We sent off the tail end of 2016 with a very cold spell. Kicking around our hood. The Ave. Michael and Lake grooving in Ave Rat style. 

 

Today we walked down to the IMA which was closed. The sunshine might have been out for a bit and was a bit misleading. We were underdressed. It was too darn cold so we hopped a bus back up to the U District. And another bus up to Wallingford for some fancy pho before going to see a film at the Guild on 45th. Manchester on the Sea. Such a great theatre. They have a private room for babies too. So awesome. We usually end up having a diaper blowout or decompensation right around the climax of the plot though and transition from the front up to the private room and somewhere in there miss some crucial dialogue. So we are left wondering how Michelle Williams gathered so many accolades for her cameo in the film. I think that the diaper change took up most of her screen appearance. It was still a deep film; I cried my way through most of the film. 

After the film it was colder and almost snowing. Lake only had one shoe and sock on because the other side became a casualty of the diaper blowout. I tied my hat around his legs like a sleeping bag foot to help protect him from the sleet. We walked home and swung by Trader Joe’s for some hot drinking chocolate fixings but they had just closed. So we seized the opportunity to check out our neighborhood Indian grocery Mr. B’s Indian Imports instead. No drinking chocolate, I think that was the Mayan Indians, but we did come away with an array of goodies for a delicious dinner Michael whipped up. And we discovered our local source for dried beans: lentils garbanzos and such. We also have a neighborhood vegan grocery. Real gritty Ave Rats. 

We arrived home and we were extremely grateful to have a warm house to call home. So maybe not true Ave Rats, but certainly in the spirit of the old school Ave. Good bye 2016. Thank you for bringing us Lake! You were SOME YEAR!