Sprint car racing at Skagit Speedway

Location, Lynden, WA

My sister suggested that I expand the July 7th post to include more information about the Seattle Underground tour we took. So, please check out the added post for that date.

We drove up to Lynden on Friday afternoon so we could celebrate Michael’s nineteenth birthday. Because he is working in a berry packing plant this summer and putting in long hours, we decided to celebrate on Friday evening. Mark smoked pork short ribs, BBQ’ed corn and Michael made his famous “cheesy bread”. All was to die for. Mark and Michael have the rub and smoking down pat and the cheesy bread was fabulous.

Late Saturday afternoon Clyda and I drove an hour south to the Skagit Speedway to watch Matt, Dawn’s boy friend race his Sprint car. He had just put a new engine in the car so this would be his first race since the old engine died. This also was the Mid-Season Championship race and was followed by a fire works show. We had been to this same race two years ago.

The show opened with 3 sky divers landing on the track followed by patriotic songs. A great opening. Matt only made two laps in his first race before tangling with another car and breaking something in the left front steering. They managed to get it fixed before his next race.

In his second race he was doing very well and moving up on his competition when on lap 17 of a 20 lap race he tangled with the same car he had the earlier problem with. This time however, the results were not as fortunate. His car flipped forward on turn three and bounced high up on the safety fence, hung there for a second and then landed on its top back on the track. There was a few anxious minutes until Matt got out of the car but he appeared to be ok. He tore off his helmet and stomped back to the pit area, obviously very mad. The race was delayed for several minutes while repairs were made to the fence. Thank goodness the fence was there or the car would have flipped over the wall and down an embankment.

Loading the car on the trailer.


Top sail after the crash.


Matt (back to camera on right) loading his car.


Dawn next to the loaded, slightly bent car.

After the race Clyda and I went to the pit area to look at the car and check on Matt. He was in a better mood by then but the car looked to be heavily damaged. In any case, lots of body work to be done. Fortunately, it is 2 weeks before the next race so plenty of time for expensive repairs.

The fire works show was great but it had to compete with a lightning show to the south of us. The lightning drew as many ooohhs and aaaahhhs as the fire works. It took us a half hour to get out of the parking lot so we arrived back in Lynden just after mid-night.

A perfect lunch

Location, Everett, WA

Mark had a meeting in Seattle yesterday morning which ended by noon. We decided to meet him at Claim Jumpers in Alderwood Mall for lunch. After Dawn’s graduation we ate here and at the time I said I wanted to come back and have just appetizers and dessert some time. Well, today was the day. We ordered the appetizer platter which had everything deep fried. Things such as zucchini, potato skins, mozzarella sticks, hot wings, and the best, parmesan onion rings. Yummy!!!!! Cholesterol???? A whole bunch I am sure.

After shopping for a birthday present for Michael (his b-day is this weekend) we drove east over the freeway to visit the Mill Creek Shopping Mall which I discovered yesterday. It was quit a find, especially the Central Market which is a combination of H. E. B. markets in Texas and Whole foods Market. The olive bar was 20 feet long and the cheese area was huge. They had two people just cutting cheese.

The fresh fish, meat, produce and breads were like from a picture book. Awesome!!!!!! We will go back I am sure.

Seattle Underground

Location, Everett, WA

Normally Mark takes Candi in on Tuesday’s for her chemo session. Today Clyda and I went along to the Cancer Center with them and took the city bus to Pioneer Square. The bus stops near the Cancer Center and arrives downtown within 15 minutes. We walked down hill to 1st Street where the tour begins in Doc Maynards Bar. We were in time for the 11 AM tour which cost $12 each for seniors. The tour is 90 minutes long and is fascinating.

Text added to original blog post.

The underground tour was of several blocks which had been built after the 1888 fire which destroyed 33 blocks of down town Seattle. To remove the threat of flooding during high tide, the city father's suggested building up the land with dirt from the nearby hills. Realizing that that effort would take years to complete, the merchants commenced building and most new buildings were completed in 1889 although out of stone and brick this time.

After the buildings were up, the city built a rock wall around each block and then proceeded to fill in the streets thus raising them one level. The second floors now became the first floors and the first floors became basements. To accomplish all of this required moving more dirt than was removed to make the panama Canal. To go from one block to the next required going up a long ladder , crossing the street, and descending another ladder. Not an easy trick while wearing a long dress and carrying purchases.

Eventually as streets were filled in, and doors were made in the second floor. Also, the merchants owned the property out to the street, so eventually, sidewalks were constructed over the moats. Sky lights made with glass blocks were installed in the sidewalks to let light down to the basement levels. The under ground tour follows these under ground side walks and you can look up to see the glass blocks over head. Much early equipment was left under ground when the tours were started. Old bath tubs, piping, elevator hardware, etc. It is fairly clean and very dry with few cobwebs. It is well lighted but the footing is on cement, board walks, or even some rubble. Just enough to give it some mystery.

People lived in the basements for years and today some business's still use their basements. The real problem is that Seattle is built on a base of sawdust from all the early saw mills and to this day continues to sink in some areas. The streets for instance are always in bad shape from this sinkage as were the basement floors in the buildings. The buildings themselves were built on pilings which makes them stable. When they filled the streets, anything and everything was thrown in as fill. Old wagons, carcasses of horses, wood of all kinds and anything at hand. This is causing problems as it all decays.

The tour was well done with lots of history of the city.


Underground Seattle sign.

Greyish door in the middle of this building at the cars rear bumper is an entrance to Seattle underground.


