Today was an action packed day that saw Daddy and I saddling up the steel horse and heading to the Green Lake wading pool first thing. Er… Second thing actually. Starbucks was first of course.

I played and splashed in the water for about an hour before getting chilled to the core… I couldn’t stop shaking or from chattering my teeth. Daddy decided it was time to switch to dry clothes and motate to the zoo in order to check out the flamingos and ride the carousel.

Phase 1 of his plan (biking to the zoo) went off without a hitch, but the agenda of seeing the flamingos and riding the carousel was shot down by yours truly as all I really wanted to do was run around inside Zoomazium. Go figure.

We did eventually go ride the carousel, but Daddy was a bit miffed I didn’t want to see the flamingos. But, it’s kind of like been there, done that.

Afterwards we headed to Mae’s Phinney Ridge Cafe for some ice cream and then to the Barking Dog for a quick beer while Daddy enjoyed his water.

Share This

At around 9:30am we headed to the Nordic Heritage Museum in our neck of the woods to meet up with the Burgess/Moriarty clan and get in on a pancake breakfast, Swedish style. The pancakes rocked, it was my first time having lingonberry jam (and definitely not the last), the on-site playground was duly rocked, sidewalk chalk art was mastered and a whole lot of Scandinavian culture was taken in.

Owen “The Blade” Moriarty

J.P. “Jumping Bean” Moriarty

Lynnie “Juicy Viking Couture” Burgess

Long before I was born, Mommy has been friends with Puget Sound architect John Ottenheimer. In addition to being an architect with over 70 years of experience, John is a philosopher, poet, farmer, designer, inventor, artist, pilot, craftsman, author, landscaper.

We headed up to Mukilteo, parked the (white) Koren Rocket and walked on to the Kittitas for the quick 15 minute crossing. On the other side we took the bus to Freeland where we met up with John and had some ice cream and conversation at a local cafe.

I know Mommy and Daddy had a great time catching up with him and hearing about his latest projects. After the ice cream he drove us around the island, showing us some of the great views and one of his projects that sits on a spectacular piece of land.

Whidbey was a very fun trip and we’re looking forward to visiting again sometime and spending more time in Coupeville and Langley in addition to more time with John. Fun day trip.

John Ottenheimer and Mommy at Clinton Beach on Whidbey Island

Share This

Today a bunch of us ladies headed to the Fairmount Olympic Hotel in downtown Seattle for high tea, or the Georgian Tea as branded by the hotel. It has been years since my last high tea experience (at the same site, but while a Four Seasons), and I had high expectations for a smoother experience at the very least.

The players for this event were: Me, Nana, Great-Auntie Sue, Mommy, cousin Jordan and cousin Vanda. I’m not sure how the staff got it all straight, but they were referring to us on a first name basis from pretty early on.

The service was top notch from the get-go and we gals had a ball. Little sandwiches, hot chocolate, fruit tarts, and impeccable service kept us loose and having fun. At one point when we needed to use the rest room, we were personally escorted and did our business while the escort waited outside. That’s pretty posh in my books folks.

Later on Daddy joined us at Nana’s only just before Great-Uncle Tom and Papa arrived home from a round at Echo Falls Golf Course. Buffalo burgers and turkey burgers were served hot off the girl as were a couple of naked toddlers. What is it with NTS, or Naked Toddler Syndrome?

Share This

Daddy and I had a great date day as Mommy fully engaged in the Seafair Half-Marathon coming in at 2 hours and 2 minutes. Holy SH*T… That’s AWESOME Mommy!

Wow… While she was rocking the house on the half marathon course, Daddy and I biked to Green Lake (Lago Verde) to meet up with the Tiritilli/Villarans (Larry, Sofia, Leo and Mirta) for some hot and steamy wading pool action.

There was lots of wading, splashing, sunscreen and all around good times. Not once did Sofia or I get into any situations where either of us needed to show some fang. A highlight was the lady literally pedaling ice cream from her ice cream bike. Sofia and I each picked out a Strawberry, lemon-lime and raspberry princess ice cream on a stick. That might sound like a weird flavor combo, but it was the bee’s knees.

Afterwards Daddy and I rode back home, had a quick bite to eat and then rode down to the Majestic Bay to catch the opening of WALL-E.

As I was one of the first through the door, I even got a commemorative WALL-E watch. Cool beans.

We snacked on popcorn and giggled at all of WALL-E’s cute mannerisms and his crush on EVE.

The movie was cute, but not nearly as funny as the recently viewed Kung Fu Panda.

I suppose it’s because there was a minimum of dialogue with a lot of what was happening being conveyed by body (robot) language and context, I was lost more than a few times.

A bike back uphill to our house, some shenanigans in the backyard, a bath and I was done. Great date day with Daddy!

