Sleepless in Seattle

We left our cool cabin in the mountains to spend a week in an oven.  For real!  Every day we were in the Pacific Northwest it was over ten degrees warmer than at our cabin in the mountain desert town of Pine Arizona…and the skies were always blue in Seattle.  Except for the overcast drizzly morning that we flew home.  Then we remembered why we moved from the PNW to sunny Arizona—we love, LOVE the sun.  

We stayed at an Airbnb in the University District.  Next time we will not believe the best reviews of an Airbnb, but will believe the worst—“that the apartment tended to be hot in warm weather and noisy, with yelling in the alley.”  Yes, we can verify, it was hot and VERY noisy, and in the middle of the night, we did hear lots of yelling and screaming in the alley outside our (closed) window.  

Our “Host,” after numerous requests for a fan, told us that we could go to apartment #10 and get the key from under the mat to get one (albeit a tiny noiseless fan.  We were hoping for a noisy, sound-making and large, strong, blowing fan).

Did I mention that no one in Seattle has an air conditioner or an Evaporative cooler, and it didn’t cool off at night?  Dan and I were Sleepless in Seattle.

But by the time we left, we were actually laughing at the absurdity of it all.  Our problem is that we usually try to find a cheap place to stay, because why should we spend lots of money for a place just to sleep?  We can now answer that question!

We haven’t decided what our all-time worst motel/Airbnb has been—this one or the motel in St. Petersburg, Florida where we found oxycodone in the nightstand?

The reason we would like to still live in the PNW at our Whidbey Island home is the reason we were in Seattle last week.  Much of our family lives in the area, and we miss them all so very much.  

We had a most wonderful time with our children and grandchildren on this visit!

There were three major events happening this week.  One was that our oldest grandson, Ian, was leaving home and heading back east to college.  We wanted to say goodbye to him and give him grandparent hugs before he left.

Ian, graduated from high school.  He is now an adult at 18 years old, and excited to be off to Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania.

Adam patiently answered all our grandparent questions about his competitions in solving the Rubik’s Cubes. It is pretty much incomprehensible to us, but it’s amazing to watch him. 

We all had a yummy and fun barbecue out on the patio at Jules’ home.  

Adam and Ian are now both taller than I am and almost as tall as Grandpa, but they are still not too sophisticated and grown up to act goofy with Grandma and Grandpa.

The second reason that we went to the Pacific Northwest was to spend time with Rachelle and her and Ryan’s three children, our grandchildren, Ida, Alden, and Wilder.  We hadn’t seen them for over a year….way too long!

They came bearing gifts for Grandma and Grandpa—all of them homemade, beautiful, and useful…beautiful little decoupage boxes, a cream to soothe and heal our skin, the directions and makings of vanilla in a lovely bottle.  Thank you!

Grandma with grandchildren on the Giant Chairs:

Boy, did we have fun on our afternoon on the beach.

While Rachelle entertained Dan and me with a story, her children found something fun to do—they climbed on the playground equipment…or rather, their idea of playground equipment.

It looked like so much fun that Grandma had to try to climb the pole too—a good attempt, but rather unsuccessful.

Can you see Wilder peeking out between the flower pots?

 

The best way to end a fun day with Grandma and Grandpa is with ice cream!

Every morning in Seattle we had breakfast at a little cafe on The Ave in the University District.  

It was just a little funky place that reminded me of the Harvard Exit, where my older sister, Silvermoon, took me for an evening of chess, poetry, and impromptu singing and guitar folk music when I was 17 years old. It was her last year at the University of Washington and the year before I started at the UW. 

This week my Danny and I got to be good friends with the owner of this cafe, who introduced himself as Dan, “from another planet.”   We’re sure that he misses us.

After breakfast every morning, Jules took us on gorgeous walks around Seattle. And each walk was like going back in a time capsule to my childhood.

The first was around Portage Bay, where we walked on the streets above the Seattle Yacht Club where my Aunt Marguerite had lived. 

When I was about 10 years old Aunt Marguerite gave me three small 1920’s dolls for my foreign doll collection, two from Portugal and one doll from Florida made entirely from seashells.  I have these dolls (and many other 65+ year old dolls displayed in Nuestra Casa and our cabin.

 

One morning we walked around the University of Washington.  Dan had never been there. I had always thought it was so beautiful and had thoroughly enjoyed the years I had gone to school on this stunning and serene campus.

Then we walked down Greek Row to the sorority where I had lived with a wonderful group of girls in my college years.  I had told Dan stories from my days at Delta Delta Delta.  I have many fond memories.

I am standing on the patio where all 100 of us girls would rush out wearing our nightgowns, and bathrobes, and withou our hair in curlers in the middle of the night when a group of boys from a dorm or fraternity stood out on the lower deck and started serenading us.  

