Missing are the coffees and my breakfast sandwich. Sarah thought the coffee cake was too sweet. I liked it except for the fruit filling. At Cafe Zoka in Snoqualmie…

Our re-incarnation factor is up to at least a gecko now. Perhaps even a tree frog.

I couldn’t pry one of Sarah’s books out of her hands as a contribution. She was, however, gracious enough (after thrashing on the floor is a tantrum screaming, “My books! My books!”) to purchase a lovely five book set of the Newbery Medal winning The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper.

Personally we feel this is going to be a much more rewarding gift than some of the other things the kids were requesting - nail polish sets, bratz dolls, razor scooters. But each book geek (or non book geek) to his or her own..

Since I really don’t want to be re-incarnated as a potato bug, I figured it was time for my annual karma boost. This years opportunity came while buying a hazelnut and white chocolate latte at my new favorite coffee shop, Zoka.

The red cards on the tree are for less fortunate children asking for gifts. Upon gazing onto it I saw a red sea of “Barbies”, “Transformers”, etc. This one, however, stuck out from the crowd. The mental image of a 12 year old being asked to pick “any” present he would like and him answering “a book” warms the cockles and sub-cockles of my heart.

So, later tonight we will wrap up a book or two (stolen from Sarah’s collection) and we’ll head down and place it under the tree for the so-called less fortunate child that loves to read. I see it as an investment in a literate society.

Saturday was started with Brunch at B&O in Capitol Hill. Even though we had free tickets, I couldn’t get in the mood for Bumbershoot. We decided instead to check out the new Seattle Aquarium.

Capitol Hill Street Art…

Neon Jellyfish….

More neon Jellyfish. The exhibit was a massive circular tank that was embedded in the floor and rotated through several colors…

Can’t remember their names… Odd little fish with horns..

One of the exhibit ceilings…

The main underwater viewing area…

Walked the pier for a bit afterwards, but the crowds were suffocating. Drove back to Snoqualmie and had dinner at Mike’s Cascade Grill. A place I usually avoid as I associate it with work business meetings. I was adventurous and had the Snoqualmie Steamed Clams, and Sarah had the Fried Calamari. We both had a cup of Crab and Corn Chowder. All dishes were great, especially the chowder.