Washington 2023:
Day 13 - Kirkland, WA

	Friday, August 25, 2023: We woke several times in the night as high winds dropped leaves and other debris on the open roof of the tent and we waited to see if it was rain. Around 7:00 AM, while we debated whether the rumble we were hearing was logging trucks or thunder, it actually started to rain.
	Tom quickly got his shoes on, dashed the three feet to the van, and grabbed the rainfly from the tent bag. Debbie pulled the top of the tent down from inside, and Tom quickly secured the rainfly. The entire operation took 90 seconds, which was good because shortly after Tom came back inside, the rain started to really come down. Debbie went back to sleep for a little while, and Tom packed up whatever gear could be packed without leaving the tent.
	We were out of camp just before 9:00 AM, driving through the low clouds ...
	... and moderate rain as we made our way out of the hills and back toward Seattle.
	Check out this Amazon delivery vehicle!
	There were several of them on the highway in front of us, giving us plenty of time to admire the big band of LED brake lights that run around the top two-thirds of the back of the vehicle. There shouldn't be any reason that you don't see that this truck is stopping.
	As we entered the outskirts of Renton, we got our first sight of Boeing.
	Just before 11:00 AM, we arrived at our friend Marley's house in Renton. We had a nice chat with her while we waited for her daughter Jennie and Jennie's husband Peter to arrive.
	We piled into Jennie and Peter's car and drove to the Landing in Renton for lunch. As we walked to the restaurant, Marley told us that all of this land used to house Boeing offices and buildings, and that she had worked in some of them.
	We had picked Papaya at the Landing which was a Vietnamese restaurant.
	It was beautiful inside, with a big table available for us to sit at near the back.
	We started with an order of fresh rolls, one order with papaya filling and one order of beef rolls. There were six rolls per order, so there was plenty for all of us.
	Debbie had the beef garlic noodle bowl, and Tom ordered the combo pho. Both were amazingly delicious.
	Doesn't this look like a fun group?
	After lunch, we took Marley home and then Debbie, Tom, Jennie, and Peter headed north to Kirkland, ...
	... to Cactus Alki near Lake Washington in downtown Kirkland. Debbie laughed and laughed when she saw this D20 sculpture on the walkway between the shops. She's gotten her brother a different D20-themed gift every Christmas for the last 10+ years.
	We found a nice booth in the bar and ordered drinks. It was great to be able to hang out with Jennie and Peter for two hours while we chatted about all being retirees and got caught up with everything going on in our lives.
	Cheers!
	When we left, we couldn't help but notice all of the Google office buildngs in the area.
	Our next stop was the Motel 6 in Kirkland, which is where we were staying for the next three nights. After checking in, showering, and dropping off our stuff, ...
	... we headed to Doug and Susan's house in Woodinville. Doug showed us their liquor cabinet, with lots of airplane bottles of liquor to choose from.
	Debbie and Doug did their taking-pictures-of-each-other thing and got it out of the way, ...
	... and then we set about trying some spruce-tipped soda that Doug and Susan had brought back from their recent trip to Alaska.
	They have a bird feeder just off their deck, and this chestnut-backed chickadee wasn't bothered by us sitting only a few feet away.
	Debbie had several topics to cover with Doug, the most important of which was about a painting that we'd seen when we visited their Uncle Mark in July. Debbie was hoping that Doug remembered where it had hung in their house when they were kids. Maybe it was in the study? At the top of the stairs? Who can remember now?
	We had perfect weather, ...
	... and we had a great time hanging out.
	Their backyard was lovely, as it always is, and they let us set up all of our wet camping gear so that it could dry out from this morning's thunderstorm.
	When we were getting into Susan's car to head to the restaurant for dinner, Debbie spotted this katydid on our van. It was so bright green and beautiful.
	We met Stewart and Lindsay at the Keg Steakhouse and Bar in Lynnwood for dinner. Here's a pre-dinner photo with Debbie in the shot, ...
	... and here's a mid-dinner photo with Tom.
	When we were seated, our server asked if there were any special occasions that we were celebrating, and we replied that Stewart and Lindsay were getting married in a few days. After dinner was over, he brought a slice of ice cream pie for the happy couple, with a few extra forks.
	After dinner, they both laughed while reading the wedding card from us. They both agreed that Debbie gives the best cards, ever.
	Lindsay and Stewart gave us a lovely gift basket full of candy, snacks, and a bottle of champagne, ...
	... which we opened when we got back to our hotel later that night. We looked forward to eating much of it on the drive back home to Indiana. Day 14 >