[Note: If you ever see a seal pup on the beach, steer clear. Usually, mama is close by fishing and will be back to pick up her babe. Read more here about seal haul-outs in Washington. Keep wildlife wild!]

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Oh, that’s right, I changed the title of this post…duh.
Yes! We went to the Port Townsend Kinetic Sculpture Race!

It was my first time. I was a kinetic sculpture race virgin.

And what is a kinetic sculpture race?

Just what is “kinetic,” you may wonder if you chose to grow up and not live in academia for decades like moi?

Dictionary.com says this:

ki·net·ic [ki-net-ik, kahy-]
1.pertaining to motion.
2.caused by motion.
3.characterized by movement: Running and dancing are kinetic activities.

So, this doesn’t actually say anything about “goofy” or “ridiculous” or “drunken” or “silly” or “goodoletime,” but it was. All that.

Contestants built their unique sculptures and raced on them through the streets of Port Townsend, as well as traveled on the water.
All kinds of themed sculptures competed.

Sure, many looked similar to not-so-disguised bikes with pontoons.

Fros N Peas ended up leading the water leg of the race we saw.

(“Fros,” get it? I only did just now.)
Some worked a little harder than others.
Some even carried dead weight passengers.
The pumpkin team had a smooth operation. We decided they must be engineers.The race was a bit surreal, but in a fun way.
So, you could understand why some spectators were a tad perplexed by the outlandish behaviour…
Watching all the drunken racers, we had a good laugh while the Hubs mentally designed his sculpture for next year.Check back with us next year…maybe we’ll be in race photos on someone else’s blog.

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Be as clear as possible when stating to the Universe what you want.

Sure, I may have said, “It’d be great to have a couple of extra bucks right about now, Universe.”

But I didn’t mean this:

Or this:

But the Hubs didn’t load fast enough they are handsome, aren’t they?

Need a couple extra bucks?

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I thought it’d be fun. I love marine mammals. I once tended to injured and abandoned marine mammals here.

What I forgot about is all the other mammals that would be on the trip.

The 7 and 8 year-old ones.

The ones who argue about what exhibit to see next, how long to stay at the current one, who is really their friend, and where they can slink off into the sea of child molesters without me seeing them.
Sure, they look all calm and behaved here.

The day started with the announcement and my first clue I should invest in a nice flask in the shape of a Starbucks cup by the teacher of a “glitch” of how we were down to one bus, rather than two.

This led to a packed-to-the-brim bus ride into hell through island morning school traffic and road construction. Yes, that day, we had traffic.

After corralling them into the ferry and then keeping them all together through the streets of enticing garbage, kickable newspaper stands, and fascinating homeless people downtown Seattle, we arrived at the lovely Seattle Aquarium before they officially opened.

Which would have been super-duper cool, if they had let us in.

Instead, I had my charges playing Simon Says for fifteen minutes on the dock out front. Simon Says “JUMP!”

Actually, Simon did say “Hug me and say YOU’RE THE GREATEST EVER!” Which they did. Cuz Simon Said.

We eventually got into the aquarium where much arguing, hiding and yelling ensued.
They were less interested in this fur seal and more interested in the photo of the fur seal located on the touch screens they could manipulate, the little bozos techno natives.

Ignoring all the live wildlife around them, dress up time in scuba clothing was also popular.
Also, known as time-killer.

Finally, we wrapped up our time with what every aquarium visit needs when it’s at least an hour too long: a rousing game of tag in the front lobby.

However, I’m glad to report that no marine mammal was injured in the making of this post, and as far as I know but I’m not listening la-la-la, all our mammals returned to their respective homes at the end of the day.

Home, where I holed in my room boozing it up to recover and remind myself to never again bring to the Seattle Aquarium more than 2 young, two-legged mammals.

What field trips from hell have you endured?

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Plastic eggs have been discovered.

The lawnmower is out.

We’re already missing tennis balls.

And best of all, my boyfriend is back!

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I hate flying am not into planes, or WWII movies, or tools. But listen to me, people, the Museum of Flight was fun.

They have tons of actual, historical planes inside to see,

and real planes outside to go into and pretend to be presidential.

Did you know Rod Stewart flew his hairdresser over in the Concorde before a show? Dahlink, it was so very necessary.

The museum has a huge indoor area for kids to run explore around and get worn out, complete with kids-climb-around-sit-in-aircraft zone. And if you go with a ratio of 4:2 kids to adults like I did, you will want that.

If you have a better ratio, more conducive to oh, say, pausing, reading, or thinking, there is a lot of historical information to absorb.

May I never need that information.

But this was interesting. In my own home state of Texas, they were training women pilots! (or “girl pilots” as all the headlines said…)

Sounds like a Hollywood movie waiting to be made. Starring who? Sandra Bullock? Gwyneth? Reese?

Then there was the Animals in Space display. (No, no mention of Pigs in Spaaaaaaaace, for you muppet fans.)
Using monkeys, though, I could totally understand, some brains, some finger dexterity.

