May 12 – 22, 2017 — Elliott Bay Marina

I don’t know how to act with all this free time on my hands.  Until escrow closes, we’re just cooling our heels.  So, I had fun doing all the things I’ve never had time to do here, such as……

I’ve discovered a wonderful store called Total Wine & More, just a few blocks from the marina, and miracle of miracles, they have lots of parking!  It’s a huge store, with wines, beers, ales, ciders… every kind of spirit imaginable, from all over the world, and helpful employees who are ever so helpful in suggesting the perfect selections for your taste.  They have wine tastings every Wednesday and Saturday.  I’m definitely going to have to attend one of those.  I spent over an hour filling up my cart.

One very stormy, windy afternoon I spotted parasailors, playing the updrafts off Magnolia Bluffs, just to the north of the marina. 

Every day that it wasn’t raining, or blowing like stink, I’d take a walk on the Elliott Bay Trail.  I started out walking as far as an hour would take me.  Then, I started lengthening my walk a little every day, until I was walking as far as the Seattle Aquarium, a three-hour walk, roundtrip .  I decided to take some pictures with my smartphone, so that you could enjoy the sights with me. 

Jubilación, first boat on “B” Dock

The walk along the marina is especially pleasant, with a variety of trees, flowers and shrubs that are meticulously maintained. 

The cruise line terminal is right next door to the marina, so I always like to check to see which ships are in port. 

Once I’m out of the marina, I have to walk up and over the Magnolia Bridge (a real workout in itself), and then up and over the 15th Street bridge, which takes me over the railroad tracks that service the Port, and onto the Elliott Bay Trail that runs along the Elliott Bay waterfront and Port of Seattle. 

The Elliott Bay waterfront is a mixture of port facilities, giant sculptures, a Rose Garden, patches of beautiful landscaping, tiny beaches and blooming shrub roses everywhere.

Centennial Park is a favorite with walkers, runners and bikers.  Situational awareness is very important here, if you don’t want to get run over.

The Pier 86 Grain Terminal is an impressive operation on the waterfront.  There’s a steady stream of trains filled with U.S. grain waiting to fill grain silos, which will be emptied into ships from all over the world.  This operation is so automated that they can fill one of these huge cargo ships in one day!

There are so many species of trees everywhere, like this beautiful pink Horse Chestnut.

There is a beautiful little rose garden, with many varieties and colors of roses.  Unfortunately, those roses were not blooming yet.

Next comes the 9-acre Olympic Sculpture Park, with its huge sculptures, most of which are questionably artistic, in my humble opinion……but then, what do I know.

I did find a couple of sculptures that were pleasing to me.  The first one is called “Echo”, after the mountain nymph of Greek Mythology.  The piece was created by Jaume Plensa, a world renowned sculpture.  The model was a 14-year old Chinese girl who worked in a grocery store in Plensa’s neighborhood in Barcelona.  The piece is huge — 45 feet tall, made of concrete and resin.

It’s a shame they didn’t place her in a better setting.  When she was originally commissioned for Madison Square Gardens, she was placed on a grassy knoll, and she was exquisite.

The other piece was a fountain sculpture by a 94-year old woman, called “Father and Son”.

At the end of the Trail, I spotted the giant Seattle’s Great Wheel, erected several years ago. 

The sidewalk was under construction, so I wasn’t able to get very close.  This zoomed shot will have to do for now.

When I looked at my watch, I couldn’t believe the time.   I’d been so absorbed in taking photos, I didn’t realize I’d been walking for 90 minutes, and I still had to walk back to the boat!   

Later that evening, Al said, “I think we ought to be there for the home inspection. “Makes sense to me”, I said.  So, we packed up everything in our refrigerator and freezer, and prepared to make the 12-hour trip home to Cottonwood.