Countdown

One day to lift-off!

Yes, that's right -- sometime Tuesday I and the Hounds are heading off to our adventure in the Atomic City, AKA Richland, WA, where I need to find a new house to live in.  That's because I listed my current house for sale on August 2, and at 5pm tomorrow, the new owner takes over.  Whew, that was fast!

In the meantime, I've been enjoying farewell lunches and dinners and get-togethers with friends and acquaintances.  Not only did I have five lunches and three dinners over the past two weeks, I also had a lovely visit with the former mail carrier, Ms. Chou, who adores Pippin.  We tracked her down on her new route to say goodbye, and she was delighted.

And I've been trying to visit a few of our favorite places here in between the days with wildfire smoke haze, which has been about two days of the past seven.  I took the Hounds to Magnuson Park, to Richmond Beach Park, and for a long frolic at the Golden Gardens Park beach, where we came upon the remains of a sand sculpture competition:

The competition happened the day before, so things were looking a bit run-down.

Turtles were a popular subject.

Pippin was King of the Sand Castle, or rather, what seemed to be a sand starfish.

Other folks took to driftwood instead - a bit more durable.

The Hounds seemed pleased with their visit. 

 

Yesterday I visited the Montlake Fill for the monthly bird count.  It was overcast and hazy, and not until the end of the three-hour tour did the skies clear enough for decent photos.  We were just about to leave when I spied this small flock of Common Mergansers, the only birds I got pics of:

And I snapped a pic of Connie Who Practically Lives There, who later took me to Top Pot for a donut and farewell chat. 

Just in case you are wondering, "Why is she leaving such a lovely place?", here are a few pics of views from my own neighborhood, taken within six blocks of my house:

Yes, there are lovely areas of Seattle that I will miss, but they aren't where I live.  I plan to come back each summer to visit the areas that are not my neighborhood.

I got the coolest thank-you gift from my real estate agents.  This sumi-e print is by a local artist who donates to a shelter in India that she visited, and which is dedicated to saving street dogs.  Perfect!

Now I must go review my list of the Million and One Things that I must remember to do either before the last day, during the last day, or after the last day in Seattle.  See you in Richland!