Schmeeattle was a bustling whirl of fun. We ate a yummy and nutritious brecwast at a fancy vegetarian restaurant with a lot of greenery, roamed Pike Place, bought earrings and green tea, did not feed our meter under the watchful eye of the meter matron, and enjoyed crumpets at the Crumpet Shop. I had one with cream cheese and a scrambled egg (best…crumpet…EVAR!) and one with butter and orange marmalade, as usual. I have loved marmalade ever since I forced myself to love it at the age of 8 under the influence of Paddington books.

Then Sister and Matt conspired to take a Wilderness Walk before returning home. This was expressed to me as “a walk”, and so it was that I ended up on a short hike (2.8 miles over rising and falling rooty trails) in my Doc Martens, wearing a jacket and carrying a purse. In short order, we returned to my sister’s fabulous new abode (she and her Intended have brought low the housebeast) and she gave me a foot bath and mini-pedicure out of repentance for dragging me on a small hike unawares after a long day of walking. I only wish she were here now, to massage my calves after said hike-and-walk plus almost four hours as an immobile car passenger! I walk like a little old lady, the charlie-horses are so bad. At any rate, I have concluded that Doc Martens, while THE thing to wear hiking around city streets, malls, et cetera, are NO good to hike around trails in.

The evening was spent first on luscious repast by my sister, then in playing “Hoopla” by the makers of Cranium, bought especially. “If I had known nobody WINS,” said she in disgust, “I wouldn’t have bought it.” It’s a cooperative game, but we ended up enjoying it a great deal anyways. Between Hoopla, talking, and extreeeeeeeme silliness, I didn’t get to sleep until 2 AM. Which is not something I do lightly at my current stage of life.

So, the next day I toured my sister’s new garden (comes with the house, dontcha know) and she made us a scrumptious breakfast before hugging us goodbye and giving us directions to get back on I-5, which we promptly garbled and ended up driving in circles for a while before we managed to get on the freeway and make our way home. Fun!