Poem for Wednesday and Halloween

Through the Eyes of the Soul
By Xayacamachan
Translated by Mary J. Andrade

Unique Life
Be as happy as you can, oh king Tecayehyatzin
You who appreciates the jewels that flourish!

Will we live again?
Your heart knows this:
We only live once!

Vida única
¡Alégrate en extremo, oh rey Tecayehuatzin,
valuador de joyas florecientes!

¿Acaso una vez más vendremos a vivir?
Tu corazón lo sabe así:
¡Sólo una vez venimos a la vida!

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A lot of my Halloween was taken up with post-travel chores -- unpacking, laundry, sorting mail, shopping, picking up Maddy -- but a lot of it was fun, too! The saddest part is that I did not get to see Annmarie, who is moving out of the area tomorrow, because we were both busy with pre- and post-travel stuff around getting ready for trick-or-treaters. I did briefly get to see Karen to retrieve the jack-o-lantern lamp that Paul made at Hot Fired Arts so we could display it for the holiday, and I joined my Pokemon group at the church around the corner for the first nearby Suicune raid.

The neighborhood party started just as I got back from the evening raid. We ate pizza, chatted with friends, watched Darth Vader threaten a much smaller Superman, met several Hogwarts students and Disney princesses, saw our former next door neighbors who bring their kids every year for the party, and stayed for the start of the costume parade, then ran home to put out the jack-o-lantern that Paul carved and gave out lots of candy to visitors, much to the chagrin of the cats. Then we watched the World Series' sixth game and cheered, also to the chagrin of the cats. Best wishes, friends in New York.

Greetings from Seahurst Park

We spent most of Monday flying from Sea-Tac (worst managed TSA of any airport I've experienced) to Dulles, but before we returned the rental car, we stopped for a morning walk on the beach at Seahurst Park, where herons competed with gulls and crows for crabs and ferries headed toward the Pacific Ocean. It was chilly but beautiful and we once again got to see Mount Rainier. I finished Origin on the plane; it was better than Inferno and really made me want to go to Barcelona, but if you can't guess who the villain is before the mid-point, you have never seen a movie. Now I'm dealing with a million chores and have to get ready for tomorrow -- Happy Halloween!

Greetings from Puget Sound

While most of Seattle was fixated on the Seahawks game, we spent the day at parks and seashores -- the Issaquah Fish Hatchery, Snoqualmie Falls, Golden Gardens park and beach, Ballard Locks and fish ladder -- followed by a visit to the Armory's Day of the Dead celebration, dinner at Cactus, and Skyping with Adam. Here are some photos; more from home tomorrow!

Greetings from Pike's Place

I got to walk around Capitol Hill on Saturday and have lunch at Mirch Masala with fandom friends with whom I could talk old Star Trek stuff! And walk around the piers beneath the ferris wheel, take a boat ride around Elliott Bay, and shop at Pike's Place Market! And eat dinner at Daniel's apartment, and play games, and watch Ghostbusters because he hadn't seen it! And I would say more but now I am being rushed, so here are some photos!

Greetings from Lake Union

We started Friday morning walking around Amazon's neighborhood, seeing the biospheres and having lunch from the famous Cheese Wizards lunch truck in Denny Park. Then we walked to the water and boarded the Argosy for a tour of Lake Union and Lake Washington, including spectacular views of the floating houses, sea planes, houseboats, bridges, Mount Rainier, the Cascades, and lots of waterfowl including cormorants and bald eagles! When we disembarked, we walked to the Olympic Sculpture Park to see the indoor and outdoor artwork, then came back to Belltown for dinner at Mantra and some South Park and San Juan at Daniel's apartment.

Greetings from Pioneer Square

Apart from an early morning walk through Belltown to the Space Needle and dinner back in Belltown at the Meekong Bar, we spent most of the day in Seattle's Pioneer Square area. Here is our day in photos, including the Seattle Underground tour at the original level of the city, covering most of its history and lengthy catalogue of misbehavior; the totem poles in several city parks; lunch at Cafe Paloma, with awesome Mediterranean food; a stop at Klondike Gold Rush National Park; and a visit to the Sky View Observatory at the top of the Columbia Center, with views of the surrounding volcanoes, lakes, and landmarks: