Greetings from Puget Sound

We spent most of our last day in Seattle visiting two places we've been to before but not for a decade: Pike Place Market and the beach! We drove right by Safeco Field on the way into the city, where crowds were already lining up, and the market was absolutely mobbed when we got there, though people slowly dispersed in the direction of the stadium as it got closer to game time. (Mariners lost; back home, Orioles won!) We walked down to the waterfront, where there are gorgeous views of Mount Rainier and the Cascade Range, and we visited the day vendors -- I was looking for goofy Mount St. Helens souvenirs and hippie clothes, and I found a gorgeous tie-dye skirt.

We had lunch at Bayou on 1st, which has vegetarian jambalaya that should win some kind of award. Then, after swinging by the aquarium and looking at the giant cruise ships, we went to Discovery Park, where we met Julia and her kids, hiked through the woods down to the beach, and went wading in the beautiful waters of Puget Sound at low tide (there were many little crabs, some herons, some ducks, and lots of boats, though we didn't get around to the area with the sea stars in tide pools). I found an enormous snail shell that's coming home with me, Then we hiked back to the cars and my family grabbed fish & chips for those who ate it and Mediterranean appetizers for me.