Piper (and her parents) got here on Sunday the 12th.
We went to the SeaTac airport about 70 miles from our camp site to pick them up. Piper rolls through the airport pulling her suitcase like a pro. Of course she has traveled more in her 2 1/2 years than I have in my 65! We are all staying across the bay from Seattle. We are in a little town called Poulsbo and they are on Bainbridge Island about 15 minutes from us in a house they rented.
We did get to move across to another rv park with a little more room.
At least we have some dead grass to put our chairs on and sit
outside if we want. However just on the other side of those trees is the main highway (only 2 lanes) that goes onto the Island and to the ferry. So it is pretty noisy.
Started with a little park nearby for Piper to play in the rocks at the beach.
We hopped on the ferry in Bainbridge and took the 35 minute cruise over to Seattle. This is a view from the ferry.
The arched buildings are the stadiums where the Seahawks and the Sounders (soccer) play.
Piper loved to go to the top of the ferry boat but she also liked to sit inside in the window by the table we were sitting at.
We also found out they have popcorn on the ferry!
We were very lucky with the weather. It was almost too hot in the upper 90's. Very unusual for Seattle.
However when I saw these guys come roaring out and ride along side of us I was just a little concerned.
Is that a machine gun? Yes I believe it is!
I guess they do this for training... how was I to know it was just a test????
We visited the Aquarium.
He just can't help himself from teaching her to do things she shouldn't. "Let's break all the rules Piper & reach over the glass."
Of course you should have a crab painted on your face. Mama got an Orca and Gramma got a pink whale.
Then we went on the Ferris Wheel. And I just can never say no to those $20+ pictures....
Have to have a snapping Nemo to get Papa's nose!
Finished off the day on the Carousel ride on the Waterfront.
Just the beginning of some very long, napless days for Piper.
On the 16th Dawn & Paul hiked somewhere in the Olympic Mountains. So, we had Piper for the day.
Mostly hung out at the MH.
And did some serious bubble blowing..
However we did have to go to Mickey D's for her first time. We did have her mom's permission (reluctantly).
Nothing wrong with a little chicken nuggets with your BBQ sauce is there? Milk, yogurt & apples... seems pretty healthy to me. But what do I know... I'm a mother from the 80's. ;-)
Needless to say....she is now a fan!
How could she not be...I'm her Gramma!
Scott got here on Thursday the 16th. Rachael came on Friday the 17th for the weekend. On Saturday we went across on the ferry again, then the bus to Pike Place Market.
This is where they throw the fish around... but you can barely get close enough to see. Lot's of people everywhere.
Rachael & Dawn had to have their pics taken in front of the first Starbucks. However someone told us days later it was really #2. That's not what it says in front of the building. Hmm... false advertising?
Then we got on the Monorail to head for the Space Needle only to find out we could not get tickets until 3 hours later and the kids were going to meet friends and go to a Sounders game. So we took Piper with us & hopped back on the Monorail and rode it as close as it gets to the Ferry. Then walked several blocks (sure glad I got her a stroller) to get back to the ferry to the car and back to the MH. Whew!
I have to say this mass transit thing is very time consuming. I'm a small town girl from California... we get in our car & go where we want to go & walk a few feet by ourselves without the masses in tow. This is the line waiting to get on the ferry.
So we got tickets to visit the Needle the next day and started the whole thing over again.
Even with tickets you wait in line.
I think this picture was actually included in our ticket price...however notice the color of Rachael's shirt in the picture above. Yep a green shirt in front of a green screen kinda shows the background of whatever picture they stick in there. Love it!!!
I took my pictures from inside the needle. :)
They all took theirs outside the needle.
Really Papa... do you have to lift her up and sit her on the bar? I think we are about a mile in the air and the bar is there for a reason!
From there we did the Duck Tour.
I couldn't believe they let all these float planes land in this bay with all the people boating & swimming.
I guess you had to get out of their way.
You can have one of these little gems that float on the water for only about a million and a half. That is if anyone wants to give theirs up.
Lot's more ducks going out as we are coming in. Pretty good money maker I'm thinking.
Rachael, Dawn & I decided we better have a crab dinner so we went to the Crab Pot on the Waterfront.
Good thing these weren't the crabs. It was pretty good!
The kids and Donald did some kayaking on Monday and Rach went home on Tuesday (but she'll be back next weekend).
