On Sunday May 31st we were going to play golf but, it was really high priced for the kind of course it was. We decided to drive in and look at the capitol. We were surprised to find the Capitol open and having tours. We took a tour and were so impressed. This is the last structure of it kind built in America. It was completed just before the depression. It has a huge rotunda. It has the most beautiful Alaskan Marble. The marble came from an island off the coast. The island was mined until it no longer exists.
THE WASHINGTON STATE CAPITOL
June 2, 2009 - We arrived in Seattle today. We are staying at Maple Grove RV Park. Wow expensive! More than $40 a day! It seem like when you are near a big city there are either no parks or they are expensive. We are crammed in and on black-top. We will stay here for six days. We came north from Elma Washington about 20 miles south of Olympia. When we got to Elma on Saturday we were both tired and just hung out the first day. We have both been trying to get rid of colds. On Sunday we were going to play golf but, it was really high priced for the kind of course it was. We decided to drive in and look at the capitol. We were surprised to find the Capitol open and having tours. We took a tour and were so impressed. This is the last structure of it kind built in America. It was completed just before the depression. It has a huge rotunda. It has the most beautiful Alaskan Marble. The marble came from an island off the coast. The island was mined until it no longer exists.
On the tour we got to enjoy different kinds of Marble. There was marble from Germany, Montana and Picture Marble from France. The dome is the fourth largest free standing dome on the earth. It compares to the building structure of the church at the Vatican. They have a carpet in the greeting room that is the largest one piece carpet made to this day 28 feet by 55 feet. It has no seams and it weighs a lot. They are very proud of their building. It went through a bad earth quake, but has been repaired. The building has Tiffany lamps. They are some the last lamps made by that company. Tiffany Lamp Company went out of business because of the depression. The main lamp weighs as much as 8 SUV's and can hold a car in the center of it. We had a nice tour guide, her name was Betty. I commented that she had Betty Davis Eyes and she told me she was named after the star. The Capitol is right up there with the best of the capitols. One of the top four in the nation so far!
The Rotunda Washington State Capitol
Stature to Honor Fallen Soldiers
Washington State Seal
The Rotunda and the Wonderful Alaskan Marble
Top of the Rotunda & Tiffany Lamp
The Meeting Room and the Largest Carpet& French Peek-a-boo Marble
The Meeting Room and the Largest Carpet& French Peek-a-boo Marble
Flowers Out side the Capitol
The Pier at Olympia
These are Wind Turbine Blades On Olympia Port Dock
After we left the Capitol we drove into the heart of town. We were again impressed with a thriving down town area. We followed the signs to the water front. We were on Pungent Sound. We parked at the Farmers Marked and enjoyed the sights and sounds and oh yes the ice cream cone. There were these huge white objects lying on the black top at the Port of Olympia. We could not figure out what they were. This guy told us they were solar turbine blades. We were so surprised at how big these things were. We returned to the park and rested. On Monday we played golf at Oakridge. We were not impressed at all, but we had a ball playing. Rosemarie played her best ever! 90 WOW! Bill had 83. We were done there and left on Tuesday and here we are in Seattle.
