Rushing snow melt hurtles off a 460+ foot cliff into a grand exposion of sound and water, mist unfurls across the river valley floor. Or, in other words - took a quick trip to see Snoqualmie Falls. The Falls are the second most popular nature attraction in the Seattle area (immediately behind Mount Rainer). From the parking lot, you can walk to an observation deck for a clear view of the falls; they are taller than Niagra Falls, btw. Then, you can hike 1/2 mile down a steep trail to the lower observation deck for a closer view.

After hiking (pant, pant) to admire both the fall and hydro-electric power plant, we headed to Snoqualmie's downtown. Excellent lunch at the Mexican restaurant; the food was good and the bathrooms sparkled. The deep fried ice cream was good, but I still prefer El Territos - somehow, the crust just seems crispier, there. And...it's all about the deep fried crust. :)

Walking across the street, we noticed a display of railway cars. After a few photo ops, we talked to one of the conductors and discovered the train actually runs on the weekends. So, we hopped on and enjoyed locomotive transportation - the train runs from Snoqualmie to North Bend and back; the roundtrip is about an hour. There is a spur of track that takes you to the right side of Snoqualmie Falls. very nice photo opportunity. (Yes, I have guests - A & M are in town)

Very nice day. Tomorrow, a trip to Salty's on Alki.

I'm contemplating life as a spy. After a day spent at the Spy Museum (DC), there doesn't seem to be a much cooler profession. Of course, the down side is torture and death; so, a risk-adverse person, like myself, will need to ponder the situation carefully.

After the Spy Museum, we had a quick lunch at Zola's (excellent sorbet). Then, a nap, brisk stroll to Union Station, and delightful dinner with L & R at Matchbox on H St. Sadly, all visits must end, so we set our alarms and prepared to travel home on Wednesday.

It will likely be a long time (or, at least several months) before I head back to DC, again. In the mean-time, if you run across me in an unusual locale, don't make eye contact or call my name. After all, I may be under cover!

How many miles is the roundtrip from 10th and Mass (in DC) to the Thomas Jefferson memorial? On the way, we stopped at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, WWII Memorial, and the Memorials for Lincoln and FDR.

On Mother's Day, Mum and I started the day with brunch at Les Halles (DC) before departing on our walking tour of the capital. At the end of the day, when we stopped at Elephant and Castle for dinner, she was convinced that we had walked at least 5 (or 15) miles. Drawn into our squabble (I was thinking 2-3 miles, tops), the waiter pointed out that the District of Columbia was only 9 miles wide.

For the next 2 days, our diffident disagreement continued - we finally arrived at a compromise of about 3.5 miles for the Sunday trek. (Btw, Sunday was followed by Monday and Tuesday treks.) On arriving home, she gleefully informed me that she had picked up a map (with a mileage scale) while waiting for her plane and could now prove how far we trudged. Currently, I'm waiting for my copy of the map - so that I can perform my own calculations.

In the interim, I called upon the nps web-site (national park service), mapquest.com, and google to help me with some preliminary calculations. Oops! The rough web-based roundtrip estimate is 5.83 miles. Guess we did walk quite far...especially if you factor in the impact of humidity. Ick!

Now, my current dilemma - must I admit to mum that she may be spot on? Or, shall I wait and dispute her map-based calculations. Hmmm...if the map is in the mail, it seems rude to speak prematurely...I can wait for it. :)

PS - Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and soon-to-be moms in my life.

What is square and black, with grey all over? The new tile floor in the laundry room! I laid the tiles on a hopscotch pattern, and it took most of the weekend.

It was my first attempt at using a tile saw. Pretty easy, as long as you are careful. My first tip is to make sure the blade guard is down before starting it. Otherwise, you are immediately hit with a stream of water. While that can be a good reason to mop the floor, it does distract from the purpose of setting up the tile saw (which is cutting tile).

