Seattle and Bainbridge Island
Friday 10 May 2019 – Bainbridge Island
Arrived at Bainbridge Island around noon. Susie, brother Steve’s wife, picked us up at the ferry and we went to lunch at Eunice’s (Susie’s mom) favorite place, Doc’s Marina Grill, a lovely restaurant on the water. Susie is the executive director of the children’s museum, KidiMu, on Bainbridge. Steve is a residential building construction supervisor. Lunch on the deck was filled with reminiscences of Eunice who recently passed away at age 101!
We spent the afternoon visiting Steve’s recently completed projects and a visit to the Japanese WWII internment memorial. Many Japanese Americans populated Bainbridge in the 40’s as farmers. Locals were very upset that the Japanese Americans were rounded up during the period.
Steve’s company does high-end remodels and new construction. His latest is a “down-to-the-studs” remodel overlooking Puget Sound and Seattle. It was interesting to hear the conflicts that come up between the builder, homeowner and the architect and be able to see the plans and the house at the same time.
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| Our morning walk near Pleasant Beach |
Cocktails at Steve and Susie’s, dinner at The Inn at Pleasant Beach, near where we stayed while on Bainbridge Island.
Saturday 11 May 2019
We played nine holes at Steve’s golf club (Meadowmeer Golf and Country Club). The course was surprisingly empty for a sunny Saturday. Everything was lush – rhododendron and azaleas were in full bloom. We didn’t keep score and lost few balls, so all was good.
Dinner was at Steve and Susie’s with talk of taxes and retirement planning. While they miss her, they both are a little relieved since Eunice has passed.
Sunday 12 May 2019 – Boeing and Seattle
We caught an early ferry from Kingston to Edmonds for the 9:30 Boeing plant tour. The tour covered assembly buildings for their largest planes – 747, 787 and 777, all built in the largest building in the United States. It was interesting to see the difference in assembly methods between aluminum (747 and 777) and carbon fiber planes (787). A bit of trivia – the paint on a 747 adds ~1000 pounds to the weight of the plane, lasts 3 - 5 years and must withstand temperatures ranging from 100+ to -70 F.
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| No cameras allowed in the plant, so... |
Steve and Susie’s son, Beau, is married to Sara. They live north of Seattle near the Boeing plant. They are recently married and have a 5-month-old son, Miles, who is adored by all! Beau is a construction supervisor like his dad. They enjoy pouring over house plans critiquing architectural features and homeowners’ choices. It’s fun to watch them debate. Sara is a high school counselor. We went to Beau and Sara’s for lunch and then on the Sara’s parents nearby for dinner. It was great to see the family and grandparent dynamics – both grandparents are “first-timers.”
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| Susie and Steve and baby Miles |
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| Mothers' Day dinner at Sara's parents |
We spent the night in Seattle at a condo we rented near the waterfront.
Monday 13 May 2019 - Seattle
We slept in, had delicious pastry and coffee from Macrina Bakery in our condo then walked to Pike Place Market area for the art galleries, chowder and pictures.
We met friends, Michelle and Karen, at the Edgewater Hotel for happy hour. Michell is a colleague from the past Lauve has kept in touch with. We talked about wellness and travels. They had recently visited Amsterdam and had some good tips for our upcoming trip. They showed us around the Olympic Sculpture Garden for a beautiful sunset. We had dinner at Local 360, a burger place that sources locally. There is an interesting trend around Seattle in restaurant charges. Some are automatically adding a 5% tip for the kitchen staff. I always thought that our tip was shared with the rest of the staff. Guess not! There was some discussion of whether that means our tip should be reduced by 5%. Concluded that at least we shouldn’t tip on the tip!
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| With Michelle and Karen at Local 360 |
Tuesday 14 May 2019 – Seattle to Tucson
Slept in again! Our plane didn’t leave till the evening. A bit drizzly in morning. Had to check out of our condo at 11 and find a place to store our luggage while we visited the Chihuly Garden and Glass Gallery.
