I totally over-promised when I said I would post one entry a day when I got back from vacation (if you came directly to this post you can check my last two for Cannon Beach and Portland). I am not going to make another promise of when my posts for Friday Harbour and Salish Lodge will be up but I will have them done before the month is over!

The longest part of our drive was from Cannon Beach up to Seattle – about 4 hours but it was pretty smooth until we got in to Seattle where the traffic was obscene! We were lucky enough to have booked a place right at the market, Inn at the Market, once we checked in we headed to the market to search out the places I found on Trip Advisor that I wanted to try. Pike Place Chowder was delicious, as was LoPriore Brothers meatball sandwich!

After that lunch we needed to walk it off, so we headed down to the waterfront and down there is where we met Mark Anthony Dobransky. Mark Anthony was obviously living on the streets and first I thought he is going to start asking for money but he didn’t. He sat down to talk with us and asked us about the camera and if we print pictures. We chatted about many things – chukars (I had a bag from Chukars Cherries – amazing chocolate covered wine soaked cherries!), drugs and a surfer he says he mentored who died of an overdose (Andy Irons), and Facebook. He told us he is on Facebook and that we can find pictures of him on there.

He asked if we want to see a picture and he goes to his bag and comes back with two black and whites. Both are of him and taken obviously by someone who knows his or her way around a camera. He asked us if we wanted one. We decided which we wanted and he grabbed a fresh one from his bag and told us he would sign it and put our names on the back.

As we were leaving he asked if I had any of those loonies or twoonies (we had told him we were Canadian) and luckily I did. I handed him the twoonie and we headed back to the hotel.

On our walk back I googled Mark Anthony Dobransky and found a tweet that clicked through to a blog post of a photographer. As I read it I began to cry. It is a touching story and I encourage you to read it. So not to spoil it for you who will, I am not going to write anything else about Mark Anthony’s story but that I had wished that we spent more time talking with him. I walked backed to where we had seen him earlier but I didn’t find him… (there is also a news story you can read!) (and if you want to read the comments on Facebook)

Once I was done reading the story I sent a tweet to the photographer and told him that I read his story and that it moved me to tears. He asked me how Mark was doing and I told him he seemed to be doing well.

I know there isn’t much here about Seattle but honestly Mark Anthony was the best part of the day. Remember, if you have someone approach you, someone who looks a bit down on their luck, maybe give them the time, have a conversation with them, it will probably do you both some good.

And one more post about Mark. 

Oh ya, the first Starbucks is there too. It was underwhelming. I should mention we had an amazing sunset on the roof deck of the hotel. Cheese, bread and wine!