Leaving Seattle (Sweet Seattle) ....

So, we left SUNNY Seattle and Diane's cozy pad, headed North a few miles to hook up with my old buddy Maia, her husband Jeff, and their adorable little peanut, Sophia (who was born on the same day as our friends Trisha and John's Sophia!). We caught up; we agreed - through the fog of time - that we hadn't seen each other since about 1995, which is CRAZY, but had kept in contact over the years through email and phone calls. It was so great to see Maia as a happy, albeit tired (as expected), and connected mom. Her husband Jeff is a fella we'd like to know better as well; his Radio K bumper-sticker was a curiosity when we pulled into their driveway .... later we found that he lived in Minneapolis for a couple years.

Anyway, we also had some great sandwiches on their deck, talked about our lives a little bit, and entertained Sophia as she entertained us. It was the perfect sunny Seattle send-off in a season that should be bringing the rains of Winter at this time of year (the Scout & Navigator get good atypical weather AGAIN!). We also talked about how little most people change as they grow older; Maia seemed as familiar to me as she did in 1988 or 1995. WACKY ... but, so good.

Sophia is getting pretty good at Tinker Toys --- a little tinkerer. I'm sure that Maia and Jeff would concur. What a little sweetheart she was!

Then, it was off to Idaho for the night ... on the way, we saw these sights:

The Cascade Range:

An hour or so later (Navigator took a nap!) ... The Columbia River: