my trip in photos

   August 16 was Statehood Day, which meant no school. I seized the opportunity to take a whirlwind trip to Washington State/Utah. After zipping through Open House at work on Thursday night, I dashed for the airport to catch the red eye.  Here's a few pics from my weekend:

 A peek at Utah's mountains while riding the Trax

Buddhist? Um ... Sis and I had a little adventure while using public transportation in Utah. We had to backtrack and wait for the next shuttle at a deserted stop. A sketchy-looking guy approached us, talking about how wonderful it was that it was Sunday, and asked about our religious tendencies. Sis and I looked at each other. Then I told the guy that I was Buddhist. It was the perfect conversation-killer - he just stopped talking to us and shuffled off to his friends.  (This would be a conversation-starter in many other states, so use with caution ...)

Triumph: I passed on my old prom dress to my sis a while back - she's actually worn it a few times for formal events. It's actually a very classic/timeless dress - the V-neck and slit add interest but not impropriety. Out of curiosity, I took a little break from packing up her room and threw the dress on. It still fits! (You can't tell from the photo, but it _is_ a bit snug in the hip area). I'm not sure what Astro the dog is thinking but he was extremely curious about who I was and just what I was doing in his home.)

Home away from home: We ended up spending some time and money at Starbucks. The free Wi-fi was invaluable when we needed to figure out how to navigate to some important spots in Utah, and the drinks were comfortingly familiar. I've never been a fan of Starbucks' baked goods, but the stuff from La Boulange (including the morning bun pictured above!) was definitely tasty.

It could be worse: In our mad rush to get the last boxes of stuff to the post office, we ended up getting to the airport too late to put our checked bags on the plane. That meant a little layover in Sea-Tac. Which means an opportunity to do a little airport shopping (I picked up a bunch of chocolate bars as omiyage in Seattle, and picked up a bag of salt-water taffy as a treat for my kiddos on my way out of Utah). It also meant a chance to enjoy just how beautiful Sea-Tac can be on a sunny day.

Intervention avoided:  Packing devoured most of our time and energy, but sis was kind enough to take me to Ikea for the express purpose of buying fabric. For some reason, all of the prints were enormous - not just big, but huge enough that they were best suited to wall hangings or curtains. Nevertheless, I did  pick up 3 yards each of two pretty fabrics. I'm thinking the denim-ish one will make a nice skirt, and this whimsical print will be great for tote bags/zip pouches. I have been known to buy 5 yards of a great fabric in the past, but I'm pleased that I "cut back" and only bought 3 yards each.

Libations: In lieu of lunch, we had happy hour instead. The pink one is a cherry mojito and the other one is a grapefruit-flavored drink.


Random photos: 

 My cotton shift kept me cool in Utah.

Obligatory airport selfie - I wore my Totoro tee from Teefury for the first time!

 

Bigfoot sighting ... 

 and some savvy product placement. 

One of my favorite parts of the trip: having 4-legged company!