Mom 1918-1992

Today Mom would be 93 years old. It's been almost 19 years since her passing but I still feel her closeness everyday. She's such a part of who I am as a person. She influences decisions that I make daily and is a constant balm in my sometimes hectic life. She taught by example the lessons of patience and kindness and remembering promises made. When we were all grown with our own families she still prepared lunch for all of us every Sunday. Myself, my siblings, our spouses and all the grandkids would rendezvous at our parents. There would be card tables set up for games and puzzles, whatever craft projects my sisters and I had going on would be in full swing and the TV would be blaring whatever game was on. Mom would feed us the good old comfort foods. You know the ones - roast and potatoes, fried chicken, smothered steak or, the kids' favorite, Mee Maw's spaghetti!

Here's a really old black and white picture of her shopping in downtown San Antonio in 1939 with her youngest sister "Tweet". Isn't that a cute nickname?

I miss her everyday but especially on this, her special day.

Emerald City and I don't mean OZ

Did you know that Seattle was named after a great Indian Chief? Me either. OK-that's enough lessons for now. This was a fun trip not a field trip. And Seattle was so much fun it might just require multiple posts. Let's start with a semi open air market.

Lavender sachets, fresh veggies and even magic tricks. You can find this and so much more at the fabulous Pike's Market.

Just steps from the waterfront and arriving cruise ships it's a beehive of activity.

SEATTLE'S GOT TALENT!

This talented fellow was playing the guitar, hula hooping and taking turns singing and playing the harmonica all at the same time. Now that's what I call multi-tasking!

This guy rolls his piano down the street from corner to corner to perform.

Amazing colors and scents

Would you bar-b-que anything that looked like that? I swear they have the weirdest food here!!

Does anybody smell coffee. Just follow your nose to 1912 Pikes Place and that heavenly aroma drifting out the door and down the sidewalk. You've arrived at the original Starbucks, established 1971. We stood in line with tourists and locals alike for bragging rights. I know lots of people back home in Texas have had Starbucks but how many can say they've enjoyed a piping hot Toffee Nut Latte prepared at the very first Starbucks? At least one.

All of these sights,sounds and smells - I'm on sensory overload. And this was just the first day. More sharing to come!

Hillarie

This is Great!

Look at me. I"m blogging. I have successfully done 2 posts with pics attached and I still have most of my hair. I've been trying to get into this for what seems like forever. All it really took was a little globetrotting, a good camera and a few painful (for them) lessons from my technical support team, Carol and Shelbi. Who knew?

The last 3 months have been packed-no pun intended-with fun destinations, unexpected discoveries and a lifetime of memories. Not to mention treasures acquired along the way. Over the next few weeks I'll be postings pics and stories about all of the above.

You've already seen the "Big Tree"post - - - next edition

SEATTLE!

Reaching for the SKY

Think back...way back...Do you remember when you were issued your 5th grade geography book? Mrs. Stickland's class-Ben Franklin Elementary. One of the most memorable chapters for me was the one about the "Redwoods" on the west coast. That black and white picture of the huge tree with an opening cut out and a road running right through the middle fascinated me. Of course in 1969 the roads and cars were much smaller than they are now. I've never forgotten that image and have secretly dreamed of seeing those magnificent beauties one day. Just a few weeks ago that dream came true. Not the California sequoias that were pictured in my long ago geography book, but their cousins to the north, the ones off the west coast of Canada.

Located on Meares Island, The Big Tree Trail is only reachable by boat, kayak or water taxi. Kayaking sounded like a fun adventure, however I've never maneuvered a kayak and Lee is a non-swimmer so that was not an option for us. Besides that water was really cold.

Water Taxi it is.

Think you can see the top without falling backward? GOOD LUCK!

The age of these trees is anywhere from 1000 to 1500 years old. These are some of the oldest and largest living things on earth.

LOOK OUT! The boardwalk was beautiful but primitive and deteriorating in areas.

Spooky Old Tree

This is where we turn around and travel back the way we came. We meet the water taxi on the beach and head back to civilization to plan our next adventure. Stay tuned.

Hillarie

Better Luck Second Time

This is my second attempt at starting a successful blog. I've abandoned my first lame blog, aka "Magic Carpets and Blogging Goggles". What a name - what was I thinking?? Yippee Skippy is a fun little phrase that I use all the time. It's quirky, zany and all kinds of happy. Unfortunately, somebody else thought so too and already used it - THE VERY NERVE - so, Yippity Skippity will have to do.
I'm inspired by my best buddy Carol's blog, ohgoodie-ohgoodie.blogspot.com. Check her out, she's a blogging superstar. I aspire to be as creative and entertaining as she is. I'm still trying to find my niche though so be patient and stand by for much craziness.