Happy 4th!

Out of desperation tonight, I have bought 24 hours of internet access for $10.95!  It seems the flasher the accommodation, the more expensive everything is!  Tonight is our last in Seattle and we have really had a wonderful time here.

We drove in on Monday afternoon and out of sheer luck, realised that there was a drop off place for our rental car literally half a block away from our hotel, so we checked into the Sheraton (our little luxury indulgence for the trip) and drove up the road for the drop off.  It was a bit sad parting with the car and the kids, particularly Thomas, has found it tricky to comprehend the fact that we are carless and HAVE to WALK EVERYWHERE!!!!  Tragic.  Luckily our location is beyond brilliant and we have loved walking out the door to see shops, restaurants, cinemas and everything we could ever need.

We are on the 18th floor in two adjacent rooms.  Ellen and Hannah are in one room, the rest of us in the other, which has worked quite well.  They are watching The Hunger Games at the moment, something Ellen has been desperate to see for ages. It's one of the on-demand movies that we will pay for tomorrow!!!

Yesterday was our shopping day while Bruce and Thomas went to the Flight Museum.  They had an excellent day, catching the bus each way and seeing some good stuff.  The girls and I hit every tacky shop within a 6 block radius and I called it quits about 3 p.m. when the fluro/floral/cutoff denim started to blur together and I couldn't pick where we were.  Clothes are cheaper but in lots of cases, very tacky.    There were a couple of highlights:  LOVE Old Navy- very cheap and some great stuff, Ellen bought Doc Martens boots, Barnes and Noble bookstore... and the sights on the streets.

We saw this guy a few times and his sign reads:  Kissing Lessons,  Visa/MC , Without/With Teeth (Most of them),  $29.95/$9.95 and a few other choice gems!!  We saw him again tonight and actually had a good chat with him.  He is filthy and obviously homeless but rather than purely begging, he puts on a bit of a show.  We have been struck by the number of people begging in the streets.  The kids want to give everyone something and we have had to explain that if we do that, we will be homeless too...  It is good for them to understand that life isn't easy or great for everyone and they need to appreciate what they have and look for ways to help others.

Dinner last night was at the Hard Rock Cafe, where Bruce and I enjoyed steak and veges and we all talked about the various memorabilia and rock history surrounding us.  Good thing it's so light at night- would not like to be walking home from dinner in the dark!

Today is the 4th and we all made sure we had suitably patriotic clothing to wear.  Brekky at McDonald's with wifi!!!  (McDonalds is no longer about food, but being able to use the internet!)  We went from there down to the waterfront to see the Pike Place Public Market and the salmon throwing fishmongers.  They were unfortunately shut down for the holiday, but most other things were open.  We went to the Aquarium, to the Seattle "Big Wheel" (which opened last week) and had lunch overlooking the harbour.

It was freezing lining up, but by the time we got on the wheel, the sky had cleared incredibly and it was much warmer.  We were sitting at the top of the wheel, when Isabel looked over at the car just below us and there was a couple in there- the guy was on bended knee proposing to the woman!!!!   She was putting on the ring and laughing and hugging him then looked up and saw us watching.  We clapped and waved and he gave us the thumbs up- it was exciting to watch!  When we got off, they showed us the ring and we shook hands and she said that she was so happy someone else had seen it happen.  It was lovely.

After lunch we ran into a crazy snake lady on the same corner as the kissing guy had been the day before.  She was standing there with three snakes around her neck and one in her pocket.  The kids went straight over to her and she put a snake around Thomas, Hannah and Ellen's necks and they stood there for ages talking to her.  Of course, we had to give her money (her sign said "The snakes are working for their food" or something to that effect) and it was worth it- what an experience!

From there we took the monorail to the Space Needle (Ellen went home which is why she doesn't appear in our commemorative photo you may have seen on facebook) and were able to see the panoramic view of Seattle on a truly perfect day.

That is actually Mt Rainier- not a cloud- that you can see in the distance.  What a beautiful day.

Other interesting street performers:

These guys were awesome and not much taller than Thomas!

This guy was pretty awesome.  Stood there for hours.

Tonight we ate at the Cheesecake Factory.  I don't even want to imagine the calorie count.  We all got cheesecake to go and I am in the process of making my way through it right now.

Tomorrow we get the Shuttle to the airport and catch a 12 noon plane to LA where we stay opposite Disneyland for three nights.  Will probably go to Disneyland on Friday and Saturday but hopefully will be able to update the blog again.  We are beginning to think about home now.  Only a few days to go now.  Will see everyone very soon.  Much love to you allxxxx  (Hugs and kisses to Nana and Grandadxx)