Maura's Illuminated Manuscript

First, go to Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle, get at the back of the long line, and when you reach the head of the line get the almond things. Or something else. It's all fabulous. I mean it.

Next, visit your friends nerds_eye_view & hubby who have a south-facing back yard and a view of the Sound from their front yard. Eat almond things (or something else) in the back yard, drink tea, and watch swifts.

Last, watch the Mariners win after a long slump. Don't forget the Ivar's and beer, and don't forget to hit the peanut stand at section 125 well before the 7th inning if you can't get a vendor.

Nibs scored free four free tickets from her dad to the Mariners game last night, so we went with nerds_eye_view and her Austrian husband J to his first baseball game. I got to geek out and tell him things like why left-handed players have an advantage and who Babe Ruth was. I also insisted on getting blissfully toxic on garlic fries, since I've already been to two games this season without them. And one must always buy from the Peanut Man. We had to scram at the end of the eighth inning to relieve our sitter, but I think we minded that more than J and his wife did. When I asked J if he thinks baseball fans are a weird religious cult, he said yes. It's good to see that he understands baseball now.

The M's lost in extra innings, by the way. Shoot.