Platters and Splashes

FOR THE RECORD: The last three days have been a veritable vinyl waterfall for CJ, lucky boy.

Friday, we went to a favorite record store, Silver Platters, in the Sodo neighborhood. We were there because they were having a 50th birthday party to mark the release of The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" back in 1967.

While we were there, the kids got a little cake, some free posters, and CJ picked up a couple of new albums. I'll let him tell you a bit about them.

Axis: Bold as Love by The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Released in 1967, Axis: Bold as Love was the follow-up to Are You Experienced, released earlier in the same year. The most well-known songs from Axis: Bold as Love are Little Wing, If 6 Was 9, and the eponymous closing song, Bold as Love.

Come On Down by Green River: This obscure band's debut EP is widely considered to be the first grunge record. Green River featured Mark Arm, Steve Turner (who would later be members of the better-known band Mudhoney), Stone Gossard, and Jeff Ament (who would later become members of the world-famous Pearl Jam). This year's reissue of Come On Down was pressed on pink vinyl, and came with a bonus song.

Black Smoke Rising by Greta Van Fleet: Greta Van Fleet hails from Frankenmuth, Michigan, and is named after an elderly resident of the town. Black Smoke Rising contains four songs, all of which have brought attention to the band. Greta Van Fleet's sound is often compared to that of Led Zeppelin.

Saturday morning, we worked around the house for a few hours. Our efforts were mostly concentrated on the new sliding glass door off the game room. Below, Annabelle installs some nails in the fin around the door. (CJ had already done some hammering and was off watering at the moment.)

 Later in the afternoon, we went off in search of some air conditioning and a cold beverage.

 We accidentally found ourselves in the midst of the White Center's neighborhood "Jubilee."

There was a car show, vendor tents, live music, and more. 

In the midst of it all, CJ found a local record store with a blazing sale. CJ can tell you about some of his scores. 

Fresh Cream by Cream: Cream is widely considered to be the first successful "supergroup" (a band composed of multiple previously-known musicians). The copy of Fresh Cream that we bought at the sale looked rough, but was playable to the end. It tastes pretty good for remaining unrefrigerated for over half a century.

Hat Trick by America: This was the folk rock group's third album, and wasn't as big a hit as their previous two. To be honest, the only reason I wanted this was because it had the band's cover of Muskrat Love.

Saturday Night Fever by the Bee Gees: This is the best-selling film soundtrack of all time, as well as the best-selling disco album of all time. This album features hits such as Stayin' Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, and Night Fever. When my mother was a kid, she would spend hours looking at the pictures on the inside of the gatefold.

He walked away from there with the three listed above and another four or five, all for a donation of $10. Great deal!

Saturday night brought a beautiful sunset, by the way.

Monday, Christian and I made a 'quick' round-trip down to Portland to pick up a new-to-us couch. It actually used to 'live' in the Delta Airlines concourse of Portland International Airport. (PDX). When PDX surplussed them, an enterprising company in Portland decided to help them live on.

We're so happy to have one! Tonight, I was sitting on the couch, staring out the window at Mount Rainier, but thinking about the people who have sat and slept on the couch before me, thinking about who they were, why they were traveling, what they were thinking about. Our couch has stories to tell!

Now, I just need to redesign the living room around it. ;)

This evening we cruised down the hill to the Tukwila splash park. 

It's not all that splashy to tell you the truth - especially to people used to going to Seattle Center's International Fountain to splash around. However, as I pointed out to the kids, it's close, it's convenient, and you can get just as wet there as you can at Seattle Center. 

Can you spot CJ and Annabelle below?