Love those old quaint houses converted to Bakeries...

Tom says I am a bloodhound when it comes to finding old houses converted to bakeries and cafes.  Well, we both loved this one, Le Reve, in the Queen Anne District in Seattle, close to Nancy's Sewing Store.  Talk about an alignment of the stars!

Fellow Chin Waggers Cindy and Ted Climb Half Dome

Defying the reports of high risk and huge scare factor, Cindy and Ted summited Half Dome at the end of September.  KUDOS to the brave and energetic pair!!  (I recommended that they just buy photos of Half Dome if they really wanted to see it, but they just had to go for it and see it for themselves.)

In 1962, Nina travelled to Seattle to view the World's Fair

And despite my dropping blatant hints about how much I would LOVE to go, Nina (grandmother) just went with Papa (grandfather) and another couple. 

Just about 50 years later, Tom and I stayed  in a room directly across from the Space Needle, a structure inspiring Americans to reach for the stars.  The construction of the Space Needle was the American response of we'll top that when the Russians launched Sputnik (which I remember reading about in my Weekly Reader).

I took this photo through the window of our room as the sun was rising--the dawn of a new day.

Gob Smacked in Alaska!!

Here is Tom cruising in Alaska--the 49th state and known for its fishing, wildlife, northern lights, and the Iditarod.  Oh, yes, and the view of Russia from Wasilla.  We did see three salmon spawning, the faint blows of one or two whales, the outline of two moose camouflaged by brush,  and many Alaskan huskies.  We never did see Russia, but we did see Wasilla from the train.  

And here is a view of Denali National Park with Mount Denali in the distance:

We actually did hear someone use the phrase gob-smacked!  which we loved!  And below are three photos of life in Alaska that really gob smacked  us!

Many homes in Fairbanks had two cars and a piper cub.

Huge begonias bloomed everywhere.

This beautiful girl sporting a handmade fur coat

 for life near Nome, AK, is headed to Stanford this week.