Yep. That's right. Back to school. Lorelei would tell you it's pure evil going back to school. She was not ready this year. It might be the first year she didn't want to go back. It's a sure sign she's growing up. That picture above was the first day of school, which was delayed about a week due to the teachers' strike.
I'm not sure what it is about back to school time, but it's a crazy time for all of us. All of a sudden there is a lot more to keep track of. There is more stuff, more events, more things to plan. And she's not even in organized sports yet! How do people do this with more than one child??!
In other news, Debbie's son, Paul, is out here in the Pacific NW on an internship. He's staying a bit north in Bellingham, but we see him a bit. We took a short tour of some Seattle neighborhoods, which included the Locks in Ballard.
Lorelei loves hanging out with Paul. I think he's the brother she never had. That day was in September, and it was a crystal clear, perfect Seattle summer day. We had a great view from West Seattle across the bay to downtown.
Also in September, Debbie came to visit!! We went all around the Pacific NW. I think she was on a recon mission to see where she and her husband, Dave, might want to go when they come out together. So we trekked up to Hurricane Ridge, which, as you know, I can't get enough of.
It was another perfectly clear day.
We had some company from the wildlife - Paul caught a bird on his arm at one of the viewpoints. It was crazy - these birds were so tame! One of them landed on Debbie's head but I wasn't fast enough to get the picture!! We also had a deer walk with us for a bit in the photo above.
I think I mentioned the drought in previous posts. I was talking with the workers in the gift shop and they said that Hurricane Ridge remained open all winter last year, and that they had close to no snow. They could not open the ski lifts. Typically, the road to Hurricane Ridge is closed for several months in the winter. There will be skiing at part of it when the road is accessible, but last year, nothing. It's at an elevation of about 5500-6000 feet. It's alarming to think of it without snow. I hope this winter is different and they get loads and loads of it.
I was reminded of winter on the day we went to Hurricane Ridge because we arrived in the morning, and it was cold - like 35 degrees cold. I forgot how crisp those cold fall/winter mornings can be. The temperature is so much more mild in Seattle. It might be 50 degrees but it won't feel chilly, exactly. At least not yet. We should get some cooler temps in the next couple of months. If we do have another mild winter, though, I hope we can get to Hurricane Ridge during it.
The other place I took Debbie was, of course, the Oregon Coast. It was fabulous weather there, also. The day we arrived we were treated to an amazing sunset. These photos do not do it justice.
We also had some good beer, and put our feet in that wonderful ocean water.
<sigh> Definitely my happy place.
Well, with the fall comes football season, right? I've been wearing my Ohio State gear with great pride, and I'm finding Buckeyes everywhere! I had a guy almost wreck his car in the grocery store parking lot trying to get over to me to tell me he spent five years in Cbus and another 4 in medical school near Dayton. Last weekend, Lorelei and I were walking around at a shopping center and this woman came running out of the gym to give us an "O-H!!" I love it. I also think I like it better when Barrett is playing QB.
In more local news, the Chinese president came to Seattle for a few days. He was staying at the Westin, which is about 3-4 blocks from my work. The Secret Service blocked off a 4-block radius when he was here, so traffic was even more stupid than it normally is. His entourage was over 1,000 people. Anyway, it was sort of neat. There is a huge Asian community here, as you can imagine, and there were protests all along his route to go to and from the Westin, and right outside my building.
To take these, I was standing right outside our building, and across from the Federal Courthouse. It was really interesting.
That's about all the news that is fit to print. Lorelei is getting back into the swing of school and we are talking all things Halloween at the moment. Shawn is adjusting to life as a college graduate and without the burden of school, only to discover that when you are a programmer, you are constantly learning. My work always seems to get a little busier around October/November, so it's starting to pick up as well. We are looking forward to having Shawn's parents for a visit in November, as well. We are also thinking of how we will spend the winter and get through the dark days of January-February. I have a few ideas, so we'll see what transpires.
Love to everyone, and Happy Halloween!
