Seattle Sounders F.C. ~The Champions!

There was a lot of cheering going on at this old house on Saturday evening when our Seattle Sounders won in penalty kicks against the Toronto Football Club. This was our first ever win of the championship cup and Seattle is buzzing. There is a victory march and rally planned for Tuesday. It looks like the weather for the march and rally will be as cold as it was in Toronto for the game.

It’s no secret our family are huge Seattle Sounders Soccer fans and that we’ve been season ticket holders since the beginning in 2009. We’ve waited for 8 years to see our team win the MLS Cup Final! We are so happy for our boys and #thismoment in their franchise history.

Our Josh and Laura were able to travel to Toronto, Canada for the game. Their trip there got very complicated when their plane experienced mechanical issues. It ended up being a 24 hour trip to get to Toronto with delays and re-scheduled flights for them. They arrived in Toronto, checked into their hotel and took a nap before the Saturday evening game.

Brrr…it was cold. All the Sounders fans were tucked up in an upper tier in the corner of the stadium.

And at the end of 120 minutes they were able to take this happy photo having been able to experience the first ever MLS Championship Cup win!

Here are some photos from over the years of us enjoying games or representing with our Sounders gear in other parts of the world.

On the river Thames in England.

Dear with his Sounders jersey in a garden~ Cotswolds, England.

Dear outside Gloucester Cathedral in England.

Outside Old Trafford in Manchester, England.

… the Sounders simply willed themselves to the crown, and when Torres’ match-winner hit the back of the net it almost felt like a sort of destiny. For all the fire the Sounders came through to get here, what are a few more licks of flame?

Drink this in, Sounders fans. It gets no better than sitting atop the league. After the wildest season in MLS history, the trophy is coming home.

We are drinking it in here at this old house.

Discovery Park Seattle

We woke up to a beautiful day on Friday November 6th and decided to explore a part of Seattle we had never been to before. Discovery Park is located in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood, and is the largest park in the city. Entry is free. The Discovery Park Loop Trail is a designated National Recreation Trail, 2.8 miles long with an elevation change of just 140 feet. It passes through both forest and open meadows, offers extensive views, good prospects for bird watchers, and can be hiked or jogged year-round.

We walked to the highest point on the Loop Trail. A sign points right toward a viewpoint near the old chapel that looks out over the South Meadow. What you see from this viewpoint is the Puget Sound, The Olympic Mountain Range and Bainbridge Island.

The little white World War II chapel perched on the hill at Discovery Park has been given historic landmark status and given a second chance to remain standing on a spot that overlooks Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Before there was a park here, this area was Fort Lawton and it is thanks to the fort that this large park is available to Seattlites who wish to explore an urban trail.

While Fort Lawton was a quiet outpost prior to World War II, it became the second largest port of embarkation of soldiers and materials to the Pacific Theater during the war. The fort was included in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list. Fort Lawton officially closed on September 14, 2011.

One of our goals while at Discovery Park was to see the light house on West Point. We stopped at the visitor center and asked about driving to the lighthouse and we were happy to learn that since we were 62 or over we could get one of 8 special parking permits to park at South Beach close to the West Point, otherwise we would have had to hike there. If we were prepared it would have been easy enough for us to take the South Beach Trail and walk/hike but on this day we were happy to drive.

The West Point Lighthouse has a Victorian-era Beacon. It was built in 1881.

North Beach on Shilshole Bay.

South Beach on the Puget Sound looking towards the West Seattle Bridge with Mt. Rainier barely visible. Squint and you can see it.

This last mosaic is a photo of South Beach with a couple navigating the rocks on the left of the photo. I zoomed in on my photo to get a closer look at them. When I took this photo I didn’t realize we’d have a nice encounter with this couple. They had hiked down to the beach. When we made it to our car and started back to the visitor center to hand in our parking pass we saw them starting their walk back and we decided to roll our window down and ask them if they wanted a ride back. They were happy to accept and we learned they had just arrived the day before to the Seattle area from Milan, Italy. They were here for a very short time to see their daughter who was attending a special course at the University of Washington. We were happy to share our experiences in Milan with them. They were navigating our city by bus and other public transportation.

We would like to visit Discovery Park again in the future to see more of the park in a different season.

I’m linking up to Mosaic Monday with Maggie at Normandy Life. Click over to see more mosaics from around the world.

We have enjoyed a quiet weekend with a mix of rain, high winds and a little sunshine. We were home mostly except for church this morning and have eaten all of our meals in. Why do I feel like I need a pat on the back for that or that you even need to know that? Hope you had a good weekend in or out!

Summer Ends in Seattle…

We had an errand in West Seattle and on our way we enjoyed this view of the Space Needle.

On the way back from West Seattle we traveled on the viaduct and had views we don’t usually have when we head to Seattle. We thought we’d have lunch downtown but the parking proved to be impossible and there was more traffic than usual because of an afternoon baseball game.

I’m sure some of you recognize this logo.

The skies were so beautiful on this last day of summer over the skyline of Seattle.

