Water, Berries, and Christmas Trees Part 3

On our second day visiting Eliot, we went to Vancouver. We had an amazingly busy day. We went to Granville Island, Chinatown, and Stanley Park. While at Stanley Park, we went to the Aquarium and saw the totem poles. Afterwards, we drove over Lions Gate Bridge. We hung out by the convention center and listened to the music from a firemen/police sports convention. My hubster loved how the city looked at night.

On our to-do list for our next Vancouver trip: go to Whistler, ride the tram at Grouse Mountain, and visit Victoria.

Granville Island has an adorable collection of artsy stores.

This little display sits outside of a cement making company.

They're not just businesses but also apartment flats.

A Chinese apothecary shop, which the boys liked browsing.

We found these fellas in the apothecary shop.

They're both dogs.

They're having a possible thoughtful conversation in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen garden.

We couldn't have asked for better weather.

Can you believe it's a reptile?

Not just for the little kids.

They're little jellies.

Graceful.

My new favorite kind of jelly fish.

I got to see the totem poles that I was longing to see.

Vancouver at night.

Playing with Photoshop

Since we have that spiffy SLR, I've decided to finally learn how to use Photoshop to enhance the photos other than changing the size and using the artistic filters. I found a website called PSDTUTS+. They have a lot of great artsy tutorials. I'm looking for something a bit more practical though. The photos below were altered by sharpening the edges and using curves to play with the color. My hubster says that there's not too much of a difference other than the contrast is a bit more noticeable. We'll see how learning more about Photoshop goes.

Before

After

Before

After

Water, Berries, and Christmas Trees Part 2

We briefly visited Seattle and Fairhaven while we were up in Washington. We loved both places equally. While in Seattle, we spent most of our time in Pioneer Square. We found sweet parking and were able to walk to most of the sites that we wanted to see including Elliott Bay Book Company, Pike Place, and the Underground Tour. The cafe beneath the bookstore part of Elliott Bay Book Company was where they used to shoot the cafe scenes for Fraiser. Honestly, Pike Place was a bit overwhelming. I guess it didn't help going on a Sunday afternoon in the middle of the summer. There is a delicious gyro stand that I definitely recommend.

As for Fairhaven, we liked the charming little downtown area. I really loved Larrabee State Park. It was exactly how I imagined the Washington coast to look like. To wake up to that view everyday as some people do would be such a delight.

On our to-do list for our next Seattle trip: go on a ferry ride, go to the Museum of Flight, and eat at Red Mill Burgers.

The facade of Pioneer Building right next to where the Underground Tours are given.

An example of an old crapper that still remains underneath new Seattle.

The first pipes for waste management in Seattle were made out of the most convenient resource: wood.

Classic Pike Place Market sign.

Yep, the obligatory couple do-it-yourself photo.

Little monks hanging out in the window of a fancy tea shop.

We knew we were in Washington when we saw Washington's face on the freeway signs.

This picture explains the rest of my title for this series.

Love the smell of trees.

We didn't mean to match. :P

It was a bit breezy by the shore.

The boys keeping busy while I take pictures.

An adorable fish and chips stand. Check out who's the one driving.

Water, Berries, and Christmas Trees Part 1

This past week, my hubster and I went on our first road trip from California to Oregon to Washington. My hubster drove most of the 3,000+ miles. I've never sat so much in my life. As he said, I wouldn't have seen all the beauty we saw if we didn't drive. With that said, I would definitely prefer to fly next time though. There will be a next time, we still have to spend more time in Seattle and visit Victoria.

I've been debating how to tell the story of our trip. I've finally decided to do it four parts. Part 1 will be all about our time in Bellingham. Part 2 will be about Seattle and Fairhaven. Part 3 will be about Vancouver. Lastly, part 4 will have photos from our time in Nor Cal. Why no Oregon? Even though we had a fabulous time in Eugene, we don't have that many pictures to show for it. I know. I know. Bummer.

Back to Washington, we spent most of our time in Bellingham. Luckily, we had the best weather possible minus the heat. We tried to enjoy our friend Eliot's patio as much as we could, so we tried to bbq as much as we could.

View of the mansion from the back.

Blackberries growing in Eliot's front yard. These berries grow wild in Oregon and Washington.

The handy chimney Eliot bought with his first grill, Smokey Joe.

My presentation of Eliot's heirloom tomatoes from TJs. It almost didn't make it because the boys kept snacking on it.

Fresh salmon from Pike Place. It was the best salmon we ever had.

Rosemary bread from Pike Place Market from a wee shop called 3 Girls Bakery.

Empty plate and happy tummy (not pictured).

The beautiful view that we got to enjoy every evening. As Eliot says, it's all about the afterglow.

Dear Dr. Seuss

One of my favorite parts of this past vacation was learning so much about Dr. Seuss. While browsing my friend Eliot's bookshelf, I found Dr. Seuss Goes to War. It's a collection of political comics that Dr. Seuss made during World War II. Then, I went to a little art gallery in Sausalito that had a small collection of Dr. Seuss' fine art. He even did sculptures! He had such a diverse career, which I knew nothing about. Time to learn even more. On my to-buy list is:

Song of the Moment: Hello Seattle - Owl City