Wet and Whiny

After dinner we went on an hour-long cruise around Elliott Bay. It started raining again as soon as we got in line for the boat, but it kept to a light drizzle - and actually cleared up by the time we got back to shore.

Wynn got a little fussy on the boat - she was tired, she was wet, and she was upset about not getting her standard allotment of play time. By the end of the cruise, she was asking to go back to the hotel. "Where's the Seattle?!" she whined over and over, wanting to get back on dry land and hang out with her toys and games again.

Icons of Seattle Tourism

We took advantage of today's lack of rain and got out to visit two of Seattle's more touristy spots: The Pike Place Market and the Space Needle. Both were fun, and neither gave off that annoying tourist trap vibe.

We went to the Market after breakfast; it's only a few blocks down the street from our hotel. There was more to it than I expected; it's not just the guys throwing the fish (though we did see the guys, and, yes, they threw the fish). There are also beautiful fruit and vegetable stands, vendors selling fresh flowers, and a whole bunch of tiny places that sell amazing-looking food from all around the world. We sighed at the freshly-made bao and promised Wynn we'd go back later to get cinnamon twists at the bakery. Wynn picked out some lovely raspberries and strawberries at one of the fruit stands, and we all snacked on them as we continued our tour.

We paused briefly to visit Starbuck's #1 (or, as we call it "The Mother Ship Calling Us Home"). Scott has been snapping a picture every time we pass a Starbuck's, and it's starting to get a bit ridiculous. Seriously, we've passed about ten of them within a mile of our hotel.

Starbuck's One

The way to the Space Needle is via the Monorail, so we got to ride on that this morning. Wynn thought it was pretty cool that we were riding on a train through the trees, but she did pitch a bit of a fit when we sat in the "wrong" seats. We made it up to her by letting her choose our seats for the return ride. The Monorail itself is, shall we say, of a certain vintage, so it has old vinyl seats and feels a bit like riding a city bus in Eau Claire; still, it was a quick, fun ride and a way to see a bit more of the city.

No Idea Who That Guy Behind Us Is,

But He Sure Seems Friendly

Speaking of seeing the city - the Space Needle rocks! Sure, it's a big ol' tourist site, but it's also really nice. The whole "architecture of the future" thing is subtle enough to be fun - not tacky, and the view from the top is gorgeous. I can't think of many other postcard places I've been to and bought the t-shirt that were so calm and beautiful. We have a deal with the City Pass we bought where we can go back to the Needle again tomorrow for free, and I'm thinking we may end up doing that in the evening to see the city lights.

Looking Up

Here We Are, Seattle!

As we drove to the airport this morning, Wynn called from the back seat, "Here we come, airport! Here we come, airplane!" She's been excited about this trip for several weeks - both the prospect of riding on a plane and getting to visit Seattle (mostly because we told her they have an octopus at the Seattle Aquarium).

She was her usual contented self on the plane ride; though, she did have one of those moments of pre-schooler perfect timing when we hit a really rough patch of turbulence, the captain said that everyone was to stay strapped in - even the flight crew, and she immediately chimed in with, "I need to go potty." I told her that the captain was the boss, so we'd all have to wait until he said we could go. She gave the response she always gives when told she'll have to wait: "But I don't know how." But wait she did. And she used the goofy silver airplane toilet with no complaint when the time came.

It was pouring out and rather windy when we arrived, which felt kinda refreshing after all that dry airplane air. Wynn saw it and started singing "Rain, Rain, Go Away", but we figured, eh, it's Seattle. It's supposed to rain.

The ride in from the airport was very nice. Our driver and fellow passenger were outgoing and friendly, immediately striking up a conversation with us that lasted the whole way to the hotel. They recommended restaurants and sights to see and pointed out interesting stuff along the route as well. (Wow, Boeing HQ is huge!)

Our hotel is lovely. We have a full-sized kitchen, a free breakfast buffet, and a balcony we can hang out on and admire the city. We found a great grocery store - Kress IGA - just six blocks from our hotel. It's in the basement of a historic building, stocks mostly organic produce, and has an amazing deli and salad bar. We stocked up on a few necessities and walked back up the hill to, as Wynn calls it, "our home". (Our initial impression of Seattle-ites as friendly was confirmed as we struck up a conversation with another couple carrying a little girl in a backpack, just like Wynn riding on Baba's back.)

We've had our baths - it's a whirlpool tub, but I don't think Wynn's up to the turbo jets yet - eaten a snack, and lounged on the bed looking at the Seattle skyline out the window. We haven't decided what we're going to do tomorrow, but, so far, we're glad we're here.

If You Give a Tot a Camera ...

We went on a little weekend getaway to Duluth. Wynn, who is drawn to all gizmos with buttons to push, took some pictures of our trip for everyone to see. Here they are -

Still Life with Sandal on Hotel Carpeting

Deck with Parking Lot: First in a Series

Mom's Suitcase

Growling with the Grizzly Bear

(Okay, I took the last one.)

Definitely Baba's Girl

Wynn and I have been going out to the airport to do some airplane-watching recently.

Much to my relief, the railings along the parking deck are at just the right height for safety, while still allowing someone a great view.

She genuinely enjoys watching takeoffs and landings, and tells me to "catch it! catch it!" with my camera. On the way home, she'll flip through the photos on the camera's screen with pride as if she'd taken them herself.

She also likes riding on the underground trains there, too. "Like Tokyo!" she says.

She rode around on my back when we went out on Labor Day this week, appearing like this. She certainly charmed all the flight crews and security on our little adventure.

Next month, another family trip! Wynn now knows her way around the airport, and even which airplane we'll be going to Seattle on.

No, really, she does. "It's the long one!" Which is right, the 757-300...

Could I *be* more proud of this smart little one? --Scott

Bu dui! It's Kai-lan at Target!

Well, we'd heard that Nickelodeon was going to be coming out with Ni Hao, Kai-lan items last Xmas, and when they didn't, thought that might be the end of that for the program as well. But when we got home and resumed shopping like normal American consumers (I went two weeks without stepping into a Target. But there's a patch for that.), this is what we came across:

Not just one or two items, but a whole endcap - plus clothing over in the girls' and toddlers' sections, too!

Oh, and school supplies!

This doll is now sitting on Wynn's bed:

She got the Mr. Fluffy Bake Shop block set, but has no idea this is still sitting on a high shelf in her room, waiting for the right moment to appear.

Are we bad parents for so quickly jumping onto a branding bandwagon? We tried hard, really, to keep the Disney princesses out of the house. And there will be no Barbies (he says, now.)

But Kai-lan is a really good show, well-written, not pushing anything except thinking things through, working hard, and helping your friends. Plus, you know, she's Chinese. And they teach Mandarin words.

You can get Spanish vocabulary pretty much anywhere, anytime in children's programming anymore. (Dragon Tales? I thought dragons spoke Welsh, or um, Mandarin...) But this is the only half-hour in the day where our daughter gets that cultural and linguistic identification. (Our local PBS station pulled Sagwa...)

Plus, she's so darn cute. They actually care about the art in this show, unlike a certain other bilingual young lady living in a tropical area who has a talking monkey friend...

"Baba, enough with the picture taking already."

The Face

Obviously, much has happened since our return from Japan.

We've been so busy that I just got around to looking at many of the pictures from the trip.

Here's a new-found favorite; it's Wynn on the bus to Narita, doing her Great Norma Desmond face.