So, I'm up early here of course, and there is nothing to do but watch the morning news programs. Seattle is very nice but I noticed one significant difference between morning news here and news home. Time devoted on morning news to traffic conditions in Seattle - about half; Time devoted on morning news to traffic conditions at home - none.

(note from later - The mayor of Seattle missed his opening address to the conference because ......he was stuck in traffic)

They get as much precipitation here as at home, but it looks like I'm in for a stretch of very nice weather over the next week and a half. Sunny and temperatures in the low to upper 70s. I bought a book on the ecology of the Western Forests, and I'm going to have to plan a few hikes.