Today is June 9, 2015. We arranged to be picked up at 6 for an 8 AM flight to Seattle. But Carol must have started around 3 and I was moving at 4:30. No matter how much planning we do, there are always last minute things to get done.

Seattle weather is gorgeous, which is surprising everyone. Seattle has June Gloom just like Solana, but not this year. When we were here about a year ago the weather was, unsurprisingly, rainy.

Last year we missed an important attraction at the famous Pike Street Market: the "flying fish". At one of the fishmonger shops, when a customer picks out a fish, a worker throws it to a colleague who then wraps it up for the customer. There's lots of noise and shouting in the process, to the delight of dozens of tourists who gather around to watch and take pictures.

The second thing we passed right by but didn't pay attention to last time we were here was a Starbucks almost below where we stayed--not just any Starbucks but the original Starbucks. A mob scene--today mostly visitors from Japan, it seemed.

Way too crowded to try to get a cup of coffee there.

We checked into our hotel and then, while waiting for our room, used the time to get lunch and shop for underwear. Yes, underwear.

We are seasoned travelers and don't get too flustered when hit by the normal pranks of the travel gods. However, employing a completely new and rather humorous tactic, said "t.g." prank today was the total failure of the elastic on the waist of my brand new underpants. As I walked through the airport, said underpants seemed to be trying to get acquainted with my knees.

When everything goes smoothly, hey, where's the fun? The Case of the Droopy Drawers will be fodder for lots of stories (probably embellished) when we return.

Off to the meet and greet for our NBF's for the next three weeks.