On Saturday we got up early and headed to Astoria. My niece, Ella, was in a play. We also wanted to b able to say goodbye to everyone before we left. We had a great drive. When we got to my brother's house he was ready to go. His wife, Michelle, was working until 5:00 and Ella's play was not until 3:00. With Ella at her rehearsal we had a few hours to hang out with my brother and explore Astoria. It was a gorgeous day in Astoria. We ended up going on a little tour of the area. They were having an "open studio" day. This is where the artist from the area open their studios for people to come in and see and to talk with. We saw one artist out on the corner blocking one of his paintings. We talked to him for awhile and found out he started the paining on the Fourth of July. He was almost finished blocking it and then he will paint the remainder of the oils at his home studio. Some of you may think that he had been working on the painting for a long time, but in reality with the weather in Astoria he had to work on and off. (It is rainy quite a bit in Astoria.) They have been revitalizing one area in Astoria so my brother took us to a brewery that has taken over an old automotive area. It was beautiful. We went on a brewery tour (no we didn't have any samples...it was just a learning about the process) and learned a lot of things. I never knew that working in a brewery was such hard work. We went to the play and Ella did a great job being a wallybird. The play had a little twist at the end....she didn't eat children that she had been catching, she just needed to have them help her with her garden. She was a vegetarian. It was very cute and very funny. It was put on by the missoula theater organization. They were in Astoria for one week where they have the kids come and learn the play and practice and then they put on the show. It is a great summer activity for the kids. After the play we ran home for a short time before heading to Drina Daisy (a Bosnian restaurant) for an early dinner. Michelle was able to meet us and we had an amazing meal. Then Mark and I headed back to Salem. We drove a lot those days.
Sunday was a day of errands, cleaning and packing. We got everything done and were able to relax a little in the evening.
Today is was off to Seattle. We got up early (yes, we had to use an alarm clock) to head to Seattle. It took us about 3 and 1/2 hours to get to our hotel. We checked in and then went to catch the light rail (the Line) to take us into Seattle down by the water. Seattle is a city that I want to come back to and spend a few days. There is a lot to do in the area and the transportation system is great! We walked around The Public Market, saw the original Starbucks (no we didn't go in....the line was SOOOO long), had lunch at Elliots, and then took the monorail to the Space Needle. We waited in line which did take a while. We really enjoyed the view from the top. We had the photo taken as you get ready to take the elevator up. I am not sharing it because it is so hockey. It is a fake background and it really looks fake. I just have it for us to remember our trip to the top. After returning to our hotel later in the day I needed to repack for tomorrow.
Now everything is packed and ready to go. We do not have to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow. We will get up, get ready, eat and then we can head to the airport. My flight doesn't leave until 2:00 PM, but I will be there at noon (2 hours early). I will probably not be in contact after tomorrow morning until I get to Japan on Wednesday, August 1st. I do not arrive until later in the evening. On August 2nd I meet with the person who will be taking me to look at apartments. Cross your fingers that I find one the first time out. I want to be able to get settled before Mark and the cats come (and Melvie).
I'll be in touch as soon as I can!!!
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