Sitting in Seattle

I arrived in Seattle yesterday.  In what's becoming a tradition when I visit siblings, I was delayed by snow!  Can you believe it!  Fortunately, by then time our (delayed) flight arrived, most of the snow was gone and it wasn't another "snowed in" situation like over Christmas or the time I visited Lisa & Loren.  Those were fun times, don't get me wrong!  But at least I was sitting AT their houses having a great time - not sitting at the airport with only expensive food and water for company!

Today was a gorgeous day.  I went in with Spence, found a cafe for a while and I spent a little time wandering around.  Still very cold out of the sun, but really lovely afternoon.  Spence and I went to Elliott Bay Bookstore Cafe for lunch and then browsed the books (of course.)  Then I walked up the hill and stopped in the Markets at Pike Market - I went to the shops downstairs from the main Food Hall.  I'd always meant to go down there to see what it was al about.  I thought it would be just touristy stuff like Pier 39 in San Francisco, but I found a great little used bookstore and picked up a few books:

• Snow, by Orhan Pamuk.  He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006.  I'm giving this one to Spence since he enjoyed My Name is Red (another one my Pamuk, and one that I really enjoyed, too.  Here's the cover of My Name is Red - I really like this style of Persian Miniature so even the cover is fantastic!)

• The Gospel According to Jesus Christ.  This is the first novel I ever read by Jose Saramago (who also won the Novel Prize for Literature - in 1998.)  I found it in a little bookstore in New York when I lived in Manhattan.  Of course, it's a novel and not a religious book, so I think it generated some criticism when it came out.  But literature should challenge us, make us think more deeply about ourselves and our lives, and even if you don't change your opinion about something the effort of thinking and wondering always leaves us better off.  I want to re-read it to see if I still love it.  Since this book I've read most of Saramago's books that have been translated into English (he's Portuguese.) I've loved some and not liked others at all.  Among those I've really loved are The Stone Raft (really fantastic) , Blindness (made into a movie that I didn't see - why ruin a great literature event with a movie version?),  All the Names, and The Double.  Try them - you'll like them!  :-)

• Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.  This is supposed to be a fantastic book of poetry; an American literature classic.  I've never read any of it, and it was so cheap that I figured I just couldn't resist!  Of course, I just found them actually online at Google Books (that's the link above.)  So read and enjoy!

Then I walked down on Western Avenue (by the waterfront but not quite AT the waterfront...)  Here are a few photos from my phone from that part of the walk...

Downtown shot

Another downtown shot

I liked this one - it's of Seattle Steamworks (I guess they make steam, but why?  Who uses steam and for what?  I guess I should Google it...)

I like this one

Some guys having a little impromptu jam session in the afternoon sun...

Last night I was with Spence & family; now I'm with Jen and family.  Should be fun times - I get to walk the kids to school in the morning and then do whatever I want until everyone comes home in the afternoon.  Maybe I'll practice some scales or something on the piano here.

Ciao!