Andrew and Britta were married at the Fort Lewis Army Base Chapel on Saturday. Because the base is located in Tacoma, it is like a park because of the rainy weather. Very beautiful.
Andrew is in the Cavalry, which explains the unusual hat and spurs on his shoes. No, he doesn't ride horses. It's a traditional Army thing. He had to go through a difficult 3-day hazing experience to score silver spurs, and because he's been in combat (Iraq: 27 months on two tours) they were upgraded to gold spurs.
One more side note: Tom and Craig's half-brother was stationed at Ft. Lewis before he served in WWII, where he was captured in Korea and died in a North Korea Prisoner of War camp. Surreal. The horrors of war were also evident on the signs posted: "Stop Domestic Abuse!" and "Nightmares? Call (phone #)"
I would have taken pictures of the base, but I didn't bring my camera charger, and the battery was dying. I had to get a picture or two of the wedding. One of the groomsmen tried to buy a battery at the PX for me, but they didn't sell that kind.
The famous fish throwers at one end of the market.
We flew up Thursday evening, and the first thing Tom wanted was ice cream. The next morning he woke up with stomach flu. I felt so bad for him. All this planning and expense to spend the day in bed sick! What a disappointment. I felt sooo bad for him. But he recovered by the end of the day.
Oh no he didn't! Saturday morning he was nauseous again! But he took medicine and felt better quickly. Whew! We won't miss the wedding. But he craved ice cream again. Everyone who heard about his morning nausea and the ice cream decided he must be pregnant. Now that we're home again, he got sick again tonight. What kind of flu lasts 3 days? So far I haven't got it.
On Friday morning I went off alone for our breakfast appointment with Faith and Doug. I love their yard--they are both horticulturalists.
Faith and Doug's home.
Faith in her kitchen with one of her hanging baskets outside the window.
Looking down at the hot tub from the upper deck
just outside the dining room french door.
Doug put in the upper and lower deck and the hot tub.
Very creative man.
They put in the fountain together.
One side of the house.
They left for a planned camping trip with friends,
so I took off for downtown Seattle.
The famous Pikes Place Market on the waterfront of Puget Sound.
Across the street--a Seattle characteristic--beautiful
hanging baskets of flowers.
This is also true of Victoria Island, Canada.
I wonder how many other cities do this.
I did see some in Dublin.
Excellent idea.
See it in the air?
He caught it. What happens when they don't?
I don't want to know!
There was a block of flower stalls.
Famous dungeness crab from the Olympic Peninsula.
Wonderful fruits and vegetables.
I bought a Honey Crisp apple and figs for lunch.
But then I found an Irish Pub
and couldn't resist having Irish Stew on a cool day.
The flowers were for Tom--to cheer him up.
This was an authentic Irish Pub.
If I looked toward the interior of the pub, I was in Dublin.
If I looked out the window at the Sound,
I tried to imagine it was the River Liffey,
but Puget Sound is just too large.
I found this picture in an antique store nearby.
It's of Nurnberg, Germany.
Then I found an evening jacket
for my evening gown made in Munich.
Two places I hope to go.
But I didn't buy either of them.
Apparently you CAN be a pianist
AND a street musician.
So is this Seattle or San Francisco? Such hills!
It's Seattle. Because I forgot my coat and survived.
One cannot survive in San Francisco without a coat!
Leaving Seattle on the ferry for Bainbridge Island.
Approaching Bainbridge Island.
Typical back road neighborhoods.
Townhouses near the town.
Walking the Fort Ward National Park trail
with a pilot's wife and her dog,
who happened to walk by as I was parking
and invited me to walk with her.
No way would I walk such a wilderness trail alone!
