4th of July

In honor of our nation's birth, we decided to have a traditional backyard BBQ for the 4th of July. Earlier in the day we took Meredith (first time Seattle visit) down to Pike's Place market and the waterfront. It was a scorching 82 degrees, so we had to lather-up the sun screen and arm each other with water bottles. The streets were packed with tourists, but it seemed like a 50-50 shot whether a store would be open. We walked the market booths and picked up some goodies for dinner. In addition to the fresh muscles May picked up on Whidbey Island, we also grabbed some fresh veggies, Hungarian sausage, Rainer cherries and a couple flowers for good measure.

Places that aren't open on July 4th: Cafe Ladro, Beserck Games, Dry cleaner and 1/2 the other stores in Seattle.

We were going to attend the Seattle International Beer festival, but we were all a little tired after trekking through Seattle and it was getting a bit late. So we decided to bring the party to the backyard and play an intense game of Stratego (I lost). The evening bar-b-que was fantastic; corn, hamburgers, muscle soup, salad stuff and plenty of cherries... now to slowly finish off all the left overs.

On Sunday we explored the Ballard locks, visited the Salmon ladder (with plenty of delicious looking Chinook's), outdoor summer concert and Ray's boathouse for lunch on the Puget Sound. It was the first time I experienced serious hot hummidity in Seattle, and it wore us down quick. After a quick recharge at Fremont's Theo Chocolates where we sampled some intensely good Basil and Jalapeno chocolate, we went back home for a quick soda and game of scrabble (lost again).

All in all a beautiful weekend in Seattle, but alas not enough time. Next year we plan to take everyone Kayaking and crabbing for some summer sea fun.