Share This

Daddysaurus was bestowed a rare free day off today and decided to whisk he and I to Vantuckey/PDX for a long overdue visit to Grammy Sam.  Hope Gonzales, friend of Mommy’s and manager at the Mercer Island drive-thru Starbucks, was going crazy on maternity leave while waiting the arrival of her first child and with sublime timing, scored yours truly a traveling art project kit that packs up nicely in its own luggage-like wheelie back.  The art project-a-thon with Grammy Sam is ON!!

For the first time in my life there were no cats or dogs pounding Korean Rocket Rojo (or Blanco for that matter) on the 3-ish hour trip down to the ‘Tuckey.  It was sunny and the roads were clear… Smoove sailin’ as they say on the mean streets of Des Moines.  Alas, there was a fair amount of radar-equipped fuzz in Fife and Dupont… Leadfoot Beelman narrowly averted a hefty fine on a couple of occasions.

Grammy Sam was in fine form and was able to carry on with composure in spite of the 100 degree inland heat that plagued the area.  TGFAC… Thank Gawd for Air Conditioning is where I’ll start and most certainly where I’d like it to end.  Grammy Sam wasn’t so much into participating in having a tit-for-tat art-a-thon with me, but she kept a keen eye on each and every stroke of my glitter pens.  I truly think she was in awe of my stencil skills and overall artistic prowess.  She should be… I’m fierce, yo.

4:30pm rolled around before we knew it and it was time to lay rubber to the road.  Bye for now… See you next time.  Long drive home.  Zzzzz.  TGFAC!

Share This

Since Henry and the Family Light will soon be moving to Portland, Mommy thought it would be cool if he and I spent some time together while giving Don an Amy a chance to have one kid out of the house while they frantically prepare it to go on the market.

She devised the plan of picking Henry up and heading to the Majestic Bay in Ballard to watch Kung Fu Panda. Upon my arrival he presented me with a wrist corsage (pinning it to my chest was too frightening a concept) and he was wearing a boutonniere. Awesome.

And here’s a pic grabbed from Daddy’s iPhone of Henry with his hand in the popcorn bag… Good thing it wasn’t on my leg, or Daddy would have had to given him a stern talking to!

Share This

Yesterday was the first of what will likely be many family bike rides. We headed down 8th Avenue NW, joined up with the Burke-Gilman Trail and headed east. Daddy popped into Recycled Cycles, his bike shop of choice, to pick up a bell before we continued on to University Village.

Mommy and Daddy loaded up on coffee while I slugged down a mango juice. I spent about an hour on the playground there as Mommy took some time in Fireworks and Daddy has a quick look at some photo books at Barnes & Noble.

On the ride home we stopped in Fremont at PCC to grab a lunch and then it was on to Cold Stone Creamery for some ICE CREAM!! The rest of the ride home was uneventful, be all three of us were glad we made the whole without rain. Fun!

Share This

It had been too long since I personally have paid a visit to Grammy Sam, so Daddy and I set about rectifying that matter while Mommy donned Lycra and spent the better part of the day biking and running her way through some schizo spring Seattle weather (rain, sleet, AND snow).

Three hours in the car down to Grammy Sam’s (relatively) new digs in the Hazel Dell area of Vantuckey Vancouver and we were finally there. But only in time to be mauled by all of the old ladies that live there. Daddy and I had no idea that it would be so crazy. The old ladies dig the Ella. For real.

Visiting Grammy Sam was a hoot in spite of the pawing I took from the adoring masses, but the highlight was actually playing hide-and-seek with Daddy during a sun break in Highgate’s courtyard. Fun stuff. Daddy’s not very good at hiding though… He always seems to reveal himself after I call out to him three of 4 times. Sucka.

Tickle, tickle!

Share This

Today’s big event was a drop-off birthday party at uber-pal Owen Moriarty’s.  He’s all, like… Four years old and shizz now.

Lynnie and Joe arranged to have a GIANT bouncy house in their IMMACULATELY MANICURED backyard for the 23 boys and two girls, myself included, to go nuts in.

Being April 19th, I don’t think they reckoned that there’d be sleet, rain, snow and a whole lot of weather-related craziness.  But, no worries as it was all nothing a cocktail couldn’t fix.

Happy birthday Owen… I love you!!!

Share This

Tonight the Silver Wheatley, nee Galloway, came over to relieve Mommy and Daddy from their usual Friday night parental obligatos so that they could go out to dinner at How to Cook a Wolf with Daddy’s co-worker Patrick Napper and wife Rebecca Luke.

Silver and I didn’t make it too far into Ratatouille before I was lights out. Easy peazey for her. Mommy and Daddy didn’t come off too easy in the $$ department with the 2 hours spent idly tossing back the bevvies at Opal on top of dinner, but I hear the restaurant had some very tasty fare. Although not a place they’d return to due to the ASININE practice of no reservations.

And WTF with the crazy April snow?!! It was really coming down and STICKING!

Share This