Family reunion and Pike Place Farmers Market

On Saturday my Dad's family had a big family reunion. My family came from Colorado, Florida, Wyoming, Canada, California and all over Washington State to Seattle for a wonderful picnic. My cousin Shirley and my mom organized it all and it was the best ever. My dad has a big family - and although he was the second youngest (he is 85 now) I still have 2 Aunts and 1 Uncle and tons of cousins, cousins once, twice and three times removed - and a lot of them were there. I took a lot of video but not so many still photos. My older brother was snap happy so I will get some of his later.
This was the little beach in the park on Lake Washington where we had the picnic. The little kids spent the whole day in the water and us older kids sat under trees in lush grass, reminisced and caught up.

Yesterday was spent with some of my cousins who stayed a couple extra days at the Seattle Pike Place Farmers Market. It was a cloudy day so my photos aren't real clear. Plus I got a little excited just for being there and a little freaked out because it was super crowded and I'm not that good in a crowd. I wanted to show the beautiful flowers they have above all the walkways. There is no extra room on the street level of the market, which takes up four city blocks and three levels, so they put the flowers up high. It rains enough in Seattle even in the summer to water them so they are lush!The inside of the Market is packed with people and food and art and goods. It is just a wonderful place. We ate lunch in a cafe just past this sign with a spectacular view of Elliott Bay.

the flower stalls literally (I'm not exagerating!) go on for a whole city block.

Same with the veggies - if you lived here you would never shop at the supermarket again! Oh, and you can try anything! Really! They will cut up fruit, veg, even truffles (not the chocolate kind) to give you a taste.

But the most spectacular of all is the seafood stalls. Everyone I know shops for their seafood at the Market. There is are fish flying around everywhere, Scampi as big as my whole hand, alaska king crab legs that are as long as my leg (again, I am not fibbing even a little!) and scallops as big as a bar of soap. My older brother bought a king salmon that my little brother bbq'd for us last night (first he marinated it in a little vermouth and salt and lemon and then melted butter and pepper on the grill - best ever) And my SIL made fresh peach and raspberry crumble with ice cream - YUM!

I have only done a little yarn shopping - some trekking sock wool (yawn - nothing special in the land of the most gorgeous wool ever!!). I will finish up my brothers socks today so I can give them to him next weekend. Today is a quiet day - my nephews are coming over to West Seattle and we are going to the beach for the morning. Not sure what the rest of the day will bring.

Talk to you soon. Rhonda