Wisconsin To Washington: Carly + Washington = True Love

At first, I was going to type an apology to introduce this post. Being that it is about a month post-due, I was going to ask forgiveness for my procrastination. I realize, however, you are probably all used to it. Because I'm feeling spunky and also because the literary cupid has recently struck me with the arrow that is David Sedaris, I will also go ahead and add that I need not apologize for the tardiness of my posts, as many of you are still putting off leaving any comments on said posts. Though, of course, I do extend many thanks to those of you who have not been so fickle in your friendship or familyship. So there. We're even. Sort of.

Now, the good stuff. Shortly after my mother and grandmother visited and shortly before our Jeep broke down, one of our favorite people in the world flew out to see us: Carly B. Magill. If you haven't met her, you're missing out. She's a rocket; her beauty is on fire, and the girl's wit is remarkably quick. She kept me smiling and laughing the whole weekend.

Before heading up to B'ham, Carly spent a few days in Puyallup with another old Eau Claire cutie, our friend Heather. Rather than having an awkward child drop off like divorced ex-spouses do, we decided to share some fun in Seattle. Heather moved out here about a year before us, and I am still trying to figure out why it took Carly coming out here for us to spend any time together. Perhaps I, too, can be the fickle friend I was so quick to arrange guilt upon earlier. Oops. Maybe when we get some wheels, we'll meet in the middle in the ol' Emerald City again, Heather.

Anyways, we checked out some things in Seattle that we hadn't seen before, including The Gum Wall and The Experience Music Project, both of which I'd recommend. Though, if you're on a budget or a schedule, skip the EMP and invest in a pack of Juicy Fruit.

The Gum Wall

More Gum

At the Piers

SushiLand!

The Experience Music Project

In Bellingham, we spent a good share of our time outdoors, hiking and window shopping. Of course, we took Carly to the boardwalk and Whatcom Falls. Surprise, surprise, right? They're just such beautiful places. We also took her for a hike up to Fragrance Lake. This hike is in the Chuckanut Mountains and is just on the south end of B'ham. It's so accessible and is a really refreshing and lovely way to spend a Sunday morning or afternoon.

Our Hike to Fragrance Lake: A View of the Bay

Notice in these next three pictures how gigantic everything is:

Carly was lucky. She came at the right time. We finished our hike early enough to catch the tail end of Dirty Dan Days. Dirty Dan Harris is a legend in Bellingham's historic district of Fairhaven. Both a bar and the main drag in the district are named after him. How he got his raunchy nickname is unknown to me, but I do know this: Dirty Dan once sold a piano to another local. When the buyer wouldn't pay, Dirty Dan rolled the piano into the bay. In memory/celebration of this, every year at Dirty Dan Days, there is a piano race (as a finale to two days' events, including a salmon toss and cupcake eating contest). Each team of four people works to push and tug their respective piano (usually decorated) up Harris Avenue. Most of the teams are comprised of employees from local businesses or are sponsored by them. It was no surprise that the team from Fairhaven Runners took the trophy.