More of Richard's Visit

Richard on the San Juan Ferry Ride

Me on the San Juan Ferry Ride


Funny little island in Eastsound, Orcas Island

Funny little bird on the tideflats

View from the little island



Exploring while waiting for our delayed ferry off of Orcas Island...


Lake Union from the Ride the Ducks tour

That little ship in the middle was on "Deadliest Catch"!


Gasworks from the water

The skyline with another duck in view


I took Richard to the airport this morning :( These two weeks have gone by so fast--we've been so busy! It was great having him here, and I'm missing him already...
Day 1: I picked him up at SeaTac around noon. We picked up Dick's burgers & shakes and had lunch at Gasworks Park. It's one of my favorite places in Seattle--I love the view of the skyline across Lake Union. And of course, Dick's is a must--very classic American drive-in, and unique to Seattle. We went home & hung out with my mom--had an early night in after that long flight (about 10 hrs from Amsterdam).

Day 2: Richard & I stayed home with my mom. In the evening Mal & Erik came over for a BBQ, and the four of us walked down to the beach after dinner.

Day 3: First proper Seattle day--we made it to the waterfront around noon and had Ivar's for lunch. Had a great time feeding the seagulls :) We walked around the Market and I pointed out all the great touristy bits--the first Starbucks, the piano guy, the fish-throwing fishmongers, etc. We went to Fremont and had gelato under the Lenin statue, then met up with my UW clustermate friends at the Ram in UVillage for dinner. It was great--they loved him, like I knew they would ;)

Day 4: Another busy Seattle day, starting out with a trip up the Space Needle. We had a great day for it--perfectly clear skies :) While we were up there, we saw a couple that had just gotten engaged, so that was cute. Went down to Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch and then checked out the Olympic Sculpture Park across the road. Met up with my friend Rachael for a bit outside the Market, then went back to Seattle Center for EMP/SFM. I'd never seen the Sci-Fi part (it's new since I'd been there last, and I'm not a sci-fi fan...), but it was actually pretty good. It's not all Star Trek/Star Wars, much to my relief ;) I also found the whole concept interesting--a museum of a genre? Like if there were a comedy museum, or a drama museum...Anyway, I was in my element over in the EMP side, and Richard liked it, too.

Day 5: Mom's birthday and Independence Day! In the morning Julie & Debbie came over and we had BBQ leftovers for lunch, and did Mom's cake & ice cream & present opening :) Richard & I went to Everett's Legion Park to watch the fireworks display--it was really good! Definitely what I was looking for--not too crazy crowded like Gasworks, but more impressive than Stanwood. I was glad Richard got to experience a proper 4th of July!

Day 6: Richard, Mom and I went on the North Cascades Highway out to Winthrop. We wandered around the shops and had a nice dinner before heading home. It was great! I'm so glad Richard & my mom get along so well, too :)

Day 7: I took us to this Surprise Lake hike that I'd done in high school, and it was terribly steep and difficult! I had only myself to blame, as I'd picked it out. We should've done the ice caves! On the way home, we had Alfy's for dinner, so that was good. Almost makes up for my bad choice of hikes ;)

Day 8: I really needed a day off to recover from that hike--my leg muscles were killing me! We stayed home during the day, and my mom made pot roast for dinner. In the evening we went to see "Eclipse", and it was really good--much better than "New Moon." I'm really glad Richard's willing to see these Twilight movies with me--they're such a guilty pleasure ;)

Day 9: We got an early start and went up to Orcas Island to camp at Moran State Park. It was absolutely gorgeous, and we got lucky--only 2 campsites left & we got one! We had a fantastic evening at the lake and around the campfire, eating hot dogs and roasting marshmallows :) We were really lucky with the weather, too--80 degrees & dry! I think it was the hottest day we've had all summer.

Day 10: On the way home from the campground, we got delayed at the ferry terminal for 4 hours. It was ridiculous, but we made the best of the situation--had a nice walk around the shops and ate a picnic lunch in the shade. I made enchiladas for dinner when we got home and we watched "Death at a Funeral."

Day 11: Richard & I had a bit of a free, unplanned day and it was fantastic. I drove him around the Tulalip reservation--very interesting, as we just don't have reservations in England ;) Then we went to Alderwood Mall for awhile, and had lunch at Panera--he really liked it! I called Mal to make evening plans, and on the way home I took Richard to Mukilteo. We had a lovely walk around the lighthouse and beach, and saw a group setting up for a beach wedding :) In the evening, Mal took us out to dinner/drinks with Erik and we had a great time! Richard will probably never understand my love for drinking out of Mason jars, but I'm glad I've shown him how things are done in the country ;)

Day 12: Richard, my mom & I went to Casper's for lunch--it's an amazing Southern restaurant at 152nd and Aurora, just north of Seattle. It was delicious as usual :) We went downtown to see the Seattle Public Library--none of us had been inside before, and it was really cool! Definitely worth visiting. We walked around downtown a bit, visited the SAM gift shop, then stopped in at Cafe Ladro. They do an amazing blended frozen latte that is way better than a Starbucks frappuccino--I know that sounds blasphemous, but it's true. In the evening we watched "The Holiday" and didn't even need dinner after that meal at Casper's!

Day 13: For our last Seattle day, Richard & I went on the "Ride the Ducks" tour. Janette had told me it was really fun, and I didn't really believe her, but she was right! I was impressed--lots of locals were on it, and it wasn't cheesy or over-the-top like I thought it would be. It goes all over the city and the Captain was fun and not at all irritating. After the tour, we had lunch at the Queen Anne location of Pagliacci's, my favorite pizza place and my main form of sustenance at UW. We met up with Mrs. Dartnall for coffee in Marysville and had a great time chatting with her. On the way home, we went to Camano Island State Park for a bit, then came home for an early night and Ivar's clam chowder for dinner.

Day 14: On the way to the airport we went to Stanwood Cafe for breakfast. The servings were massive and the Cafe had the usual old guys for patrons at 7:30am--it was exactly what I wanted Richard to experience ;) It was really hard to say goodbye at the airport. I wanted to just get on the plane with him, or keep him here. I don't care what anybody tells you, this whole long-distance relationship thing sucks. 2 more months to go, and then I'll be back in Leeds doing my PhD and living the dream again :)