Friday evening at the Locks
by HML
Thing Two is not known for being restaurant friendly yet, but we believe that can be accomplished with enough training under appropriate circumstances. With that in mind, we opted for an early Friday dinner at Ivar’s Salmon House on Lake Union. We arrived just ahead of the weekend crowds, so the restaurant grew progressively busier (a noisy restaurant is good for hiding children’s activity) and while we were allowed plenty of time to enjoy our meal, service was prompt (also necessary for the impatience-prone Thing Two). The variety of water traffic just outside our window kept Thing Two entertained, and the menu met with his approval. Success!
We had so much fun watching the boats during dinner that instead of returning home, we decided to drive to the Ballard Locks.
The tide was fairly high, and the locks opened and closed quickly to let all the waiting boats out of the lake and into Puget Sound. We saw a great variety of boats, from sleek racing powerboats to beautiful wood cruisers.
The fish ladder was full of sockeye and a few of the immense chinook salmon.
A harbor seal pup under the bridge attracted a lot of attention. Judging from the large and frequent splashes in the bay, we think the pup’s mother was not too far away, busily catching salmon.
Regardless of the weather, the Ballard Locks never disappoint: always relaxing, always interesting. And on a warm summer evening filled with salmon and boats, who could ask for more?
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Tags: local fun
