Centered

DIG IN: This morning we finally repotted some of the chives that have overgrown their egg carton starts. I'll probably just keep them in those tiny pots in a window garden for the weeks/months to come.

CJ had a getting to know you session with his new microscope. He examined a ready made slide of a honey bee wing.
OVER THE HILL: Around midday, we headed into Magnolia, where I had to sheepishly ask for a replacement library card (thank god I didn't get the mean librarian). This is the second time I've lost my library card. I think that officially makes me a loser.

We found a stack of books to bring home, of course.

After, we headed to Magnolia Park - a shady strip above Puget Sound. We don't go there a whole lot as there's not much there, other than picnic tables, a smallish swingset and a fantastic view, but those are good enough reasons to go.
Plus, there's a good sized grassy slope there. I encouraged the kids to roll down it. Annabelle got going pretty good. CJ was tentative, so he didn't get up as much speed. They also found sticks, which became ray guns.

BORN TO BE WILD: Late afternoon, as part of our ongoing "staycation" fun, I decided to take the kids to a movie. My first thought was "Hop," an animated story about a rabbit. It's been heavily advertised and the kids have asked to see it. However, I thought to check reviews online and they were pretty brutal, so I thought about "Rio," another animated feature film, but the reviews on that weren't stellar either, and frankly, going to a movie is EXPENSIVE these days. I'm not going to drop $30 to see crap.

Soooo, my thoughts turned to the IMAX theater at the Pacific Science Center. I knew "Born to Be Wild," a 3-D documentary, is showing there and it's gotten great reviews. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, per its Web site, the movie "is an inspiring story of love, dedication and the remarkable bond between humans and animals. This film documents orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extraordinary people who rescue and raise them—saving endangered species one life at a time."

Boy, did we make the right choice. What a great movie. The 3-D was phenomenal. It was like we were in the jungles of Borneo and Kenya. I swear I could practically feel the humidity. ;)

BTW, did you know 'orangutan' means 'person of the forest'? I didn't, until today.

NATURALLY: Since we had to go to Seattle Center, we did our fair share of gawking. Will I ever get tired of staring at the Space Needle? I really don't think so.

Today was kind of a special day to be at Seattle Center, as it was 49 years ago today the Seattle World's Fair opened to the public.
On the way to the theater, we stopped by a courtyard where some native wood carvers were working on the John T. Williams memorial totem pole. Apparently it's the first pole that has been carved in Seattle in 70 years. Too bad the circumstances surrounding the project are so horrible - a Seattle cop gunning down Mr. Williams, a chronic inebriate with a long arrest record, in broad daylight despite no compelling reason (watch the video and decide for yourself).

We also checked out the EMP glowing in the cloud filtered sunlight.
We ended our field trip with some cheap eats at nearby McMenamins.
And just a little past bedtime (10 p.m.) we'll be out the door to pick Christian up at the airport. Bet he'll be even more tired than we are.