Kidnapped for the afternoon...

    I had a few errands to run in the north part of Seattle, and about the time I was winding down from my appointment at the Apple store (to try and get a problem resolved with my MAC), I got a breathy call from the Mystery Man (Jey-hu actually) inviting me to meet him at the Northside Mall. His plan: to kidnap me and take me all around downtown Seattle to see, taste and experience some off-track places.

First Stop: The Hirum Crittenden Locks (and botanical garden) where we watched several ships and boats navigate the locks and where we had a picnic lunch, albeit a little later than usual, on the banks in the sunshine. What a treat! There were geese honking in formation overhead, a grey heron under attack by starlings, a man swimming his dog on a leash, a seal looking for his fish dinner and a man and his wife who fell for my "Do you know how to do a Dragon Bowline?" question as we watched the ship's crew quickly do a tugboat bowline for their lines as they entered the lock. I learned that about 7.5 million gallons of water are used each time the locks are filled up... that's a lotta loads of laundry!!!

   I think my granddaughter would find the activities very interesting, but the salmon are not going up the fish ladder until later in the year, so perhaps she will get a chance to visit this spot in the fall.

Second Stop: Jey-hu drove me to Pike Place Market on the waterfront and we watched the very entertaining fish mongers fly 8-10 pound fish through the air, bought some Market Spice iced tea to drink right then and some of their regular tea for our morning cuppa, found a place that sold local lime jelly and walked past beautiful pots of floral bouquets and lush fruits and vegetables.

Third Stop: It was on to Capitol Hill to a place called Dilettant's Chocolates and Mocha Bar where each piece of chocolate runs about $4 apiece, but it's the richest and most delectable flavor since apparently the originator of the recipes was the Confectionary to the Czar of Russia. Jey-hu bought me a couple of pieces and some awesome chocolate sauce for the vanilla ice cream we enjoy from time to time. Yum!

   It turns out that one can ship or order these special treats from the website, so I think I know what I will be sending out this next holiday season to my buddies...

   All in all, it was a glorious day walking all around some lovely locations, sampling jams and jellies, teas, and ending it up with chocolate!