Mony Mony Anemone

No, this is not a moldy science project growing in my refrigerator. It's a colony of sea anemone from one of the small salt water habitats at the Seattle Aquarium, a wondrous place with a very unassuming exterior. I didn't know (or I'd forgotten) at the time that sea anemone are actually animals, despite the name and the way they look. Not only that, but they're predatory and those beautiful flowing tentacles are actually venomous!

This photo was taken a few years back when I was traveling to Seattle quite a bit for my job. Although it's a long, tiring plane ride from North Carolina, I really enjoyed it because Seattle is so much different from anywhere I've lived. It's a mostly nice-looking town with interesting architecture and beautiful views of Puget Sound and Mt. Ranier. And it's populated with people that apparently appreciate the same things I do – mountains, trees, good coffee, fine beer, and music. I also liked going there because the company I worked for was located on one of the islands in Puget Sound, so the trip always involved at least two rides on a ferry crossing the Sound. And that sometimes resulted in a dolphin or whale sighting.

I could totally see myself living there except for one thing. No, not the rain. I think I could deal with that. The deal-breaker for me is the cost of living. I'd be moving back into a starter home and I'm not willing to do that unless I have no other choice. But as an American city to visit, Seattle is high on my list of favorite places.