The weather was mixed as we drove from Birch Bay to Renton this afternoon, with sunglasses one moment and windshield wipers the next.
We checked in at the Renton Hilton Garden Inn on a good park-and-fly rate,and then drove over to Grazie, our favorite SouthCenter strip mall restaurant. It never ceases to impress how they've managed to use screens to turn a small and narrow room into something pleasant in the European style. We chose green salad, pasta, and a glass of the house red wine.
It would still get a good review from us like these reviews (except for one), but it didn't seem quite up to its usual standard; nonetheless, we enjoyed our dinner.
When we came out it was really raining and we're just as happy not to be out on I-5. We'll try to remind ourselves in the morning that our 5:00 a.m. wakeup call is really 6:00 a.m. but our bodies are still confused about what time it is and it'll be interesting to see how much napping we do on our flights.
United 0386 SEA 07:07 AM arr. DEN 10:55 AM
United 0043 DEN 11:54 AM arr. HNL 04:32 PM
Kathy and Brian
Two retired educators alternating joyfully between seeing the world and enjoying our eight grandchildren (in order of birth), Jake, Avery, Taegan, Lily, Peyton, Riley, Blane, and Jace.
Kathy and Brian met in the clarinet section of the University of California (Santa Barbara) Symphony Orchestra several decades ago.
Brian's Western Canadian roots and Kathy's Colorado ties resulted in their making beautiful music together along with producing a cross-border crop of descendants.
Kathy spent a year studying in Vienna at the Institute for European Studies and the University of Vienna.
Brian started the school band program in Hope, British Columbia, and later became the high school's vice-principal for 6 years and subsequently principal for 15 years before retiring in 2001.
Kathy, in between raising our three children, taught kindergarten and first grade, middle school, and high school - mathematics, computer studies, ESL, and her first love, band, before retiring in 2001.
We enjoy sharing our travel experiences and providing the odd travel tip to friends, relatives, and visitors.