But dogs? Do we really want intelligent life out there potentially meeting up with a slobbering, constantly hungry, tail-wagging representative?

Then again, maybe we do.

So don’t be like me and wait 8 years to check it out. The museum is a short hop from the downtown ferry terminal. It’s fun, educational and a great waiting-for-summer-to-come family activity.

And probably even better if you are interested in planes!

Have you been to the museum? What’d ya think?

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I had to check it out. Yes, I brought my child, too, but she really was a distraction.

Unfortunately for you, I only had my iphone to take photos this time around, but you need to see it all up close and personal anyway so GET THEE TO SEATTLE, I say!

This year has the usual awesome accomplishments in edible creations.

In case you missed the Seattle Floating Homes tour this year, they made one of yum-yums for you.

Mmmmm, Hershey’s roof shingles…

They also went nuts and created a giNORmous edible treehouse!

In case you wondered what Santa was doing…and his reindeer.

Reminds me of my own pet (the Dog). Maybe next year they’ll have the Claus’ in bed with a reindeer hogging the covers, you know, like my reason for lack of sleep life.

After you’ve seen them all, this year you can even vote for your favorite online, at www.gingerbreadvillage.org.

It’s a wonderful display and well worth a family trip into downtown (along with many other fun holiday events – see www.downtownholidays.com for more information).

Just don’t go hungry.

The 18th Annual Gingerbread Village is on display through January 2, 2011. It’s a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Northwest Chapter. Go, have fun, do good. And let me know what your favorites were!

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No, I just took a few snaps at our own Seattle Art Museum. I mean, it was for educational purposes this time.

It all started when I volunteered to be fed to the lions my daughter’s 2nd grade class art docent. Which means I come every now and then to lead an art discussion and freeforall, chaotic mess project with them. Sort of an unpaid art instructor (yay, another unpaid job!).

And lo and behold, here comes Pablo Picasso in a special exhibit to SAM while the Musee Picasso in Paris is renovated.

So, I saw my opportunity and I grabbed it!

They had a great variety from Picasso’s long life of creations.


After gathering a few snappies, I went back to school and had the kids draw their own self-portraits in a Picasso style (which I have not stolen pictures of yet…hm, too easy, I guess).

You’d think I’d take better shots by now since I had a little practice at the Calder exhibit…shhhhh.


You have to wonder why, over thousands of years, people have felt the urge to create art. Is it an innate factor? Is there an art gene? Is it some calming or comforting feeling we get? Is it an escape? Or is it a charge forward into our true selves?

Also, we could ask the same of a person compelled to take illegal pictures of art….

I don’t have an answer. Do you?

The Picasso exhibit continues in Seattle until mid-January, 2011. Check it out.

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I have been resisting. I know, I know. You thought I was a go-with-the-flow kinda gal, free spirited and fun if you’re not a regular reader.

Au contraire! I have been resisting the arrival of fall. Not the pretty, crisp fall day. No, I have been resisting the REAL fall, the dark, the wet, the leading into a darker, wetter winter fall.

Which, of all things to resist, is pretty stupid. I mean, it’s coming. Period.

Resist arrest. Resist a mall shopping spree. Resist a flourless chocolate cake (Well, not that. That would be stupid, too.).

But resisting FALL?

In my defense, this summer pretty much sucked for our family, what with all the hubs-breaking-his-leg-and-needing-surgery and coldest summer weather and whathaveyou.

Also, spend a few years in southeast Alaska like I did, and that will train you to dread fall. The Rain. The Dark. The Beer.

And it wasn’t until Halloween had almost arrived that I realized I hadn’t even opened up that little box of turtleneck sweaters crammed in the back of the spare room closet. Hmmm, let’s see….it’s October 30th. What’s more useful, a jazzy, ruffled sleeveless top which I never wore cuz it was too freakin cold or a black turtleneck?

Not that I didn’t need those warmer clothes. No, I was layering all my lightweight shirts at one time, and topping my marvelous bag lady look off with the cardigan that had escaped the sweep of that winter box.

And yet, each year I still cannot predict the Project Runway winner…

So, I want you to know that I have pulled out that winter clothes box, I have put away the useless and only kept around for our fantasy of a PNW summer sleeveless tops, and my closet shelf is now littered with wool, with cashmere, and with a rainbow of turtlenecks.

Goodbye, exposed skin. Hello, fall. I no longer resist you.

I see you there, staring at us in the dark morning time and early dusk.

I acknowledge the fungus in my house among us.

Fall, you may now proceed with your falling business.


How are you doing out there? Ready for fall? Ready for…ugh…dareIsayit…winter?

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The sun shone, the cormorants murmured, the water sweetly ebbed and flowed.

It was the Perfect Fall Day.

It looked like this:

Calms you down, doesn’t it?

These pictures were all taken at Fort Ward State Park, on the south end of Bainbridge Island, WA.

I’m gonna return to this page as this La Nina fall proceeds and breathe deeply and slowly as I review the scene….

And get some Herradura.

If you live in a northern clime, how do you handle the winter darkness?

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