Seattle View

You can just see Seattle's iconic Space Needle in the distance here, caught in my view from the University of Washington campus near sunset on this mild December day, as my daughter M--a UW grad--and I ended our pre-dinner stroll.

Phil and I took the 8:30 a.m. BoltBus from Bellingham to Seattle, then settled into our University District hotel before meeting his son T for an excellent brunch at Portage Bay Cafe. That was followed by conversations with some chicks, pullets, and full-grown chickens at a nearby "city farm" store, a very interesting place, and back at our hotel, our holiday gift exchange with T.

Phil had a nap while I had the abovementioned walk with M, and then the three of us walked to University Village, a large, beautiful outdoor shopping mall, almost like a town itself, with a wide range of shops and lovely seasonal decorations. My son W joined us there after work for dinner at Liam's, an excellent restaurant offering a good range of options for omnivores and vegetarians.

Our second exchange of Christmas gifts for the day took place back at our hotel; like the first, food figured heavily amongst the gifts, with perhaps dish towels/tea towels running a distant second.

We've had a lovely day, and another one to come tomorrow, when we head across Lake Washington to Bellevue, where we'll spend the day with Phil's daughters S and E, and our grandchildren, Z and B; son-in-law D will join us for dinner.

Phil and I will spend the night at a nearby hotel, returning to the slower pace of life in Bellingham on Monday.

P.S. Phil's gorgeous sunset yesterday hit the Spotlight!

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