Pike's Market

Pike's Market is one of the big places to see in Seattle, so last Saturday Mike and I decided we needed to go. It was a blast! It's like a giant, well, market. There were booths and stores everywhere selling everything from custom cutting boards to handmade trinkets to food. It was so much fun to look at everything. Though I tried not to get to close, so no vendors would mistake us for actual customers. We were just looking this time around. I think Mike only took a picture of the entrance, there were just too many things going on inside! Mike thought about buying some smoked salmon (yuck!), but he decided to wait.

This is actually only a very small part of the market

We walked by a totem pole

Bottom of the totem pole

A farmer statue. We thought he looked like Mario.

After we left the market, we decided to go walk down to the piers since we were only a couple blocks away. It reminded me of Fisherman's wharf in San Francisco. There were more shops to look at and seafood places everywhere. My favorite shop was the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. It had just about everything you could imagine including two mummies! Mike and I debated for awhile about whether they were real or not. I was leaning toward no, but when I looked it up online, sure enough they are real mummies. I just never expected to see real mummies in a random shop on the waterfront. The shop also had some good fudge. 

It's hard to see amidst the trash, but there's a jellyfish in the middle.

Old-fashioned fire truck

We found a nice big pier with a good view of the Sound and of the city behind us. It was a really clear day, so  we could see both Mt. Rainier and the Olympic mountains. I love seeing Mt. Rainier. It always looks so big and grand. Where we live is actually closer to it than Seattle, but we hardly ever see it because there's too many trees in the way or it's too cloudy. Sometimes I can't tell if I'm seeing the top of the mountain or if it's actually a cloud. 

Mt. Rainier

Olympic Mountains and the Sound

Part of the city

We walked by the aquarium. I'm looking at a sea anemone, and we didn't even have to go in!

Cool fountain

The ferry!

We ended up eating dinner at a fish and chips place. They thankfully also had chicken since I don't like seafood. Mike enjoyed his prawns though! Then we got to eat along a pier with some lovely seagulls perching quite close and yelling occasionally. While we were standing in line, I saw my old Italian teacher from BYU! He actually recognized me and showed me his daughter who was born, I believe, while he was my teacher. It was the last place I expected to see anyone I knew. Earlier we had run into a friend in the middle of the market too, but she lives in Seattle so it wasn't quite as unexpected. There was also a guy standing next to us in line wearing a BYU mechanical engineering T-shirt. I nudged Mike, and he started talking to the guy since Mike just graduated from the same place with the same degree (he even has the same T-shirt). It turns out the guy lives right by us and is in our stake (church region)! He gave Mike his business card and told him to send him an email so we can get together sometime. Who knows, we may have just made some good friends. I love how small the world is sometimes!

We had a lot of fun, but we're going to have to go back soon. We missed the throwing of the fish, the gum wall, and I'm sure we missed many booths. I can't wait!

Snoqualmie Falls and the 4th of July

When we were getting ready to move, everyone asked us if we were prepared for it to rain all the time. As it turns out in Seattle it doesn't rain all the time, but it is cloudy and a little chilly most of the time. However, the 4th of July weekend was perfect. It was warm and sunny and we decided we needed to get outside. So the Saturday before the 4th, we decided we'd go to Snoqualmie Falls. Mike had heard about it from some of his co-workers, and it sounded really cool so we went.

Snoqualmie Falls is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, a pretty waterfall. It's in the Cascade Mountains and is owned by Puget Sound energy. They use the falls to generate electric power and have since the 1890s!

There were lots of people there, since it was such a nice day, and we even passed by a wedding. It was a beautiful place and it was so nice to get out. We stopped at a Teriyaki place to eat on the way home. It was really good, and it's run by a couple. The husband cooks, and the wife waits tables and works the cash register. It was so cute!

Top of the falls

Pretty rainbow

Mike trying to be artsy

The 4th was a blast! We had a ward pancake breakfast in the morning where another couple invited us to go rock climbing with them. It was another beautiful day, so we decided we should to go and do something outdoorsy. We haven't gotten the pictures from them yet, but it was really fun. We went into the mountains to a place that is made for rock climbers(they have bolts and stuff to hook your rope to), but is still outside. We had to hike for awhile to get there. I used trekking poles for the first time, and they're amazing! Usually after I hike, walk, run, or whatever for awhile my knees start to hurt. Not this time! I think I'm going to get some for myself. The guy we went with is really into rock climbing, so we felt safe since he really knew what he was doing. He had all the equipment already, including shoes he could let us borrow. It was definitely nerve-racking and difficult, but he walked us through everything and I managed to make it to the top of the first two we did. By the last one though, I was too tired. Anyway, it was fun and definitely an adventure.

We were planning on going into Seattle to see the fireworks, but rock climbing took longer than we expected and we would never have found parking or a good spot to watch. Apparently Seattle fireworks are a big deal. So we just went to our local show right the building where Mike works. It was still a decent show. While we were waiting I made Mike read the Declaration of Independence with me (I'm a history teacher after all!) and it was nice to remember what our founding fathers did for us. Happy Birthday America!