Underground Seattle entrance sign on lower left of photo.

After the tour we strolled down 1st Street until we came to Grand Central Bakery and Café where we stopped for a quick lunch. The bread was so good that we stopped back later and bought a loaf to take home. After lunch we walked out to Occidental Square towards Quest Field and then around the block stopping at the Glasshouse Studio. They blow glass here most days but I expect there is more activity in the mornings. The glass is spectacular.

We stopped at Elliott Bay Bookstore and Cafe which was the setting for the café in the TV show Frasier. It reminded me of Powell’s in Portland, OR. We climbed back up the hill to 3rd St and found our bus stop for the return trip. The bus driver grew up in Atascadero, CA so talked our arm off. On top of that, he didn’t charge us for the trip. Nice guy.

We spent some time in the 5th floor waiting room at the Cancer Center until Candi was done and then drove home. A very nice day in Seattle.

July 4th follow up.

Location, Lynden, WA

To finish up yesterdays blog, we had hamburgers and brats along with salads for a typical 4th of July dinner and then drove to Blaine, WA, next to the Canadian border to get a good place to watch the fireworks show. We were only several hours early but we had a nice view to watch the fireworks from.

Mark, Candi, and Michael passing the time.


Candi, Ed, Mark, and Michael. Jackets are on as the sun goes down.


Because we are quit far north, the sun doesn’t set until near 10 PM so no fire works until 10:30 PM. It was a good show and it lasted for about 25 minutes. Getting out of the parking lot with all the traffic was not too bad and we were home about mid-night. All-in-all, a very good 4th of July.

A nice sunset.

Happy 4th of July!

Location, Lynden, WA

Happy 4th of July. Today I attended a TEA party. TEA as in Taxed Enough Already. Most of these parties were held on April 15th but the local group decided to do one today also. It was held in Bellingham, WA and organized in a vacant store lot. Flags were provided as well as signs already made up or poster board to make your own signs. There was a copy of the US Constitution to sign.

Posters ready to be picked up.


Signing the Constitution.


As people got their flags and signs, they moved down to the Guide Meridian which is the main route from I-5 to the Canadian border. Hence, lots of traffic. People lined both signs of the street waving flags and signs. Cars honked and displayed their flags as they drove by. It is hard to judge the crowd size as they were spread out, but 1500 to 2000 would be in the ball park. A nice turn out for the 4th of July.

Looking down the street at the crowd.


We will finish the day off with hamburgers and then drive to Birch Bay on the coast to watch the fireworks tonight. All in all, a nice patriotic 4th of July.

Day at the zoo.

Location, Everett, WA

On Monday I went with the ladies to Candi’s treatment session as we planned to go to the zoo after she was done. I sat in the lobby reading until Candi was done. The Cancer Center has free tickets to different tourist things around Seattle and Candi had gotten 2 free zoo tickets. We drove to the zoo over the same route we drove on Saturday but a big difference this time as there was just normal traffic so we got to the zoo in good time.

After parking, we had to stand in line to pay for parking from an automated kiosk. What a pain. It took more than 1/2 hour to get to the head of the line and get our ticket. By then it was noon so we bought one more ticket and went right to the food court for lunch. We spent several hours looking at all the animals but eventually we were ready to leave. As with most zoos, the animals sleep in the afternoon but we did see quit a few who were out and about.

Today, Tuesday, was Candi’s chemo day so Mark came down from Lynden and took her in for the day. They had trouble getting a drip line into her arm so the session was delayed over an hour. They didn’t get back to the RV until 7 PM. Clyda had dinner ready when they got here so we ate and Mark left for home. It is over a 2 hour drive from here.

Clyda cleaned the trailer today while I dumped the tanks and after lunch we went to the Everett Mall so Clyda could get a haircut but one shop wanted $46 for a cut and the other had a long waiting line so we came home. Clyda set up her sewing machine and worked on a quilt while I had a nap.

First nice weekend

Location, Everett, WA

With the weather shaping up for a nice weekend we planned to do a few things today. Clyda wanted to go towards down town Seattle and walk in Woodland Park and I wanted to stop at a used book store I found on-line. I mentioned that today (Saturday) might be a good day to have lunch at McCormick & Schmick’s Harborside Restaurant on Lake Union. Clyda wanted to eat there so she could take a photo across the lake of The Cancer Care Alliance building that Candi goes to each day.



As it was late morning when we left the RV Park we decided to eat first then walk. Getting to the restaurant was easy as we took the same route that Clyda and Candi travel each day to the cancer center only just a little more around Lake Union. This is not something I would do during the week with my pick-up as it is just to big to make all the short turns into the parking lot.

We ate in the bar and had fish and chips which were excellent. A nice view out the window of float planes taking off and lots of very pricey yachts with several ladies sunning on the decks. Very nice.

After lunch we continued around Lake Union into a traffic nightmare. Nothing was moving. Eventually we progressed a mile or so into another mess. It turns out that several events were going on which made a mess of traffic. We gave up on the idea of walking in Woodland Park and drove north on Hwy 99 to find the bookstore.

Seattle street naming convention defies logic until you have been here several years, I swear, so finding the book store took some time. Find it we did and bought a few books.

On Sunday we shopped for vegetables at a nearby stand, actually a store I guess. We wanted to walk some where so drove to Silver Lake, a 102 acre lake across I-5 from us. We took a round-about way and once again, got lost in the mix of roads that went no where. Eventually, I got on the I-5 and took a road I knew went to the lake. We walked part way around the lake on the walking path before coming back to the RV.