On June 29, we began our tour of Seattle at the Pike Place Market where we ate lunch in a restaurant overlooking Elliott Bay. What was on the menu? Salmon, of course. We observed that salmon is nearly as common as hamburgers in Seattle. Our next stop was Seattle Center, home of the famous Space Needle. We visited the Chihuly Museum. Frieda is very fond of Chihuly’s work, in part because it often mimics natural objects and living organisms. Fortunately, you don’t need a Ph.D. in marine biology to appreciate the art in this museum. Here is a picture of Uncle Jack and I standing in the garden next to the museum:

Next up was a trolley tour of the city. Our guide was none other than my friend and former colleague, Carole Linhart. After she left Aspen Technology in 2002, Carole worked for a while at Trizetto in Union, NJ, and then moved back to Washington where her daughter attended college. At that time, Carole decided to trade in her high-tech spurs for a career in tourism and physical fitness. During the warm weather months, she works for the Emerald City Trolley and leads guided tours of scenic areas in Washington and Alaska. During the cold months, she is a Pilates and CPR instructor. After the tour, we gathered at the Crab Pot restaurant on the waterfront for dinner, where we enjoyed some excellent crabs and oysters. Here is a picture of us with Carole in the restaurant. Carole is at left:

On June 30, we visited the “People’s Republic of Fremont,” which is located a just a few miles west of Jack and Frieda’s house. We inspected several local attractions, including the Fremont Troll, the statue of Lenin, the Fremont Rocket, Waiting for the Interurban, and Theo Chocolate Factory. The first four of those attractions are outdoor art works. I understand there is a local ordinance that mandates a percentage of the city’s budget must be devoted to public art. As a result, the city is fairly bristling with it. Here is a picture of Angelica and I standing in front of the Fremont Troll:

The Theo Chocolate Factory was a real treat (pun intended). We purchased quite a few of the factory’s products. We had already discovered Chukar Cherries while at the Pike Street Market the day before. Both the sampling of Theo chocolates and the Chukar Cherries were very well received by family and friends when we returned to New Jersey.

Coincidentally, there was a street fair taking place in Fremont while we were there. I think it was on 34th Street. Here is a picture of Uncle Jack at the street fair:

In the afternoon, Angelica and I were on our own because Jack had an appointment at the medical center. We had lunch with Ian McPherson and his wife, Corinne, who were living in the Seattle area at the time. Ian is a salesman who worked for Sector Micro Computer before I started working there in 2009. I had heard a lot about him, but never met him before.

After lunch, we walked to the University of Washington where we visited the Burke Museum of Natural History, and toured the beautiful campus. Here is a picture of me in front of Drumheller Fountain. If you squint, you can see Mt. Rainier in the distance:

On July 1, we drove to Mt. Rainier National Park. It is very difficult for me to convey in words the majestic beauty of that place. Jack and Frieda were good sports and agreed to stop wherever I asked them to so that I could take pictures. I took a lot of pictures. Even if I were to share all of the pictures with you, there is no way that you can imagine what it is like if you have never been there. Along the way, we stopped at Longmire and Narada Falls. We drove all the way to Paradise at the base of the mountain. Yes, the visitor center really is called Paradise, and the Paradise Inn is located there. When we inquired, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that there were accommodations available at the Inn that night. We booked our rooms, and then headed for the trails.

Even though it was the first day of July, the hills and the meadows and most of the trails surrounding the Paradise Inn were still covered with snow and ice. But that did not stop the visitors from exploring the area and enjoying its scenic beauty. There were some people who were skiing in one place, while others were sliding down the hills in the snow on their trousers. Here is a picture of us in the park with the mountain in the background:

We enjoyed a pleasant dinner at the Inn and stayed overnight. The next day, we drove to the Sunrise Visitor Center. Along the way, we drove through Stevens Canyon, we stopped at Reflection Lake, Box Canyon, and the Grove of the Patriarchs. Here is a picture of us near Sunrise: