Susan worked half days last week. She took them on a tour of all the exciting Spokane landmarks as they ventured around town and went to things like the museum, a few local wineries, and the suction goat.
We also had the annual pumpkin toss which was great fun.
On Saturday, our plan was to leave town by ferry and tour Bainbridge Island, return by ferry from Kingston to Edmonds where the antique stores are voluminous and then drive to Leavenworth for a day of walking from shop to shop full of crap.
A small monkey wrench was thrown into our plans as I went to retrieve the car from the Parking Garage only to discover I had a dead battery.
I'm usually pretty well prepared for such emergencies. However, while loading up the car prior to our departure from Spokaloo, I removed the box that contains my jumper cables and a bunch of tools in order to make more room for luggage.
That fatal mistake cost us about three hours on Saturday as I roamed the streets of Seattle on foot trying to find a place that would sell me a car battery.
If you want coffee in Seattle, you needn't walk any further than the guy sleeping on a bus bench. But if you want a car battery...in the immediate Seattle downtown area...good luck!
Fortunately, I found a Jiffy Lube that was not too far of a walk that was able to accommodate my battery needs.
One hundred and fifty dollars later, we were on the road again.
Sure! A new set of jumper cables would have cost much less, but then I would be required to search out someone willing to give me a jump...in a parking garage. The battery I had was old and probably due for replacement so it just made more sense to get the battery and move on.
So we boarded the Ferry Wenatchee for the 30 minutes crossing to Bainbridge. There was a charming little seaside hamlet where we found a little 50's styled diner for lunch. After the girls spent some more time shopping, we headed north towards Kingston.
Susan and I spent an evening in Kingston a while back with our friends, Mike and Steven. We cruised over on their ChrisCraft floating home and spent the night.
Another 20 minute ferry ride got us to Edmonds where I went to a bar while everyone cruised the town in search of booty.
The drive to Leavenworth was a bit hairy as the rain was coming down which of course turned to snow on Stevens Pass. I'm coming to find that I don't enjoy driving at night as much as I used to. Not being able to see has something to do with that, I think.
All in all, it has been a nice visit with Neil and Margaret but I am sure I have gained ten pounds over the last few days. Also, I am sure I spent about $70.00 in two days just on parking in Seattle.
Here is a small selection of the many pictures I took over the last four days.
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