A more typical Seattle November day – minus the rain, so far.
I had an appointment this morning. Part of the H7N9 Flu Vaccine Study.
They wanted to suck my blood, again.
Being a non-work day, non-raining, and reasonable temperature – we walked to the appointment.
After being poked we took off up to Capital Hill (emphasis on up).
This is called Black Sun. We thought Grey Sun fit the day a bit better.
Black Sun with Grey Sky and Space Needle
Instead of heading straight north (homeward) we veered east a bit, to grab a bit of the Husky/Cougar Apple Cup excitement.
Walking through the neighborhoods as we approached from the south reminded me of football Saturdays growing up in Ann Arbor. Folks that lived relatively close to the stadium could pad their wallets by providing mini-parking lots on their lawns.
A business took this one step further. The Montlake 76 Station closed most of their station for parking/tailgating. It looked like two of the gas pumps were still open for service, maybe. [We thought of the current “Mayhem” commercial at a tailgating function. The coals in the grill are not completely extinguished before being closed up in the SUV while the owner’s went to watch the game. That and the can of lighter fluid ignited a spectacular car fire. Move this to a gas station for even more special effects …]
As we were preparing to cross the intersection next to the Montlake Station, the policeman that had been lounging on his motorcycle suddenly leapt into action and drove into the middle of the intersection. At first this just seemed to be because it was getting busy. But, his motorcycle was really blocking one of the traffic lanes. And he was only letting one lane go. (For those that may try to picture this, it was the lane exiting from Eastbound 520 to Montlake.) At second look it appeared he was allowing the freeway exit to clear because there were emergency vehicles on 520, being slowed by the exiting traffic. This could make sense as there is a hospital across the street from Husky Stadium, and ambulances travel this way frequently.
Our waiting was finally rewarded with a vision of all the commotion. At least 6 police vehicles (motorcycles and cars) escorting three buses carrying the Washington State Cougars to the venue! Were they late? I am sure a few of the rabid Husky fans were a bit perturbed. Carl & I just laughed, although I wish I had thought to get my camera out before they arrived.
You can see one of the things that make travelling to Husky Stadium unique. You can boat to the stadium.
From the Montake Bridge, over the Montlake Cut. Boat parking to the left (port).
What is in those red cups?
The procession on land to the stadium. Carl says the 14-6 sign is predicting the final score. I like the alcohol limit sign myself (next to the Big W)
Husky Stadium and “The Wall” protecting the light rail station currently under construction
We finally got far enough away to be out of the crowds, that is until we entered the Starbucks.
A few blocks later we were finally home.
10+ miles. A few more than anticipated, but a good walk.
Now I need to re-energize to move some more furniture, and unpack a few more boxes.
And since I have not posted a house picture in a while – here is the carport currently under re-construction.
Carport Improvement
Raincharm's Weblog 
November 29, 2013 at 5:57 pm |
It would have been a great walk, but I would have HATED to have been in a vehicle. I don’t usually get road rage, but there is a reason why I watch Husky games on TV at my house. 🙂