12:30 a.m. Ok, so we went to both! Both the Art Walk and the Boat Show -- two big events many, many miles (and mindsets) apart. And we walked! Today was an antique Nike sneaker day.

I could probably get a lot of money for my sneakers on eBay -- they're from 1981 or '82, when Nike first began making them, and they have purple swhooshies on them. Hardly any mileage -- owned and used by a little old lady on the occasional Sunday.

But once I lace them up, I rise up a couple of inches and float along the pavement like a god. I can't imagine what some of the bigger, puffier sneakers must feel like ... but these almost 20-year-olds feel pretty comfy.

Anyway, it was a gray and foggy day, but the crowds were out and we walked up to, but did not actually participate in, both festive events. Every single year we swear we're going to cough up the funds for the big Art do, help out a good cause, become one with the community, and learn more about Art and how it's made ... and every year we oversleep to the point that it seems crazy to spend a few hundred to see the closing ceremonies and watch the artists pulling down the robber grates and locking their lofts ... and this year was no exception.

And oversleeping when you live right across the street from the electric bullhorns and the kettle drums is quite an accomplishment in slack. Perhaps if I went to bed before 4:30 a.m. I could pop up in time. But since we went out for a few hours yesterday, I had to make up those hours in the wee ones, and so ... and so.

But we managed to whip through the art crowds, get a few choice photos, and then we walked to the Marina and came upon the Boat Show entrance just as the squad cars were pulling up. That's never a good sign.

In fact, that's exactly why they were suddenly making a show of force: There were a few picketers from Save the Marina at the event, with a few good signs. It wasn't exactly downtown Seattle in the middle of the trade war talks, but the muscular policeman (or sheriff) did have his little booklet out, ready to slap a few citations down, if necessary.

It wasn't necessary -- the picketers agreed to step off the grass and remain on the public sidewalk, and all was resolved peacefully. Instead of a hoedown, we all just got along. And so, situation averted, we attempted to gain access to the Boat Show at $8 per person, but they only accepted cash, and we had exactly $8 in cash between the two of us.

I begged Igor to go to the show alone -- but he would have none of it. I have stashed a few choice paperbacks on the boat, which was conveniently just a few feet away, for just such an emergency. But no. It would be the second festive entryway of the day that we would walk past wistfully.

Next year, we really have to read the small print in the local newspaper a little more closely. Times, dates, admission fees -- it's all there in black and white. Next year we really have to get up earlier.