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Sunday morning after an early church service and with ski gear loaded and strapped to the van, we tucked Stanley into the camera case and headed for Snoqualmie Summit, a ski resort in the Cascades east of Redmond (Seattle).

It was still pretty foggy and frosty as we drove the west shore of Lake Sammamish to connect with I-90 and head up into the mountains. On a prettier, sunnier day the lake is quite nice and a popular spot to hang out at some of the park areas that can be found nearby. In the summer, lots of water sports and sand castle building goes on.

From Redmond it is about an hours drive to the Snoqualmie Summit. If you continue on I-90, it takes you to Snoqualmie Pass which is a little over 3000 feet high. The Pass is the largest of three routes through the Washington Cascades and is open year round but can be pretty dangerous in bad winter weather.

As we neared the base of the mountains and began to climb, it didn't take long for ears to start popping. But, wondered Stanley, where is the snow?

As we climbed further, we found ourselves above the fog and the sun shone brightly. Soon after, we began to see signs of snow, not just frost, and suddenly the sides of the road were piled high where the plows had cleared the pavement. There was reportedly a 66" base of snow for the skiers.


Snoqualmie Summit resort was packed with families. Adults and kids of all ages clomped about in ski boots with their skis tossed up on their shoulders. Soon our family group was divided into their lesson areas and off to learn the day's new skills. The older, non-skiing folks, took Stanley into the lodge to warm up and sip some hot drinks. Later, they joined the others around the outdoor fire pit before beginning the trip home.

The beauty of the area was not lost on Stanley. I could hear him sigh as he watched an eagle soar over distant pine trees. The brilliantly lit snow from the bright sunshine was a welcome change from all the dreary fog of the last few days. What a difference between the area near the sea and the mountain top!

It was good that Stanley got used to a little snow because he was about to travel to another area of the country that was white with the cold fluffy stuff.

Poor Stanley. So much to see in Seattle and too much fog to see it. Those are the chances you take when you travel even if it is in an envelope.

Saturday morning began with dropping off the grands at their Japanese school. The Seattle area has a large Japanese population and there are small schools in the area that offer the opportunity for kids with Japanese heritage to learn Japanese writing, reading, etc. as well as culture and tradition. It was still pretty foggy  and frosty when we dropped the older kids off at their Saturday morning school.

Instead of driving into Seattle, we opted to head back to the house to warm up again and share some pictures and stories of other trips to Seattle in much nicer weather. We told Stanley that when we visited the Space Needle, the iconic landmark of Seattle, it was a much warmer day in June and there was no frosty fog. The views of the city and Puget Sound were breathtaking.

The Space Needle was built in 1962 for the World's Fair. The original sketch was made on a napkin and was the idea of Edward E. Carlson. It took 13 months to build at a cost of $4.5 million. A hole 30 feet deep and 120 feet wide, filled with cement, anchors the Needle which was engineered to withstand 200 mph winds.

But everything that's interesting about Seattle can't be seen from above ground. Below the ground level under the sidewalks and streets is a maze of tunnels that allow you to explore some of the oldest parts of Seattle. The city was originally built on soggy tideflats and was subject to nasty flooding every time it rained for any length of time. After the Great Fire of 1889 the city was rebuilt over the top of the old city and retaining walls were constructed to control the flooding. It's quite an interesting tour to take on a warm day when you want to cool off.

At street level, in the heart of the city is another iconic landmark of Seattle, the Public Market Center, a huge market with vegetables, flowers, meats, and the entertaining fish markets. The fish company is noted for their fish toss. When someone places an order, they toss the huge fish to the butcher who prepares the order. It is a fascinating place to wander through and plan to eat lunch at.

But alas, the weather was just too bad for all that touring and unfortunately most of us had nasty colds and were feeling bad so we spent the Saturday cuddled up near the fireplace enjoying each other's company and playing games. Stanley fit right in.

We wondered though, would the sun break through on Sunday?

Flat Stanley arrived toward the end of our stay in Seattle. Unfortunately he missed the few sunny days we had at the beginning of the week. Seattle's temps in January average 48 F. The week we stayed to sit with our grands, the temps were in the mid-30s and chilled you to the bone. The always moist air iced into a thick fog that covered trees and bushes with crystals of ice. It made the foliage look sugar-coated.

Each morning we walked the older kids to school and were amazed to see some of their school friends in shirt sleeves while we shivered in our winter coats. Hardy folks those Seattle area people. but then they are used to a misty rain most mornings. The climate is described as temperate or oceanic mild. Trees and bushes grow well in the climate and the area has huge pines that grace the landscape.


The city of Seattle sits between Puget Sound on the Pacific Ocean side and Lake Washington to the east. From there, the metropolitan area spreads out to the east where we were located in Redmond, home to the huge Microsoft headquarters complex. The Microsoft complex is like a huge university sprawling across acres of land with multiple buildings that make it a small community in itself. The Microsoft influence can be seen all over the area. The mall in the nearby city of Bellevue has a large Microsoft store to wander through and play in with all the latest MS hardware and software.

Even further to the east lie the Cascade Mountains. On clear days their snow capped tops stand out against the blue skies. When the sun clears the air and the clouds part, you can glimpse Mt. Rainier in the distance. At first glance you might think the mountain was named for the notorious claim that the area is always rainy but no, it's named for a man, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.

Now that Flat Stanley had arrived, the question was what would we do to show him around? Our grands decided that we'd start with a trip to their favorite restaurant, Wibbley's Gourmet Hamburgers in Bellevue. It's a little restaurant in a small strip mall but had the greatest hamburgers. I looked closely and sure enough, there seemed to be a slight smile on Stanley's face.

What to show Stanley next? The Space Needle? The Farmer's Market? The Original Starbucks?