What is up with all the beautiful weather we’re having lately? I think it was close to 60 degrees today, and this is day 4 of this sunshine. It makes us feel like we’ve completely wasted a day when we cannot go sailing and the weather is this perfect. People who don’t live in the wet pacific northwest will not have a way to really understand the group ‘sunny day’ mentality here. When the sun comes out, people really celebrate. They take off from their jobs, come out of their houses, and go outside. People wear shorts and sandals as though it were summer. I’m not making that up. Suddenly, people get a spell of ‘happy’ and all is well with the world. Naturally, not a day can go to waste because the weather will probably change within 24 hours and it will be rain and low clouds again. Blech. In a word, winter here sucks. Pardon my French. When it’s sunny, Carpe diem, indeed! So 4 days in a row is a bit unheard of around here.

In a nutshell,  we’ve had perfect sailing weather lately. Well,  not really perfect. It’s bloody cold out on the water! I really want to go out, then we get out there and I’m freezing my hind end off. I hate being cold. As a middle aged woman, I already spend my life trying to stay warm. So being out on a boat in the cold has to be really, really worth it. Winter sailing makes me  want to look at boats with pilot houses, or at least a completely canvased cockpits. As it is, I go sailing as the great marshmallow woman, dressed in so many layers I can barely move.

Sadly, last Friday, a perfect winter sailing day, and Mike had to work. I hate things like jobs that interfere with my free time. Anyhow, I spent the day in Seattle… again NOT going to the boat show. I was thinking I would go, but the weather talked me out of it. Why sit in some room and listen to someone tell me about their cool trip to the South Pacific, or talk about sail trim when I can be outside?  It’s only going to irritate me that I can’t get out there right this minute and sail away. So I decided to stay outside and walk around Gasworks Park down on Lake Union, and maybe check out a few boats for sale in the general area as there are several yacht brokers on the lake. I’ve never been to Gasworks Park and it is totally cool! I had my phone, so I snapped a few photos for people who don’t live in this area. Don’t you love how phones take photos now? Who would have thought?

Cool view of downtown from the park. Actually, if it were bigger, you'd be able to see the boats at the outdoor part of the boat show.

As cities go, Seattle is definitely worthy of several photos. Wish I had a camera that would do justice to the night time view.

You can begin to see why it's called 'Gasworks Park'. I love the way they've made these industrial structures into art for the park.

Just loved the colors, and the moon in broad daylight.

The signs say 'no climbing'. Huh? What fun is that, then?

After work, Mike met me at The Armchair Sailor to browse their books, then we walked down to one of the yacht dealers on the lake and looked at boats. This dealer happens to have docks right by some of the more picturesque areas of houseboat living.

That boat to the right is for sale but, alas, at over $300,000, it's just a tad out of our price range.

We ended our fun evening by going to see Seattle’s version of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma at the 5th Avenue Theater. No matter what show you see, the theater is worth going to. It’s all art deco and completely restored. It’s just beautiful. Plus, it still has a very cool retro sign out front.

Too bad a still photo doesn't show all the twinkling these lights do.

And here’s a detail of the ceiling. I told you it was cool.

Dragon on the ceiling!

If you are in Seattle, go see something, anything, at the 5th Avenue. It’s worth it for the decor alone. And if it’s not raining, go to Gasworks Park. It’s fabulous, and it’s right across the street from Fisheries Supply! Can’t beat that with a stick!