Road Trip! Seattle - Seattle Aquarium Dragons

Road Trip! Seattle - After the Space Needle and the Science Center, we headed over to the pier and visited the Seattle Aquarium. Next to the tidal pool exhibits, the leafy sea dragon (Phycodurus eques) tank was my favorite thing to watch. They are so delicate and graceful! We spent a very nice 3 hours viewing all the tanks and the outdoor displays as well. The salmon ladder here is world famous and there are many viewing areas both above and below to see the native fish.

Road Trip! Seattle - Science Center Orchid

Road Trip! Seattle - This photo is a bit grainy, but I still love it because the orchids looks so translucent and delicate. These were also at the Seattle Science Center.

Road Trip! Seattle - Science Center Moth on the Cobblestones

Road Trip! Seattle - Outside the Science Center it had just stopped raining...rain...in Seattle...imagine! hahaha Anyway this guy wasn't inside the atrium, but I thought him just as worthy of a photo. I imagine he had come down to the ground for a drink.

Road Trip! Seattle - Science Center Dino Bones

Road Trip! Seattle - Inside the Seattle Science Center they had this great T-Rex display. He doesn't seem as terrifying as one might imagine from the movies although I am sure they were nothing to mess around with at the time! I was just expecting something a bit...bigger.

Road Trip! Seattle - Science Center butterfly garden 2

Road Trip! Seattle - Another photo from inside the butterfly garden at the Seattle Science Center.

Road Trip! Seattle - Science Center butterfly garden

Road Trip! Seattle - We visited the butterfly garden at the Seattle Science Center which was pretty nice. These lucky butterflies get a nice climate controlled atrium to avoid the cold and dreary weather outside. I remember the camera I was using at the time I snapped these photos...a point and shoot Olympus that I beat the heck out of until it died a sad death on a concrete floor. I look at these and wonder how much better they could be with my new baby.

Road Trip! Seattle - KOMO helicopter

Road Trip! Seattle - From the top outside walkway of the Space Needle, you can see all of Seattle. The KOMO 4 News Building is just below and I thought it looked like a giant clock up there at the top with the helicopter blades for hands, so of course I had to snag a photo. The kids really thought it was cool that they could see it so well.

Road Trip! Seattle - The Space Needle

Road Trip! Seattle - In the winter of 2002, right before Christmas, we met my mom in Seattle and spent a few days being tourists. We visited the Space Needle and were surprised to find Santa ensconsed in the viewing room waiting to hear what we all wanted for Christmas. It was an incredible day for this photo.

Little Monkey

My middle son is happiest when he is climbing or hanging from something. During the summer he can most often be found out back in one of our apple trees. Here we had gone to the park and he immediately found the monkey bars. Now all he needs is a banana!

Fragrant Bloom

Can't you almost smell the fragrance? This is a rose from my very own rose bed. I have 30+ plants but this one is the one I love most because it has the most amazing scent and just the lightest tinge of pink on it's petals. The flowers are a very good size as well, but they don't last long once cut which is a real shame.