Topless at Starbucks and Other Adventures

Seattle. Great city - one of my favorites to visit.

I had such a wonderful time meeting fantastic book folks and noshing on scrumptious food. I'll be posting pics of the dinners as they are emailed to me (thanks Colleen!!!), but for now the city.

Rain had been in the forecast, but when I arrived sky and sea sparkled in the sun.

I was near Pike Place Market.

Where I snapped a photo of the original Starbucks - you might not be able to see it here, but the 'real' Starbucks mermaid is topless. To me that make sense, because shells? Hello chafing!

Of course there is always the beauty of the Pacific. I couldn't get a good picture, but you could see all the way to the mountains beyond the sound.

Seattle has special book significance for me. March of just over one year ago I got 'the call' in Seattle. I revisited the bronze plaque with the poem that spoke to me that day and still rings so very true. That this city was the first stop on my pre-publication tour might have made me tear up just a little :)

Seattle, Sci Fi, and Tiger Dreams

Lots of plane time lately; am now in the hotel lobby of the Sheraton, 6th and Pike, downtown Seattle.

Good weather for March. No rain, overcast and mild. Perfect for wandering the streets and gazing at Puget Sound.

Spent the afternoon at the Museum of Science Fiction; loved seeing the first editions and handwritten notes of so many of my favorite books. It was also gratifying to be reminded that writers of science fictions have always pushed the margins on cutting edge social issues. (Also got to see R2-D2, woot!)

Last night the BBC featured a story about tigers in Indonesia. The tigers have become a menace to the local population, it was a tale surreal enough that I almost thought I was dreaming it: apparently the tigers are only hunting people who've been engaged in illegal tree cutting, which destroys the tigers' habitat. The story unfolded to present a battle between man-eating tigers who manifested a vengeful spirit acting against deforestation. Terrified villagers were interviewed recounting the way the lock their doors at night (tigers can open doors, but not locked doors?) and huddle in bed listening for the approach of the tigers.

Shiver.