SPOILED ROTTEN!!!

The photo collage above is from a little boating trip Kate and I got to take in Seattle this past weekend--but I'll get to that in a moment!

Our weekend started on Friday afternoon, when we arrived down South. Our friend Rain was our gracious hostess for the day, along with her husband Damon. The pair of them live on the East side of Lake Union, and Rain works for a sea plane company along the lakeshore. As such, Kate and I got to take an aerial tour above Seattle!! Here's some pics!





On saturday morning, Damon and Rain took us to the Locks, an impressive system of raising bridges and water locks that help get boats to and from the open sea in to the lakes. Here's some more pics of that outing!!
That afternoon, after saying adios to Rain and Damon, Kate and I headed out to the Elliot Bay Marina, where we were meeting Bob and Sally--they had given us an overnighter boat trip on The Roberta-- named after Bob's Mother--as a wedding gift, and we were ready to cash in!

Round about the time of our departure from the marina, the rain started, the winds kicked up, and consequently, our crossing from Seattle to our destination--Blake island--was done in a white squall. What's worse, Giant squid wrapped around the boat, A whale swallowed us, and I'm pretty sure we were boarded by pirates. okay, okay, so that may just be some books I read, but whatever. But really, it was very wet, and windy to be sure.

we dropped anchor around the wind-protected side of the island, and spent time talking and filling our stomachs in the cabin of the boat. at about six pm, the weather passed on, and we were treated to a nice evening walk and frisbee toss on the shore. Dinner ran late, but man, it was worth the wait. Halibut, sauteed in shallots, poached in white wine and topped with breadcrumbs, served on a bed of lentils, with salad and bread. YUMMM!

By then it was late, and we all went to bed...and awoke to a beauty of a day! we hit the shore after a long and leisurely breakfast (scones w/jam, bacon, scrambled eggs, juice / tea... just for the record...), and spent the next three hours or so circumnaviagting the island at low tide. I'll put on a whole whack of pics at the end of this entry, so if you're bored of reading my ramblings, feel free to move on... :) The walk was beatiful. we saw racoons feasting on low tide goodies at the water's ege, bald eagles, and plenty of seagulls. We stopped to build lots of obos (aka, inukshooks, to us Candians), play some frisbee or baseball with a tennis ball we found and a hefty stick, and did our part to pick up some garbage accumulating ion the shoreline.
after getting back on the boat, we prepared to set sail for the mainland. The weather was great, though not enough wind to warrant using the sails, so we chugged along under engine power. A few birds here, a few curious seals there, some dodged driftwood, and we were back at the Marina by late afternoon. What a fantastic couple of days!

But, Kate and I, being the people of leisure that we are at the moment, didn't drive back to BC right away. We stayed overnight with Bob's sister, Pam. It was nice to have a visit there, and THEN, on Monday, we finally headed home--but not before a stop at the Seattle outlets store (thanks for being strong these days Canadian Dollar!) I bought a fab pair of cargo khaki shorts from Eddie Bauer, if anyone cares :)

Claire, we missed you on this trip, but next time!

oh yes, and of course, somre more photos of our trip, posted below! Next entry: my adventures in Alberta. see you then!