HOMEWARD BOUNDA few days after getting home from California, we headed out again, this time to Seattle. I was thrilled to be going "home" to the Emerald City, where 16-month-old Jake would finally get to meet his grandpa and aunts and uncles. After a rocky start (leave after dinner and let the kids sleep in their car seats - hah!), we settled into a pattern for the 3-day trip: drive for a few hours, stop at Wal-Mart for a new DVD, drive for a few more hours, stop to have lunch and play at a park, drive some more, etc. Needless to say, it drove Rob crazy. But the kids were surprisingly well-behaved travelers and I was grateful for all the time I'd put into researching and mapping out city parks across Montana. Because of all the wildfires and fellow travellers in Montana, we wound up staying the last night in Moses Lake, WA and rolled into Seattle early on a Sunday morning. We stopped to show the kids Snoqualmie Falls, and we were all in awe of the mountains (so high!) and the evergreen trees (so many!). You'd think I hadn't lived there for 20-plus years, but I fell in love with the beauty of the state all over again.
FERRY TO BAINBRIDGE
We were kind of like tourists in our own town because we wanted to show the kids all of the quintessential parts of Seattle. When we were planning our trip I was listing all of the possibilities for Haley. "Hike in the mountains, go to the zoo, ride on a ferry boat..." At this last idea she snapped her head up, looked at me with big wide eyes, and said in all seriousness, "I want to go on a ferry boat! Are there real, live fairies on it?" So we of course had to take a ride and look for fairies (insert un-PC joke here). 
Grandpa Breckon and Grandma Denise joined us with cousins Mikayla and Marissa for our trip to Bainbridge. We had lunch al fresco, and Grandpa/Dad was extremely patient as we explored the fun shops along the main street before heading back across the Sound. 
Grandpa Breckon and Grandma Denise joined us with cousins Mikayla and Marissa for our trip to Bainbridge. We had lunch al fresco, and Grandpa/Dad was extremely patient as we explored the fun shops along the main street before heading back across the Sound. 
FREMONTSpeaking of quintessential Seattle, we had told Haley about the Fremont Troll. It happens to be up the street from one of Rob's favorite guitar stores, Dusty Strings, so we spent an afternoon in that quirky neighborhood. Haley quickly got over her fear of the troll once she realized she could climb on him, and is now documented in dozens of tourists' photos (she wouldn't get down). While Rob was drooling over arenose instruments, the kids and I watched the drawbridge go up and down to let boats through, and of all things, both Haley and Jake enjoyed running and dancing around a waterfront business park's courtyard. No 
naked cyclist sightings, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway.
naked cyclist sightings, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. 
PIKE PLACE MARKETOne other place we wanted the kids to experience was the market - I've just always loved the atmosphere and the abundance of fresh produce and flowers. They, of course, loved the flying fish and fresh donuts. Left: Aunt Tammy feeds Jake fresh blueberries.
RUSTIN, WA
What's in Rustin, you ask? One evening we drove down to visit my brother Chris and his wife Jen there, and see their cute house and yard. We loved the grilled salmon, good company, and distinct lack of mosquitoes while we chatted late into the night. Right: Haley and Rob practice their stunts - it doesn't freak me out nearly as much if I'm behind the camera.
SHOP 'TILL YOU DROP (AND THEN REFUEL AT STARBUCK'S)
I joked to Rob a couple of times that we were going to go home and our vacation photo album would read, "Here are Haley and Jake in front of Nordstrom's! Here they are in front of the very rare Ralph Lauren Rugby store! Here they are on the escalators in Crate and Barrel! Etc..." In a word, we both like to shop. The kids do too, actually. Although not quite marathon shoppers, we can almost always find something to interest them. In fact, I really think they should be put on the payrolls of Pottery Barn Kids and Land of Nod for their extensive toy-testing. Left: Jake and Haley get dangerously close to falling in the fountain at University Village. 
It's pathetic to admit, but I really do have a lot of fond memories from Seattle shopping centers - many a psychology textbook was read while sitting at U-Village... Hopefully the kids will remember more than receipts and shopping bags from our trip!
It's pathetic to admit, but I really do have a lot of fond memories from Seattle shopping centers - many a psychology textbook was read while sitting at U-Village... Hopefully the kids will remember more than receipts and shopping bags from our trip!
One day I got to go to my favorite nursery, Molbak's, in Woodinville with my mom and Jake. Jake was hamming it up in the cart - look at those blue eyes!
IF ONLY WE'D HAD MORE TIMEI suppose if we hadn't been so busy supporting the local economy, we could have squeezed in a few more fun outings. We wish we could have: gone to the zoo (it was closing when we got there one evening), swam in a lake (it was CHILLY while we were there), gone on a hike (no room in the bags for hiking boots), watched a sunset from Queen Ann, and I really wish we'd gotten even one glimpse of The Mountain (too cloudy almost every day). But I guess that's just part of life in Seattle - overcast skies and so many fun things to do. But most of all we were happy to visit with family and friends and very grateful to Dad and Denise for their hospitality. I guess we'll have to make another trip soon!
MOUNT RUSHMOREWe were feeling masochistic, and decided to tack on a few extra days in the car so we could swing a bit south and see Mount Rushmore. It was worth the trip - it's even better in person than the pictures can show, especially if you hike down the trail and get right under it. Although it was nearly 100 degrees out, we had a great time, and highly recommend it!
Below: Rob, the kids, and "the big faces", as Haley called them; Jake entertains himself on the drive by trying on Haley's new hat. Every girl needs an orange cowboy hat, right?
