Seattle Part 1: Mooching from Joe

Continuing the theme of being eternally behind on blog posts, it's time to cover my time in Seattle.  I arrived at my brother Joe's apartment Wednesday Oct 20th, after a day of learning about Mount St. Helens.  I stayed with (mooched from) Joe for almost three weeks.  Joe moved to Seattle almost exactly a year ago, and I've been very impressed with how well he's been settling into the city.  For starters, he's got a great group of friends who promptly welcomed his mooching sister into their crowd.  We spend a morning at one friend's house, helping paint the upstairs rooms as part of an ongoing remodeling project.  Here's a really bad picture of Joe up on a ladder:

Painting led to dinner invitations, open-mic night at a coffee house (Has anyone heard of The Moth?), indoor rock climbing, a Halloween party, dinner at Joe's place, and finally, a house-warming sleep-over party!  Here's a picture of my attempt at a Halloween costume.  If you can't tell, I'm a vicious-looking dinosaur!  I wore the costume for a whole day while Joe was at work, hiking around Seattle and the big Discovery Park.  Amazing how many people stop and talk to you when you have a dino suit on!

I also had a few other friends and family in the area, so I could spread out the mooching a little.  TJ, friend from my days in Amherst, took me out for sushi and swing dancing.  My Aunt Marilyn and my cousins Rose and Theresa live nearby, and my cousin Brenda came to visit from Virginia, so we practiced the delicate art of synchronized mooching, both of us staying with Joe.  Brenda and I spent a day together seeing the sights while Joe, the responsible adult, was at work. 

I'm currently (it's now November 18th) back in Seattle for a few days after a side-trip to Alaska (more on that later) and Joe is once again hosting me while I plan my return trip across the country.  Joe definitely wins the award for longest mooch-victim, and most willing to let me turn his home into my home.  Thanks, little turkey!