For us, fall in Seattle means the start of the NFL season. The Seattle Seahawks did not have a stellar home game showing this year, losing 3-6 at home. But they won 7-1 on the road, and just missed making the playoffs. We always have a great time at the home games no matter the outcome, although it is admittedly a bit more fun when we win. In other entertainment this fall, we went attended NBA pre-season, major league baseball and Junior A hockey games, and a Weezer concert.

We also enjoyed three more winemakers dinners, put on regularly by several Seattle restaurants to showcase local wineries. In line with the fall football theme, one of the dinners featured two ex-NFL quarterbacks, Damon Huard and Drew Bledsoe, who now operate Washington-state wineries. Perhaps the most exciting and unique event of the season was a helicopter tour to Mt. Rainier, Mt. St Helens and Mt Adams on a wonderfully clear fall afternoon.

After a summer fairly busy with travel, we spent much of the fall in Seattle, making a couple of personal trips in the area, to Langley on Whidbey Island and Victoria, Canada, and business trips to Santa Clara, CA and Bethesda, MD. With more time around the city, we went rucking often and typically followed that with lunch at one of the many Ballard breweries over a seasonal fresh hop beer. We did finish the fall with a more interesting trip, a Caribbean cruise over Thanksgiving, where we went scuba diving for the first time in a decade. We had a fabulous time, and are looking forward to doing more diving in 2025.

Below are highlights from September 8th to November 28th, 2024. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a map with our most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

9/8/2024

Michael Baumgartner & Mike Morgan Position: 47°36.83’N, -122°20.83’W An excellent evening at Vindicktive Wings with co-owner Mike Morgan, left, and soon-to-be US congressman Michael Baumgartner. Mike, who constantly surprises us with his diverse background, interests, and knowledge, was the campaign manager for Michael’s 2014 successful Washington State senate bid. We always enjoy spending time with Mike, and had a great time meeting the affable Michael.

9/11/2024

Drew Bledsoe and Damon Huard Position: 47°37.05’N, -122°20.31’W Ex-NFL quarterbacks Damon Huard (right) and Drew Bledsoe (center) at another Butcher’s Table Winemaker’s dinner. Yakima-born Huard, along with former NFL quarterback Dan Marino and two other partners, owns and operates Passing Time Winery in nearby Woodinville, while Bledsoe founded Doubleback Winery in his hometown of Walla Walla. In addition to wine enthusiasts and NFL fans, the event also drew Washington college football fans, some of who arrived in local team colors. In college, Huard was the Washington Huskies all-time passing leader, and Bledsoe was named PAC-10 offensive player of the year when he played for the Washington State cougars. The Butcher’s Table always does an excellent job of these events, but having two NFL quarterbacks in attendance made the evening particularly engaging.

9/13/2024

Boatyard Inn Position: 48°2.36’N, -122°24.28’W Our light-filled waterfront loft at the Boatyard Inn for a weekend in Langley.

9/21/2024

Wheelie Pop Brewing Position: 47°39.91’N, -122°22.29’W Lunch at Wheelie Pop Brewing in Ballard after rucking at nearby Discovery Park.

9/22/2024

Belltown Mural Festival 2024 Position: 47°36.83’N, -122°20.70’W Dramatic mural by Seattle-based artists Myron Curry and Brady Black as part of the 2024 Belltown Mural Festival, viewed looking north from 2nd Ave between Blanchard and Bell streets.

9/27/2024

Dexafit Seattle Position: 47°37.16’N, -122°21.51’W James getting ready for a VO2 max test at Dexafit Seattle. We’ve been doing cardio and strength training regularly since our last test four months ago, and were rewarded with improvements in James’ VO2 max and lean muscle mass scores.

9/28/2024

Seattle Mariners MLB Position: 47°35.46’N, -122°19.98’W The Oakland Athletics pitch to the Seattle Mariners in their penultimate game of the season. In a close game that went to overtime, the Mariners bested the Athletics 7-6 with a run at the bottom of the tenth inning.

9/29/2024

Fremont Brewing Position: 47°38.93’N, -122°20.66’W Enjoying a beer and tacos at Fremont Brewing’s Urban Beer Garden following a ruck at Discovery Park.

10/3/2024

McMenamins Six Arms Position: 47°36.86’N, -122°19.66’W Dinner at McMenamins Six Arms pub in Capitol Hill after an appointment in the area. McMenamins is a family-operated hospitality business that specializes in historic buildings, with over fifty properties throughout the Pacific Northwest. We really enjoyed exploring their elaborate Elks Temple in Tacoma. The building housing the Six Arms was built in 1917 as a car dealership and still retains the large picture windows to allow passers by to view the cars for sale and that now bring sunlight flooding into the pub.

