Ride the Ducks

today has been an incredible saturday.

wake up without an alarm
stay in bed and watch a movie
delicious coffee and letter writing
meeting my roommate's dad and stepmom
hanging out downtown at pikes place market
piroshky piroshky
great conversation with the owner of thailand junkie
riding the ducks
observing occupy wall street, seattle style

now, let me explain "ride the ducks," the number one tour in seattle. this is the ultimate tourist experience. and therefore generally the desire to experience the ducks in all their wonder as a seattle-ite (if i'm even allowed to call myself that) is looked down upon. the visit from tamura's family was the exact excuse we needed to take a duck tour. and my was it worth it. an hour and a half of exploring all the quirky, fabulous things seattle has to offer, by land and by sea (lake actually). the cheesy jokes, loud music, and laughter were endless. people on the street danced and sang with us as we sat stuck downtown due to the occupy seattle protest/rally. there is nothing more fabulous than dancing to the ymca song with a bunch of strangers and people holding signs and making a political statement. the ridiculousness of it all was what made it so inspiring. it was all i hoped for and more.

tamura and i on the duck, gasworks behind us

gasworks, lake union, and the aurora bridge

Hello Seattle

This song came on this morning while I was getting ready and it just reminded me how much I love living in this city. Enjoy the song and scenic pictures.

Mr. Sun

I know I shouldn't do it, but sometimes the temptation is just too much: I caved and looked up the weather on Maui. It is always a bad idea because knowing that the sun is shining somewhere only makes me crave it more. So here's the deal, all this week Maui will be experiencing lows of 67 degrees and highs of 85 (sounds terrible, right?). It is painful to read that as I look outside at the grey rainy sky. I love Seattle, don't get me wrong, but I feel as if I would do ANYTHING for some warm sunshine. The good news, I will be laying on a Maui beach in a short 6 weeks!! I hope my pale skin can hold out for that long :)

henry

There is a man who signs his name simply "henry." He has been somewhat of a mystery to me ever since I journeyed to Seattle and began to call this place home. He colors the city with whimsical creatures and childlike imagination. What used to be blank walls, garage doors, even cars and buses are now brilliant pieces of art that brighten any gray Seattle day. Until today, all I have known of henry is what I have just shared with you. But as my wonder has grown, I did a little research and am even more inspired by "henry" who I now know has a full name: Ryan Henry Ward. A man who has a dream to paint 50 murals throughout Seattle, brightening up ordinary spaces. And yet, he has even bigger dreams. Dreams of traveling to the developing world and helping people through art and even more murals. Dreams like this inspire me to dream. So thank you, henry, for dreaming and painting and sharing your gift with the world.

For an article all about henry see:

http://monkeygoggles.com/?p=1824

And here is henry's webpage:

http://www.ryanhenryward.com