|
|
Since this is the last 'official' day of my vacation, here's the recap. I actually took notes (nothing copious) so I could keep it straight.
Saturday: Chef Mike took me to the airport, where I grabbed a flight to Chicago. On the flight from Chicago to Seattle, I sat next to myself. She and I might have been sisters, we looked that much alike. We both knew it, too, and the flight attendants thought we were related.
Sunday: Jerry and I went to a small church in Bellevue. This is a non-mention except for the man who greeted us with, "Welcome. I'm Rudyard Kipling." Yep. We went to Pikes and the waterfront (where I picked up some souveneirs), and watched the documentary "The Fog of War" on the History channel that evening. See, I am a dork.
Monday: Monday saw a visit to the Space Needle (Jerry tried to convince me that the natives call it the Speedle, but it's really just him). We also visited Pioneer Square, had lunch at the New Orleans restaurant, and shopped a large (large!) bookstore.
Tuesday: Mt. Rainier day! The travel and sightseeing took the majority of the day, and we visited Thai Ginger for dinner on the way home.
Wednesday: Ferry to Whidbey Island, home of the beautiful Deception Pass. Met Jerry's friend Warren and had dinner with more of his friends, Deck and Alma. Alma gave a great tour of Whatcom Falls Park.
Thursday: Randomness. The Fremont Troll, a cruise through the diverse neighborhoods of Seattle. This was the clearest day, and I could see the city ringed with mountains. I treated to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.
Friday: Return to Charlotte. Somehow managed to sit in the middle of a large family for most of the trip back. They had started in Los Angeles at 6 a.m., so the kids were wild and the parents exhausted. I love my iPod.
Photos are HERE.
Jetlag? Yes. However, while I was attempting to go to sleep at a normal East Coast hour last night, I had the kernel of an idea for the next in my paranormal series. I jumped up, grabbed a notebook and wrote six pages longhand. Been a long time since I've done it...with a pen ;)
Off the top, thanks to my big brother for being an awesome host, cook, chauffer, and tour guide. I had a wonderful time in Seattle! I got back late last night, and although my body still thinks it's EARLY, it's pretty late to be getting up and around out here on the East Coast.
What did we do? All the touristy stuff (I am a tourist after all)--Pike Place Market, the Waterfront, Pioneer Square, Space Needle, Mt. Rainier, Whidbey Island, Deception Pass, Whatcom Falls Park, Bellingham, Seattle Art Museum, and the Fremont Troll--pretty much everything I'd picked off the long list. I also got to meet some of his friends and see his photography framed and for sale.
I also slept a lot (an integral part of any vacation, IMHO), and luckily, there's plenty to go back and see another time. There's not a bad view to be seen, and I really hated to close my eyes and miss anything. Photos ARE HERE!
Have you been good while I've been gone? Tell the truth...
Got a lot going on in the Real World today, so here's a funny a colleague (Steve) left on my desk...
It's so true--sometimes you don't realize what direction you're taking until it comes out of your mouth. I may be doing a lot of talking today. Productive, I hope, though perhaps not easy or (cringe) kind. When I grow up, I'll be a novelist and won't have to worry about this crap any more. So there!
(Please don't burst my bubble of hope, LOL!)
So I'm ready to repeal the hour a day thing...bit off more than I could chew. And I can chew a lot. However, to maintain my sanity, I'll have to back off of that promise.
Here's the deal. I just got my edits for The Knot, so they're lookin' at me, beggin' for time, hopin' for a little lovin'...and I have my last two lectures to deliver this week in World Civ II. Tonight, I have to read two chapters, tomorrow, I have to outline my lecture. Then it's all done except for the crying (which comes after the grading--no, it won't be that bad).
And then I'll have time to go through the manuscript. To tell the truth, I put off opening the attachment. It made me a little queasy to see what *someone else* thought of the whole deal. Someone not used to me, someone with fresh eyes. I'm a big girl, I can handle it...I need it, actually, the whole experience.
Did you know that purple is the new red?