My wife and I were lucky enough to take a quick jaunt last weekend to Seattle to visit her sister Carol and her beau Steve and their beautiful pups Martha, Hudson, and Lucy. Thanks guys for putting us up.

As those who know me, know I'm usually game to go out of my way to see something off-beat. It just so happens while in Seattle I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the Gum Wall. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_Wall  I just had to touch it. Come to think of it, Grand Marais needs a Gum Wall in the worst way. And what trip to Seattle is without a visit to Pike Place Market? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_Place_Market At the Market I found these awesome puree of dried fruit like fingers coated in coconut that looked like they came from a Play-Doh Fun Factory en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Playdoh.jpg  They had a spell on me. Yes, I went back for more.

While in that neck of the woods, we swung up to Vancouver for the day to take in a little o' the fever. So, on Monday we got up way earlier than I care to while on vacation, but it gave us a leg up on our fellow travelers crossing the U.S. border. It was worth it. I'd been super eager to take my wife to one of my all-time fav cities on the planet. Vancouver did not disappoint.

We took a ride on the Expo to the waterfront and walked from one end of the city to the next leaving no stones unturned.  Took in the Olympic flame, Edie Hats, boathouses, the zip line, The Bay (who can pass up $10 mittens?), the Aquabus, Granville Island, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Island n' bobsledd'n and all things in between. Did I mention we saw a lot a red?

Also, while we were there we found some time for our close personal friends Matty (Betty B's got a crush on you) Lower en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Lauer and Mike (My wife's got a huge crush on you) Bubble en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bubl%C3%A9. Thanks again guys ;)  Mike you crack me up. www.youtube.com/watch