Dancer’s Series: Steps Position: 47°36.90’N, -122°19.24’W Cha-Cha-Cha, one of nine cast bronze installations in the Capitol Hill artwork series Dancer’s Series: Steps, shows the steps to the Cha-Cha-Cha. Other dances in the series include the Foxtrot, Rumba and Tango.

10/4/2024

The Flaming Lips Position: 47°37.32’N, -122°21.24’W Psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips, opening for Weezer, put on an energetic show at Climate Pledge arena.

Weezer Position: 47°37.32’N, -122°21.24’W We had a fabulous evening taking in Weezer at Climate Pledge Arena who played their Blue Album in full. As part of their Voyage to the Blue Planet tour, the stage featured space and Star Trek-themed sets.

10/6/2024

Seahawks Game Position: 47°35.72’N, -122°19.87’W Watching the Seattle Seahawks NFL team take on the New York Giants on an unseasonably warm October afternoon with our friends Peter DeSantis and Kimanh Moreau.

10/10/2024

Thursday Night Football Position: 47°35.73’N, -122°19.92’W James on the field before the start of the Amazon Prime Video-produced Thursday Night Football game. The San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks are warming up in the background and the TNF commentating crew are visible at far right.

Thursday Night Football Light Show Position: 47°35.71’N, -122°19.97’W The Thursday Night Football fans were all given light-emitting wrist bands that glowed in concern throughout the evening.

10/11/2024

Cloudburst Brewing, Seattle Position: 47°36.69’N, -122°20.71’W Enjoying a fresh hop IPA at Cloudburst Brewing in downtown Seattle.

Sunset Position: 47°37.16’N, -122°20.92’W A striking pink sunset as we walk to Climate Pledge arena for a pre-season basketball game.

Rain City Showcase, Climate Pledge Arena Position: 47°37.32’N, -122°21.25’W Attending the third annual “Rain City Showcase,” where the LA Clippers team host the Portland Trailblazers for a preseason NBA game. With any luck, Seattle will get an NBA expansion team for the 2027-2028 season.

Lenny Wilkens Position: 47°37.32’N, -122°21.25’W Many famous sports figures were in attendance at the Rain City Showcase, including basketball hall-of-famer Lenny Wilkins, who coached the Seattle SuperSonics NBA team from 1968-1972.

Gary Payton Position: 47°37.32’N, -122°21.24’W We used to love watching Gary Payton when he played for the Seattle Supersonics in the 1990s. Nicknamed “The Glove” for his impressive defensive skills, he always brought excitement to the court.

Pete Carroll Position: 47°37.32’N, -122°21.25’W Also attending the Rain City Showcase was Pete Carroll, the former coach of the Seattle Seahawks football team who was just recently named the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders.

10/13/2024

Leptoglossus Occidentalis Position: 47°36.99’N, -122°20.59’W This huge bug on our balcony rail, Leptoglossus Occidentalis or the Western conifer seed bug, looks scary but is harmless to people and pets.

Atomic Helicopters Position: 47°31.54’N, -122°17.77’W Getting ready for a helicopter tour to Mt. Rainier, Mt. St Helens & Mt Adams. We’ll blog the details.

10/19/2024

Niles, CA Position: 37°34.61’N, -121°58.70’W One of many classic cars parked in Niles, CA. James was in the area for a business trip to Santa Clara where he spoke at the TSMC North America Conference, and we spent the following weekend exploring outside the city. We’ll blog the details.

10/24/2024

Pepper Bridge & Amavi Cellars Wine Dinner Position: 47°36.73’N, -122°20.76’W Swiss-born Jean-Francois Pellet, winemaker at Washington-based Pepper Bridge & Amavi Cellars, discussing his wines at a dinner hosted by El Gaucho steak restaurant. The food, wine and company was excellent.

10/25/2024

Stoup Brewing Position: 47°40.00’N, -122°22.28’W Enjoying a pint at Stoup Brewing in Ballard after rucking at nearby Discovery Park.

10/26/2024

SIFF Seattle Position: 47°36.85’N, -122°20.48’W A Strong Ultra 80 lamphouse for 70mm+ motion picture projection on display at SIFF Cinema in downtown Seattle. We were there to view Tarsem Singh’s The Fall, but the show unfortunately was canceled due to technical issues.

10/27/2024

Vindicktive Wings Position: 47°36.84’N, -122°20.82’W Vindicktive Wings owner Mike Morgan swinging a towel as the Buffalo Bills “Shout” song plays to a house full of their fans. Two of the bar’s owners are originally from the Buffalo area and the place is always packed with Bills fans whenever the team is in town to play the Seahawks.

10/29/2024

LG OLED 83G4 Position: 47°36.99’N, -122°20.58’W Our new LG OLED 83G4 television looks insanely large in the box, but it did actually fit on the wall. :)

The Met Position: 47°36.26’N, -122°20.06’W Craig Summers, our friend and long-time Maitre d’ at the Met, was kind enough to offer to step out and take our picture to celebrate another fine evening there.

