Mid-Winter Break Friend Visit

Hello!  Happy March!  This is crunch time in my world with student testing coming up/happening, National Board submission windows opening, end of the year observations (eek!), and the beginning of thoughts of the end of the school year approaching quickly (June, but still, it will be here before I know it!).... 

Over mid-winter break one of my friends from high school flew out to experience Seattle for the first time.  I got to plan our events and try to figure out how to get the full Seattle experience while dodging the majority of the rainy weather.  It's an art.  

Since she got in to town around noon, we had some daylight left so I immediately whisked her off to Snoqualmie Falls to get a little fresh non-airplane air.  It's been flooding around here with all the rain, so the falls were really roaring.  I had never seen it like that, so that was fun.  I know I've posted these before...a number of times actually, but I still love it.

It also meant I had no idea that you get sopping wet while gazing at those powerful crashing waves...so while it wasn't raining, we were SOAKING wet.

And because I wanted to try something new, we skipped the hike down to the bottom and instead Google Mapped (that's a verb, right?) our way to the lower parking lot.  It was the best option, especially considering we weren't exactly dressed in our outdoor exploring gear.

Then we had to go home and dry off and rest for our big downtown day to come.  I really know how to show visitors a good time... 

Kerry Park | A day in Seattle

I was lucky enough to have a special visitor join me on the west coast for a few days in mid-February.  My cousin was in between subbing positions back home and wanted to come watch me teach for a couple days.  We did the whole work thing together, and then took a day to explore.  We really made a full day of it!  We grabbed one of my teaching buddies and hit up the market (donuts, chowder, candied salmon, piroshkys...mmmm) , Gum Wall, Space Needle, Kerry Park, the Troll, and a glass warehouse called Bedrock.  

I've blogged about a lot of those places already, but it was my first visit to Kerry Park.  Technically it was my second, since the second time I was out here we stopped in the pouring rain so that I could see this city view at night, but it was super short and sweet.  This time I actually parked the car and got out.  

Kerry Park is located in Lower Queen Anne, a neighborhood just north of downtown.  The houses around it are super cool.  The park is not large; it is really mostly just a overlook of the city.  There's a walk way and a billion people.  Large tourist attraction because, well, look at that view!  It's a spectacular look at the city.

We hung out and took way too many pictures.  Pictures of ourselves, pictures with each of us, pictures for other people, pictures without any people...

Then we took a quick drive to Fremont to pay a visit to the Troll and show off a bit of Seattle's quirky side.

We took one side adventure on the way home and stopped by Bedrock Industries to check out some local glass art before we made our way back home.  I am obsessed with the glass art in the Pacific Northwest.  I ended up taking home this small glass fish dish to add to my tiny, but growing, art collection...

I love having people to wander the city with me!