Welcome to the Emerald City

A bit of a stressful drive from Portland to Seattle yesterday. There was a big pile-up right in the middle of Tacoma that set-me-back about three-quarters of an hour. And between Milton and downtown Seattle it was raining like a bull pissing on a flat rock (this expression courtesy of Ms. Terry Harrigan who observed the same phenomena in Ballard minutes before I discovered it on my own). I would have pulled over; but was too scared to change lanes so locked-on to the car in front of me and hoped for the best. By the time I got to Ballard the sun was shining. Such is Spring in the Great Northwest.

I'm now ensconced in Hotel Harrigan. Slept like a baby. Terry and I went over to see Marian at Virginia Mason last evening. She is in good spirits, seems to have a reasonable appetite, and not much pain - except when the PT/OT monkeys work her over. We're all hoping and expecting discharge before the week is out.

Right now I'm at Tully's Coffee House on Market Street in Ballard. After a read of the news and a latte I will leg-it back to the apartment and get my gym gear. The Ballard Gym is in the neighborhood and I'll see about weekly or a month pass. Then I'll take the bus to town to begin training as Marian's in-home PT. I don't rightly recall dad's exercises when he had his hip replacements.

The FUN agenda for the next few weeks is in development. Cabaret is playing at the 5th Avenue and Terry appears amenable to a night at the theater. Also, opening day for the M's is right around the corner and MAYBE the gals and their pals could come-up from Portland for a game. And there is a Roman artifacts exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum which both Terry and I would like to see.

As usual, my main entertainment will be walking around taking pictures. This activity - or at least the enjoyment of it - is highly weather dependent. So I will play it by ear. It's actually quite nice this morning; but there are supposed to be showers in the vicinity later today.

Ah, yes, one last little amusing anecdote from Portland

BLONDS AND MAPS

A couple of days ago I was having my morning coffee at an establishment on Broadway and two attractive 30-something blonds came into view. One of them was carrying a map. They stood on the corner and both of them studied the map intently. It was clearly a Portland walking-map. The map was rotated 90 degrees in one direction - and then the other. They methodically faced north, then west, then south, then east like a pair of towheaded radio antennae.

Then they crossed the street to the opposite corner and repeated the process in every detail. A brief consulation ensued; and then they lit-out down Broadway toward the hotel.

I finished my coffee and started back to my room. And along come the blonds at full-tilt headed back in the opposite direction - engaged in heated debate. Apparently the initial bearings had proved faulty and they were headed back to ground zero to recalibrate.

I offer no sociological or biological explanation for this odd behaviour and leave it to the reader to draw his or her own conclusions.

More later...