By the Bay

SUNNY STROLL: It was soooo darn nice out today, we knew Job 1 was getting out in it. With that in mind, we went for a 3-plus mile stroll mostly along the eastern shore of Elliott Bay's north end.

We parked near Terminal 86, operated by the Louis-Dreyfus company.

We are always curious about the ships docked there. Today it was the Densa Dolphin.

We couldn't make out the flag at its stern, so looked the ship up when we got home.

Turns out it's from Malta. That turned into a bit of a geography lesson. :) The Dolphin's home port is in Valletta, which is the capital of Malta. Looks like a beautiful city (from this Wikipedia photo).

Before too long, we came to a sandy beach.

To my eye, it looked like it needed a little decoration, so Christian and the kids got busy while the dogs and I directed from on high.

There! Much better! While they were working, a couple of people called out, "Go Hawks!" as they passed by.

We kept going and made our way to the Olympic Sculpture Park. There, we saw a familiar face.

And we spotted an Eagle.  (For a really cool look at Eagle, check out this 360-degree view: http://www.fullscreen360.com/olympic-sculpture-park. You can even 'stand' right under the sculpture!)

Every time we walk through Olympic Sculpture Park, we see something new (to us). Today, it was this beautiful bench.

On our way back north, we crossed this pedestrian and bike bridge over Elliott Avenue and the railroad tracks for the first time.

As we made our way back along the bay, I remarked upon the number of cargo ships out on the bay today. There were definitely way more than usual.

Turns out there was a reason for that - Terminal 18 at the Port of Seattle was shut down today as part of an ongoing labor dispute.

We did actually do some school work today. It's just not as photogenic. ;)

SUPER BOWL BOUND!: Good news: We're going to the big game! That's right, we'll be in Arizona for the Seahawks v. Patriots on February 1. On a 12,000 square foot banner, hauled by a helicopter, that is.

Once again, Seattle-based Pemco insurance is going to fly a promotional banner over the Super Bowl venue, with the banner bearing the signatures of thousands of Seahawks fans. There are several local events to attend to put your John Henry on it (we'll be hitting one this weekend), and you can even add your signature virtually, on their special Web site: https://pemco.com/seahawks.

Better yet, on that site, you can also upload a photo. Photos they collect will be used to make a mosaic in the shape of the number 12, representing the the Seahawks' fan base.  We submitted our photo today and got this screen shot as our confirmation... Can you spot CJ and Annabelle?

WAY BACK WHEN: The Seattle PI has a slideshow of our neighborhood online. We recognized many a home and business. http://www.seattlepi.com/local/slideshow/Seattle-s-Magnolia-neighborhood-through-the-years-101406.php