Winter in Seattle

January 18, 2011 at 7:12 pm Leave a comment

We left our home in San Francisco the week of Thanksgiving. The movers came and packed up all our belongings, and we sadly said goodbye to the home we lived in for over 6 years. We put so much love into that house and garden, but I am hopeful a new family will enjoy it now. So, we got into our car- the dogs, kids, and a car full of stuff- and started the drive up to Seattle.

The kids and dogs had a great journey, mostly sleeping and lazily gazing at the sites out the window. It had already begun to snow in parts of Northern California and Oregon but we were greeted with clear roads most of the trip.

We stayed our first night in Shasta, and Jacob and Beijo were happy to see the snow. Jacob was eager to build a snowman. Little did he know that the snow was well packed and a few days old and was only good for walking on.

We kept warm along the way, all through the snowy pass in Oregon. Our second stop was a brief stay in Portland. We were anxious to get to Seattle now as we were so close so we didn’t spend much time in this lovely little city.

It was certainly strange for me to arrive in Seattle and to see the rental house we were going to live in. Tom had made the journey up a month before to look at housing and schools for Jacob while I stayed behind with Evie and the dogs. So when I saw the house for the first time it was a bit overwhelming. It sits on the top of a large hill in the Seward Park/Columbia City neighborhood of Seattle. The large windows allow for a combo view of Lake Washington/Mt. Baker and also the backside of downtown Seattle. The house is at the end of a cul-de-sac filled with trees and unique houses. There is a public access picnic area and stairs leading down the hill next to our home. Overall, it has the unique combination of a cabin-in-the-woods and a remodeled city home complete with a separate artist’s studio and four connected decks (oh oh and the massive double-head shower!!).

It was a bit of a challenge working out our furniture in the new layout, but overall the house makes being in Seattle so cozy and bright- even in the middle of the wet, dark winter. I can’t wait to see what summer brings!

We certainly miss our friends and communities in San Francisco. I am glad to have found a wonderful preschool for Jacob nearby our new house, and to have a small batch of very good friends already living here. Tom is happy at his new job at Teague. I’m doing bits and pieces of freelance and starting to work on a new business venture for 2012.

Tom’s dad Andrew came out for a visit and stayed for the holidays. He was really taken by Seattle and is looking forward to coming back so we can visit destinations outside the city.

Andrew had a lot of fun with Jacob and Evie- they just love having grandad around!

There is a lot for the kids and dogs to do right in our neighborhood. Down the street we have a decent sized park with a baseball/soccer field, playground and sand-pit. A short drive away is the beautiful Seward Park. They just renovated the playground here and it is amazing, complete with a view of Mt. Rainier on a clear day.

Tom takes the dogs on the Seward Park path and then through the wooded trails on the morning walks. We all go for a nice hike through here on the weekends. Once we found a giant nest (we named it the dragon’s nest).

We’ve enjoyed being tourists in our new city, even though we have spent a lot of time in Seattle in the past, a lot has changed here; we also changed, with our time now occupied by a toddler, baby and two dogs. So now we will learn about the city again. Of course this means a trip to the space needle. The last time I was in the Space Needle was 10 years ago so it was fun to come up with the kids, who seemed to really enjoy it.

(Obligatory free dork photo they take on entry- me, the kids and grandad).

We had the pleasure of spending Evie’s first Christmas in Seattle. Our friends Dave and Amanda were wonderful hosts cooking truffle oil risotto, scallops and lobster. The kids exchanged gifts and ran around after a bit of pie. It was a great holiday all around.

We started our New Year’s Eve celebration with friends from San Francisco! Matteo, Colleen and their son Julian were up here visiting family and came by for dinner. We made mussels and fries and seared Ahi Tuna. The boys had a blast but of course had to be in bed before the new year would pass. We rang in the New Year by watching the fireworks out our window (this year I actually stayed up until midnight…quite an accomplishment for me- I DO have 2 little ones who keep me up at night).

Now we are adjusting to our new life and routine- having fun along the way. Evie is rolling around and nearly sitting up. She babbles quite a bit (and I’m sure she has said all our names, including the dogs) and she is really starting to giggle at Jacob. Jacob loves his new school and his morning playtime with his friend Aedan. He has started swimming and music classes and soon we will enroll him in soccer. The boy still has major energy to burn! Tom and I are adjusting to our new lives, and taking it easy on the weekends to spend time together as a family.