what we've been up to

It's been hard to blog. After two nights in a hotel-with-amenities in Vancouver, we've returned to Seattle, where we are staying with friends in their apartment. Our friends are very thoughtful, grounded people, and internet access is not a priority of theirs. Every few days we take Christopher's laptop to a cafe and check our email, but finding time to blog hasn't been so easy.

A recap of the past few days:

On Friday, our final day in Vancouver, the clouds at least made an effort to part. We enjoyed some intermittent sunshine and partial views of the mountains as we circled Stanley Park. Christopher still seemed to think I was missing out, but I thought it was pretty darn cool. We ate lunch at a cafe on the far end and the cut across the center of the park. I've never seen such mossy - or thick - trees! I was also amazed at the interesting color combinations, inspiration for future knitting projects, perhaps?

We took a late train back to Seattle on Friday night and on Saturday explored Pike Place Market.
On Sunday we met up with an old friend of mine and we went snowshoeing at a resort in the Cascade Mountains. For some reason the ski lift only runs on the hour, so since it was 10:15am, we walked up the mountain to the Nordic trails. Going up seemed a little psychotic, but once we got to the flatter trails we enjoyed ourselves. The top of the mountain was covered with clouds, which created a somewhat eerie effect as skiers emerged from the white. At the top was a little hut, warmed with a wood-burning stove, and we had lunch. My friend, who is French, brought salami and avocado sandwiches, an orange, stroopwafels and dark chocolate. It was the perfect thing to eat after climbing a snowy mountain.
Monday rained horribly and we laid low. Yesterday was one of our hosts' day off, and he joined us on the ferry to Bainbridge Island. The clouds cleared for the occasion and we were able to see the Olympic Mountains and the Cascade Mountains, though Mt Rainier remained hidden.
I'm liking this city, getting to know it by wandering up and down its hills. The food is certainly good, and the climate doesn't seem too harsh, especially since we've been told that this is the worst time of year to visit. It ain't too bad, except if we were to move here I'm not sure how we'd support ourselves as artists...