puget sound kind of day

Today, the plan was to go sailing on Lake Union, maybe go to Ballard Locks, and definitely eat some good food. You see, every Sunday, the Center for Wooden Boats offers free boat rides on the lake. The problem with this is that they don't accept reservations, so you need to put your name down the day of the sail, and you can do this as early as 10am. As this is a popular activity, one would probably want to put one's name down as early as possible. However, when you live an hour away, waking up early to put your name down for a sail that's not for a few hours is not ideal.

This morning, especially with daylight savings, I was not in the mood to wake up early. When I finally woke up, there were snow flurries. I knew that this would make Julia more inclined not to drive all the way to Seattle. I wasn't so sure that I wanted to go all the way up there either, when we weren't sure if the weather was going to clear up. So, we decided to change our plans. We decided to have brunch and go from there.

We made reservations for Salty's at Redondo Beach. Laurel and Roland had actually wanted to take us there, but since we were supposed to go sailing, that's why we ended up hanging out on Saturday instead. They couldn't join us this time, but having previously seen the restaurant's famous brunch menu, I was ready to go there and wasn't too sad about having to give up our original plans.

We got there on time for our 11:45 reservations, and the place was packed. It took a while for us to get seated, but we hit the jackpot and were seated by the window, overlooking Puget Sound and the beach. It was a gray day that alternated between gentle rain and flurries. From where I was sitting, I loved it. The rain, the water, the trees, the mountains--so Pacific Northwest. Here are a couple of shots that I took from our table--one drizzly, the other with flurries. Though these pictures are more pointed sideways to the beach, I could actually see much more.

Brunch was certainly a feast. They had various sections. One line had more traditional breakfast fare--cinnamon rolls, waffles, eggs benedict, kielbasa,potatoes, etc. Another line had a carving station for roast beef and hot dishes, such as blacked salmon, chicken caprese, seafood paella, etc. Here's what Julia and I got. As you can see, we both got a cup of thick chowder that contains not only clam but also scallop and other seafood. The food was quite good. Even though I don't like fish, I had to get the salmon--this is Seattle, after all. The blackened salmon was especially good.

On another side of the restaurant were the cold types of dishes. This was where you could get shrimp, oysters, and Dungeness crab, as well as seafood and other types of salads.

I'm not actually one for cold seafood, so I only got this. Though many people come for this part of the brunch, this wasn't my favorite.

In addition to what's already laid out on the tables, there were also several things you can order, such as omelets, pastas, and crepes. I ordered a strawberry crepe and a shrimp omelet (though I think I got a Denver omelet), but I forgot to take pictures.

I was actually already rather stuffed by the time my crepe and omelet came, but I still ate some desserts anyway. They had cakes, pies, fruit, and a chocolate fountain.

This is what I got. The chocolate-dipped strawberries were especially delicious.

Drinks were also included in the brunch, so I had a couple of glasses of pineapple juice, while Julia had soda.

After we completely stuffed ourselves, we walked a little bit by the beach, right outside the restaurant. It really is a beautiful area, and the water is remarkably clear.

We then headed to Tacoma to pick up my piece from my glassblowing experience. The snow came down a little bit harder during the drive, but it stopped by the time we got to the studio.

When I saw my final product, I was a little disappointed. It wasn't as pretty as I'd hoped it would be (I actually rather liked the way it looked before we cooled it down), but that's how it goes. I'll have to look at it more when I get home (I had it shipped).

I wanted to buy some souvenirs so it took us a while to get out of the studio. We were supposed to go to Northwest Trek, but we were too short on time. So, we headed out to Point Defiance instead. Our first stop was driftwood-filled Owen Beach. It was certainly a popular spot and a great place for taking pictures and enjoying the scenery.

We continued the five-mile drive and drove through some lovely trees. On this trip, I had really wanted to go to the Hoh Rainforest, but when I found out it took 4 hours to get there, I knew we couldn't do that. So going through the evergreens and mossy trees of Point Defiance was my alternative. Here are some pictures of the beautiful trees, some with Puget Sound in the background. Beautiful, isn't it?

When we were about done with the five-mile drive, I wanted to go to the zoo and aquarium, but it was already closed. (Julia's not really into zoos, which is why we didn't go there first.) On the way out of the park, we ran into this peacock. It didn't seem to be afraid of people because it didn't try to run away when we drove near and when I was following it around. (That last shot is a bit fuzzy because it was heading towards the car, and I was afraid it was going to go into the open car door.)

After getting out of the park, we headed to the marina and walked a little. By that time, the weather had certainly cleared up. Here are some pictures.

By the time we finished, it was still in the 4 o'clock hour. It had been a day full of all types of weather. What a luxury to be able to enjoy the scenery! If I hadn't sensed that Julia was getting tired (I was, too), I would have liked to just sit and look out and maybe nap until it was time for the sunset. But today wasn't the day for that. Maybe I'll get to do that yet during this trip.