the vacation fun continues
Jul. 2nd, 2009 11:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kareinaSeveral days have slipped by without posting as I've travelled around the greater Seattle area visiting friends.
Monday evening I went to hear Tania perform in Tacoma. This show had a better turn-out than did the Friday show, and she'd had another couple of days to recover from her jet lag from her return from Ireland. She did a fabulous job, as she always does, with a good mix of old favourite songs and things I'd not heard before. (When she did the set list she deliberately selected stuff she hadn't done on Friday, since I'd told her I'd try to catch Monday's show too). The other audience members looked surprised when I actually managed to sing along on the chorus of the Russian song about the birch tree and the rabbits. But then, I bought the tape upon which she has that song recorded many years ago, so I'd have been surprised if I couldn't.
Tuesday morning was spent at my sister's house with family, then Tuesday afternoon I accompanied Tania over the water to the Indian Reservation upon which she lives. This was much fun--we cooked yummy food (including fresh bread) and went for a walk into lovely down town Suquamish, where I saw Chief Seattle's grave. I hadn't known that the city was named after a person before, so the trip was educational as well as fun. This is the first time she and I have had that much time to just hang out together, though we've known one another since I was still in highschool. We've always lived in different cities, so only see one another when one or the other of us is visiting the area. I'm very glad I made the time for it, it was truly a highlight of my trip so far. Tuesday evening I caught the ferry back over the water and went to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
josiestraka's house for the evening. It was good to get to spend a bit more time with her and her family before leaving town.
Wednesday I returned to my sister's house during the day and enjoyed the chaos which is caused by the houseful (remember that my Australian step-sister, her husband, and their two children are also visiting just now and that my mother, sister, her husband, and two children live here--this adds up to four kids under five years of age in the house). In the evening I went down to Olympia to seemaeva00, ariadne3, and Bill. It was a delight to see them, and see how much has changed at their house (I saw it last many, many years ago, soon after he bought the place). They fed me squash blossoms, whcih they coated with fresh egg from their hens and a spiced breading and then cooked over an open fire. Yum!
I stayed the night at their place, and this morning as I finished eating breakfast I received a call from my sister, wondering if I could bring the car back as the other two were in use already, and she wanted to do some grocery shopping today. So I hurried home (only 1.5 hour drive!) and took a moment to look at e-mail while she and the kids were at the store. Then I borrowed the car again and went over the water the other direction to the Microsoft campus to visit with an old friend from highschool on his lunch break. I took the scenic route back from that trip as I'd noticed that the bridge over the lake was completely backed up with parked traffic in the towards-Seattle direction, and I didn't much like the thought of sitting in a hot car on a freeway not moving. So I told Mom's GPS to guide me to Bothell, and then once I was there, asked it to guide me home. It was still hot waiting for the traffic lights, but with lights one is certain that it will change and you will start moving again. There are no such guarantees when traffic stops on a bridge.
In the morning the whole family will be going to a berry farm to pick raspberries and celebrate my oldest nephew's fourth birthday. In the afternoon there will be further birthday celebrations at the house, and at night I board a plane to Chicago, where my cousin from Racine will pick me up and take me to Wisconsin to see family members I've not seen since I was 16. If there is anyone else in Seattle who wants to see me before I go, please let me know ASAP--tomorrow is my last chance. (I'd be ok with missing some of the afternoon birthday stuff to see people, if it comes down to that, but I don't think I'm going to miss the berries in the morning.)
Monday evening I went to hear Tania perform in Tacoma. This show had a better turn-out than did the Friday show, and she'd had another couple of days to recover from her jet lag from her return from Ireland. She did a fabulous job, as she always does, with a good mix of old favourite songs and things I'd not heard before. (When she did the set list she deliberately selected stuff she hadn't done on Friday, since I'd told her I'd try to catch Monday's show too). The other audience members looked surprised when I actually managed to sing along on the chorus of the Russian song about the birch tree and the rabbits. But then, I bought the tape upon which she has that song recorded many years ago, so I'd have been surprised if I couldn't.
Tuesday morning was spent at my sister's house with family, then Tuesday afternoon I accompanied Tania over the water to the Indian Reservation upon which she lives. This was much fun--we cooked yummy food (including fresh bread) and went for a walk into lovely down town Suquamish, where I saw Chief Seattle's grave. I hadn't known that the city was named after a person before, so the trip was educational as well as fun. This is the first time she and I have had that much time to just hang out together, though we've known one another since I was still in highschool. We've always lived in different cities, so only see one another when one or the other of us is visiting the area. I'm very glad I made the time for it, it was truly a highlight of my trip so far. Tuesday evening I caught the ferry back over the water and went to
josiestraka's house for the evening. It was good to get to spend a bit more time with her and her family before leaving town. Wednesday I returned to my sister's house during the day and enjoyed the chaos which is caused by the houseful (remember that my Australian step-sister, her husband, and their two children are also visiting just now and that my mother, sister, her husband, and two children live here--this adds up to four kids under five years of age in the house). In the evening I went down to Olympia to see
maeva00, ariadne3, and Bill. It was a delight to see them, and see how much has changed at their house (I saw it last many, many years ago, soon after he bought the place). They fed me squash blossoms, whcih they coated with fresh egg from their hens and a spiced breading and then cooked over an open fire. Yum! I stayed the night at their place, and this morning as I finished eating breakfast I received a call from my sister, wondering if I could bring the car back as the other two were in use already, and she wanted to do some grocery shopping today. So I hurried home (only 1.5 hour drive!) and took a moment to look at e-mail while she and the kids were at the store. Then I borrowed the car again and went over the water the other direction to the Microsoft campus to visit with an old friend from highschool on his lunch break. I took the scenic route back from that trip as I'd noticed that the bridge over the lake was completely backed up with parked traffic in the towards-Seattle direction, and I didn't much like the thought of sitting in a hot car on a freeway not moving. So I told Mom's GPS to guide me to Bothell, and then once I was there, asked it to guide me home. It was still hot waiting for the traffic lights, but with lights one is certain that it will change and you will start moving again. There are no such guarantees when traffic stops on a bridge.
In the morning the whole family will be going to a berry farm to pick raspberries and celebrate my oldest nephew's fourth birthday. In the afternoon there will be further birthday celebrations at the house, and at night I board a plane to Chicago, where my cousin from Racine will pick me up and take me to Wisconsin to see family members I've not seen since I was 16. If there is anyone else in Seattle who wants to see me before I go, please let me know ASAP--tomorrow is my last chance. (I'd be ok with missing some of the afternoon birthday stuff to see people, if it comes down to that, but I don't think I'm going to miss the berries in the morning.)
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Date: 2009-07-04 05:34 am (UTC)