The night is full of disturbed sleep again because both Maggi and I have still not got over jet lag. Maggi complained that she had a bad stomach and suffered an attack of diarrhoea, consequently I should bring her coffee plus yogurt with fruit for breakfast.
On the way downstairs I encountered Bennett’s poo. I cleaned up the mess. I couldn’t undertake my daily yoga exercises because the basement had a friend of Sadie’s sleeping over. I improvised in our bedroom.
Maggi, Helen, Carrie, Matt, Greg and I went to downtown Seattle to Greg’s workplace in one of the Amazon offices. Here we entered the “spheres” called Jeff’s Balls by some. From the outside they look like two spherical units made of glass and metal. From the inside it feels like a cross between a hothouse and an office.
You need to be signed in and always have your badge visible and you mustn’t touch the plants. We spent almost two hours in the building, which included a time ordering, waiting and drinking a very average cappuccino.
It certainly is a very interesting place to work with different areas with offering separate atmospheres. Greg said he would often lie back in the deck chairs and work through his emails. We left the building and in a courtyard outside sat an airstream from which free bananas were dispensed to the sound of loud music. Everyone took a free banana.
We walked to South Lake Union where we found a man hired to use his two border collies to chase away the geese who cover the jetty in geese shit. We wandered around the area waiting for Alex to turn up so that we could go for lunch. When she did arrive she drove all of us except Greg to a nearby Mexican restaurant. Greg returned to his offices to actually work and not entertain Carrie and us.
Alex drove 6 of us back to 8th Ave and we packed the car for our journey to North Bend. Our journey would take us past Alex’s office so she suggested she show us this and Gates’s own place of work. They are situated in Carillon Point Kirkland, a very swish neighbourhood. I used the loo in the Gates Ventures offices. As I walked into the toilet the seat popped up and a light came on in the bowl. I sat down to a heated seat. I could have a wash and dryer blowing up my bum. All very futuristic.
Alex had brought Carrie and Sadie who were more impressed by the amount a variety of sweets and snacks available free.
We left Alex and headed further east to North Bend to meet Geoff and Debbie. We found their place located underneath a mountain called The Hooded Monk.
The large property maintained immaculately has a covered deck area with 3 gas heaters, two barbecues and a large table. The house was built about 20 years ago by a local builder has wood flooring throughout. A heated swimming pool on the side of the house set at 89 F makes it feel more like a bath.
Geoff welcomed us and told us about himself and his family. He showed us his man cave which sits across the drive. It’s more like a garage filled with tools for woodworking plus gardening equipment. Above the equipment another floor contains, a pool table, dart board and bar. Geoff said he built up all the interior of the cave.
When we returned to the main house Debbie the mistress of the house arrived from her work. A son of 18, Ben, lives with them. They are both into their 2nd marriage. Geoff made a dish of Orso, tomatoes and shrimp which was excellent along with a salad.
Maggi and I left everyone else around 9:30 and I wrote my diary and put the light out at 10:30.