Thursday, September 4, 1997
I left Salina at 10:10 am on my way to the airport in Kansas City, Missouri to catch the flight to Seattle.
I stopped in Abilene, Kansas for a soft drink ($1.00), then again in Topeka, Kansas for a couple of items at the
Museum of Natural History (My Raider friend Max is a history buff; I picked up a couple of wild west books
for him at the museum gift shop. $35.00) and then I stopped one more time at Wyondotte State Lake for a quick drive through
the park since I'd never been there before. I believe in taking advantage of every opportunity, big or small, when I travel! Turnpike fare was $1.75.
I arrived at KCI at 2:00. Did it really take me 4 hours? :-) The airport was under construction so I had to park in satellite
parking. For those of you unfamilar with KCI, satellite parking is way out yonder in the middle of a pasture!! I waited for a shuttle
and didn't get to the gate until 3:00! Security officers actually went through my purse. That's the first time that's ever happened
to me.
I had a late lunch at the airport; oh joy. Half a sandwich was all I could stomach along with a soft drink. ($4.00)
I had a great flight to Salt Lake City, Utah. Flying over Western Kansas was amazing as I saw the huge circular patterns of
irrigated farmland. It's a beautiful sight from the air. If Robert Cameron ever extends his Above ... series to Kansas, I hope
he gets photographs of the irrigated fields!
We were served pretzels and soft drinks in-flight as we flew over a storm in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The mountains were
as beautiful by air as they are by land, although the tallest mountains were covered by clouds. The approach into the Salt Lake City
airport is breathtaking! The airport is surrounded by mountains; just lovely!
We flew about one minute over green foamy water. I asked around to see if anyone knew what it was but no one had a clue. The Great Salt Lake?
Would it appear foamy?
While waiting for my connecting flight, I had dinner at Pizza Hut in the airport. The Chicken Supreme pizza was delicious. ($5.25) Much better
than the sandwich at Kansas City.
The flight arrived in Seattle at 7:30 pm. Jan and Dena were there to greet me. It was wonderful to see Jan again, and although I'd seen plenty of
pictures of Dena, this was the first time I got to meet her in person! Although Jan and I had met in person a few times before, once we had families
the vacations seemed to stop. I was thrilled to finally meet her children!
Friday, September 5, 1997
At 9:50 am Jan and I headed to the City! I couldn't wait to be in the heart of Seattle! We parked near a giant dinosaur (!) and headed past
Fun Forest at the Seattle Center. We boarded the Monorail ($2.00) to go to Westlake Shopping Center. The excitement hit me immediately!
It was such a thrill to be spending time with Jan, doubled by the fact that we were in Seattle with a day to ourselves! No kids! No responsibilities!
No deadlines! Just a day to do as we pleased!! WAAAA HOOOOOO!!!!
First stop was Planet Hollywood for lunch! What fun! There was so much to see as we waited to be served! I know you don't really want to hear
this but even the bathroom at Planet Hollywood is an event!!
I took Jan's suggestion and ordered the Texas Nachos. They were to DIE for!! Deep fried won-tons, layered with barbecue sauce and sweet
carmelized onions (that's the secret!), chicken and cheese, topped with sour cream. ($13.00) DELICIOUS! We passed a display of lipstick kisses from
movie stars so of course we had to layer on the lipstick and give it a shot too! Great, great fun and the day had hardly begun!
After lunch we started walking in the direction of Pike's Place Market. We walked down a steep, San Francisco-type street going down to the market.
Wonderful shopping! I couldn't believe the flowers! They were by far my favorite in the markets! We watched the guys throw fish above the spectators
at the seafood shop! That's cool beyond words! "Low Flying Fish"!! Being from Kansas (say "TOURIST!") I had to take a picture of the octopus
and the crabs as a gross-out type thing!! I thought about buying a Mexican papaya, remembering how good they tasted fresh in the Cayman Islands
but with the day ahead of us I didn't want to tote it around. I'm not a prawn eater, but the Jumbo prawn looked good even to me! I can certainly understand why
people have the fresh seafood shipped back home!
Next we headed to Pioneer Square. As we were walking toward the Kingdome I sensed something very uncomfortable. I was carrying my Seahawks tote bag and wearing a camera around
my neck and suddenly I felt very much like a tourist. There was a man ahead of us with strange behavior who appeared to me to turn around and signal to someone behind us. I wasn't
sure if it was paranoia (small-town girl in a big city!) or something to be concerned about but suddenly I was very
aware of everything around us. I didn't think I could say anything to Jan because I didn't know who was behind us or how far behind us s/he (they?) were, but I gripped my purse and my
bag tighter and listened carefully for footsteps behind us. I didn't know it until later, but Jan had picked up on the same thing and she too was carefully evaluating the situation!
