How lovely it is to do nothing and rest afterwards.
Spanish proverb

Sometimes it seems one must change things up a bit. A vacation like thing. It is here I confess I have fallen for the mileage plan gimmicks of Alaska Airlines. I needed 881 miles to achieve MVP status which gets me free checked baggage and a few inches more of leg room on the sardine tubes with wings. Unfortunately in Alaska, unless you are willing to take numerous days and travel via car and or boat, airplanes are our mode of travel. Often that longer journey is preferred but sometimes you just want to get there. If you want to spend time in Greece you have to go to Greece and skip over there wondrous areas in-between here and there. Alaska Airlines lists the route from Anchorage to Seattle as 1443 miles and about 3 to 3.5 hours plus airport times. As any older person will tell you, it was always better when we were young. I think we just choose to forget all the problems, inconveniences and remember the fond memories. Flying used to be fun and certainly a whole lot easier, or I remember it easier and definitely more fun.

Hence Jeanne and I are in Seattle, just for 4 days. Autumn colors were just past peak and we were visiting friends, walking about. Cities are great for walking. There are a variety of transportation modes to learn and utilize, but walking is for us a top notch way to just view neighborhoods, seeing the various ways people park their cars in garages, or driveways, or street side. We gave up renting a car years ago when in Seattle as crowded, parking impossible, and the train is so much easier. Then we uber/lyft from train station to wherever going. Or if only a mile or 2 just walk.

Not staying at friends opens up the world to explore and gives us our own quiet downtime. Have a good hotel next to Lake Union and get to sit and watch the kayaks, sculls, floatplanes, boats cruise about.

Tuesday was a day to visit Maralyn, a dear friend from Colorado College days numerous decades ago. We recently saw her at French Glen in Oregon. Now retired, she remains an artist, an avid artist. After some computer work updating her computer, hopefully without losing any valuable photo albums, we set off to find a new sculpture by John Grade, called Union Sculpture, along a trail at the Washington Park Arboretum. A delightfully thoughtful piece hanging from the trees. evoking thoughts of forests, fishing, sunlight, who knows what. As Maralyn, Jeanne and I were there staring upward and a lady walks up and says “What’s that”? Maralyn realizing not everyone is into art as she is and says something like “That is art, it is to inspire you” I roughly paraphrase her as I cannot remember exactly what she said. The lady continued on the trail looking upward at the piece, until she passed it and resumed her trail walk.

A wonderful Mexican meal, some cruising about Lake Washington of which Maralyn has had a lifelong admiration for. Dinner at another awesome restaurant along the Lake adding more Colorado College friends.

Wednesday was the day for us to discover Seattle. Having been here numerous times. since 1962, it is always interesting to rediscover. Boeing aircraft started here, and now home to Microsoft, Amazon, and Starbucks. It has grown and suffered growing pains. Diverse, multicultural, and a multitude of activities. , Yet again, Jeanne and I chose the main tourist stuff. We walk the couple miles toward Pikes Market.

Pikes Market used to be a market for fish and groceries now it is a famous tourist attraction market, with seafood displays, and produce and art stalls of home made wares for sale, worthy of a walk through.The city has cleaned up the area a bit from the old dirty streets and made a overpass walkway to the docks, now more tourist stuff, than working docks.

A trip to the ferris wheel, and then the aquarium.

We had hoped to go to Pioneer Square with the variety of activities there, parks, bookstores, and the klondike museum (about the Alaska gold rush to the Klondike which is in Canada). Alas the oyster bar got in the way requiring seafood ingestion, and then we needed a nap. Alas the city is not good for that, but the Washington state ferry was right there, as it is a dock. Hence we hopped on the 1/2 hour ride to Bainbridge, got off , back on and return. Now getting dark, and decided rather than train or walk, we explored the bus service. In the past has been excellent and proved to be the same. 3 blocks from ferry to start and unfortunately I did not know it stopped in front of our hotel, and we got off 200 meters ahead, requiring a walk.

Thursday was Jacqui day, another friend from Colorado College days. She had planned a lunch at her place then a walk about Green Lake near her place. Frank, her boyfriend met us there for a superb meal. Unfortunately it was raining, although I am not sure we noted that until after we had sat, catching up on the time between last visits.

Then to a restaurant Jeanne and I found just wandering the neighborhood a couple of years ago when we stayed at an airBNB nearby. We met our nephew and his wife and yet another stupendous meal. Jacqui and Frank accompanied us on our walk to the restaurant, adding to our time together.

Friday we were too fly home and I am actually excited to fly in the middle of the day instead of the usual 4-5 am arousal time to get to a 6 or 7 am flight. Alas it falls into the category of enjoy yourself now because you know not what is around the corner. For some reason my body decided to rebel against some foreign invader, probably picked up on a handrail, random wall, table, bench, whatever. No one else got it, but I realized I did not want to be on a plane or even more so, the passengers on that plane did not want me on it. Jeanne changed our reservations first to later in the afternoon, then to Saturday. It reminded me of the time in ‘South America bike ride when suddenly one night I became violently ill and spent the night in a campground shower. Ugh Wrote about that in this blog “Existence” occurring on 2 November 2014.

Saturday we arose felt good and walked the 2 kilometer (1.2 miles) to the train, had the easiest time ever going through TSA. I think it was a compliment when the agent said the government would like to clone me for going through so easy. Not sure that is a compliment, but prior the Seattle airport has always been one of my worst TSA experiences.

Getting there early to allow for TSA we had time and got some Orange chicken and rice for lunch. It came with a fortune cookie.

Adventure is not on the outside

It is inside

Fortune cookie