On the Road Again

The view from Sunset Park

I am just so lucky, lucky to be able to travel, to have family that lives in fabulous places, and to have the time to do it.
And lucky that every time I visit statistically rainy Seattle I have at least one or two absolutely breathtaking days.
Seattle didn't disappoint me.
Sunset Hill Park is one of my very favorite places to visit in Seattle. It offers spectacular views and when I see Golden Garden Park below and to the right (that little point of land) I know I have to walk, not drive, down to it. The seals were having a barking party on a buoy out beyond the rocks and you could hear them for miles.

I fueled up with a latte and headed down.

Trust me down is a whole lot more fun than up!

and I'll spare you the photos of that.

It's a pretty walk and one is rewarded with lovely vistas along the way especially in winter with the deciduous trees bare.  I saw lots of crow and one tiny hummingbird that was too speedy for my camera skills.

 

Here I am at ground zero in Golden Gardens Park.

Look at that incredible sky, will you?

After that big hike I rewarded myself with a trip to Miro Tea. I had my "usual" apple, gouda and basil panini and a pot of white tea, took my book and enjoyed myself.

And what is a trip to Ballard without a visit to Cupcake Royale?  The first of at least a couple, I hope.

When asked, my server suggested his favorite- a nod to Elvis- a banana cupcake with peanut butter and chocolate frosting topped with banana chips and bacon.

Super Yummy, but not my favorite- so I'll have to go back. Darn.

As a bonus, it was free day at the photo booth as they were having a tasting event for Deathcake from 5-7. Missed the tasting but took advantage of the photo booth. It is a little intimidating to do an out in the open booth with strangers staring at you, especially when you are alone.

yikes!

I ended the evening with this beautifully prepared meal by Amy and Rachel from their new book Plenty that I gave them for Christmas. It is a beautiful cookbook, with great pictures and recipes that are all vegetarian. But all of the reviews say that you won't care if you aren't vegetarian because the recipes are fantastic. I'd buy it for the photos alone. But, that's me. I buy Martha Stewart magazine for the same reason.

Montlake

Bridge to Mark Island

beautiful

I took Amy to an interview with a professor from UCSF, which could be her post-doc stop. And despite all of my efforts to be in the right lane and not cross the Montlake bridge, I did.

Happy accident. I went down the one way street to turn around and ended up at Montlake. The fog of the promising sunny day was shrouding it and I had to go take a look.

I got these spectacular photos. It makes me want to go take similar shots on a "normal" day to show the comparison. You can't see it, but the university stadium is in the distance in the shot with the ducks. Not so pretty on a clear day.

Next stop, snowshoeing-

Talk about breathtaking!

wonder what little bird's nest this is?

On the way home, we stopped at Snoqualmie Falls. So glad we made it before sunset.

the end of a beautiful day with my sweet Amy and Rachel

It was just..................