10/30/2024

Rain Boots Position: 47°37.03’N, -122°20.70’W Jennifer testing our her new pink rain boots in the puddles along 5th Ave near our apartment complex.

10/31/2024

Happy Birthday Position: 47°37.05’N, -122°20.31’W Celebrating Jennifer’s birthday at one of our favorite Seattle restaurants, the Butcher’s Table, with our friend Bobby Long, of Piedmont Capital Partners, who was in town on business.

11/1/2024

Flight to Victoria Position: 47°32.22’N, -122°18.24’W Boarding a Kenmore Air flight from Boeing Field to Victoria International Airport after our float plane trip was cancelled due to bad weather.

11/3/2024

Zakk Wylde Position: 47°35.70’N, -122°19.98’W Zakk Wylde, lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, playing the Star Spangled Banner to open the Seattle Seahawks game against the Los Angeles Rams. He did an excellent job of the anthem.

4th and Long Position: 47°35.70’N, -122°19.92’W In a game that we lost 20-26 in overtime against the LA Rams, the Seahawks were at one point backed up 35 yards due to penalties. For non-football fans, that’s 25 yards negative.

Corgi Cup Position: 47°35.71’N, -122°19.95’W The best part of the Seahawks game might have been the half time “Corgi Cup” dog races. Those little legs can fly!

11/5/2024

Potomac River Position: 39°11.70’N, -77°29.71’W Flying over the Potomac River on a business trip to Bethesda, Maryland for the X-Energy board meeting. Visible at center is the Dickerson Generating Station, an 853 MW coal-powered steam-generating plant that began service in 1959.

Harris-Walz Campaign Plane Position: 38°56.69’N, -77°27.81’W The Harris-Walz Campaign Plane at Washington Dulles International Airport. The Boeing 757-200 recently was purchased from New Pacific Airlines and maintains much of their livery, with the addition of an American flag and campaign branding.

11/6/2024

Grand Park Ave Position: 39°2.99’N, -77°7.02’W Light-filled and pedestrian-friendly Grand Park Ave near our Bethesda hotel is full of restaurants, stores, and apartment complexes.

City Perch Position: 39°2.99’N, -77°7.03’W We had a great meal overlooking the action on Grand Park Ave at City Perch near our Bethesda Hotel.

11/7/2024

Port of Seattle Position: 47°35.58’N, -122°18.40’W A great view across the Port of Seattle and the Puget Sound on a clear winter day as we return to Seattle from Bethesda.

Construction Position: 47°37.01’N, -122°20.59’W The apartment complex under construction to our north has now blocked much of our view of Lake Union. The good news is that we actually can still see more of the lake than we were expecting.

11/8/2024

Out with the old Position: 47°36.99’N, -122°20.58’W Home Theater Pros removing our old 65-inch TV from the wall.

In with the new Position: 47°37.01’N, -122°20.59’W After removing the old TV, Home Theater Pros mounted our new LG OLED 83G4. They did an excellent job and the new TV looks fabulous.

11/10/2024

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Position: 47°18.08’N, -122°31.99’W A view to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge from the trail through Point Defiance Park.

11/12/2024

Wilmott’s Ghost Position: 47°36.93’N, -122°20.38’W At Wilmott’s Ghost for their delicious Chicken al Mattone (roasted Italian chicken marinated in olive oil, lemon and herbs then cooked under a brick).

11/15/2024

Reynvaan Family Vineyards Position: 47°37.06’N, -122°20.31’W Winemaker Matt Reynvaan of Reynvaan Family Vineyards discussing his wine at a Butcher’s Table winemaker’s dinner. We’ve attended several of these events recently at different venues and find them both educational and tasty.

11/16/2024

Fallen Tree Position: 47°40.03’N, -122°25.29’W Jennifer working around a fallen tree during a ruck through Discovery Park in Seattle.

Sailboats Race Position: 47°40.05’N, -122°25.35’W Sailboats racing with very little wind off Discovery Park in Seattle.

Seattle Thunderbirds Position: 47°23.25’N, -122°14.42’W The Seattle Thunderbirds Junior A hockey team take the ice at ShoWare Center in Kent to play the Everett Silvertips. This was our first time in the facility and we quite enjoyed the atmosphere and the amenities. Kent is a bit of a drive from Seattle though, over an hour when traffic is heavy. We attended a lot more of their games when they played nearby at Seattle Center.

11/20/2024

Military Choppers Position: 47°36.99’N, -122°20.58’W Military choppers from nearby Joint Base Lewis–McChord passing close to our apartment complex on a pass over downtown Seattle.

11/28/2024

Diving in Honduras Position: 16°21.38’N, -86°25.90’W A fabulous day scuba diving for the first time in a decade, in Honduras as part of a Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Joy.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map. And a map of our most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.