The Locks Cruise

It wouldn't be Saturday morning with Mike's parents if we didn't eat biscuits and gravy.

Scrambled eggs, bacon, cantaloupe, biscuits, gravy, and coffee. Yum!

Hot from the oven!

Mike wanted me to take this picture so he could text
it to his sister, Durenda, to make her jealous. This is a
sick and twisted game they play with one another!

We also sent this picture to Durenda with the text: "Your mom hurt her
neck when we took her skydiving, but she's okay." Needless to say,
Clyde's phone rang in about 90 seconds and, when he couldn't get to it
fast enough, Mike's phone rang next!

In all seriousness, Delores was in some pain from having lugged her bags around the Charlotte airport on their layover. After a couple of days, it was only getting worse. She wanted to try out this cervical brace, so Mike picked it up for her at the drug store. 

Cool story: We found a massage therapist online and she was able to work Delores in for a 2:00  massage. Great. Mike and Clyde took her in and at the one-hour mark, the masseuse asked Delores if she could keep going past an hour, but that she wouldn't bill her more than an hour. As she continued to work on Delores's neck and shoulders, the two started talking and, long story short, the woman decided to give the entire massage to Delores as a gift because she's a Christian, too. We were all so blessed by that!

In the evening, we all headed into Seattle for the sunset cruise on the Argosy Cruise Line. The cruise is a two-hour locks cruise that starts at Seattle's historic waterfront, crosses the Puget Sound, passes through the Government Locks which separate the salt water of the sound with the fresh water of Lake Union and Lake Washington beyond. At the end of the cruise, you board a bus for a three-mile drive back to the cruise ship offices.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First we started off by getting a quick dinner of fish and chips at Ivar's, a Seattle original and must-see (must-eat) waterfront destination.

Fried oysters, fried fish, french fries, clam chowder,
and hot coffee!

Since 1938, baby!

We sat down at the semi-indoors covered dining area.

Chowda head!

Feeding fries to the seagulls is encouraged at Ivar's. It's something he
became known for himself. :)

Ollie was a bit shy with the seagulls. 

Once we boarded our boat and got underway, we had a fantastic narrator who shared all kinds of interesting facts and details about what we were seeing as we cruised along in our 150+ ft. boat. 

Did you know that Seattle is the number one sunglasses-selling city in the whole U.S.? Unreal but true.

We saw boats like the ones used in Deadliest Catch. And we saw the houseboat where scenes from Sleepless in Seattle were filmed. 

We learned all about local industry and history, how hard it is to get a job loading container ships, and why grain can be explosive when loaded on board a boat (who knew?). 

We kept our eyes peeled for Orca whales and harbor seals---but no luck there. 

Ollie napped. Merrit wandered indoors to sit out of the wind with Clyde and Delores. Mike and I drank cold beers and snuggled up on the windy deck while Ollie slept. It was a super relaxing and very informative outing. A real treat. Here are some of the best pictures from our cruise: 

Still docked. Merrit eats a chocolate popsicle.  In the background:
the Seattle Aquarium and a new addition to the Seattle skyline,
this ferris wheel, built to commemorate the 50th anniversary
of the 1962 World's Fair.

Leaving the waterfront. Our guide told us all about the notable buildings in
the Seattle skyline.

The Space Needle from the Puget Sound.

Napping in the cool air, warm sun, and Dad's embrace.

Ollie woke up happy. Yay. (It's always a gamble.)

The drawbridge in Shilshone Bay.

The locks.

Seattle is very much a working port. Here's a fishing boat.

The houseboat on the right was made famous by the movie Sleepless
in Seattle.

A fabulous day for sailing on Lake Union!

Almost at the end of our cruise.

We were famished and ready for a little dinner. We hit up Red Robin for
some grub. Clyde and Delores treated; thanks guys!!

It's getting late and the sun has set. What a great day!

Making our way back to the car, with just a few detours
to burn off energy.