The Pier at Olympia
These are Wind Turbine Blades
On Olympia Port Dock
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We wanted to tour the Olympia Brewery but found it had been closed for a long time. We looked up the history and discovered a very interesting story about the founders of the company back before the days of probation
Im The Museum
Balcony in The Plant
When we arrived in Seattle we got set up and headed for the Boeing Airplane Assembly Plane. It is located in Everett near our RV Park. We took the tour and learned a lot. This is the biggest building in the world. You can put 75 football fields in the building. It is 472 million cubic feet. It takes 3 days to assemble an airplane on the assembly line. They use an assembly line, but is moves so slow you can not see its progress. We could not take pictures . They assemble 787, 747, 777 in this building. They also have an airplane museum on this site. It was a good experience. The outside of the hanger building has the largest digital image in the world as well. They do things big at Boeing. I took these pictures off the internet
We are in the parking Lot for the Ducks
Or Tour Guide and Captain
On June 3 we drove to Seattle about 20 miles south of Everett. We had a wonderful day. We were warned about the high cost of parking. We were figuring about $20.00. We looked around the area where the Space Needle is and we found a great deal. A parking special for only $6.00 all day! We were so happy. We walked 5 blocks to get our tickets to Ride The Ducks. This was a 90 minute tour of the city. 1 hour on land and 30 minutes on the water. They try to be funny and informative. They played fun music and our driver wore at least 6 funny hats. We liked his take on Starbucks. Seattle, being the home of the first Starbucks, helped to make his comic stick work very well. Every time we would see a Starbucks he would say "Starbucks" We then had to say "Cha-ching! This was a full time thing. There are 2,000 Starbucks in the Seattle area. He went by all of the sight seeing places and talked about the history. It was a special treat to drive into Lake Union. We had awesome weather and could see everything. We went past Bill Gates place and the floating house they used in the movie Sleepless in Settle.
PICTURES FROM THE DUCKS
One of the Many Hats our Captain Wore
Picture Taken on Union Lake
This Old Coal Burner caught on Fire Many Years Ago It is Now Considered Art in the Park
Union Lake From the Ducks
This House on Union Lake was used in Sleepless in Seattle
Police on Union Lake
The Space Needle
View of the Space Needle from the Water
After we finished we grabbed a bite at Mickey D's and then headed for the Space Needle. There were no crowds so we went right up. There is a good view of Seattle from the Needle. After being up at the World Trade Center and The Empire State Building in NY, Sears Tower & the John Hancock in Chicago, and the Stratosphere in Las Vegas it was not the 605 feet that would impress us, it was being up that high in Seattle. We both felt it would be impolite not to have the experience. PICTURES OF OR FROM THE SPACE NEEDLE
ROSEMARIE & BILL
OUR REFLECTION AND THE VIEW
BILL
ROSEMARIE
FROM THE TOP OF THE SPACE NEEDLE
THE MONORAIL
WE ATE FISH & CHIPS AT PIKES MARKET
BILL TOOK THIS PICTURE FROM MILES AWAY
It was still early when we got done so we rode on the Monorail to down town Seattle. Senior rate $2.00 round trip! The Monorail was built for the Seattle Worlds Fair along with the Space Needle in the 60's The Monorail is still considered the fastest in the US. The Fair celebrated the space age. From the Monorail we walked to Pikes Market Place. That was fun. The Market Place is filled with artisans and they sell their wares. Lots to see! They also have fresh produce and of course FISH. It is quite a show when they throw the fish. We got a good laugh because one of the women could not grab her fish. Everyone was laughing! We found this little greasy kitchen and enjoyed Fish'n Chips. Yum! We also indulged in some local pastries. Double Yum! We were exhausted as we headed to the Monorail then to the car. Bill had a hard time driving back while Rosemarie went fast to sleep. DOG TIRED! Early to bed!
FIRST STARBUCKS
WINDOW AT FIRST STARBUCKS
SEATTLE IS THE BIRTH-PLACE OF STARBUCKS
BEAUTIFUL BRICK WORK
DOWN TOWN SEATTLE
INTERESTING STRUCTURE DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
PIG IS A MASCOT FOR PIKES PLACE MARKET
ROSEMARIE IN THE MARKET WITH MASCOT
PIKES PLACE MARKET
SEATTLE MUSEUM OF MUSIC
SEATTLE ART MUSEUM
A REAL CHARACTER WE FOUND AT PIKES PLACE MARKET - HE MAKES BALLOONS
WE WERE IN BALLARD WASHINGTON. NO THEY DID NOT NAME IT AFTER US.
ARCHIE MCPHEE - Most CLOWNS GET LOST HERE.
