DOWNTOWN DELIGHTS: We decided to start our week off with some holiday cheer, in the form of a visit to downtown Seattle to see some seasonal sights.
We caught the monorail downtown.
CJ and Annabelle enjoyed riding in the front seat.
I sure love riding the 'rail. I wish there were lines all over the city.
We arrived at the monorail's one and only destination: Westlake Park, which is full of holiday cheer.
The kids clambered around on the park's only piece of playground equipment ...
And they also took a spin on the seasonal carousel.
Afterward, we checked out the temporary Alaska Airlines' "Recharge Lounge." It was a pretty oasis in the middle of the busy city. There were complimentary snacks, and the kids got to do an art project.
They each made a pair of antlers, which the wore the rest of the day.
Our next stop was the lobby of the downtown Sheraton, where the 22nd Annual Gingerbread Village is underway. Each year local architecture firms collaborate with the Sheraton Seattle culinary team to custom design, bake, and build the displays (there are six this year). The theme this year is "Jingle All the Way."
MulvannyG2 Architecture's entry is "Mele Kalikimaka." It was nice to see Santa getting some rest before the big night.
The display was a dazzling collection of tropical colors.
The other side of it had an illuminated waterfall that changed colors. It was beautiful!
Skansa's entry was "O Christmas Tree." It had a whole lot going on.
I liked their crane, complete with a 12 man flag (that's SUCH a common sight in this town), and Blitz the Seahawks' mascot was even riding it (he's hard to see in this photo).
"Feliz Navidad," by Bailly and Bailly used hundreds upon hundreds of sugar cubes, and featured several favorite characters (Olaf from "Frozen," Buddy from "Elf" and Rudolph can all be seen in this frame.
The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties & Gelotte Hommas Architecture's entry was inspired by "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "Little Drummer Boy," "Do You Hear What I Hear" and "First Noel."
It featured a manger scene and an enormous glass sugar star sculpture.
Callison's entry had all sorts of stuff going on. We spotted the character Carl Fredrickson from the great movie "Up" right away.
My favorite was 4D Architects, Inc.'s entry, inspired by the songs "Christmas in the Northwest, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "I'll Be Home for Christmas." I LOVED their attention to detail. They had so many landmarks, including the Space Needle, Smith Tower, the Macy's Christmas star, Lake Union and its houseboats, the Aurora Bridge, and even the Ballard locks on this side.
The other side even featured the boondoggle that is Bertha, which is supposed to be tunneling a replacement for the Viaduct. Instead, it's been stuck in place for over a year now.
Love the use of Chicklets all over this one!
And here's a closeup of Bertha. Note the trail of dollars behind. (I read yesterday that Seattle Tunnel Partners have already been paid $1 billion of their $1.44 billion contract. How is that even possible, given Bertha has dug just a few feet and is nowhere near being done digging?
Frankly, all these creations make the cookies I made for an ugly sweater party this weekend seem rather pedestrian.
Inspired by all the Christmas cheer, we came home and decked our halls. The (vintage silver!) tree is up, the stockings are hung, and the nutcracker collection is lining our living room window.
We watched its fantastic test flight on Friday, early morning, and coverage of it landing in the Pacific Ocean, off Baja, California.
What we didn't get to see Friday were photos of Orion being recovered at sea and then moved on board the U.S. Navy's USS Anchorage . Navy photographers captured some great shots of the operation!
What we didn't get to see Friday were photos of Orion being recovered at sea and then moved on board the U.S. Navy's USS Anchorage . Navy photographers captured some great shots of the operation!
Below, Navy Divers attach a towing bridle to NASA’s Orion Crew Module as part of the first at-sea testing of the Orion Crew Module using a Navy well deck recovery method. (Photo by U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary Keen)
The next photo shows Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary Keen, assigned to Fleet Combat Camera Pacific, and Navy Divers, capture imagery of the Orion Crew Module. Keen took some of the photos I'm sharing. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Corey Green )
Below, Navy Divers, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11 (EODMU11), Mobile Dive and Salvage Company 11-7, attach a towing bridal to the Orion Crew Module (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Corey Green)
And here, Timothy Goddard (below, in the goggles and helmet), Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory Dive Operations Manager Oceaneering Space Systems, attaches a towing bridle to NASA’s Orion Crew Module. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary Keen)
I love this photo of Orion alongside the amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage (LPD 23) during the first Exploration Flight Test (EFT-1) NASA Orion Program. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Corey Green)
And the next photo shows rigid hull inflatable boats and combat rubber raiding crafts guiding NASA’s Orion crew module towards the welldeck of the San Antonio class amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage (LPD 23). (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Elena Pence)
And here's a photo of Orion safely on board the USS Anchorage. Pretty cool! (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary Keen)
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