I have several hundred pictures of Seattle to go through (on a new computer–learning its ways but so far, much better!) but want to share a few right now. Though we go a couple times a year at least (less since my sister and brother-in-law passed plus my niece and husband relocated to Texas…) we were excited to visit. Brisk, moist sea air that can be smelled and felt on the skin while walking up and down city center’s steep hills, coupled with beauty of Pacific waters and Cascade and Olympic Mountains ; the high energy of an innovative, bustling city with unique neighborhoods; the variety of architecture, shops, cultural options–well, you get the idea. And it’s the Pacific Northwest, our beloved home, only bigger and farther north!

It was a brief meander, a refreshing three days. The photos above and below are views from our hotel 25th floor room–with a little magnification–with some loss of clarity, sorry to note. Note the ferry on Elliott Bay (part of the more vast Puget Sound) glimpsed between buildings. The famous Space Needle, left of center, built for the 1962 World’s Fair, rises above and seemingly between several skyscrapers and has an observation deck at 520 feet. Marc suspected our room at the Renaissance Hotel (excellent beds and appointments) was nearly as high–alas, we were two hundred feet lower and that was high enough…I have night time pictures to best demonstrate that in another post.

The Olympics show up more readily in the larger 4th picture, and we were fortunate to have some sunnier days so they better showed off their splendor here and there.

The beauteous Mt. Rainier of the Cascade Mountain Range, seen from the inimitable Queen Anne neighborhood, rises above the city, above. A bit dusky here–as well as misty, usually the case in winter. It is 63 miles from Seattle, but we can see it from Portland at over 130 miles without massive cloud coverage. Additional info: Mt. Rainier is 14,411 feet as opposed to “our” mountain, Mt.Hood, which is 11,250 ft. Both are enthusiastically and frequently scaled. About 10,000 people attempt to climb Rainier; 5,000 perhaps succeed. Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, and last erupted in 1894.

Here are few other teasers as I work on the bulk of photos later this week. They are from a variety of sights, from heavily visited Pike Place Market to Chihuly Garden and Glass, a fascinating art museum; to random city streets and the city’s vibrant waterfront and a marvelous outdoor sculpture park. And there is even more to come in future posts. Pus, I feel better restored on every level. May I suggest that when you get rough around the edges and feel worn out, don’t take a nap–take a trip!

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