Ballard Locks

Here is a beautiful montage of pictures that Karen put together of our trip to the Ballard Locks last Thursday. With the sun shining so bright and the promise of warm weather, we decided to go on a picnic. We packed lots of food(a sandwich, a few pieces of chicken, potato chips, cookies and frozen lemonade to keep things cold) and ventured out to the bus. We wanted to take the bus there so we wouldn't have to worry about finding parking, paying for parking and then having to look at our watches to make sure we didn't overstay. Taking the bus is so easy and cheap, just $1.75 each way for Karen since I get a bus pass from work. And it drops us off one block from the entrance, right at a 7-11 store where we each bought an ice cream treat for dessert.

It was really warm, and I wore my short pants for the first time since being in Singapore. We found a small hill with a big tree for shade and ate while watching all the boats coming in and out of the locks. Afterwards, we walked around and explored most of the area, walking across the locks and getting close-up views of the boats going through. The air was definitely cooler by the water!

In all, we were there more than three hours. Such a nice relaxing afternoon, and I know we'll have more of them through the summer. The last two summers were very cold and wet, even for Seattle, so I think we're due for an extra long, extra warm one this year!