Pa Turns 36

Pa wanted Thai food for his birthday dinner.

He got to take the rest of us along with him.

Even The "Seven."

Who insisted on making a scary face for the camera. Complete with arms. Not that we had to take 87 shots just to get the perfect one, no.

We took our favorite Chinese girl to eat Thai food as well.

Happy 36th, Pa! We're getting o-l-d!

Seattle: Part 10

Oh, the International Fountain.

This gem sits right in the midst of the "World's Fair," and fortunately for us, it was 83 gazillion degrees while we were in Seattle.

So, an over-the-top style fountain was just what the Heat Doctor ordered.

Best I could tell from old pictures, this fountain used to have a decorative pool where the people now sit or play.

Not only does the fountain shoot high high, super high into the air--it also plays music that's choreographed with the water show.

I know!

Very cool. In more ways than one.

And now that you've looked at three pictures of the same fountain, I'll give you a little dose of this:

Part 10 of 10.

The end! Believe it or not!

Seattle: Part 9

One of the buildings left over from the World's Fair in Seattle has been transformed into a science center. And since our family has some unwritten rule that we track down and conquer every. single. one. of these museums, we made this part of our Running Ragged In Seattle trip.

I took that afternoon "off," which means I sat in a dark hotel room not moving a muscle so that the Suz could get some sleep.

So the commentary on the following pictures is going to be next to nothing, or howshallwesayit, NIL.

Part 9 of 10.

Seattle: Part 8

Oh. I guess had more to tell you about the Space Needle.

Suz also enjoyed this particular outing. Course, she couldn't really look over the edge, so she was clueless about the whole "heights" thing.

As you might imagine, the elevator ride (up and down) was a real trip for her as well--and she shared all that excitement with everyone else in the small, cramped box that was flying up 40 million stories. Or something like that.

You see this smile on my face? It was because I WAS SAFE ON THE GROUND.

And here's a bonus shot just for the "cute" page--see, he's not always scowling for the camera.

Part 8 of 10.

Seattle: Part 7

So...the Space Needle. It's kinda tall.

Which is good for viewing the city of Seattle, and good for feeding a fear of heights:

He was sitting as far away from the edge as possible, of course. Right next to me.

Meanwhile, the more adventuresome enjoyed the sights:

And once we were done with the tour, it felt just about right for a group shot of the kids:

Which will promptly go in the scrapbook under the page heading, "Revenge."

Part 7 of 10.

Seattle: Part 6

We dedicated this trip to Seattle as the "touristy trappy trip." We wanted to make sure that we saw most of the biggies just to say we saw them.

The biggest of the biggies is, of course, the Space Needle. I mean, no movie scene depicting Seattle can go without a picture of this leftover remnant from the World's Fair of the 60s.

But even though the Space Needle hasn't changed much over the years, the entry fee sure has!

I think we paid $16 a person to go up an elevator. Oh, and down the elevator, too. So I guess when you calculate that in--well, sixteen dollars STILL SEEMS LIKE FOURTEEN TOO MANY.

Moving on.

We were in Seattle during July 4th weekend, so we were one of the 18 million people standing in line waiting for a turn. But we eventually moved forward (really?!)...

...and got a chance to stand in another line on the inside of the building, crowd in an elevator, bust to the top so we could feel like this:

Oh, Campers and I were the worst of us all. (Really?!) It was a hot day and neither one of us has a fondness for heights, heights, and did I mention--heights?

Meanwhile, the Suz made sure to enjoy the Space Needle from a very special spot...the floor:

More to come on the Space Needle.

Post 6 of 10.

Seattle: Part 5

Does it feel like this trip to Seattle lasted about two months? Yes? And you're wondering why it's taking so long to tell the story? Yes?

Well. It was just one weekend. Couple months ago, now.

We happened to be walking through the Seattle Center when I looked over to see this:

Unprompted geekness, folks. I laughed so hard and for so long that we drew attention to ourselves with all the commotion. Sorry, Campers. Add it to the therapy bill. (But HE was the one to yank his shorts up that high! HIS fault!)

And in news pertaining to the youngest child in the family...

I've noticed that with multiple kids, the third kid operates on the schedule of the older two. Oh, I remember the days that The Whole World Would Stop so that Baby Campers could take a nap. The Suz? We dragged her all over the city with barely a break to breathe. Fortunately, she's energetic enough to keep up with us all. But still. We did manage to wear her out (and ourselves at the same time).

Part 5 of 10.