This would happen spontaneously or when one of us had become “pinned” or engaged. We would sing loving and riotous songs back to the boys.  It was very special and moving.  (Above me on the second floor is the dorm where we all slept, except the seniors who had their own rooms.)

Behind me is the room where we had song practice and made up skits and short plays.

Here I am at the front door.  When we had a date, the boys would wait inside the foyer for us.  We would make our entrance by gracefully “gliding “ down the stairs to meet them.  

We had a curfew, and if we were late getting home, we would have to answer to our House Mother, who we all loved and wanted to please.

The three triangles near the top of the peak was our greek insignia—our nickname was Tri-Delt, so I was called a “Tri-Delt.”

Jules, Adam, and Ian took us on a walk on Capitol Hill.  It was where the capitol was originally been planned for Washington State, so all the rich lumber barons built their homes on top of this hill.

We walked up and down the streets of Millionaire Row.  Suddenly, I was shocked to see this grand home that I remembered dimly from my past.  As a child, we had our piano recitals in the majestic Parker-Fersen House, built in 1908, that faces Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill.

Here is a picture of me and my sisters and brothers taken in 1960 after our piano recital.  We are standing in front of the Parker-Jensen mansion. (Back row: Silvermoon, me, Bayard, Doug, Diane, and Alicia in front.)

Ironically, many years ago Dan had a postcard of this same old home on Capitol Hill.  The Parker-Jensen house is on the right.

After our piano recitals, we would always play and run around the woods and lawns at Volunteer park across from the Parker-Jensen house.  And then my father would take us to look at the spectacular flower gardens and the botanical gardens in the majestic Conservatory.

Here is the Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park.  See the statue of a camel near the front door?

Over sixty years ago I sat on a camel’s head at Volunteer Park after my piano recital.

And at 72 years old I’m once again sitting on the camel at Volunteer Park! (But not it’s head.)

Jules took us on a trail through the Interlaken Park that winds high above his home on Portage Bay.

The third major event of our trip to Seattle…..CELEBRATING JULES' BIRTHDAY!!!!!

How better to celebrate his birthday than with a vintage child’s cowboy birthday card and 1970’s View Master with reels of The Six Million Dollar Man?  This was Jules’ favorite childhood super hero.  He even had a Six Million Dollar Man Halloween costume when he was a little boy!

We’re not sure how impressed Adam was with the 1970 high tech View Master.

And then we said our goodbyes to Adam and Ian and gave them grandparent hugs.

Diane got a few evenings off from work and the class she’s taking, so we got to have fun with her too. These were special evenings for us.

We walked over to Agua Verde for dinner.

The next morning, off we went for another walk with Jules….to the most wild and spectacular of Seattle parks—the Arboretum!

This has always been my favorite park in Seattle.  Every spring when I was a child my parents would drive all six of us children into Seattle to see the rhododendrons and azaleas blooming in May.  We would run for hours among the flowers, and then plop down on the soft grass for a picnic that Mom had made for us.  It was heavenly.

Here I am in 1960 at 9 years old (with my broken arm in a sling) running through the flowers in the Arboretum with my brothers and sisters.

We’ll have to come back to the Arboretum in May so I can show my Danny the beautiful flowers blossoming.

The Seattle to Portland bike ride travels on the edge of the Arboretum.  Jules, Dan, and I have ridden the STP seven times together, so Jules drove us on the STP route by Lake Washington.  

What a sweet memory the three of us have of those early morning STP bike rides down Lake Washington Boulevard on the first ten miles of our 204 mile journey to Portland…..

We had a lovely visit one afternoon with Harris and Eileen.  Eileen has been a quilter all her life.  And when I say a quilter, that doesn’t describe her quilts.  She is an award-winning quilter, sews them by hand, and has made multiple quilts for all her family. Each quilt is a work of art.  

She taught me the basics of quilting, so I have been able to make beautiful quilts for Dan and me.  Thank you, Eileen!

This summer I had knitted a lap blanket for Eileen.  I gave it to her at this visit.

The five days we were in the PNW, we walked over 35 miles on the streets and through lovely parks in Seattle.

Every afternoon we relaxed Jules’ at home on the deck overlooking Portage Bay. We talked, and laughed, and just sat quietly content together. It was lovely.

The grand finale of this very special week was our birthday “cake” with flaming candles.  We sang Happy Birthday dear Jules….we sure do love you!

Here is the dear birthday boy with his Daddy, my Danny, almost half a century ago.

Our children and grandchildren  are spread all over the world.  They live in Washington, Colorado, Georgia, and Russia.  And we live in Arizona, far away from all of them.

I think of my dream when I was young—that all our children would live nearby, and we would spend nights together and gather often throughout the year….sometimes with a big family potluck or celebration, sometimes just a few of us, and sometimes spend time with one of our children or grandchild. 

Last week was a good week in our lives.  It was well spent with many of our children and grandchildren that we love so very much.