As it turns out, a scantily clad woman was coming down the street from the opposite direction. When the man in front of us saw her, he completely lost his mind as his tongue was hanging
out and drool was sliding down his face. Jan and I used the distraction to duck into a little shop and the scary situation was over. Whew!! Thank you, scantily clad woman!!! :-)
The store we slipped into was full of hats and anyone who knows me knows I love hats! Jan and I must have tried on nearly every one, laughing and giggling and having SUCH a good time!! Leaving the store
we kept walking.
We were surprised when we ended up at the Kingdome. I have no idea how we got there so quickly! We wanted to buy a ticket to the game for Jan's husband, Tony. At first he didn't want to
go to the game so I'd only purchased two tickets. Later he decided to go. Seeing the ticket sales sign was enough to get my blood rushing!
Unbelievably, we were able to get Tony a ticket in the same row as us, just across the aisle! What are the odds of that?!
We left the Kingdome feeling pretty proud of ourselves!!
We went to FX McRorys for a drink. ($2.00) The restaurant/bar was DEAD, quite a different scene than on game day! It was nice to rest our feet and have some quiet time for visiting.
The streets in Pioneer Square are brick; it makes for a nice atmosphere. We made a point to find places I'd heard about from other fans such as the Pioneer Hotel, the Pioneer Saloon,
Fenix Underground, Ruperts and Chippers. We went into a couple of bookstores. And then we found the mother lode!
There is a shop called the Sports Den; my Seahawk dream come true! They had a white #12 Fan Seahawks jersey for sale. I wanted it bad!! It was a little too big but I wanted it anyway.
Oh how I wanted it! It was over a hundred dollars. Too much. I couldn't do it. Or could I? Yes. No. Yes. No. Jan was so patient with me! In one breath she was telling me to buy it!
In the next she was saying she couldn't ever spend that much on a jersey! I finally decided it was too much. We left the store.
A couple of blocks later (Was it more than that? Oh, I hope not!) we were walking back! I had to have it! I came out of the Sports Den carrying my new #12 authentic jersey ($108.95) and my
new Seahawks cap ($21.95) and my Seahawks license plate ($8.95) and my FREE Bronco hat off the clearance table. (A gift for Brandon Weber, a boy back home who saves his Seahawks football cards for me!)
Oh, did I mention my smile?!?!
We headed back to Pier 55, by now our feet aching! We did the gift shops looking for souvenirs for the family. A koozie for Bob, an Egyptian necklace for Michelle,
candles for Michelle and Ashley, rock candy and postcards. Then we headed to Elliott's. This restaurant had a reputation and I wasn't about to miss out on it! I am so glad Jan was a
willing participant in the adventure. She was so cooperative about going anywhere I wanted to go. Thanks, Jan!!
I had heard that Elliott's was best experienced on the dock at sunset and that's what we got! It was everything I'd hoped for and more!
You couldn't have asked for a better day in the city or a more perfect evening! I really thought I was in heaven! I wanted the Columbia River Sturgeon as I'd heard from friends that it was
the only way to go! ($17.95) Jan has the calamari ($6.95) and clam chowder ($2.50). I'd heard the restaurant was pricey but we got out of there for a total of $27.40 which was
welllllllll worth it!!
We'd forgotten one important thing in our adventure. Getting back. We walked up ... and up ... and up ... and up ... to get back to Westlake Shopping Center. We climbed stairs and we huffed
and we puffed and I thought my feet were going to fall off! I was SO happy to sit down on the Monorail and RIDE back to the Seattle Center!!
Once back we decided to go to the top of the Space Needle. ($8.95) Want some fun facts? It was built in 1962 for the World's Fair which, by the way, featured the first microwave oven!
It took 42 seconds to get to the top going 10 miles per hour, and it's 500+ feet high. I bought a t-shirt for one of my co-workers and a souvenir coin for me. ($22.81) We viewed the city and then
headed for home.
We arrived back at Gig Harbor at 9:00 pm exhausted but happy! I was so thirsty; I drank and drank and drank and drank as I recalled what a great day it had been!
Saturday, September 6, 1997
Jan, Dena and I travelled to Port Orchard. We didn't have near enough time there! We started out at a craft show/farmer's market. Afterwards we went to a great craft store that sold items on
consignment. Lots of cool stuff but I only bought kid things and a victorian card for Mom. I got some glow-in-the-dark stickers for Ashley's room and a glow-in-the-dark puzzle for both girls. ($20.00)
Does it seem like we eat a lot on this vacation?!?! WE DID!!! We had lunch at the Pot Belly Deli, a wonderful little restaurant with outdoor seating. I had a club sandwich with a sampler salad. ($7.50)
It was great! Port Orchard had beautiful flowers. Seattle is drawing me nearer with each day! I love the seasons here. (Then again, I haven't seen rain yet!)
