Kim and Sam visit

Hal writes:

One of Anna's DPT classmates, Kim, and her husband Sam came to visit us in Washington for a few days. The escaped the -20 degrees of the Dubuque area to come to the "chilly" 40 degree winter of the Northwest. One of our first stops was to view the Tacoma Narrows bridge (in the background of the photo below). If you are a physics person, or just like cool videos, check out this video on the original bridge that collapsed.

These birds nearby were doing their morning exercise by paying homage to the Karate Kid.

The bridge in downtown Tacoma that leads to the Museum of Glass. (Yes, we did stop at Hello, Cupcake for a treat while we were in the neighborhood.)

The old train station in downtown Tacoma is now a federal courthouse. Inside, there is some more Dale Chihuly glass. The piece below resembles another of Chihuly's work in the UMD library and the Belagio in Las Vegas.

Just a fun photo from inside the courthouse.

While in the area, the four of us took a weekend trip down to Portland and met up with some other friends. Anna went to a continuing education course last fall in Portland, but didn't get a chance to look around, so this was the first trip for both of us. We started off by getting up early and driving up Mt. Rainier. Here is Anna enjoying the snow that she misses so much.

Kim and Sam enjoying the view.

A closer look at some of the peaks. See, it does snow in Western Washington (you just have to drive up the hills to find it).

Ranger Station near the new Jackson Visitor center. I like the windows up top (just in case that is the only entrance/exit to the building due to snow).

Kim and Sam at the foot of the mountain.

Hal and Anna at the foot of Mt. Rainier.

While in Portland we stayed at a new luxury hotel called "The Nines". This was a travelzoo deal. In the first 99 days of opening it was only $99 a night. I figured, besides the advertising it generated, it allowed the staff to practice before only the rich and famous could afford it.

A view of our room.

Anna and Hal's favorite part of the room. (Anna liked the hanging lamp, Hal liked the TV.)

Oh, my, what a tempting, full-stocked mini-bar.

For dinner that evening, we dined at The Portland Grill which is on the 30th floor of a downtown building. We met up with Jeremiah (another of Anna's DPT classmates) and his wife Heidi who live outside of Portland.
Walking downtown in the evening, we came upon Powell's Books. This store covers over a city block and has great prices on new and used books. Between two visits, I only really looked through two sections. But we were able to purchase about 15 books for under $50, so it was a good trip.

This past week I completed three books, but here are some of the ones that we purchased.

The next morning we visited Stump Town Coffee. Anna first read about this coffee shop in a book she read, God in a Cup. In addition to free trade coffee, this business participates in direct trade coffee as well. Employees actually fly down to Central America and purchase coffee beans directly from local farmers. It is a unique enterprise, and in addition to the farmers getting paid, the employees search for the best beans possible. In some cases, the coffee was $85 for a half pound (we didn't sample that coffee) but Anna purchased some direct trade beans from Costa Rica.
On the left is Anna's americano and scone, to the right is Hal's hot chocolate and roll.

Enjoying breakfast at Stump Town Coffee.

After walking the streets of Portland, we had lunch at a local establishment that is known for brewing its own beer. Here is a photo of Heidi and Jeremiah.

Kim and Sam.

Hal and Anna.