Fun in Seattle, Tacoma, and a Birthday Party!

We had a big trip to Seattle all planned out, but at the last minute Zephyr got a fever and Dohnele's grandmother passed away.  So Dohnele and Zephyr stayed home and I took the girls north.  Of course the trip would have been more fun with everyone there, but we made the most of it.

On the first day, we stopped off at the annual Pie and Brew Festival in Albany.  But we only stayed long enough for a quick chat and a quick beer.  Then we zipped up to Olympia where we met up with Matt and Jessica for dinner (they were passing through on their way back to Sitka).  We had a picnic in the park which was good as the girls got to run around a bunch.  We drove the rest of the way to North Seattle and spent the night.

The next morning, we went to Larsen's Bakery and got some cookies for the grandparents and a mid-morning treat for ourselves.  We drove to Golden Gardens Beach to enjoy our cakes and to walk on the beach for a bit.  At 10-in-the-morning, the beach was pretty empty and really quite fun.  The girls found a bunch of agates and sea shells to show the grandfolks.

We visited with the grandfolks for a few hours which was nice and then drove south to the Air & Space Museum.  Emma really wanted to see the Saturn V rocket engine on display and to walk through some of the airplanes on display.

 inside Air Force 1

 787 engine

 787 fuselage

 787 tail

 Air Force 1 tail

 B-29

 F1 engine of Saturn V rocket

 Carrier aircraft display

After the museum, we drove back to Ballard for dinner at Ridge Pizza.  Great pizza, great service, great company, and great beer.  Then we hopped in the car and drove to Tacoma and our hotel for the next couple nights.

For the Fourth of July, the road by the hotel was shut down for a fair of sorts.  We walked up and down the street, bought some fun clothes, and of course some fair food.  There was an air show that afternoon which was fun to see.  That evening, the hotel had reserved a dock from which we watched fireworks and had cake and champagne (sparkling cider for the girls!)

On the final day, we drove home, but stopped off in Portland to visit Powell's Bookstore.  Everyone picked out a few books and was happy!.

And finally, we celebrated Emma's birthday.  Dohn, Ben, and Uncle Larry stopped by for presents and cheesecake!