Seattle is Swell

We have been so busy! We have been having a blast! We have been seeing old friends!

Seattle is wonderful. Everyone is complaining about the heat, it's in the low 80's today and we just shake our heads and say, "It is not hot here." There is no humidity and a nice breeze. I'm typing while sitting next to an open window (no screen/no bugs) listening to planes fly by, birds chirp and wind rustle the leaves.

So far, we've hauled the kids all over the place asking them, "do you remember this? do you remember this?" They mostly forgot the big picture, but remember the details. For instance, they don't remember the Ballard Locks, but they remember where the toys are kept at the quilt shop I dragged them to 100 times. The old house looks smaller than Emma remembered it. They remembered the round about at the intersection by the old house. They remembered the playground at the park I took them to so often.

They fell in love with our friends' kids, Megan and Lauren. And they've met other kids who were babies when they were. We've seen friends from the old office, had picnics and dinner with other friends, have some on call for visits in the next couple of days. We bought a membership to the Seattle Zoo, since we think we'll come back for another visit before we head home to Austin, and since the pass works at lots of zoos in Texas (Dallas, Houston, Waco (did I know they even had a zoo?))

We drive around trying to figure out what has changed, what stores are gone now, what houses have been replaced by bigger ones. Queen Anne looks much like it did when we left. Even the staff at my old Safeway is still there, just a little older. The sack boy (who delivered my newspaper about 15 years ago) even asked what my old delivery address and name was when he thought he recognized me (although that sort of seemed like a Rainman type thing going on...)

So far, we've been to the new Downtown Library (amazing), Pike Place Market, the International District for Emma -- twice, our old office to see co-workers of the past, Snoqualmie Falls, Ballard Locks, the Zoo, a concert, three parks, our old street, and we've only been here for 4 full days!

More news soon...I can't figure out how to post pictures, so there will be a retrospective when we get home...