October 3

Boy did we start the day with a BANG – or rather with an ALARM! The fire alarm went off at the hotel, the elevator safety doors slammed shut and the staff immediately notified each person to vacate the hotel. We were outside for 30 minutes to an hour – a fire truck and two ambulances came. Evidently it was a shortage somewhere and they let us go back in to check out. LEFT and headed toward Seattle. As we approached Seattle we saw the Space Needle in the background. It really dominates the skyline. We finally got to the Seattle Center which not only has the Space Needle but also has a children’s museum, a children’s science playground, a regular playground (with an indoor put-put course) and a small children’s carnival. The entire area was covered with people even though the wind was blowing very hard and it was uncomfortably cool. We went up on the top of the Space Needle (520 feet) and were reminded it was built in 1962 for the World’s Fair. The view was unbelievable. The harbor is beautiful and the city is magnificent. We spotted a ferry in the harbor that appeared identical to the one we rode in Canada. We were able to see the stadiums for professional football and professional baseball. As we left, we made pictures in the park and near the Space Needle. The one in the park shows the colors that we are beginning to see. Great place to visit. We left heading toward Olympia (the capital city) and found a hotel nearby. As we ate dinner, I remembered to get James’ picture in his “game day” shirt. ROLL TIDE! Tomorrow should be another great day.