Trying on Lifestyles

Seattle is truly a coffee town so we thought it appropriate to end our time here by sharing a cup o' joe with you!

One aspect of house sitting that we find appealing is that it gives us the opportunity to "try on lifestyles" so to speak.  For instance, we've never lived in a big city before and found that we we really liked it - something we probably never would have discovered if we hadn't tried house sitting. This is one of the benefits we'll talk more about in our soon to be published manual on house sitting.  Stay tuned....we'll be posting some excerpts and some "how to" tips from the book soon!

In the mean time, we are a bit sad to be leaving Seattle because we've enjoyed it so much but we're excited too because we have some wonderful house sits coming up. We've got a two week break and we'll be spending some time with family taking an Alaska cruise (we'll post some pics for sure) and then we'll be house sitting in Richmond, just outside of Vancouver, B.C., for three weeks before going on to Vancouver Island for a six week house sit.  We promise to share some good posts and great pics along the way!

Seattle is a Siren

Sail boats and floating houses on Lake Union.  The new waterfront Ferris wheel opened just last week.
Downtown sparkles in the sunshine.

We've been in Seattle for over 3 weeks and, if you haven't noticed, we've posted very little. We've been too busy becoming infatuated....with Seattle!  Blessed with wonderful sunny days for the most part, it has been difficult to sit at the computer writing and getting together photos - especially as we see downtown and the Space Needle out the window beyond our desk.  

We've done  a few of the touristy things (Pike's Market, Bainbridge Island Ferry, a drive across Whidbey Island, the Museum of Flight, Woodinville wine tasting to name a few) but what we've enjoyed the most is just walking around soaking up the city swirling around us. Sunny, rainy, foggy, it doesn't matter - Seattle is a place to explore on foot. We stop for coffee or tea, sit on a park bench and take in the views of Lake Union, breath in the intoxicating blend of briny salt and blooming flowers.  We watch the fog drift over the tops of the skyscrapers, hop on and off buses like we are locals, all the while grateful that we've had time to get to know, and fall a little bit in love with, this beautiful city.

We know it's been done (and done) but who can resist colorful and entertaining Pike's Public Market?

 Fish and Chips at the Lockspot Cafe and alder smoked salmon cooked to perfection at the Ballard Seafoodfest.  

Seattle's neighborhoods each have their own unique appeal.  We're staying in Wallingford.
A stroll up 45th Avenue, the coffee shop around the corner and
some kitchy window dressing at the Hawaiian General Store. 

Woodinville's Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery.  Forget the wine - Colleen wants the Dorothy shoes!

The fog lends its own moody appeal to downtown.  At the Ballard Locks you can watch the ships go through
and the Salmon run.  Seattle's downtown skyline from the ferry docks.

The Piesinator

The Piesinator

What would the 4th of July be without a good old fashioned pie eating contest?  Rick rose to the occasion at the World of Wine competition for VIP tickets to an upcoming Zinfandel wine festival.  Finishing a respectable third  he said "I may need to practice my technique, that whipped cream was trouble from the start".  He did walk away with 2 tickets though as the winner didn't want them - claiming that he only came for the free pie! 

The competition

But the excitement didn't end with pie...

Seattle celebrated Independence Day with a spectacular fireworks show over Lake Union and it rocked!

Fireworks display over Lake Union and the Seattle Space Needle

Does it get any better than this?

Mind Lag

We wonder how long it will take our brains to catch up to our bodies.  We left Merida at 5:30 in the morning on a Thursday and by 9:00 a.m. we were in Houston.  By noon we were in L.A., by 6:00 p.m. in San Jose, 7:00 p.m. in Santa Cruz.  The next day we drove to Auburn to visit Colleen's folks, the day after that we were on the road to Seattle for our next house sitting assignment. We arrived the following day, crashed and tried to sleep, then met the homeowner at 8:00 a.m. for a 45 minute orientation before they handed us the keys and drove away.  So, here we are.  In a new city, a new house, with a new pet.  Whew!  Forget jet lag....we've got mind lag.

The house in Seattle is a well kept 100-year-old craftsman style with a cottage garden to die for.  It may rain a lot in Seattle, but they can grow anything!  We walk around the neighborhood and feel like we are in one big botanical garden.  From the house's second story we have a view of downtown Seattle and the Space Needle.  There are coffee shops, trendy restaurants and tempting food trucks, three organic farmer's markets and the "World of Wine" store just around the corner.  We must have died and gone to heaven somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico....

Hope

We have just one kitty to take care of here.  But she is one big kitty.  Her name is Hope and she is a Main Coon with a tail that talks.  Swish, swish, she lets us know in no uncertain terms when she is not in the mood for us, preferring to watch the birds in the feeder attached to the bedroom window.  We're okay with it.  We're just glad she finally came out from under the bed!


Seattle is sunny today - we know it won't last. But while it does we're headed out to enjoy it and you may not hear from us again until it rains.