Our last day together in Seattle.  Planned lazy morning and packing for our early departures tomorrow.  Carolyn wants us to read a New Yorker article on Alex Katz before our museum tour.  It is fun to see her enthusiasm and professionalism about her work at Bellevue Art Museum (BAM).

For lunch we have the gazpacho Jill made yesterday.  It’s delicious.  She used Bloody Mary mix for the “juice”.  Then we are off to Bellevue, a city between Sammamish and Seattle.  It appears new and prosperous.  Carolyn treats us all to the museum and our personal tour.  It is delightful.  The museum is not large but maintains several special exhibits – each very different to the other.  Alex Katz is the largest by far but we also see Richard Barlow who has painted 2 adjacent walls with “blackboard paint” and then draws with chalk. BellevueArtsMuseum

We decide to go to the airport in 2 trips and reserve the first Uber for Nancy and George Ann and a later car for Jill and Cynthia.Packing morning and reading New Yorker on Alex Katz

George Ann has brought with her a painted rock from WV.  The idea is that someone finds the rock and records it online.  I’m not sure if they are supposed to leave it in a new place.  Anyway, she decided to leave it outside the art museum and we will see if someone finds it and logs it.

After the museum we went to the W hotel where there is a fantastic bar.  There are grand murals and small seating areas separated by artistic partitions.  We stay there until we are buzzed for dinner at the restaurant nearby called Japonessa.  It was a terrific place, too.  All delicious.

Back at the house we looked at Nancy’s family photos.  She has four children and they all have 3-4 kids.  All lovely.  Last was a look through Carolyn’s b-day album which her daughters made.  Last night.

Throughout my stay we could never see Mt Rainer or the mountains.  The smoke from fires in British Columbia created a haze.  Some people used masks.  I had a sore throat and stinging eyes.  But is was a wonderful trip nonetheless.