SAM

As a surprise Christmas/good report card celebration, we took the boys to Seattle for two exciting exhibits: Picasso and Harry Potter. Neither allowed cameras, which was just as well, since I forgot mine in the hotel room the first night. But I did manage to snap this just outside the Picasso gallery at the SAM. The jacket is made entirely of military dog tags. Haunting, yet beautiful. The boys were well-behaved and complete gentlemen despite their being quite tired by the end of the exhibit.

And Harry Potter. Well, words can't describe their excitement at seeing the real wands, Buckbeak, Fawkes, Dobby, and all the wardrobes from the movies. We actually spent just as much time in the gift shop afterwards as we did in the actual exhibit. Brian and I simply walked around with our jaws dropping to the floor... $45.99 for a scarf. Really? $75 for the Maruader's Map. As if the tickets were free. But the joy in their eyes and voices as they literally ran from room to room was ... priceless.