Seattle Sightings with Amelia!

When weather is good in Seattle, it is very, very good!! The past few days have been beautiful -- warm temps, sunny skies and cool breezes! It was imperative to get out and visit some of the local sights in Ballard where Zanne and Justin live. They live about a mile from the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks which provide the transportation from the Puget Sound to Lake Washington. I think everyone is Seattle owns a boat from the number of marinas and boats I have seen! At the same site are the Carl S. English Botannical Gardens which gently surround the locks -- it is just beautiful this time of year with everything in bloom. This was the view later in the evening from our hotel balconey looking to Mt. Ranier.

Like many things in the park, an unnamed flowering tree.

A view into the Locks but no ships were passing through at the time. This is the view toward Lake Washington.

These are some of the brilliant lavender azaleas I have seen all over.

These are more of the flowering trees and shrubs at the park -- note the azure blue sky!

Here is Zanne and Amelia with the locks in the background. Amelia clearly did not like her stroller and was only happy when mom picked her up for awhile. She responded with rage most of the way home when she was back in the stroller!!

Sunday, while Ann was still here, we visited the beach along the Puget Sound which is a short drive from Zanne's. A special treat there is the duck pond and there were all sorts of newborn ducks there this day as well.

I got to hold a very calm happy baby in the morning yesterday while her mother got a shower and cleaned up!

I couldn't resist this picture of Frig, their 30 lb orange tabby who rules his domain and likes to wander the hallway of the apartment building!

This was one of the many ducks at the duck pond.

I have no idea what this tree is but it was very interesting with these flowers handing off it all over!

This is ma mallard with her 11 chicks close behind. They are about the youngest I have seen out in the water! They almost ran across the top of the water and mom had to keep corraling them in.

I thought this was a beautiful flowering shrub growing wild in the area.

It has been a treat the last few mornings to drive down the road from the hotel to Zanne's. From the first hill I view the Olympic Mountains rising out of the city, all snow covered. Later as I get closer to her apartment, Mt. Rainier rises out of the landscape with the Seattle skyline in the foreground. I swear Mt. Rainier looks larger with this perspective than it did from on top of the Space Needle!! From our hotel we also get the view to the Cascades and Mount Rainier as well all snow covered. Justin went snowboarding this weekend. They would keep the resort open except it is elk calfing time so they close for that but will reopen later if there is still snow!

You can see from this picture how neglectful her parents are (not)!