Seattle Weekend

Last summer, in anticipation of a great Husky football season, Laurie and I invited our good friend Debi Murphy and her son Tim to join us in a trip to Seattle to see our Huskies dismantle their beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish... GO FIGURE!

As it turned out, the Irish entered the game with a respectable 4-2 record while the Huskies were 0 for 2008 after 6 games.

We left Camarillo bright and early on Friday morning at 5:00 a.m. to get on an Alaska Airlines 7:30 a.m. flight that was made more attractive when our future daughter-in-law, Jenn, who works for Alaska got the four of us upgraded to FIRST CLASS! For those of us with, shall we say wide hips, this was a God send. I also needed the extra comfort since I got exactly ZERO sleep Thursday night due to still being upset at the conduct of our Freshman football team at the Pacifica game. I've got to learn to relax... someday.

Tim, Laurie and Debi at LAX

Debi complained loud and often the last few weeks about the early start to the adventure but everyone looks fresh and ready for action to me.

First stop in Seattle, The Pike Street Market

This is a MUST stop when you visit the Queen City of Seattle. There are lots of great craft, food, fish and curio items for sale. We attacked it as soon as we arrived in town because we believed that going there on Saturday or Sunday would be much more difficult as the crowds swelled.

The first thing I noticed was how many people wearing Notre Dame gear were walking around the market... BAD OMEN.

The Market sells flowers...

... and chili decorations...

... and fruit...

...and, of course, fish. 

This is the famous Pike Place Fish Market that has made a huge impact in the world of positive business thinking with their books about how they built up their business through 5 simple techniques. Buy their book, "Fish", it is a quick read and makes a lot of sense to me. 

Holy Guacamole!

Have Catania's "Pink Elephants" started a business venture in the Pacific Northwest?

The University of Washington does have a rich football tradition.

Exhibit "A", the 1992 National Championship Trophy. We also won another National Championship in 1960.

Exhibit "B", the Huskies Rose Bowl history

My Husky Rose Bowl attendance streak is at seven, starting with he 1978 game. I also watched the 1960, 1961 and 1964 games on TV as an ardent fan.

 

Luke Lovell

Our good friend and host, Mark Johnson arranged for Luke, who works in the Husky Athletic Department, to give Tim and I a personal tour of the UW's athletic facilities. He did a great job and the progress the UDUB has made in this area since I graduated are phenomenal to say the least.

 

Husky Stadium, a GREAT place to see a football game

The Athletic Weight Room

Spacious and state-of-the-art, it is a far cry from the basement of the Tubby Graves Building that housed our miniature weight room back in the late 1960's.

Offensive Strength Chart

They also have one for the defense, if you can blow up this chart, check out some of the scores that are broken down by position.

The Seasons

As we walked around Seattle you just could not stop being awed by the beauty of the Fall season and all the foliage changing colors. These awesome red leaves are located outside the Weight Room.

The Seattle Yacht Club

Our friends, Mark and Susie Johnson live next to the Seattle Yacht Club with their two daughters, Sophie and Mallory. Sophie took us on a tour of their beautiful, picturesque neighborhood as the Sun set on a gorgeous Fall day that was clear, crisp, cloudless and, most importantly, rainless.

The Montlake Cut

This waterway connects Portage Bay, behind us, with Lake Washington. If you ever feel like just sitting and watching boats go by, this is the place!

After visiting with the Johnsons and noshing, we drove across a floating bridge than spans Lake Washington to the Red Lion Inn in Bellevue. After checking in, we decided to have a nightcap in the Inn's lounge. Lo and behold, the bartender worked for 10+ years in Ventura County and lived in Camarillo! Small world...