SEATTLE, WA

Karol and I are in Seattle and Portland for the weekend. Reunion with some Peace people; wedding reception for Alisa Ma and her new husband, Ben; and worship in Portland at Tabor Heights United Methodist Church, John Go, pastor. John (Joung Youl) was a part of the Peace community in the late '80's.

Seattle is one unique city:  expensive parking, good transit system, an eclectic mix of people; lots of homeless, damp with temps in the 40's; and, right now, a green city (vs. white in Wisconsin).

Lunch at a Thai restaurant.

This little flower garden graced the front of a little shop.

The view from our Marriott Courtyard hotel room - facing the Seattle Mariners baseball stadium.

Street people/the homeless abound in Seattle.

Alisa (just married) with her mother YuHua (Grace) and Karol at our early morning breakfast.

The Pike Farmers Market may be the biggest tourist attraction. The main floor and a variety of sub-floors offer crafts, food, fish, and most anything you might ever want.

The seafood looked mighty fresh, but the smell equaled the freshness.

 Walking through the market was quite the experience since so many varieties of products were available for purchase.

Lots of fresh and dried flowers was available.

It's fun to watch the second video of more of the shops in the Market.

YOU MIGHT GUESS THAT I LOVE MARKETS!

We also walked the opposite direction from the hotel (another 15-20 minutes) to visit the celebration of the Chinese New Year. A stage had been set up for viewing and so we stuck around to watch some of the music and acrobatics.

12 is the number in Seattle. Someone told me that it started with a young girl who was named Sabrina Twelfth Mann (the family, avid Seattle fans). Now, all over Seattle you see the number 12 - the Seahawks have 11 men on the field, and #12 is the "fan." We have seen many shirts with the number 12 and the name "Fan" on the back (even the maintenance man at our hotel).

An animated cutout in front of the Seattle Art Museum.

Parking is at a premium in downtown Seattle. You can only park on the street if you call in and pay the rate. I thought we would have an easy time with our car; but we have walked.

Parking garages and lots are expensive. I thought that this was for the day - but this was for one hour.

A very interesting sign. The colors and white are all little Japanese origami folded cranes. The folded crane (tsuru) is a sign of Peace. You will find many in Hiroshima.

After enjoying Vietnamese "Pho," Karol and YuHua look at the video of Friday at the Justice of the Peace where Ben and Alisa were married. Ben's parents, Alisa's parents, and Alisa's brother, Bert, were the only ones present.