Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Transitioning

It's the last day of September.  It turned out to be a more pleasant day than we were expecting.

Tom just mowed the lawn, which has gone lush again after the rain and an application of fertilizer. 

Sunday I got in my 3.5 mile walk and then worked in the yard with Tom.  I have begun cleaning out the beds and cutting back spent perennials. 
 Those dahlias will soon come out and be replaced with tulip bulbs ↓
Yesterday morning I started the day off with a dentist appointment.  I had a serious cavity in one of my wisdom teeth.  Such fun getting shot in the mouth and drilled and having to hold my jaw just so for far too long.  I didn't accomplish much after that - some housework and trip planning. It was dark and drizzly outside.

Today we expected more rain, so we decided to go get our flu shots and then do a little shopping for some items for our trip. When we got home, I sat down to pay the bills.  We bank with a credit union and they have been urging me to pay bills on line.  I do have all of our utilities on auto pay, but I decided to finally set up on line payment for my credit card bills.  It worked!  It's always fun to learn new stuff.  I also downloaded an app from my credit union for on line banking for my iPhone.  Now I can transfer money, monitor my accounts and pay bills remotely.  That could be handy when traveling.

While I was out walking this afternoon, Tom mowed and started emptying the garden beds. 
 As soon as I transplant these volunteer fox gloves Tom can prepare this bed to over-winter his bonsai.
 We have started moving tender plants into the green house. To do that we turned Irene's flower shop/playhouse back into a garden shed.

 The geranium jungle is gone from the front porch, replaced with a few winter pansies and flowering kale. 
This just got trimmed back for now ↓
Tom put the patio umbrellas away Sunday, and today I washed down the oil cloth table covers and put them away today.  It looks a little bare but soon the cedar tree will start shedding and make a mess so it's time. 
It looks like more sun is on the way.  That will make this little lingering sunflower happy!  Me too!

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Celebrating Sounders and Sun on a Seattle Saturday

We were off to the city by 11:00 sharp, but then Tom discovered that he had left his wallet home so I waited for him at the Link Light Rail station while he went hurriedly back home to get it. Fortunately it's less than two miles away.

Then we waited for the next train.  
 We were just in time for the March to the Match at noon.  As we reached the stadium I quickly hurried to the front to get a photo of the trophies.  On that trip to Philadelphia I helped win that 4th US Open Cup!
 "We are the blue, we are the green, we are the ECS and you can hear us scream!" (ECS = Emerald City Supporters.  We are two of them)
 It is National Hispanic Heritage Month, and we were playing a previously Mexican owned team, Chivas USA, so we had a Mariachi band!
 What a day! Green clad fans flocked to the stadium.
 We had lunch on our "view terrace". 

 The trophies were presented.


 Zach Scott was honored for playing in 300 Matches, all for the Seattle Sounders.  
 The sign says WIN.  We did!
 And as the stadium emptied, I looked at that solid blue sky and decided I was not ready to go home.
 My city beckoned. 
 We walked uptown, surrounded by Sounders fans and locals and tourists, and Mariners fans going the other way, to the baseball stadium next door the the soccer/football stadium. Most of us were playing, but Hammering Man always works.
We descended the University Street Hill Climb steps to the waterfront, where we found the gelato we were seeking.  We found a table at Waterfront Park where we chatted with a couple visiting from Alaska.

 We sat again by this fountain and enjoyed views of the city.
 We climbed back up the Pike Street stairs to The Market.

 It was packed so we kept popping in and out through the side doors.










 I really just wanted to see the flower stalls.  They are so beautiful this time of the year.


 You know there are tourists in town when it's this crowded in front of the original Starbucks. 

 Victor Steinbruck Park was packed with people enjoying the sun and the view.
 And look what I found peeking over the stadium. The mountain is out!
 So long, Seattle.  It's time to go to the train station and back home. 
 But we didn't stay there.  We went to the Red Robin in Des Moines for dinner, and then stopped by the marina to say goodbye to a perfect day.