that one time i stayed on an island and went to two museums in one day

This weekend we drove out to the Seattle area to visit TheKeeper's lovely girlfriend and her family. We took Saturday and drove into Tacoma to bond over old cars, monster burgers, and blown glass. There was an incredible amount of laughter and lots of pictures. It was also TheMechanic's birthday (he turned 17!!) and the car exhibit at the Tacoma Tube was basically heaven on Earth for him.

There were four floors filled with all sorts of different cars, from the very first horseless carriages to the British invasion, modern race cars and everything in between. We spent two hours wandering around the different levels, gawking at the different models surrounding us in a sea of shiny paint and old rubber tires.

This is the Tube from the outside. The top is like a mirror, so you can really only see the reflection in this picture...which is trippy, to say the least.

Cruella DeVill, Cruella DeVill, if she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will!

The Flintmobile! It exists! I couldn't get over it, I was that excited. 

And then of course, we have everybody's favorite 1983 DeLorean. I want this car so bad!

These two cars were solar powered race cars. I have never seen anything like them before. Incredible stuff. 

After walking around all the automobiles for so long we started to get hungry. And by hungry I mean hangry, and by hangry I mean TheSeester was starting to grow horns if we didn't go find food rightnowthisveryminute. It was all very dramatic and we left in search of burgers. 

Dad took us to this sketchy looking red building - the kind of restaurant where the outside makes you think that if you enter, you might regret it a couple hours later when the toilet becomes your new bff for life. It really didn't help that upon exiting our vehicle there was a chain link fence separating us and a spikey collared german shepherd, but we shrugged our shoulders and marched right on in. 

Let me just tell you though, those were some good burgers. I had a teriyaki chicken burger and it was so juicy and delicious that it got all over my hands and I didn't even mind. Not to mention that the portions were gigantic. I couldn't finish. 

Waddling out of the burger joint, we hit up the Museum of Glass next. It was probably my favorite part of the day. I took picture after picture after picture and let me just tell you, it was awesome. 

This is the underside of the ceiling of part of the bridge you walk in order to reach the museum. The whole ceiling was filled with blown glass trinkets and shapes of all different sizes and colors. I couldn't get over it, it was so amazing!

Then we came upon a wall my brother has deemed the alien hatchery, as if all the blown glass items in the boxes were housing little baby aliens just waiting for their chance to take over the world. Honestly, I think he's lost his marbles - especially because he is pretending to eat my foot like a subway sandwich in this picture.

Inside of this odd shaped cone is a foundry where guest artists from all over the world come and work with the museum for a week to create their own blown glass artworks. There is a viewing area where you can go in and watch the artist and their team work on different projects and learn about the process. Prior to this visit I had no working knowledge of glass blowing except for the fact that I think it's ridiculously awesome, but having watched it happen before my eyes I have an even greater appreciation for the objects in the galleries.

These faces are oil painted onto glass. In all the times I've worked with oil paints, it's never been on a glass surface before. I found this all to be really freaking cool and it made me want to try that technique out.

We spent the evening eating cake and ice cream to celebrate TheMechanic entering into his 17th year of life. There was lots of horrible renditions of happy birthday, bad jokes, and good company.

Before we left today we went to the community church, where everybody knows everybody and new people are always noticed. It was very Stars Hollow. The sermon was fantastic and even though service went for almost two hours (which according to TheKeeper's girly-friend was out of the norm) it kept me interested and thinking about what was being said.

After the service ended we were properly introduced to what felt like the entire congregation and then we left for noms. TheKeeper's girlfriend and her wonderful family treated us to lunch at The Red Bicycle (what an awesome name for a restaurant, right?) and then we rolled out of town to start the six hour (give or take) trek back home.

Because we were staying on an island, we had to take the ferry back to Seattle. Let the record show that ferries are the coolest.

It was a great trip, but I am glad to be sleeping in my own bed tonight. Now I will just be happy once TheBoy is back from Puerto Rico on the 4th. Three weeks away is the pits. For real.