March 02, 2014

Sunshine on the west coast

Sunny in Seattle

I've spent the last five days in a lovely West Coast city, where the blue skies made me keep humming an old Bobby Sherman song. Most of my time was spent in the conference rooms and bookfair of a large hotel, but I did sneak out with some friends for a walk. We couldn't resist the sunshine glinting off the old buildings and calm waters. We went down to a waterside market where vendors had filled stalls with slabs of pink salmon and brightly colored fruits.

"Look, kumquats!" a friend exclaimed. I had never eaten a kumquat so she bought some and insisted I try one. Following her instructions, I popped the little fruit into my mouth and began to chew. The explosion of sour juice surprised me at first, but as I chewed, the taste became sweeter. We wandered about, tasting nuts and bits of fruit.

When we walked down to find the chocolate shop, we discovered a wall decorated with all kinds of colorful (and already chewed) gum. Yeah, that sounds disgusting, but it was really quite beautiful. And the scent, as we walked by, was unmistakably sweet. We found a cafe above the water, where we lingered over lunch, talking and catching up on our lives before walking back through the sunshine to the frantic busyness of the conference.

8 comments:

Phil said...

The Gumwall! Glad you appreciated this bit of found art. You lucked out on the weather - you should see it today. I and my kayak have ecstatically plied the waters in your photo for many years. Please tell where you ate, and what you liked.

jo(e) said...

Oh, now I know what to call it. The Gumwall! I had never heard of (or imagined) such a thing. I wish I'd had my camera with me when we stumbled upon it.

People in Seattle are always talking about how it rains all the time, but I've been there 3 times now and I've had bright sun every time .....

jo(e) said...

I don't remember the names of any of the restaurants, but we found great food everywhere.

Sandy said...

Your conferences always sound like so much fun.

Anonymous said...

Yay! I love Seattle -- such pretty light. (Maybe that's only in the summer.)

Martha said...

I live just three hours north of you and have for many years, but this lovely city is my home town. Indeed it does not always rain there, but it was very strange to have snow when I visited last last month. Glad you enjoyed it! (But I can't really thank you for the ear worm ;))

susan said...

Every single photo, every single person, in this series is beautiful, but this is one of my favorites. Such power and beauty.

Nicole said...

Thanks greaat post