Cuyahoga Valley National Park
I remember seeing an article on great places to view autumn foliage on msn. Cuyahoga Valley National Park was listed as one of the places. I’d never been there; in fact, I never even knew where it was. But S and I took to the trails on bicycle for a new adventure. MSN was right---it is very scenic. Flowers were in bloom, lots of lush verdure. Not too hot, and a place called Peninsula where we were able to stop for lunch and refreshment. The best part was the $2 train ride back to where we parked the car. Only $2 for cyclists; a complete bargain and nice way to end the trip.

Utilikilts
Tea and I headed to the Farmer’s Market in the U District. When we got out of the car and began to walk down the street, I began to stare and chucked to myself when I saw a man wearing a kilt walking next to a woman with trousers. The fact that I was reading a book from the Outlander series, set in the 18th Century amongst Scots probably had nothing to do with my shock at seeing this man.
I pointed him out to Tea who said, “Oh? You haven’t heard of Utilikilts?” Well, now I have. Apparently they’re all the rage. (I did see two men the next day wearing them as well.) I guess if they are following true Scottish custom and wearing kilts as they’re supposed to be worn, Utilikilts could have their advantages.


And a live shot...

Seattle
Puget Sound. Lewis and Clark. Gold Rush. Sleepless in Seattle.
Amazing city with fabulous history. The history of how the city was constructed, wiped out, then rebuilt---twice, at two different levels---is really fabulous. I know that we all wonder how we’d survive without our mobile phones, computers, etc., but being a pioneer back in the day must have been a surreal experience, not like the techie pioneers of today.
What shocked me the most about Seattle? The hills. I thought that I was in San Francisco with all the ups-and-downs. Great though, if you are on an exercise-oriented exploration walk.

Natural Electricity
Summer storms are one of God’s great gifts. As S and I drove to the Southside from the Peninsula, in separate cars (don’t ask why…), it was dark and growing darker. Huge bolts of electricity shot from the sky down to the ground. Powerful. Frightening. A great reminder that as much as we as human beings can accomplish, we are still miniscule and powerless in the grand scheme of things.
I would love to have a covered porch so that I could just sit there watching the rain and taking in Nature’s amazing strength and beauty. Had to settle for wine sitting upstairs in my bedroom though. One of these days, I will have a screened–in porch from which I can take in the beauty and mystery of summer rainstorms.

Ocean Antics
On Sunday S and I headed to the beach. Not the Ocean Front with all the crazy tourists but to Chick’s Beach. Of course the name is somewhat appropriate. We decided that we would tread water to work out. To make it more of a challenge, we took some beverages into the water with us. S took a Miller Lite, and I took a glass of wine. It was a lot of fun, a great workout, and a great time.
Then S had a dream about me drowning during our mischief. So, she bought floats and insisted that we use these. Lets you stay in the water longer. And definitely facilitates keeping that wine glass above water!