It's a (Sisters and In-Law) Road Trip!

 We have been family for 54 years but this is the first time we have taken a road trip together. We are all very excited and ready to go. Wow, it's hard to believe we have been sisters-in-law that long!

First off, credit where credit is due. Connie created this awesome Google map showing our planned 2-week road trip.

Connie and I are flying to Seattle, landing within an hour of each other, where Cathie is picking us up at Sea-Tac and our journey begins.

Flying into Denver

Snow on the Rockies. 

The shadow of the plane as I land in Denver. 

We were starving after a very early start to the day and hours flying so first order of business was food. And what better place to go than Ivar’s at the pier. 

Cathie and Connie shared fish and chips

I had the Cajun variety 

The seagulls are always waiting for you to toss them a bite or two. 

The Leschi, Seattle's largest fireboat, is docked right next to Ivar's Fish and Chips. It is located at Fire Station 5, on the west end of Madison Street, between Colman Dock and Ivar's.

The Seattle Great Wheel is a 53-meter Ferris wheel at Pier 57 on Elliott Bay in Seattle. At an overall height of 175 feet, it was the tallest Ferris wheel on the West Coast of the United States when it opened in June 2012.

Seattle skyline

Sweden is 4,715 miles that way!

The cascade mountain range

Walking down Post Alley

Metal flower sculpture 

The Gum Wall in Seattle, located at Pike Place Market, was cleaned for the first time in five years (since 2019) in November 2024. The cleaning involved removing an estimated one ton of gum and debris using a steam cleaning process. While the wall was made bare, you can see it has returned to its gum-covered state quickly, as visitors often add to it. The cleaning is necessary to protect the bricks from damage caused by the sugar and chemicals in the gum. If you zoom in you can see people have been very creative with the gum. 

Connie is not feeling it. 

Crazy Cathie 

In Seattle’s Pike Place Market, visitors to Beecher’s glass-walled cheesemaking kitchens witness first hand the crafting of their signature favorite, Flagship cheese, as well as many of the other award-winning cheeses they offer. By starting with fresh, pure milk from local farms and applying the traditional methods used by cheesemakers for thousands of years, their cheeses are free of artificial ingredients – making them just as delicious as the milk they are made from.

In 2003, Kurt Beecher Dammeier opened his first Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in Seattle. For Kurt, Beecher’s fulfilled an ambition beyond just making great cheese. He has long felt passionately about eating food free of harmful additives and preservatives. That’s why everything they produce, from the handcrafted cheeses to the delicious frozen entrees, side dishes, soups, and crackers, is authentic, original, full-flavored food made with ingredients they trust and are proud of.

The photos below are from the market. 

The peony market 

Aren’t they gorgeous?

Hey Kim this is coming to you for Father’s Day. Just kidding!!!

Cathie and Connie 

Ornamental onion 

We topped off the day with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Cathie had mint chocolate chunk, Connie had vanilla (a real adventurer) and I had the dairy free strawberry swirl. 😋

This is a little ivy in the kitchen window at Cathie’s. The light coming through showed the intricate veins. 

Final stop was the commissary for some delicious Washington cherries.

I was born in Seattle and always love coming back here, not that I remember it since I was only 9 days old when we moved from here, but as we walked around, we talked about other times we have visited, the smell of the sea, and how much prettier it is downtown now that they’ve removed the big viaduct that ran through this area. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and the opportunity to just take a deep breath and slow down. 

Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." We are called to celebrate each day as a gift from God, acknowledging His creation and purpose for it with a spirit of joy and gratitude for the blessings of the present moment, regardless of circumstances. 

In other words, each day is not just a natural occurrence, but a deliberate creation and gift from God. He has a specific plan and purpose for each day, and we should rejoice and rest in knowing that He is actively involved in our lives. If that’s not reason enough to rejoice, I don’t know what is.