After arriving in Kirkland (Seattle) we led a go-go life in the week before Christmas. This household of eight - Dot and me plus our two daughters and their families - seemed to be en route for this or that escapade almost continuously! And it was great fun as you'll see from the various photos attached. Owing to the mass of experiences, I've decided to make two posts for my blog ... although this might take a little while as the frenetic pace of life continues. For example, yesterday we watched an ice-hockey match between Seattle and Spokane, a somewhat Bogan event which lasted only 1 hour but the Americans conspired to extend to two and a half hours with all sorts of stoppages and intervals. My foreign readers might like to examine Bogan culture at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogan. And tomorrow, at c. 7 am we're heading to a ferry terminal in Seattle to catch a vessel taking us to Victoria on Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada) to celebrate Bec's birthday and our 40 th wedding anniversary. This trip will take two days if (a) we can get into Canada and (b) we aren't hemmed in by storms or sea ice! It is after all mid-winter.
This first post will explore a visit to a gingerbread village, a tour around some amazing Christmas lights, bouncing on trampolines, and a Christmas Parade in the adjacent city of Bellevue - all dated 19 to 21 December. Well, the gingerbread exhibition in the foyer of one of Seattle's swish hotels was a joy to behold, even if it took half an hour of queuing to get close to the food! Yes, these displays were edible ... but I guess none was there for that delight. What we saw was an abundance of imagination and creativity - even down to the Christmas tree decorations shown first. The effort put into the 'villages' was inspiring.
The following day we headed off for Elevated Sportz, which was in reality a ginormous bouncing arena. Here's Max about to plunge into a foam ocean.
Here Bec and Max try throwing basket-balls into hoops while bouncing.
While Ella and Flynn also bounced into the pit.
And here Flynn tries a slam dunk!
While Max plays a game of dodgeball! See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodgeball for an explanation of this game.
And so we move to Bellevue's parade - which only lasted about half an hour. It was, however, an interesting spectacle of traditional American culture surrounding matching bands and cheer-leaders, all dressed in fancy uniforms. Alas, the crowds were 5 or more people deep on either side of the shopping centre and we were at the back trying to get a view of the action! At one stage we were also covered in fake snow!
AS
This first post will explore a visit to a gingerbread village, a tour around some amazing Christmas lights, bouncing on trampolines, and a Christmas Parade in the adjacent city of Bellevue - all dated 19 to 21 December. Well, the gingerbread exhibition in the foyer of one of Seattle's swish hotels was a joy to behold, even if it took half an hour of queuing to get close to the food! Yes, these displays were edible ... but I guess none was there for that delight. What we saw was an abundance of imagination and creativity - even down to the Christmas tree decorations shown first. The effort put into the 'villages' was inspiring.
Many homes have elaborate Christmas illuminations, but none I've ever seen match the display shown in the first three photos. The house was surrounded by a huge garden and the long line of cars drove around and through the exhibit in a circular route. Everything shown here was put in place by one household! And, again, it showed great creativity. The last two photos were taken on the way home and show more normal displays, with the last being opposite Em and Greg's home.
The following day we headed off for Elevated Sportz, which was in reality a ginormous bouncing arena. Here's Max about to plunge into a foam ocean.
Here Bec and Max try throwing basket-balls into hoops while bouncing.
While Ella and Flynn also bounced into the pit.
And here Flynn tries a slam dunk!
While Max plays a game of dodgeball! See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodgeball for an explanation of this game.
And so we move to Bellevue's parade - which only lasted about half an hour. It was, however, an interesting spectacle of traditional American culture surrounding matching bands and cheer-leaders, all dressed in fancy uniforms. Alas, the crowds were 5 or more people deep on either side of the shopping centre and we were at the back trying to get a view of the action! At one stage we were also covered in fake snow!
However, I did get a clear view of this polar bear ... although there were plenty of other people wearing animal suits of various kinds. We also met religious fundamentalists who seemed to be campaigning against this form of Xmas presentation claiming it to be sinful. But religious enthusiasm is seemingly part and parcel of US life. Yesterday we saw a mobile home being used by dudes promising instant conversion to Judaism - and they were approaching ordinary pedestrians on the street!
AS
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