of course, maybe she decided to go to yoga locally, instead of driving 1.5 hours each way (I know I would). I wish she'd call back, though. 'Cause maybe we can meet in Saugatuck tomorrow! I've only got one pet visit, around noon! (update: I was calling her landline, not her cell. She's got at least four messages from me, in varying states of huffiness, down to really random (i.e., "Hi! You should drive a PT Cruiser, a silver PT Cruiser, to be specific. OK, bye!"). I finally figured that out, called her cell, and the four of us are going to get together again tomorrow. yay!)

I went to the library yesterday after pet visits, to research PTSD, while I waited for Bubba to be finished with his groom. I was hoping to read some of the stuff today, but I doubt that's going to happen. Today was very busy, busier than normal for me. Maybe I'll have time to read later tonight. I got a BUNCH of books. I couldn't find anything on the dermatillomania, to do with chewing on fingers (not fingernails, but the skin. This site narrows it down to fingers and calls it onychophagia). I've chewed my fingers bloody since I was in 5th or 6th grade. That's a long time. I've tried to stop soooooo many times! Distraction (gum-chewing, knitting, painting my nails), aversion (putting nasty-tasting stuff on my fingers), shame (leaving myself notes about how disgusting it is), prevention (wrapping my fingertips in bandaids so I can't get to them). Nothing has worked. Nothing. And it is a vile habit. Not only is it disgusting to witness, my fingers, themselves, are disgusting. Scabbed and swollen down to the first knuckle. And it hurts. Which, I guess, is the point.

The library I was at didn't have anything on that, but I did find stuff on OCD (which I don't think is pertinent, but what the hell, the library is FREEEEEE!) and one thing on PTSD. So. We'll see. ... I still have to get that second blood test (why do I have elevated potassium levels? Problem with my kidneys? Does this mean no more booze?!?!?!? :-O ). I will, tomorrow.

And, finally, we reached the Rotten Grail - gas is $4 gallon.

(picture borrowed from woodtv.com, picture actually taken by Tommy Dylan of the radio show Tommy and Brook on Star 105.7; I hope that's ok! Thank you, Channel 8 (that's WOOD TV)!)

Lion!

Bubba's fur was so badly matted, we couldn't help him out! What with him never grooming himself (hence the name of Bubba) and it hurting him when we comb him, he got matted down to the skin. So, I knew he'd need to be shaved. I decided to get him a "Lion Trim."

Here's what he looked like before, in all his fluffy glory.

I took him to the vet (where his groomer is; he has to be sedated for grooming, 'cause he'll bite. It's the ONLY time he'll bite and it takes a while, but a Lion Trim takes a long time, so he had to be sedated. I am now hearing the Ramones' "I Want To Be Sedated" in my head.




It took pretty much all day. Now he's wandering around, wanting food, kinda stumbling, still gorked out a bit. He's like a drunk at the end of the night who wants some BK goodness. He couldn't have any breakfast since he was being sedated (don't want him vomiting while he's unconscious and aspirating all the kibble), so he's STARVING now and has already busted into the food bin. He really looks silly. Especially with his baby-blue bow! But he does look kinda cute.

In a ridiculous way.
Cleo disagrees.
She thinks he just looks ridiculous.

Treasures!

I got to hang out with The Blonde and her mom today! Her mom is the originator of the advice "Don't EVER have that third Manhattan." CLASSIC! I have wanted to sit down and chat with this woman for about 10 years! I've wanted to ask her all kinds of questions about what it was like to live in the 1950's and '60's. Y'know, Cocktail Culture! Mid-Century Design! The Rat Pack! Unfortunately, today was not that opportunity, but she is a sweetheart and we did all enjoy a Screwdriver before we went Antiqueing. I use that term lightly, 'cause, though we did go to an avowed Antique store, there was lots of junk, too, and prices were great! So, I lump it in with Thrifting or at least Junqueing.



I was on a fish kick today. Fish and owls, but I didn't bring home any owls. The reason for the fish is this collection. I've been collecting the Libby brand "Atomic Fish Glasses" for several years. I think they're so fun! They're just cute and funny yet stylish and not cutesy. I love the turquoise and silver and the stylized fish graphic. I just love these. Today, I bought the medium-sized rock glass. There's a snack bowl out there somewhere in the universe; I remain ever hopeful that I can find it someday....


I recently decided that Mr. Handsome and I needed, not wanted, needed, in fact, required cute salt & pepper shakers for our "nest," our TV room. I found some cute skunks, really cute, and appropriate, since our neighborhood has a skunk problem every summer, but I couldn't get their case open. I also found these guys:

They have a little twisty tail, like they're swimming!


Hey, they matched my "Theme of the Day."


Then, I found a planter that was just so... random. Why would anyone want this? I HAD to have it!


The Lilies of the Valley are from our garden

This is actually much prettier in real life! He's grown on me. I bought him as a joke, but I love him, now.


For the garden, I want to find gnomes. Fat-cheeked, white-bearded, red-panted gnomes. But, they cost more than I want to spend, especially for something that Mr. Handsome does NOT want. I haven't been able to find any used or anything, but The Blonde's mom found these guys!





I decided to put them in my houseplants, standing on little glass coasters to protect them from the soil.





Today was a great day, I had so much fun exploring the Antique place and finding stuff for The Blonde, too. She collects all kinds of things so it's always lots of fun to go Junqueing with her. She got some vintage, quirky postcards and some vintage kid's books. I wish I'd brought my camera with us!

Yesterday, I went back to the town I grew up in and met up with Sheri, Bonnie and Michelle. THAT deserves a post all its own! Sadly, no pictures of that trip, but it was a BLAST!


Now, it's time for a locally brewed beverage. Yum!

Create

I adore thrift store shopping. It's all about the quest. I'll ask friends and family if there's anything I can look for, for them, just so I'm sure to HAVE a quest, as opposed to just general browsing ('cause that would be lazy???). I've been looking at recycle-idea sites a lot lately (recyclethis.uk.com is a current fave) and got inspired to make a tee shirt bag for groceries, library books, whatev. Not as a purse, though. I'm too old to have something that funky (in the cool sense) as a purse. I used to have a purse made of vinyl records with a chain for a handle. It was AWESOMELY COOL! But it broke. Records break.
I'm tempted to make one myself, with records I like. This one came with Cat Stevens on one side and Alabama on the other. Neither would be my choice for a purse, but it was still a cool purse. My bro-in-law races sailboats and has a grommet punch thingy, so I could borrow that to make my own, but... I lack courage. What if I fail?!? as though that matters... I get so frustrated with myself, my lack of courage and follow-through, my general wimpiness and low self-esteem.

Anyway, I'm very happy with my tee shirt tote, even got a compliment on it! AND, it was EASY to make! So, I think if I use a thicker, colored tee, it'll work even better. I liked the touristy Hong Kong-ness of this tee. I got it at a church's free give-away. I wonder who went to Hong Kong and if they have pictures in their photo albums wearing this very tee!

I'm thinking about making pillow covers or even a throw blanket from old sweaters. hmmm... I'm afraid! What if it looks bad??? See, most things I make look like a kindergartener made it. So, then I never try again. Which is stupid, 'cause practice makes, well, better, if not perfect!