After our late night at Teatro ZinZanni last night, it was apparent that we should sleep in today. So we didn't even get up until 10:00. Beside, it's the fourth and we will be up late tonight again to see the fireworks. I looked on Facebook this morning, and it turns out that the girl from Teatro ZinZanni, Vita Radionova, that we liked so much last night will be on America's Got Talent on July 7, so we may have to tune in and watch.
     Since we got up late, we missed the free breakfast at the hotel, and had to go to the local creperie across the street . It was delicious. We puttered around the hotel for a little while, and then ventured over to Lake Union Park where they were having some sort of festival in preparation for tonight's fireworks. It turned out that the daytime event was hosted by the Center for Wooden Boats, a local group dedicated to the preservation and restoration of wooden boats, both powered and sail. They also support the development of the craft of boat-building and wooden boat restoration. The park is really set up more like a marina, and there were wooden boats docked everywhere. Some were just for viewing, but others were open to the public, and you could just board them and look around. There were also tents set up where craftsmen were demonstrating boat-building skills, and even building wooden kayaks and row boats.
     There were a few larger restoration projects, a lighthouse boat, a tug boat, a fire boat, and a houseboat. The lighthouse and fire boats were just beginning restoration, but the tug boat was fully operational, and as I was talking to the guide about the monstrous engine in this thing, he told me that they were getting ready to start it up as a demonstration . The tug was actually built in 1889 and was made of wood. The engine had been upgraded to a modern diesel in the 1930's. The engine was HUGE!   It has 6 cylinders with a bore of 18" with a stroke of 24" yielding a total displacement of over 36,000 cubic inches! Being that massive, it idles at about 60 rpm, with a maximum of 200 rpm. They used a air starter to fire it up, and it roared to life! And when I say roar, it was VERY loud.We were actually on the boat, in the engine room, standing right next to the engine when they fired it up. You could see the valve train opening and closing, the fuel valve spraying in the fuel, and there were little trap doors on the side of the engine that the guy opened up, and you could watch the camshaft rotate, with the lifters following the lobes. It was all very cool! (At least to an engineer).
     The houseboat was also very impressive, it had a full kitchen with 3 or 4 bedrooms including a fairly large master bedroom. The woodwork was beautiful, and there was an upper deck with the wheelhouse and an large lounging area . Most of the other boats ranged from small wooden speed boats, to large wooden Cris-Craft yachts. The woodworking on some of these yachts was amazing.
     We had dinner while we were there, and headed back to the hotel for a couple of hours, returning when it was getting dark for the fireworks. There were lots of people in the park when we got there about 9:45. The show started at 10:10 with paratroopers jumping holding sparklers. Then the helicopter at 10:15 with the American flag below flying by. At 10:20, the fireworks began. It was a pretty good show, with most of the action on the other side of the lake though. Evidently, there are two parks, one at the north side of the lake and one at the south. We were at the south, as it was nearest to the hotel and downtown. The fireworks were evidently launched at the north end of the lake, but you still got a great view out across the water. There was a DJ from the local radio station playing music. Loved it when he played Hendrix, not so much the traditional stuff .At least they don't play any Country Music out here!
     I tried to take some pictures, and some of them actually came out. The fireworks lasted about 20 minutes, at which time everyone clapped, cheered, and got up and left orderly. The crowd was great, mostly families and young people, but not disturbances of any kind. We made it back to the hotel by 11:00, ready to get packing for tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a short day on the road, as we ease ourselves back into the routine. We are off to the LeMay Auto Museum, and then to spend the night in Enumclaw, WA just outside Mt Rainier National Park. Looking forward to getting back on the road again.

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