Spring Break, Continued...

On our way home from Auntie Laurie's, we decided to stay a night in Seattle.  For the fun of it, we took the long way in order to take a ferry ride.  It's a pretty nice way to travel when an hour of the trip can be done while exploring a big boat!

 A cloudy day but it wasn't raining and barely windy.  Not bad for the Pacific Northwest in March!

Quick, duck!  Whew!  Those sea gulls are dangerous.  Lane discovered their propensity for dropping bombs ... he had a narrow escape.

Of course it doesn't help when passengers feed them ... apparently they need signs on ferries that warn against feeding the wildlife.  

This is a bit safer location but the kids can be counted on to act like jail birds!

  Approaching Seattle.  Even on a cloudy day, it still is a beautiful city!

The Great Wheel.  After we disembarked from the ferry, we made our way along the waterfront to Ivars, our favorite local seafood joint.  We were disappointed to discover it was closed while they're redoing the sea wall.  It is not the only eatery, though, so we made our way to the pier where the Great Wheel is located.  After a bite to eat, we climbed aboard...

and quickly discovered the kids were a little nervous about heights.  So, a little calming influence was called for and Dad's exclamations about the design sort of helped.  Okay, not really.  He snapped several pictures of the contraption, anyway.

Lane told us later, "if we were going in, that seat was going with me!" By the 3rd rotation, the kids were pointing things out and starting to enjoy the ride.

 Lane let go of his seat long enough to snap a picture of his parents.

Looking straight down from the top and then out across Elliot Bay.

 We visited the Aquarium and got in on the diving presentation.

He fed the wolf eel calamari out of his hand.  The eel was like a pet the way he weaved around the diver looking for his next snack.

 The mandatory picture from the touch pool.

After a quick lunch, it was time for a walk through the zoo.  There were three lion cubs that were neat to see, even if they pretty much napped the whole time.  The other highlight was the falcon demonstration. But before long, it was time to head along...

but maybe there was enough time for Coldstone ice cream?  The kids felt it was a two thumbs up sort of treat!