Seattle Aquarium, Washington State

Sea otters taking a nap.

Sea otters eating lunch.

It was fun, and at the same time annoying, watching kids marvel at the sea creatures.

David watching the sea animals.

A starfish!

I believe this was a stingray egg.

I think this was a clever way of presenting jellyfish.

An octopus!

You are actually allowed to touch the sea creatures in this area.

Pike Place, Washington

The Trial of David

David's reaction while riding the chair lift up Grousse Mountain (he wasn't afraid taking the one in Mt. Whistler though). I was happy to give him some encouragement.

Charice's Botox Treatment a Hit in Canada

While watching the television in my hotel room this morning I came upon a news over CTV News channel about teenagers getting botox treatment.  And hooray hoorah Charice Pempengco's botox treatment was featured.  I don't know if I have to be happy or sad about the news because it was both informative and sensationalized.  So, what's wrong with Charice getting a botox treatment (although I prefer that she get a reconstructive surgery so she wouldnt have that obnoxious moon face)?  If you have the money why not undergo uch treatment  (I remember this reality star on You're Cut Off who cannot help getting more cosmetic surgery that proved to be disastrous.  She now looks like a doll made in China laced with enormous amount of lead).  But, of course, Charice's treatment was a gift from a medical person who wanted her business featured abroad. 

Grapevine Farms

After our Howe Cavern sojourn David and I went to a shop/restaurant nearby called Grapevine Farms.  It's a quaint place with three floors of shops to look at.  On the first floor visitors will discover the bakery and restaurant and scented candle shop.  On the second and third floors are other shops selling handbags, beauty and skin care products, home and personal accessories, home furnishings and other adorable stuff. 

But what made the visit more significant was tasting the food at the restaurant.  Although it was scorching outside, David and I nevertheless decided to eat on the deck.  Your glass of water is served with mint leaves. The food was absolutely delicious.

Adorable rocking chairs!

I forgot what David ordered but that looks like a bowl of soup.

David had his usual iced tea, unsweetened please, while I ordered iced coffee.

I think ordered chicken salad sandwich with coleslaw on the side.

Most Important Discovery in Howe Cavern

While David and I were enjoying our latern tour in Howe Cavern using our  ultra hi-tech, well, lanterns when we discovered something. No, it wasn't dinosaur bones or the holy grail nor the mythical Mormon tablets. No, nothing like that.  What we saw, however, proved to be something more "valuable" though not worth to look at.

Somebody, in all their goodness and glory, some not so pure and unvirginal woman left her soiled napkin in a hole on the side of the cave.  Thank goodness to our hi-tech lanterns, and my ultramodern eyewear branded Prada, I accidentally saw the object.  I wonder if the management was able to discover it and put it in a glass display box.

Maybe it's Mary Magdalene's.

I hope your mama's proud of you honey.

Howe Caverns

The ever gracious David surprised me with a trip last month.  Knowing how I loved our trip to Luray Caverns in Virginia, David took me to Catskill, NY to visit Howe Cavern.  Though I think the NY cave is not as spectacular as the Virginia cave, the former has a charm unique to itself.  David, on the other hand, loved the whole tour as it included a boat tour.  He paid for the latern tour package which included an overnight stay at the facility's motel.  It was an international event as members of the tour were mostly from other countries like Russia, India (although I believe India now owns America owing to their ability to multiply fast in a year.  Also three to four families in a house altogether including grampa and grandma).

At the entrance of the cave.

David was amused of this tight path.

Ooops, we have company.

Chaz, the tour guide.

I wonder if some of these rocks are made in China.

The pagoda.

Chaz: "This is where Batman used to live."

Chaz: "I can move these rocks with just my bare hands."

The boat tour.

David was so amused with his lantern.  He said it's so hitech.

David couldn't contain his amazement over his hitech gadget.

The lobby of the cavern.  You have to go down the elevator to get to the caverns.

The motel where we stayed.

On the day of our departure.

New Acquisitions

1. Dubliners by James Joyce
2. An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
3. 3 Screenplays: The Player, The Rapture, and The New Age by Michael Tolkin
4. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
5. Little Black Dress by Loren D. Estleman
6. The Journey Out: A Guide for and About Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Teens by Rachel Pollack and Cheryl Schwartz
7. Street Dreams by Faye Kellerman
8. Black Blade by Eric Lustbader
9. Departure, A Novel by Janet Stevenson
10. Luciano's Luck by Jack Higgins
11. We'll Meet Again by Mary Higgins Clark
12. The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty are used against Women by Naomi Wolf

New Acquisitions

1. A Long Way Gone by Ishamel Beah
2. The Lanahan Readings in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties 2nd Ed. Edited by David M. O'Brien
3. Journalism 2.0: How to survive and thrive by Mark Briggs
4. A Short Guide to Writing About History 6th Ed by Richard Marius and Melvin Page
5. Constitutional Law study guide 11th Ed by Jacqueline Kanovitz and Michael Kanovitz
6. cinematography: Theory and Practice, Image Making for Cinematographers, Directorsm and Videographers by Blain Brown
7. Emmeline: The Orphan of the Castle by Charlotte Smith
8. The Delicate Distress: Elizabeth Griffith (Cynthia Booth Ricciardi and Susan Staves, Editors)
9. Reports from the Fields (Liberal Learning and the Arts and Science Major Vol. 2)

Diet Coffee Anyone?

While dining at a restaurant tonight I heard a lady say to the waitress, "May I have a diet coffee, please." 

Now that's a new market. 

The Farmers' Museum, Cooperstown, New York

July 4, 2010