ART WORK IN BALLARD
The Old Gas Station was in Everett. How Cool is this for a Guy Who has Been in the Business for 50 Years
June 4, 2009 - We returned to the city again today, same - same. We got the exact same parking spot then rode the Monorail down town and walked 12 blocks to find the Underground 90 minute tour. This was the best. We had a funny tour guide (I think they are all trained to be funny). We learned how the original city was built on a Mud bog in a tide zone. After many years of developing a city all made from wood and putting up with the flooding and lack of sewer system the city burned to the ground in 1889. In a way it was a blessing. When they rebuilt they had to make buildings out of bricks and the buildings had to be at least 2 stories. After many trial and tribulation the first floors are condemned and they are underground now. Great history and a great story! This is a must do tour in Seattle. Guarantied to have fun! Our Tour Guide Shane recommended a BBQ place near the area we were in. HE MADE SUCH A BIG DEAL about it we decided to eat there. WOW! The Longhorn Lunch Punch on 1st Ave. was over the top. We both enjoyed the Rib Special $8.95 + tax (almost 10%). This was just great, awesome, and delicious. If you come here, find it. After lunch we headed by free bus back to Pikes Market and we stayed there until we were exhausted. At the market we found our way to the shops in the underground. The smells were interesting, a mixture of fish and incense. We did a little more shopping then repeated the same process as yesterday, walk, Monorail and car to the RV Park. Please remind me not to wear sandals again.
Notes: the busses are free in the down town area and the people in the city are really helpful. When ever we looked the least bit lost or if we were looking at a map some one would offer us help. So Cool, really special!
RUBBLE LEFT FROM AN EARTHQUAKE
THIS IS THE WALKING PATH
ONE OF THE FIRST FLUSHERS( ORIGINAL NAME FOR THE TOILET). THE THRONE
USE TO BE THE LOBBY OF A HOTEL
OLD ELEVATOR SHAFT
FROM ABOVE THIS IS THE SIDEWALK
THE GLASS SQUARES WAS USED TO LIGHT THE UNDERGROUND
ANOTHER BOTTOM FLOOR OF ONE OF THE BUILDINGS
MORE UNDERGROUND
June 5, 2009 - We played golf today at Walter E Hall Golf Course. It was such a treat after that last place - Bill 82 - Ro 102. We played with two men - Charley & Dennis. They were funny. Dennis was a great help. He told Bill what to do on the holes and he was so impressed when Bill hit the perfect shot. The weather was perfect. After we played we did laundry and Rosemarie rested for her teaching gig at 7:00 pm. Sue Storm an x San Diegan and friend picked Rosemarie up and after their reunion they drove to the class. We had a small turnout, but it was really fun. The people were wonderful and we had 2 ½ hours of interaction. One couple had to drive 3 hours to attend the class. They were so nice. Everyone learned a lot! Rosemarie loves to teach and having good students makes it better.
June 6, 2009 - We met Sue at 9:30 and headed for Freemont to see the Freemont under the bridge Troll. The Troll concrete sculpture is huge and it is holding a concrete VW. It was paid for by the artist in Freemont. It is intended to remind the people of community relations. We went to the music store and the whole foods store. We had a bite to eat and drove around looking at this part of the city. We spent 45 minutes in Archie Mphee's. This is a fun place. Bill was not into it but was a good sport. They are famous for their sales of the yodeling pickle and rubber chickens. There were so many interesting things to see in this store. Most clowns could get lost in there for hours.
Bill wanted to eat at Olive Garden so the three of us enjoyed a meal there. Sue had to go home and pack for Clown Camp. We had a wonderful visit. She is a sweet lady and a good clown.
THE CLOWN STATUE IS OF A FAMOUS TV CLOWN IN STATTLE AND THE TV FRAMES ARE ALSO IN HONOR OF HIM
These concreet statues in Freemont are dressed in different outfits.
This interesting building isthe Wholle Foods Markek in Freemont has meddle decoration as part od the structure.
June 7, 2009 - Sunday - A rest day! We did find a 24 Hour Fitness Center in Everett and we both had a good work out. This was a huge center and we really enjoyed it and we did not overdo. This day was spent resting
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