I chose the hopscotch pattern for a couple reasons. One, it only uses 2 sizes of tile, so it is very economical from a tile purchase perspective. Two, because there are not any continuous straight grout lines (nothing more than 24"), it can accomodate walls that are not plumb without looking like the pattern is mis-aligned. Three, minimizes cuts to just the perimeter, as there are only 2 tile shapes to work with. Four, visually, I thought it would look a little "Old World" and that should look good with the Crafstman/Santa Fe style vanity that I have for the bathroom.

How to lay a tile floor? May sure the subfloor is in good shape, then install a layer of Hardiboard to deter water penetration. S did that for me. (Thanks!) Then, measure your space, pick a pattern, buy tile, and wait for the tile delivery. Once the tile is available, dry-fit your pattern. (That means cut the pieces, set it up with spacers, and make sure it works.)

During the dry-fit, I realized that it would be better to have the pattern start at the back door and end and the laundry room entrance. That means that the entrance might not be a full square, etc. I chose to do that because when you look down the hall, the pattern in front of the side door is more visible (and obvious) than the pattern at the threshold.

After the dry-fit, lay thinset and place the tiles, with a spacer between each tile. I used 3/16" spacers since I wanted sanded grout, while maintaining a very small grout line. Under 3/16, I find it very hard to get sanded grout into a joint (the space between tiles).

Once the tiles are placed in the thinset, let the thinset dry for 24-48 hours. I let mine dry for about 26 hours. I focused the electric heater on the room, to speed up the drying. Since my washer and dryer were already scheduled, I didn't have time to lose. I did test the tiles and there was a good bond. (I used pre-mixed Omni-grip thinset from Home Depot. It took a bucket and a quarter.)

Then, mix grout, according to directions on bag. I chose charcoal grout and the package called for 1 pint of water for the 7lbs of grout. After a trip to wikipedia, I decided that the package likely meant the 16 oz US pint, and not the 20 oz British pint. So, I added 16 oz of water to the powdered grout and used my trowel to mix. I ended up with a very clumpy and crumbly grout texture, so I added a bit more water (another 2 oz) and then went for it. It was not as malleable and easy to work with as past, pre-mixed grouts.

After an hour or so, I wiped off the haze. The next morning, I gently mopped it (clean mop that was slightly damp) to remove more of the grout dust. At that point, it had cured for about 14 hours, but it seemed quite firm. Plus, the instructions had said to gently mist with water while drying (which I did not do), so it didn't seem like any dampness would hurt. It would just make up for the missing misting, right?

This is a picture of how it ended up looking. I still need to add a coat of the penetrating sealer and put the vent cover back on. Other than that, it's done.

Next dilemma...what color should I paint the room? My washer and dryer will be white, and there will be IKEA cabinetry with very red doors. Plus, a metal sink and a butcher block counter (eventually). This room is at the end of a central hall, so you'll be able to see the room color and door from most of the house.

Any suggestions? I'm leaning towards a steel grey, warm mid-tone brown, or yellow.

Do you know what a trowel looks like? After spending about 10 minutes talking to a Home Depot guy, I realized that he didn't have any of the power tool components (that I wanted) in stock. So, I asked him where (in the store) to find a trowel. They weren't by ceramics or mortar.

Instead of pointing me in the right direction, he insisted on walking me to the aisle. Then, when we reached the proper aisle (btw, they are in building supplies, next to drywall - it makes no sense), he asked if I knew what a trowel looks like. My eyes may have rolled (just a little).

What is with this? I used man-speak (volts and technical names) when asking about the tools. I had a specific description of the component that I wanted, and my cart was filled with items used for installing ceramic tile. So, it should have been pretty evident that I was actually going to use the trowel; I wasn't on a crazed scavenger hunt.

Guess it's just another example of testosterone at work.

Thursday night was a lot of fun - thanks Lady M!

It was a much needed break, and the Bellevue Trader Vic's was a great suggestion. http://www.tradervicsbellevue.com/

The food was good, and the drinks were a lot of fun! I will definetly take D and S to the Trader, when they visit, as I think they'll get a kick out of it. Plus, it is right across from the Bellevue Square, so it is convenient for any shopaholics that may be in the area.

PS - Lynn, thanks for the intro. :)