Happy Valentine's Day!

Aquarium Fun

Last post about Seattle........the aquarium. There were three things I especially liked, first the jelly fish.

Second, the beautiful octopus.

She's rather large; I think they said about 45 lbs.

Here she is swimming across her tank.

She's about three yrs old and they will soon release her back into Pudget Sound, where they found her under the aquarium's dock.

Last, but not least, the sea otters. I didn't take a pic but here' s one from the aquarium's web site. The sea otter is cleaning it's face, they do that after each meal.

More Tasty Meals

I had to get some authentic Japanese cuisine while in Seattle and the workers at the hotel suggested Shiro's Sushi. It was a nice walk and oh-so-worth it!

We both ordered the butterfish (also known as black cod).

Diggin' in!

The sashimi was so fresh it melted in my mouth! Now I'm getting hungry writing this post.

Good Eats in Seattle

There was no doubt that we'd find good eats in Seattle - my taste buds were over joyed. The first travel day our eating schedule was off and we didn't want a heavy meal. That evening we found De Laurenti next to Pikes Market. They have wonderful foods and wine.

We bought some Ciabatta bread, peppadews, sopressata, cheese, and wine! It was a great in-room picnic.

Seattle Day 4

One day we decided to catch the ferry; you get on right next to Ivars (where we had some yummy fish and chips for lunch).

We picked the right day and time for a ferry ride, the sun came out for a half hour. The only time we saw a bit of blue sky and sunshine during our trip, but it's January in Seattle, so what else would you expect? Seattle skyline behind us.

On the return..........Todd w/ the space needle.

Seattle Day 3

Elliott Bay Book Co. near Pioneer Square. This is Todd's old haunt when he had time-off from the fishing boats. Elliott Bay is THE COOLEST book store. It's in an old building with wood floors, the bookshelves look "home made" and there are lots of nooks to explore.

Unfortunately, the book store will be moving in March; we're so thankful we went there, spent a good amount of time, and purchased some good books). Here's Todd looking a little sad about the move of Elliott Bay.

In the basement is the Elliot Bay Cafe - super yummy. Although the book store is moving, the cafe will remain.

Seattle - Day 2

Where's Todd?

Those of you who know Todd, know he's one of Starbuck's BEST customers! So what do you do when you're in Seattle? Of course, you visit the first ever Starbucks.

The first Starbucks was named "The Coffee Shop", but when the creators opened a second store, they had to come up with another name, thus Starbucks was born.

Seattle - Day 1

Tummy tempter #1 - Le Panier - A Very French Bakery, across from Pike's Market.

We started off each morning at the bakery; it doesn't get better than a latte and fresh French baked goods. That's another way of saying, "stuff packed with tons of butter so it melts in your mouth and goes straight to the thighs".

One of our favorites was the apple pastry.

There were lots of tempting treats to try!

Raw Food

FOODIES - - - PAY ATTENTION!!!
Cool restaurant in Menomonie, WI (about 20 mins. west of Eau Claire). Located in an old brick building with a beautiful tin ceiling. It's called...

Great coffee house where all the food is organic and raw - super yummy and oh-so-healthy. This past weekend I checked it out with my friend and co-worker, Signe.

This is what was left of the spinach quiche by the time I remembered to take a picture of it. Another tasty treat! We got muffins and sweets "to go", but my muffin was nearly gone by the time we drove home. And did I mention the great fair trade coffee from Costa Rica? Signe and I were in gastronomical heaven!

New table for the new year

Todd needed more table space to organize his home office; we love Ikea and had the opportunity to shop there over the holidays. Here he is, putting it together and having fun with his tools.

We didn't see any desks we liked so opted for an expandable dining table that looked like it would work well.

Here it is.........still needs to be "organized" but at least things aren't all over the floor.