This week we've been moving into the new house, or I should say Marjorie has been moving us, since she and Christina have done most of the work. I've been here at the corporate housing in Redmond and they have been staying a few nights down at the house in Covington. This weekend we move completely out of the corporate apartment and into the new house, and I start the long commute to work.

 

We didn't have a lot of time this weekend, so we went to someplace close. There's a place near here called Snoqualmie Falls, and it's really beautiful there. The falls are really tall (although photos don't do it justice) and they have a park with an observation area. There's also a 1-mile hiking trail to the bottom, and you can look back up from there to the top.

 

On the trail down we saw acres and acres of blackberries. That usually means bear, but the park is so close to the road we didn't see any. We did see some other animals roaming around here and there.

 

Now it's off to more moving!

There are a few people you meet that live life to the fullest. People that try anything, go anywhere, and do it all. My friend Mark and his family are such people. I'm privileged to know them. They are from South Africa, and live here in Washington now. Mark and his family invited us out to his boat this weekend with a few of his son's friends.

 

We drove to his house and picked up one of his children, who has that same joy of life, only hers is out loud. She's a happy, wonderful little girl, and she and Christina became fast friends. We drove the girls out to Mark's boat in Anacortes, Washington, which is in the Olympic Peninsula. The water is amazing and clear, and you're ringed by mountains, the most imposing of which is mount Baker, which you can see in the background all the time.

 

We met the rest of the gang and jumped in the boat. On the way out of the harbor we were followed by a few inquisitive seals. I think they follow the boats for food, but they didn't get any from us so they moved on. The water is so beautiful up here, and the weather was bright and clear.

 

We had a picnic on Cypress Island, which is about 30 minutes out. We had a great time, and the feast was amazing. We caught a few crab in the traps, which we threw back because they were too small. Christina was dared to take a swim in the 58-degree water, so of course I took the dare with her. You just can't explain how cold that is - unprotected you have only a few minutes before hypothermia sets in. It just takes your breath away. We did get "street cred" for taking the plunge, though. Not bad for a Florida boy and his little kid.

 

Right after that the kids that had come along wanted to be towed behind the boat on a set of inner-tubes. I don't know how they could stand the cold water, but they did.

 

We ended the night thrilled and completely worn out. Thanks, Mark.

We planned to go to Cougar mountain this weekend, but Marjorie caught Christina's eye infection so we opted for Seattle instead. I really love this city!  We started at "Pike's Market" and had breakfast overlooking Pugent Sound, then on to Seattle's Best in Post Alley for a little "real" coffee. They say if you walk more than one block and you haven't seen two coffee shops you've left Seattle. The funniest thing to see is a Starbucks across the street from a Starbucks. I've even seen them share the same parking lot!

 

From there we went to the Seattle Public Library. This building is amazing - 11 stories of it. It's built in sort of an upside-down pyramid, so when you look down from any floor you're looking at the ground. It's also got a spiral walkway through it, so you don't have to climb stairs or take an elevator.

 

It has everything - an entire floor is nothing but the kids section, with games, DVD's, CD's, and miles of books. They also have two theaters in the Library, so Christina attended a dramatic play of a book in the children's section. Microsoft paid for the theater parts of the library.

 

It's also got Music practice rooms with pianos and other instruments you can check out. There are meeting rooms, AV rooms, and more. It's got tons of art everywhere - it's all very impressive!

Well, the family has joined me in corporate housing and we've pretty much settled in. I've been at work for a few days, we found and bought a house, and we are getting ready to move into that one in a few weeks.

 

I've met a few friends already, one I knew from Tampa. We went to an outdoor dinner party at his place the other day, and we really enjoyed it. His family is so nice, and his kids and Christina really hit it off.

 

Yesterday we went to the north side of Mount Rainier, a glacier/volcano/mountain here in the Pacific Northwest. We had an awesome time. As you drive from the bottom of the mountain to Sunrise Point, you pass through a rainforest, a deciduous forest, a plain, and a snowline. We had a picnic at 6,400 feet in the snow! That's pretty unusual for us Florida folks in July! The pictures we took just don't convey how high up we were. I once parachuted from 2,500 feet, and I thought *that* was high. We hiked on a trail almost three times that high.

 

We had a great time, and really enjoyed the trip. We plan to do a lot more hiking. It will definitely get us all in shape.