The rest of us went to the Northwest Trek Safari. A little park with local animals in a wildlife type zoo. We rode a little tram & checked them all out. Some really nice looking antlers on those elk. I know some hunters that would be drooling. I don't know why Donald didn't get any pictures of them. ??
Dawn had friends for a BBQ & then went to an outdoor concert at Battle Point Park near the house she is staying in. We had Miss Piper for the night again. Best part of my trip!!!!
Our last weekend with the kids we took the car across the ferry and drove to the Ballard Locks.
We watched the Mary Ann come into the Locks. Scott & I thought maybe she was worth about a million but after looking at some ads in a magazine we are thinking maybe closer to $3million. She was a Beauty.
We also watched a barge loaded with containers
(of what we don't know).
Some pretty nice salmon headed up the ladders.
And we all need a little ballet in our lives.
We visited the Boeing Factory and Donald, Scott, Dawn and Paul took the 1 1/2 hour tour. Piper & I visited the gift shop and got a game to play in the cafe. No bags or cameras of any kind were allowed on the tour...so no pics. Except for the ones with the model wearing the hats in the gift shop. :)
The pilot of the big commercial plane.
And of course Amelia Earhart.
Saturday morning we checked out the Bainbridge distillery.
A pretty small place compared to Jack Daniels that we visited in Lynchberg, Tennessee.
They make vodka, vanilla vodka, gin and whiskey.
Unfortunately for Donald they were totally out of whiskey and won't have a new batch for 2 months.
That didn't stop everyone else from the taste testing. They came away with a couple bottles to fly home with.
Dawn & Paul took a bird viewing cruise on Sat. afternoon and the rest of us headed for Chuck E Cheese. I am doing my best to acquaint Piper with the finer things in life. Needless to say she loved it!
Sunday was another day of ferries, buses, & long walks. We went back to where the Space Needle is because Scott was itching to go to the EMP Museum for the Nintendo- sponsored special exhibit on indie games. He loves those video games. (Are they still called that?) So he, Dawn & Paul went that way and Donald, Rachael, Piper and I went to the Science museum. Mostly the children's building. Of course.
We saw dinosaurs...she wasn't so fond of them. They scared her.
Liked playing in the water with Aunt Rachael.
Riding the helicopter with the other kids.
Lots of fun for a little person!
Ok... I know this might be an overload of Piper pics for some of you but remember I probably won't see her again for another year. :((( And I print this blog as a keepsake of my trips. So there!
Then we hit the Seattle Underground tour.
Yes.. another one of those $20 pictures.
It was actually pretty interesting learning about how the town was once 2 stories below what it is now.
We are standing on the sidewalk under todays streets and buildings.
You had to climb down a ladder to get to the doors of the stores below to go shopping or to the bank. It got to be very dangerous so they had to finally build it up to the road.
Plumbing was really a nightmare! Everything ended up backing up into the streets because it couldn't go uphill.
The tour guide told us they found many dead men that had fallen off the upper streets down into the sidewalk area after going to the saloon and having too much to drink.
But not one woman was ever found.
Yep.. smarter even then! Or should I say ALWAYS?
The kids stayed & went to the Paranormal Underground Tour at night. We did not. Took Piper back with us. Yay!
Monday we took a whale watching tour. We drove to Port Townsend and boarded the Red Head.
This large container ship made some real waves for us to go through.
With their patches intact on their little necks no one was hurling over the side rail. We went about 2 hours into Canadian waters. I emailed Pat & Sid & told them I was waving at them. They emailed back & said they could see us & they were waving back. :0
Our pictures of the whales were not nearly as good as Dawn's but she does have a very expensive camera & we don't. I like to blame it on the equipment.
2 hour trip back and that was the day. The water was glassy, no wind at all and a really nice warm day.
Papa's just helping to put on some shoes.
Well, it has been a really fast 18 days. Rachael & Scott left on Tuesday and Dawn, Paul & Piper left us on Wednesday. We had a very busy but fun vacation. I am gonna miss them all soooo much. Oh, by the way I forgot to tell you all that we are going to have a new baby in January! I couldn't put anything online till Rachael & Scott got here to tell Dawn in person.
We are expecting a Baby Boy Greensides!
The proud parents to be on the lite rail coming from the airport. Gotta love that mass transit!