We saw the Bremerton ship yard on the way home which was exciting to me because I know other Seahawk fans who have spent time there. That was a thrill.
Next we went to the waterfront in Gig Harbor. They have terrific little stores there and we went in all of them! I bought two Beanie Babies ($14.58)
and some shoe charms, Seahawks pasta, a 1952 book, and some wolf cards for Grandma Selm. ($26.38)
I was shocked to see a dive shop in Gig Harbor so I stopped to talk to the dive master. SCUBA diving in Washington? Sure enough! He told me the visibility is 15-45' with plenty of octopus to see. It requires
wearing a dry suit and the maximum diving depth is 100'. He said there are water shoots to 725' as measured by research subs. They can "suck you down" though there have only been 3-5 deaths, attributable to
bad diving, not necessarily the conditions. He didn't convince me that I'd want to dive there!!
We had dinner at Jan's house. Dinner? Is it time to eat AGAIN?!? BRING IT ON!! Jan fixed fajitas while I ... um ... sat! She works so hard!! Ahhh, but she's a wonderful cook! We had Oriental Chicken Salad
for dinner too and it was awesome!
Let's see ... what is the order of business??? Eat. Shop. Eat. Shop. Since we just ate, I guess it's time to shop! :-) I was looking for more Seahawks apparel so we headed to Bon Marche. No luck.
Then we went to the Tacoma Mall and I found a windbreaker jacket with a cool Seahawks logo on it for my e-mail friend Zeechie, who requested that I pick one up for him. I also bought my e-mail friend Pat a Seahawks poster.
We went to Nordstrom's and tried on $80 hats!! THAT WAS FUN!!! Then we went to the Hallmark store and I found a Seahawks Hallmark Christmas tree ornament! THEN we went to Target! I'll bet you can still hear the swish
of my credit card as I bought 2 chambray shirts, t-shirts for Jan and Tony to wear to the game since they didn't have any Seahawks garb (for shame!), windpants, and a t-shirt for my friend Pat -- all
Seahawks stuff obviously!
I also found some sparkly red shoes for Ashley! She'll love them!
Bedtime! Exhaustion! Deep sleep! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....!
Sunday, September 7, 1997
GAME DAY!!!! Up at 5:00 am!! No, not by choice! It's just ... well, how can ANYONE sleep on game day?!?!
I had rushes all the way to Seattle. Tingles up my spine! We arrived at the Kingdome early -- 9:15 am to be exact!!
We parked in the South lot and for the first time ever, I met my e-mail friend Marolyn and her husband Jim! What
terrific people they are!!!
Marolyn knows the ropes when it comes to the games and she took us past the Pavillion where the players enter the Kingdome from the parking building.
First up was Jon Kitna, my hero!! He autographed my hat and I told him I watched him take the World League by storm!! He was smiling and laughing! I asked if I could
take his photo and he not only said yes, he posed for me!! He's a great kid! I hope he has a booming career in the NFL!
I took other photographs, including the family of DAR-RYL Williams!! It was so cool to see his parents wearing their #33 jerseys! What pride!
I was standing there waiting for more Seahawk players to walk through when someone came out of the Kingdome asking, "Becky? Becky?" I timidly admitted that I was Becky and it turned out to be Hawkster, another
e-mail Seahawk friend I met! Hawkster was active in the SOS campaign and works for the Seahawks! He came bearing gifts -- a poster, a pin and a huge nylon flag!! Truly I was in Heaven!! I just couldn't believe
how nice everyone was and how exciting it was to be at the Kingdome and in Seattle!! The trip had been absolutely wonderful with everything going just right!!! It was such a dream for me!
I even got to meet one of the Seahawk loyalists. I regret to say I don't know his name but he attends every game, he cheers on the boys like you wouldn't believe, they all speak to him and shake his hand as they enter the stadium,
and sometimes he speaks for charitable organizations on behalf of the Seahawks! I call him Toothman because he has a Seahawk logo inlaid on his front tooth! It's true!
As it appeared that most of the players had entered the Kingdome, we headed to the End Zone Sports Club. Marolyn and Jim have a membership to the club and we were able to get in on their membership. (Actually she took Jan and me in while
Tony and Jim wandered around the pavillion.) We had the salad buffet which was more than any of us wanted to eat with pre-game jitters! ($23 for all three of us.) It was a very nice place with very good food and a friendly staff.
We had linen tablecloths with blue and green napkins; very festive and Seahawkish!
When we took our seats inside the stadium I found myself sitting next to six cute boys. Drunk cute boys, that is! They weren't there for the game; they were there for a party! They were nice enough but I was covered in beer by the end of the game
as they sloshed it all over us coming in and out of the aisles.
