Adventures of a Discoverer

Last weekend I went to one of my friends' kid party, in one of those party places that now seem to be everywhere (and that everybody has been using for kids parties). It was a nice party and it was nice to meet friends. In addition, while I was there I could try something new: they had a row of those electric massage chairs, that you may have seen in many stores of electric novelties. I decided to give it a try, since it was just 5 dollars for a 15 minute massage. I'm glad it was just 15 minutes! The whole thing felt... strange. The chair kind of grabs your legs and then starts to "massage" them, and then some round surfaces start to variously shake, press and squeeze your back and neck. It was not unpleasant but it was certainly not pleasant either, and I felt better once it was over. So... it's one of those things that sound better than they actually are.

Today is a nice day, so I decided to explore the part of Lake Washington where the Ravenna Creek ends. It is right next to the Union Bay Natural Area and the University of Washington Husky Stadium, and it is also where the University has some old docks. There were not that many boats in the water today, which was great, because it allowed me to see a whole lot of animals: cranes, seagulls, geese, crows, turtles, ducks, hawks, ospreys and even a bald eagle, who thought long and hard if I was good to eat but fortunately decided that I wasn't. I saw quite some ducklings, which were very cute. Additionally, I passed by an abandoned dock by the University of Washington Water Activities Center, that has some abandoned boats. All in all, it was a great way to have a couple of peaceful hours right in the middle of Seattle.

Yesterday, as a present, Jenn took me to a glassblowing class at the Seattle Glassblowing Studio. I've always admired those pieces of art made of glass, so it was really cool to get to do one! We had a very nice (and patient) instructor who took us through the process: first, you take a hollow metal rod into a vat containing a whole lot of melted glass, and you take a chunk of glass from it, always rolling the rod so that the glass acquires a somewhat round shape. Then, you roll the soft blob of glass through some color pigment in order to give it a nice color, after which you put the round mass of glass in a separate furnace to keep the glass soft. You start blowing through the metal rod to expand the glass and from time to time you take the glass out of the furnace and shape it in a rounder form using some wooden instruments that are cooled with water (however, never apply water to the hot glass otherwise it will crack). The interesting part is that I wanted to make a bowl so aft

Everybody that lives in Seattle knows about the Green Lake park, one of best places to be on a sunny weekend. What most people don't know, though, is that there is another Green Lake, deep into Mount Rainier National Park. This lake is even more beautiful given that it is surrounded by the pristine nature of the National Park, one that I particularly love. There is a nice trail to get there, and yesterday I took it. The lake is in one of the lower parts of Mount Rainier and at this point of the year it was free of snow - in fact, the trail was in perfect shape. When I got to the trailhead in the morning it wasn't raining but there was a little bit of fog, and it stayed like that the rest of the day. That was actually very nice: it gave a mysterious feeling to the forest and the lake, with a diffuse light everywhere. As a bonus, in the middle of the trail there is a viewpoint for a gorgeous waterfall. All in all, it was a great way to start the hiking season this year.