June 2026 The World Cup Arrives in Seattle
Excitement started building in Seattle as the World Cup games were just a matter of days away and Seattle would be hosting several teams during the Group Play, The Round of 32 and The Round of 16. We already had a pretty full calendar of driving grandkids to their activities, soccer practice and games and horseback riding lessons + a string of camps since school ended by the 12th. June tried to squeeze extra days into the month but July has having nothing of it and came on time anyway.
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| Lots of boats fly colorful flags, but I have never seen this one so I used Google Lens to help me identify the flag: This a Brotherhood of Steel Flag from the video game series "Fallout". |
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ALACRITY
I pass by this boat daily, alacrity means Brisk and cheerful readiness. New word for me! |
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| My daughter sent me this pic of a submarine transiting the Sound. These are rare sightings, there is a nearby submarine base but they are usually not visible even if they are right under you! |
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| The sticker on the right reads: I identify as a Prius |
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| Seattle is noticeably more expensive across the board than Austin. I was wondering so I Googled 10 highest cost of living US cities. Seattle came up as number 4. |
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| I wondered where Austin fit in? So I Googled 20 most expensive cities, I got a different list where Seattle was number 8 but Austin was not even on the list and I'm thinking how does the most expensive city in Texas not make it? |
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Well, let's just call it being in the right place at the right time!
Having the opportunity to see the US play Austria in the second game of group play was the mountain peak for me. US of course won 2-0 and a game No one will ever forget. This win launched the US into the top tier of the round of 32.
See : https://youtu.be/DZ2BQ7WMi7g |
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| In 50 years of soccer I have never seen a referee go down on the ground with cramps. But he did. |
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| All of Seattle is loving hosting all these amazing nations coming to play the greatest game on this planet. |
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MY Son Graeme and Nephews Zach and Josh watching in Austin kept the fun text going the entire game. It was a whole new reality for us all, THIS USA TEAM IS IN IT TO WIN The CUP!!
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After the game we ate dinner at a downtown building and there was a view over the Port of Seattle. I noticed yet another Car Carrier ship preparing to dock at the terminal. You can see from the following pics that there are a few thousand cars just sitting there on the Wharf waiting to be moved on to dealerships around the country. I saw two more car carrier ships this week, one was here a week ago and is already returning with a fresh load of cars.
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| You can see thousands of cars already unloaded by previous ships waiting to be loaded onto rail or truck transports. |
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Foss Tugs operated the Harbor tugs plus those that make trips to and from Alaska.
The Marshall Foss was assisting Patera |
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| Along with the Tug "Response" |
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| He had an early morning Soccer training, we stopped at PCC for some breakfast, They sell fresh cooked bacon in small paper wrapped packages. About 4 slices. |
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| We don't mind the drive to the stables it's beautiful Cascade Foothills |
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| The tractor just finished leveling the surface of the outdoor arena. |
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Beaver Lake is close by so we get a hike in there when we can.
This pic shows a dad with his three kids all on one stand up paddle board!
See: https://youtu.be/Z_n3xSGPsTs |
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Carved and painted in red, black and white, Horsley’s house posts depict several Salish stories, guided by direction he sought from the Sdukʷalbixʷ (Snoqualmie) Tribal Council. Soul shows the journey of the soul through Drum, Otter, Tuhstuhd, Hail, Songs, Frog, and Wolf. Man-That-Becomes-The-Moon (Transformer) uses Eagle, Mountain Goat, Elk and Deer symbols to represent the Transformer, a pre-eminent spirit-being that often appears as more than one being.
see: https://www.4culture.org/public_art/song-carrier-soul-and-man-that-becomes-the-moon-transformer-house-posts/ |
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Some of the last old-growth cedar logs to come out of the Snoqualmie National Forest were used to create three Coast Salish house posts by artist David Horsley, which can be seen in Beaver Lake Park in Sammamish, WA. Indigenous to the Puget Sound region, house posts were originally carved from the interior vertical beams that supported the longhouses where the area’s First Peoples lived. They represented the process of reincarnation, passing down family stories over time. Longhouses in Seattle sometimes grew to more than 1,000 feet long as |
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| Cabrini |
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| I searched the internet for Cabrini, perhaps this is the Cabrini |
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Painted carvings on Boxley’s 30-foot Beaver Legends Totem tell two stories from two Beaver legends: the top three figures recount The Beaver and The Bear, a tale about a young Beaver woman who uses wisdom to outwit a hungry bear. The lower figures depict The Hunter’s Wife Who Became A Beaver, which is about a woman who goes swimming after a fight with her husband and, not wanting to return to him, slowly dams the river to form a lake while transforming into a beaver.
See: https://www.4culture.org/public_art/salmon-legends-totem-and-beaver-legends-totem/ |
This 19-acre wooded park located along the shores of Pine Lake boasts beautiful views and lots of amenities. With recreational opportunities for everyone, Pine Lake Park is one of Sammamish's most popular parks. |
| See: https://youtube.com/shorts/uJxs9IF2tBY?feature=share |
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| I look forward to driving Big D to sailing camp at Seattle Yacht Club |
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This is the Race Committee vessel for Seattle Yacht Club sponsored sailboat races.
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| This is the West end ( Portage Bay) of the Washington Ship canal that connects to Lake Washington, and the buildings in the background are part of the Univ. of Washington Medical Complex. The Univ. of Washington rowing teams compete starting in Lake Washington, row West through the canal to the finish line you see here in Portage Bay. |
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| A harbor seal birthed a pup on F Dock. |
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My life long friend Martti recently bought this PNW boat from a farm in North Texas. It had been sitting there for 8 years. Boat projects are great for keeping old dudes young! The boat was actually built in the PNW for PNW waters, he got a great deal! Now its moored in front of his home in the San Juan Islands.
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By the end of June the group play is coming to a close. The USA lost their third group D play game to Turkey in the closing minutes 3-2 on June 25. They however were 1st in Group D with 6 points. They will go into the Round of 32 with preferential ranking giving them a good chance for winning and moving onto the Round of 16. They Play Bosnia-Herzegovina July 1.
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| Peace and Love |