I WAS ON THE BIG SCREEN IN THE KINGDOME!!! I didn't get to see myself but the people behind me started hollering when I was up there! Marolyn said she saw me!! Hawkster did too! How cool is that?!
At half time I tried to locate Bill Bessette and Mike Kohary, more e-mail Seahawk fans! Bill's from New Jersey; Mike is a local. Bill is a cutie with a darling wife. Nice people! Mike, whom I barely know, seems very nice as well!
I visited with them briefly though I could have spent hours with them!
I was very excited at half time. Jumping, screaming and praying!! The second half was a lot more solemn as it appeared that we'd lose the game.
Warren couldn't get anything going. I was cheering so loudly and sweating like a pig. (Note: The authentic jerseys do not absorb sweat. Next time wear something underneath it!)
Nothing worked and the Broncos ended up beating the Seahawks.
It was a thrill to do the Wave in the stands, and it was exciting when the Sea Gals danced in the upper section for us! I was disappointed but I didn't mind so much that we'd lost.
The day had been incredible and win or lose, I still loved my Seahawks!
After the game we went back to the End Zone Club for the post-game press conference. I couldn't look at Erickson on the big screen TV. He had such a sorry look on his face like a whipped puppy. He
said he didn't know what went wrong. Pfffft.
DAR-RYL Williams was the first player to come out of the locker room with his family. He spoke on the radio and then signed autographs. I asked to have my picture taken with him (sorry, it's a lousy shot of me!)
and he was more than happy to oblige. I told him about the DAR-RYLgrams that fly over the internet when he does something terrific in the game and he was smiling from ear to ear! I spoke with his parents and wife and
told them they could be very proud of him! I was in Heaven, no doubt about it!
They asked him during the press conference, "Does the defense need more time to gel?" to which he replied, "I won't use that for an excuse. We're not doing what we need to do."
He took the responsibility. You can't ask for more than that!
He walked out carrying his son with his wife beside him and his parents behind him. I smiled and thought to myself, what a beautiful family! He's got it all!
But wait! The fun wasn't over yet!! In walked Phillip Daniels! Now that's a BIG guy!! He is SO tall!! He briefly mentioned Antonio Edwards, the player he beat out
for a starting role. That part was sad, but you should have seen him when they asked him how it felt to become a starter. His eyes lit up! He said it was tough but you could tell he was having
the time of his life!
Someone ordered appetizers for us! Was that you, Jim?! We had chicken strips with sweet dijon mustard -- yum! -- and hot wings that were H-O-T!! Yum again!
As things started to die down at the End Zone Club, someone mentioned a party at FX McRory's. We were there! Found Hawkster there and had a nice chat with him! He was so sad about the loss.
If ever I felt for a fan, I felt for Hawkster. His eyes said it all.
Rick Tuten and Dean Wells were at McRory's. It was fun being there with them although no one approached them for autographs or anything like that.
A group of Denver fans, from Denver, came over to our table to hassle us. They were drunk, obviously! I mouthed off to them and we ended up having a lively, good-natured conversation. I even received an invitation
to their tailgate party in Denver when the Hawks play them again! hee hee! "Fish" was the man's...er..."name"!
It was a rowdy time. Seahawk chants started, followed by Bronco chants, then some drunk blonde stepped up on the table and started swinging her hips and doing a chant. Her boyfriend just put his head on the table in embarrassment!
It was really funny! The bouncers came over and got her off the table; she smiled sweetly, said "sorry" and climbed down, as only a cute blonde could do!
I never wanted the evening to end but Jan and Tony needed to pick up their kids. It was a grrrrreat day, despite the loss.
Once home we had soup and bread and then went to bed.
Monday, September 8, 1997
Jan drove me back to the airport Monday morning. I had hours to kill so as promised, I found a Starbucks and had my first latte! Actually I
ended up with a Caramel Machiatto (probably not spelled right but who will know?!) and it was out of this world!!! I don't even like coffee but I like that stuff!!
And as always, I never quite finish my travel journals. That last day always slips away as if it didn't exist. I remember that I wrote a letter to my Mom on the flight on the way home,
telling her everything I've told you here. She loves getting letters like that. I think she shows them to everyone she knows (and probably some she doesn't!)
This was the trip that we flew around Mt. Rainier in a complete circle because it was so beautiful. My camera was stuffed in my bag so I couldn't get to it but the mountain was on my side
of the plane and it was circled in pink and purple with clouds all around. My brother-in-law who is a pilot for TWA said it's very rare for pilots to do that so in his mind it must have been
something extraordinary to see. I don't know what Rainier usually looks like, but it was indeed extraordinary on this particular day.
And I am a lucky girl who had an extraordinary trip.
