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Holiday Wanderings
Jun. 1st, 2021 08:07 pmGary and I took a drive to Granite Falls, about a half hour's drive from home. We explored the old fish ladder which allows salmon to bypass the falls on their way upstream. There's a high cliff on the other side of the river and a lot of graffiti on the concrete structure of the fish ladder. The sound of the water made it difficult for me to hear Gary and vice versa. (Two minutes for interference...) There were several family groups, including two ladies with a silver Lab, a spotted brown dog of mixed breed (both almost ten), and a small child who screamed with delight on seeing the falls; a big Hispanic family including la abuelita; and a family of five including mom, dad, grandpa, and a small boy and girl. The latter dad wore a black denim vest with Black Flag among other bands in white print, black shorts, and a black and red ball cap with the brim bent up; he had impressive ink on both arms and both calves. He carried his small son most of the way. When we returned to the car we had to wait a while for both foot and vehicle traffic to clear behind us before we could pull out to return to Everett. Rather than returning home right away, we parked at Everett Station and caught the 512 bus to Seattle, intending to visit Volunteer Park which we hadn't visited in a while. We got a Double Tall and sat upstairs toward the back.
We switched to the 10 bus up the Hill to Volunteer Park. Along the way a couple pushing a stroller boarded; neither of them appeared old enough to have a child. He was a twinkish dude in a black vest and no shirt, carrying a backpack and wearing a black ball cap; she had pink hair tied in a tiny bun. The child appeared to be not quite two. We alighted at 15th and Prospect and followed the path to the center of the park by the Black (Hole) Sun sculpture and the Asian Art Museum. There were quite a few ducks in a small pond to one side despite the efforts of the groundskeepers to exclude them (for fear of drowning their little ducklings). There were also lots of people reclining in the grass throughout the park. I stopped to use the bathroom by the conservatory, which was one of a pair of cute little cottages connected by a covered bench. From there we exited the park and walked north on 15th to Lake View Cemetery to pay our respects to Bruce and Brandon Lee who are buried there. We waited for a large group of people to vacate the railed off enclosure leading to and surrounding the gravesite. Afterwards we exited the cemetery and spent some time at the nearby Louise Boren Lookout, where a nice lady visiting from Idaho inquired about the taller mountain to the north, and I told her I believe it's Mount Baker (a closer look confirmed that, as Mount Shuksan which we visited last fall is partly visible to its west).
After a few pictures and a much-needed rest on the benches, we returned to the bus stop at 15th and Galer and waited for the driver to finish a layover. A party of three boarded the bus ahead of us, and one dude revealed a New York City MTA Metrocard as he paid his fare, while the lady with him carried a New Yorker bag.
We took the bus a few stops south and exited at Mercer Street for lunch at Olympia Pizza. We were seated on the Harry's Bar side, and ordered hot sandwiches with lentil soup; I got the sausage and Gary the meatballs. Our waiter was a lean and cute young dude with a modest Afro hairstyle, while the other waiter had nice ink on his forearms. We watched the A's at Mariners game while we ate; the final score was Mariners 6, A's 5.
After a pit stop we returned to the bus stop and rode a few more stops to the Capitol Hill Station, then walked down the hill to C.C. Attle's for a drink or two. There were quite a few folks already there only a few minutes after they opened at 4 PM. Because proof of vaccination is required for entry, no one needs to wear a mask, which is nice. The bartender on our side was a cute cub with a thick, dark beard, wearing a pink Nasty Pig cap backwards and a blue T-shirt that read "Easily Corrupted" in white. We sat in the back corner and checked some items on our phones while we drank (Coke for Gary and Angry Orchard for me) and people-watched. Chris, the owner of the bar, came over and we had a nice long chat and attempted to solve the world's problems. As he left to go clean the trash room, Andy from the Chorus arrived and we chatted briefly before I went to use the bathroom and we left.
We climbed the hill to Capitol Hill Station, where I topped up my ORCA and we caught the train to Chinatown and didn't have long to wait for the 512 back to Everett. At Olive and 6th I vacated the double seat I had to myself so a tall, older gentleman could have it, and sat with Gary instead.
We arrived home without further incident and I soon nodded off in the recliner. Around ten I woke up and had a leftover hamburger to take my medication with. I finally got to sleep just after midnight.
We switched to the 10 bus up the Hill to Volunteer Park. Along the way a couple pushing a stroller boarded; neither of them appeared old enough to have a child. He was a twinkish dude in a black vest and no shirt, carrying a backpack and wearing a black ball cap; she had pink hair tied in a tiny bun. The child appeared to be not quite two. We alighted at 15th and Prospect and followed the path to the center of the park by the Black (Hole) Sun sculpture and the Asian Art Museum. There were quite a few ducks in a small pond to one side despite the efforts of the groundskeepers to exclude them (for fear of drowning their little ducklings). There were also lots of people reclining in the grass throughout the park. I stopped to use the bathroom by the conservatory, which was one of a pair of cute little cottages connected by a covered bench. From there we exited the park and walked north on 15th to Lake View Cemetery to pay our respects to Bruce and Brandon Lee who are buried there. We waited for a large group of people to vacate the railed off enclosure leading to and surrounding the gravesite. Afterwards we exited the cemetery and spent some time at the nearby Louise Boren Lookout, where a nice lady visiting from Idaho inquired about the taller mountain to the north, and I told her I believe it's Mount Baker (a closer look confirmed that, as Mount Shuksan which we visited last fall is partly visible to its west).
After a few pictures and a much-needed rest on the benches, we returned to the bus stop at 15th and Galer and waited for the driver to finish a layover. A party of three boarded the bus ahead of us, and one dude revealed a New York City MTA Metrocard as he paid his fare, while the lady with him carried a New Yorker bag.
We took the bus a few stops south and exited at Mercer Street for lunch at Olympia Pizza. We were seated on the Harry's Bar side, and ordered hot sandwiches with lentil soup; I got the sausage and Gary the meatballs. Our waiter was a lean and cute young dude with a modest Afro hairstyle, while the other waiter had nice ink on his forearms. We watched the A's at Mariners game while we ate; the final score was Mariners 6, A's 5.
After a pit stop we returned to the bus stop and rode a few more stops to the Capitol Hill Station, then walked down the hill to C.C. Attle's for a drink or two. There were quite a few folks already there only a few minutes after they opened at 4 PM. Because proof of vaccination is required for entry, no one needs to wear a mask, which is nice. The bartender on our side was a cute cub with a thick, dark beard, wearing a pink Nasty Pig cap backwards and a blue T-shirt that read "Easily Corrupted" in white. We sat in the back corner and checked some items on our phones while we drank (Coke for Gary and Angry Orchard for me) and people-watched. Chris, the owner of the bar, came over and we had a nice long chat and attempted to solve the world's problems. As he left to go clean the trash room, Andy from the Chorus arrived and we chatted briefly before I went to use the bathroom and we left.
We climbed the hill to Capitol Hill Station, where I topped up my ORCA and we caught the train to Chinatown and didn't have long to wait for the 512 back to Everett. At Olive and 6th I vacated the double seat I had to myself so a tall, older gentleman could have it, and sat with Gary instead.
We arrived home without further incident and I soon nodded off in the recliner. Around ten I woke up and had a leftover hamburger to take my medication with. I finally got to sleep just after midnight.