Living at Shilshole Marina has quite a few perks. Not having to go through the Ballard Locks every time you want to sail in the saltwater for one. Beautiful sunsets, a great little live-aboard community, restaurants (Paseo!), the beach. But, the grass is always greener on top of a giant hill.
   Sure you could just head down to the Purple Cow next to West Marine, Ray's happy hour, or the Paseo Cuban restaurant...but you want more - like, more of my two favorite things -  great coffee and Mexican food.
  The closest great coffee and Mexican food? Just a few clicks East from Golden Gardens and the Marina. What stands in the way? The staircase of doom.

   Beware: Hiking up & down the staircase of doom is, like, doom. Notice how every picture in this post is on the way down - the way up I didn't even have the strength to snap one photo. The coffee at the top is delightful and Cocina Esperanza is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Seattle, but by the time you go up, eat and drink, and then come back you'll likely burn every calorie you gained. Doom...with pretty views:)
   P.S. - If you like walking/exercising and stuff you'll love it. Oh ya, and there is a great dog park at 'half-doom'...that you can drive to.
   ~Paul & Amber   ETC

   We took Kingsley for her first sail a few weeks ago - the weather and sailing was perfect. We sailed almost straight west and ducked some of the north wind to float in the warm sun near Port Madison. On the way back we dodged some race boats practicing. We think some of them were finishing the Three Buoy Fiasco - a somewhat locally (PMYC) sponsored race. Until I get captain wifey in the mood to race we'll have to settle for being the press boat:) 

   The sun has finally set on another surprisingly sunny Spring weekend in the usually gloomy Pacific Northwest. As I kick back inside the boat, picking up a few things that fell down below in our first sail of the season, I'm distracted. I hear a rumble in the aft cabin. I carefully step over some sailing gear and make my way back to see what's the matter...and there she is.
   Kali, our faithful boat kitty, is balancing on a ledge between a space heater and some xtra-tuf rubber boots, attempting to squeeze out a partially open cockpit hatch. Sunset is her new curfew, completely due to the fact that a few moons ago she (a mostly indoor cat) leapt from our boat, went all the way down the dock, and somehow got on to someone else's boat and hid under their row boat. I tried nicely to get her off of the strange boat (this is what you have to do with cats - try nicely even though you're furious). Treats didn't work. 'Nicely' didn't work. I eventually tricked her (this, again, is what you have to do with cats) and then grabbed her. Hello new sundown curfew.

   Now, don't get us wrong, Kali has adjusted just fine to life aboard. She loves the smells, sounds, and sights living by the water. She prefers lounging in the cockpit while at the dock, soaking up some rays, staring at the water, actually chasing birds away from our radar stand, and spying on fellow sailors. She sheds like mad but we brush her often, uses her pine cat litter faithfully, and theoretically keeps Kingsley free of dock rats. 
   Kali doesn't use the head yet (go Lily!), but she's a pretty good sailor as cats go - she hides under the blankets the whole time. Do you have a pet aboard? How do they like their adventure so far? Do they come on deck while sailing? Do they go potty in the actual potty?
   ~Paul, Amber, and...Kali ^..^