The lake that you see in the following photos is Lake Union:
See that spot of light on the water? The sun is starting to break through the clouds!
In the afternoon, Jim took us out in his 17' very fast boat onto Lake Washington. The boat is perfect for water skiing, but it was a bit chilly for that. That's my excuse, anyway, and I am sticking to it. Here's Jim, looking very comfortable at the helm:
It's always fun to be on the water on a sunny day:
Lake Washington is surrounded by some very expensive homes on the waterfront:
Jim took us by a house that has a life-sized reproduction of the fossilized bones of a dinorsaur in the atrium, that can be seen from the water! Unfortunately, the sun was in the wrong place when we went by and there was a considerable amount of glare:
But we could see the tail and hind legs of the critter:
I did a little research and discovered the story behind the dinosaur. Nathan Myhrvold owns the home. He started off many years ago with a computer start-up company which was eventually purchased by Microsoft. Once there, he became Chief Technology Officer. Now he owns a company that helps people with their inventions. He has patented 18 of his own inventions, with 100 more in the works. Needless to say, he is ridiculously wealthy.
Myhrvold has always had an interest in dinosaurs, the story goes, and met Jack Horner (world-famous paleontologist) at one point. Horner talked Myhrvold into creating a foundation which would focus on funding dinosaur digs. Myhrvold did just this, and his foundation has funded the excavation of more Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons than all found previously. He kept one for himself, the one we can see from the lake.
For some people, Microsoft buys dreams.
Speaking of Microsoft, we putted by Bill Gate's house and I snapped pictures. I felt like the paparazzi, but I couldn't help myself! He has a compound that includes an enclosed staircase of over 300 steps; a conference center that can seat up to 200 for dinner; an indoor pool; three garages, one underground for 12 cars; a boat dock; and a private beach. I have read about his house in architecture magazines and other places, but it was interesting to see it. Gates is quietly buying up property around his compound as it is put up for sale. What you see in the photo below is his private home. The other buildings are hidden by the trees.
We also found Paul Allen's house. If you recall, Paul Allen was a co-founder of Microsoft, although he left the company in 1983 because of health issues. He has a large catamaran that serves as a helioport, for landing a helicopter. Allen's compound includes a home for his mother; his own home; an indoor swimming pool; and a private theater!
Here is his theater. Unbelievable.
We passed the training site of the Seattle Seahawks as well. Did you know Paul Allen owns the Seattle Seahawks? Trivia for your next cocktail party.
Here are a few more waterfront homes:
These homes are crammed in, there are so many of them.
We passed the city of Bellevue:
Mount Rainier came out, despite the haze. That's one of the Boeing hangars in the foreground:
