Seattle--Days 5 & 6

On Wednesday, we just relaxed at Gail's house and spent some time together as a family, which was nice. Gail had to work, but since she works from home, it was nice to be able to chat with her during her breaks and when she didn't have to take a call. Then on Thursday, we went to the Seattle Art Museum, because the admission is free for the first Thursday of every month. You can't beat that! We had a great time looking at all of the exhibits. My favorite, of course, was the European art; we saw some great pieces, both religious and otherwise. None of us really cared much for the Modern art; some things, like a blank canvas--yes, BLANK--with a black border is something that any of us could do, no matter how artistically inclined we are or are not. Kate loved the kids' area the best, of course! We met two other couples who had children (both girls) who were almost the same age as Kate. One was only four days older than Kate is! So it was fun to see them interact.

That night, we went to Salty's on Alkai, which is a great seafood restaurant my mom had recommended. We went on a night they were having a fish fry special, and it was amazing. We all had the two-piece fish dinner, with one halibut and one salmon, although the salmon was way better. Their desserts were amazing, too; Gail & I shared the white chocolate mousse cake, and it was every bit as delicious as it sounds.

And, as a fun little twist, we got to take the Salty's limo back to the pier to catch the ferry. We had taken a cab to get to Salty's, but we were a little hesitant to use the cab again, since we felt like we had gotten taken advantage of. We asked the cab driver how much it would be to get to Salty's, and he said $20. I had mapquested it, and I knew it was only five miles away, so I thought he was just estimating. We noticed halfway through the ride that the meter wasn't running, and then when we got there, he said it was $20. Hmmm. Even though the posted rate was $2.50/mile, and we only went five miles, so shouldn't that be $12.50 or thereabouts? But, stupid me, I was too shy to say something, and Dan and Gail hadn't noticed, so we paid our $20 and went to dinner. But I definitely didn't want to take a cab back (at least not a cab from the same company!), so while I was in the restroom, Dan talked to the manager and asked if there was an alternative way to get back to the pier. The manager had been fawning over Kate all night (and really, can you blame her? haha) so she was incredibly helpful, and just offered us the use of their limo. How nice! And, as a kicker, the driver was from Lake Geneva and had family in Madison, as well as Buffalo Grove & Lake Zurich, IL. What a small world!


In the kids' area of the museum






Thrilled with her balloon from Salty's!




Mad that Daddy actually had the audacity to hold her, instead of just letting her roam free in a moving vehicle.

On the ferry ride home, she seriously entertained herself for most of the hour-long ride back by putting a piece of paper in this cup holder, then getting off the bench to fetch it from the floor, getting back up on the bench, and doing it all over.




My happy girl!


Can I just tell you how much I love this beautiful, sweet, precious girl? Isn't she adorable??