We stopped outside of the downtown area at a Mexican Restaurant we’ve wanted to eat at for a while with simple and free parking. We are happy to have this beautiful and vibrant downtown to enjoy when we are in the mood and happy to be able to escape the hubbub of Seattle to our northeast burb in quieter environs. We enjoy a little of the city and a little of the country while living in between!

Seattle Treasures…

All these shots of the Seattle waterfront and other views of quintessential Seattle were taken from two Bainbridge Ferry Runs across the Puget Sound on August 28th.

The rounded tops are of Century Link Stadium where the Seahawks and the Sounders play and the further one is Safeco Field where the Seattle Mariners play.

Mount Rainier is always a treat to see even though it’s a dormant volcano and if she blows we’ll all be toast!

Linking up for Tuesday’s Treasures with Tom at The Backroads Traveler.

We are wrapping up our Labor Day with some relaxation. Dear trouble shot an electrical problem in our basement and all is well again. A handy man is a treasure to have around the house!

“When in Doubt, Go to the Library”

For my last tourist guide event with my lovingly labeled left over from the wedding company we went to my favorite library in all of the state of Washington and beyond! The Suzzallo library on the campus of the University of Washington is a treasure!

As we stepped out of the parking garage I said to Steve and Kelly, “welcome to Oxford”. We stepped inside and I was on a quest to get them up to the reading room and to see their reaction.

Kelly is a fan of Harry Potter as are several others of us! On our way up the stairs I saw the sign about the Harry Potter Exhibit.

Photos capture some of the beauty of this room but nothing makes up for seeing it yourself. My brother was ready to go back to school at the University of Washington just to be able to study in this inspiring space. Rooms like these with the architecture that takes your eyes upward point to the glory of God.

The last of my Seattle tourism photos were taken on the campus of the University of Washington.

My brother Steve, and Kelly my sister in law.

This post is the last of my extended family posts from the beginning of July. Next week I’ll show you some beautiful sights that Dear and I saw on the Olympic Peninsula.

We continue to have more bearable temperatures here in our little corner of the world. I still have to water regularly. Today I was brave enough to turn on the oven and I used the first of our apples from our tree to make an apple crisp. I used this recipe. What’s new in your corner of the world?

Riding the Ducks!

During our heat wave we decided to Ride the Ducks in Seattle with our Dallas family.

Our driver was entertaining.

The ride takes you by some highlights of Seattle like the Seattle Wheel and the Hammering Man at the Seattle Art Museum.

For me the best part of the tour was rolling onto South Lake Union and motoring in the water.

The floating house from Sleepless in Seattle was pointed out to us.

I was more interested in the building right behind this boat garage. It’s where our daughter Katie was married a few years ago.

The heat and the stop and go movement of the duck bus got the best of dear little Andrew.

After having lunch we walked through the Seattle Center to get back to our parking garage.

It was great to have our Dallas crew here for the wedding and afterwards. So nice to spend time with Hope and Andrew and get to know little Andrew better.

I’m going to just do tours with my company on my own in the future instead of spending money on the Ducks! I can’t take them out on the water but I can get them to the hot spots in town in more comfort.

We Survived!

Dear has been off of work for one week and we have survived nicely.

On Wednesday of last week we went downtown for Dear to drop off some donuts to his former workmates and I took care of some business. We decided since we were downtown and paying for parking we’d enjoy a meal at one of the Seattle iconic steak houses, Metropolitan Grill. Our lunch was delicious!

We have been working hard outdoors with some real nice weather. Dear re-stained the shingles on the patio side of our house and when he was done we were able to finally put the patio covers up!

We hauled out all the patio furniture. We are going to enjoy the shade those covers offer for the hot weekend we are promised. Soon I’ll share some of the details I’ve been adding to our patio deck!

How are things shaping up at your place?

All Aboard!

Judy and I decided to pull together a trip to the Seattle area for the Mennonite Girls Can Cook who live in British Columbia. Judy came up with a plan for the 7 B.C. girls to drive to Bellingham, Washington and hop on Amtrak south. It’s hard to corral that many girls and come up with a good date for everyone but we finally did and Wednesday June 25th would be the day. When the day was finally here one of the 7 had to stay home. Life happens…

I made a sign so they couldn’t miss their tour guide and limousine driver for the day. The car the rental agency gave me seemed as big as a limousine. This photo that Bev took catches the big white ~~limousine~~ SUV in the background. Thanks Bev for the photos I’m stealing from you for this post.

Our first stop was the Queen Mary Tea Room near the University of Washington.

We each had a different china pattern on our tea cups.

The food was delicious and presented nicely. We finished up at the tea room and after checking out the Tea Emporium we drove to our 2nd stop of the day, University Village.

“University Village is an open-air lifestyle shopping center which offers a unique formula of locally-owned boutiques and signature national retailers. U Village is a regional destination for home furnishings, popular fashions and unique gift items with a distinct collection of restaurants and eateries.”

We all enjoyed the beautiful flowers that were blooming in hanging planters and large planters throughout the center. We gave ourselves a time limit and we managed not to lose anyone while we were here.

