And so it goes. . .: Part Two ~ Seattle

One of our favorite places to wander away the time is at the market. Also known as Pike Place.
This market is full of interesting everything!

We started our day just inside the main entrance with breakfast at Lowell's. We had a beautiful view...

And while we watched the ferries come and go we enjoyed an enormous cinnamon roll, topped with a slightly sweet, buttery cream cheese frosting that was oh so yummy. And we shared a LOWELL’S INCREDIBLE BREAKFAST TACO, which in their words is made up of: House made chorizo, scrambled eggs, Cotija cheese, avocado and tomatillo salsas on double corn tortillas served with crispy hash browns.

Yeah...we devoured it!

The fresh flowers are truly unreal. Honestly stunning.
Pictures rarely do flowers justice, as in this case. It is something you have to see to believe.

All along the market are flower vendors. The blossoms were huge, colorful, fragrant and so incredibly cheap!

A monster size bouquet with a variety of flowers was only $10.

I wanted to bring home a bouquet for every neighbor, friend and stranger!

That being totally unrealistic, Brent bought me a bouquet for us to enjoy in our room.

I don't have a picture but we found a little corner bakery called Cinnamon Works. You'll want to remember that.
They had thee most incredible cookies! I ended up going back on our last day and buying six snickerdoodles to bring home for the kids. The boys thought they had died and gone to heaven!

A day at the market is not complete until you've stopped here ~ The Pike Place Fish Market.
You can't miss it. It's right at the main entrance and you have to duck when these fun guys start throwing fish around. Nobody was buying when we stopped by so there wasn't any flying fish. I was tempted to buy a beautiful salmon (only $11.99 a pound) and have it packed to take home just so I could get a picture of the great fun but I got control of my impulse and walked away. I think I glanced over my shoulder a couple times though.

And this little side street is called Post Alley. I hear it is quite the spot. Something about a gum wall. I googled it and I'm really glad we decided to just take a picture. Like I said "interesting everything!" But it's what makes Seattle, so Seattle.

Another activity was a stroll around the Ballard Locks.

It is always so lush and green here and today was no exception. The fall colors were bright and beautiful.

So what are the locks? Well according to a website the locks and associated facilities serve three purposes:

•To maintain the water level of the fresh water Lake Washington and Lake Union at 20 to 22 feet above sea level.
•To prevent the mixing of sea water from Puget Sound with the fresh water of the lakes (saltwater intrusion).
•To move boats from the water level of the lakes to the water level of Puget Sound, and vice versa.

Necessary tidbit? Probably not but how about good random trivia! You never know when you'll be asked how the locks work the next time you are on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".

Here are a few pictures of a boat going through the locks, coming from the salt water of the Puget Sound to the fresh water of Lake Washington. The lock is filled with water and rises until it is at the same level as the canal.

When the levels are equal, the lock opens and the boat heads up the canal. It is fun to watch. Many times while we lived here we would come to watch the boats make their way in and out of the locks. Often there are several at a time going through. You get to see some beautful boats, from little watercrafts to amazing yachts.