Crossing the lake

the sun burns white and gold on the water: it sounds like there's music playing because the wind in the wires makes a high sweet droning ring: the anemometer tings like a bell in the wind and the water hums counterpoint. The ferry sails out and then sweeps in a long turn as it reaches Bremerton (which is clustered with houses dotted along the water's edge and among the trees). Looking back, Mount Rainier hovers impossibly behind Seattle, cut off by a band of cloud, like a mirage or an alpha layer dropped in. Sailing back to Seattle we nearly run down a small boat that's moored in the ferry lane and I get a great view of a parascender scooting up past the space needle.

I like the market: it has fruit and veg and fish stalls and a nice mix of craft stalls and clothes shops and curios, and a display on the eight foot man and amazing views over Puget Sound. It's not too twee or too packed and it's a great place to snack.

My iced tea had strips of ice cubes like toblerones!

I rode the tram along and walked on the raised walkway to Pioneer Square. The triple-decker expressway really slices the waterfront off from the town and Pioneer Square is rather run down, though the Victorian buildings are nice - ver like Toronto. The bus station is as majestic as the others in the bus tunnels - palaces of marble for the commuters, decked with art. And the bus ride was really fun because the black kids I was sharing the back seat with were having the funniest arguments. One of them asked about my hair and his 'homey' 'dissed' him and 'jived on his ass' asking why he was bothering me and did he plan to 'get with me'(and that's really as much of the dialect as I can manage). Then they showed each other various hand talk signals and handshakes. The guy next to me showed the one who'd had a go at him one with two fingers and a thumb extended and the middle finger crooked and asked him what it was (in a 'what's that? That's your bitch ass' kind of way) and I on!
ly just stopped myself saying 'it looks like a rabbit to me' :-) There are different ranks and signals for bloods and vicelords and pimps: I swear they were only slightly less confused by it than I was!

Cocktail reception means beer and wine and canapes: I had a nice Alaskan dark ale and chatted to a few people and then scooted off to Malay Sate for dinner. Very different from Malaysian back home and rather more like Chinese Thai but delicious - and spicey meant spicey :-) we've got an early start so it's time for bed now!

Mary on a Blackberry so pardon typing errors

Workety work

Today is solid meeting, briefings, presentations and worky work. I've grabbed five minutes to sit on the grass in sunlight because the auditorium is a dark and womblike place where time is unreal. Of the one building I've seen I really like the architecture - bright, open, curving walls with art almost everywhere there isn't a door or window in the halls... And lots of people leaving their desks and either all having meetings at once or being smart enough to stop work and have lunch. Wow - the sun is just *so* warm and bright!

Mary on a Blackberry so pardon typing errors