Next stop before our dinner reservations would be my humble home. A couple of the girls had been to my house before but it was new to the rest.

It was fun to have everyone in my home for a quick refreshment and tour.

We stole Dear away from his bathroom renovation work to take a photo of all of us together on our deck steps.

We made dinner reservations at the Beach Cafe on the Edmonds waterfront which was just a hop skip and jump away from the railway station. The girls wouldn’t want to miss the train.

Several of us chose the different fish tacos for our meal while others had shrimp and scampi dishes. We shared a couple desserts just to top everything off with. By this time in our day we were rather beat and forgot to take some photos of our dishes and desserts.

On to the station and our goodbye hugs.

A lovely day from beginning to end.

I’m already making plans for an Island getaway for the next MGCC girls day out.

Here’s our day through Anneliese’s lens.

Tonight Dear and I are meeting up with Josh and Laura to celebrate a late Mother’s Day/Father’s Day meal together. We will also celebrate the U.S.A. advancing to the round of 16 with our 2nd place finish in group G.

Share Your Cup Thursday ~ Seattle

Washington State has so much to offer it’s residents and visitors and I had some fun sharing my home state with my niece and her husband over the last few days. I’m linking up to Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen’s Share Your Cup Thursday#107

Today I’m sharing our visit to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and the Charles S. English, Jr. botanical gardens known locally as the Ballard Locks.

We visited on Flag Day and it was nice to see the U.S. flag flying everywhere we went including on top to the Space Needle.

Construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks was completed in 1917 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Connecting the waters of Lake Washington, Lake Union, and Salmon Bay to the tidal waters of Puget Sound, the canal and locks allow recreational and commercial vessels to travel to the docks and warehouses of Seattle’s busy fresh water harbor.

I caught some photos in amidst the Salmon Waves art display just outside the Fish Ladder at the Locks. We were able to see a lot of salmon using the ladder on this day.

The complex of locks sit in the middle of Salmon Bay and are part of Seattle’s Lake Washington Ship Canal. They are known locally as the Ballard Locks after the neighborhood to their north. (Magnolia lies to the south.)

The locks and associated facilities serve three purposes:

To maintain the water level of the fresh water Lake Washington and Lake Union at 20 to 22 feet above sea level.
To prevent the mixing of sea water from Puget Sound with the fresh water of the lakes (saltwater intrusion).
To move boats from the water level of the lakes to the water level of Puget Sound, and vice versa.

The complex includes two locks, a small (30 x 150 ft, 8.5 x 45.7 meter) and a large (80 x 825, 24.4 x 251.5 meter). The complex also includes a (235-foot, 71.6 meter) spillway with six (32 x 12-foot (3.7 m), 9.8 x 3.7 meter) gates to assist in water-level control. A fish ladder is integrated into the locks for migration of anadromous fish, notably salmon.

Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the locks were formally opened on July 4, 1917, although the first ship passed on August 3, 1916. They were named after U.S. Army Major Hiram Martin Chittenden, the Seattle District Engineer for the Corps of Engineers from April 1906 to September 1908. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

It’s Thursday already and June is more than half over. We have a do nothing outside the home weekend except going to church and the Home Depot planned. Dear was waiting for a good dry day to pick up drywall from the big box store. I’ll be feeding my worker over the weekend while he chips away at his portion of responsibilities for the new bathroom. Yikes I might have to help hold up some drywall for the ceiling. I might need longer arms. What is going on in your corner of the world?

Maybe…just maybe…

…I’ve missed my calling. I could have been a tour guide.

The Fremont Troll who lives under the Aurora Bridge is a must see when you visit our area. You can read all about it’s origins here.

My new nephew by marriage, Lenny, had never been to Seattle so we had to show him the top picks in our area.

Sorry, couldn’t resist the “top picks” reference!

The Troll could use a little cleaning up because it’s hard to see the full size red Volkswagon bug that is under his left hand without straining.

You really get great views of downtown Seattle from Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill. We never miss this photo opportunity with our out of town company. I never resist photo opportunities of our “in town” kids, either.

My niece Debbee is in the bright blue coat nestled in amongst Auntie Lana, Cousin Laura and Auntie Ellen. I missed the shot of her and Lenny here but made sure to get plenty of the two of them at some other favorite tourist spots in our area.

And of course we didn’t miss out on some great local food, either…

We started with some delicious sustenance that carried us through all our adventures of the afternoon at the Portage Bay Cafe in the South Lake Union area of Seattle. All seven of us would recommend this restaurant. They had lots of great Gluten Free choices for my niece, too. Before we met up for brunch Josh, Laura, Debbee and Lenny had visited Pike Place Market, the original Starbucks and the Gum wall. After the troll we headed to the Ballard Locks but that’s another post coming soon…

I have several days off before my next tour guiding gig. I’m looking forward to a week from today when I get to show some VIP’s a different part of our city. Of course you’ll hear all about it and it could be that you’ll hear about it from a few more sources than me since several of my VIP visitors are bloggers, too. Stay tuned! Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Category Archives: Seattle