Events

The vehicle the Aguilar family use on their journey

Antonio Aguilar of Guatemala had a dream to see the world. With a family of 4 children to provide for, was it just too big of a dream to realize? To undertake a journey of this size would be a lasting experience his family would never forget. Out of the frustration he was seeing in his children’s education, he decided the time was right to let his wife know of his novel idea. Something to not take lightly, she needed to be on board 100% and the two of them agreed it would be a full learning experience for the children.

I had the chance to meet the Aquilar family when they visited the Pike Place Market earlier this year. They were all beaming on that beautiful Seattle spring day, standing next to their odd looking Kia SUV. They had a large map showing their route, having just returned from Alaska, with Guatemala as their starting point. Intrigued, I needed to know more and spent the next five to ten minutes listening to the story of their travels.

Selling many of their possessions and furniture, they made the decision to fulfill their dream of seeing the world. Friends and family said they were crazy and would not make it long. But with the help of people along the way, they have been able to continue with donations provided along their journey.

January 19th, they left Guatemala with their northern most destination, Alaska. Following a route through California along the coast of the Pacific to San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle ,Vancouver and finally to Anchorage, Alaska. They have been able to navigate the journey relying on an Atlas and maps to take the shortest routes. In addition, people have helped along the way acting as guides.

Their vehicle is packed with everything they need for the trip, including items they may need for a medical emergency. They consulted with a Doctor who showed them how to administer their own care in case of an emergency. They each have enough clothes for a week using local laundromats. Sleeping areas amounts to state parks, in the car and hotels where they explain the project, usually utilizing a single room.

Currently back in Guatemala, they be leaving on June 10 for the next leg of their journey, South America. Antonio sent the accompanying images and shared that he will continue to update me on their progress as time allows. I look forward to seeing more photos from their dream family vacation.

Yesterday at the Pike Place Market Street Festival, the dogs were dressed in their very best or as the one above, completely undressed. The festival is always for a good cause, to help the Pike Place Market Foundation. With the picture perfect weather, the crowds were pretty big, so we hope the foundation was able to raise some funds to continue their work at the market.

Veraci Pizza brought in their wood fired pizza oven

One of the big vendor hits, was the portable wood fired pizza oven from Veraci Pizza. The smell of burning wood, combined with melting mozzarella, was a big crowd pleaser. According to their website, “we will be featuring our delicious wood-fired pizza year ’round at the Fremont outdoor Market & Ballard Farmer’s Market on Sundays. In spring & summer we will be returning to the Phinney Ridge Market, Bellevue Market & Mercer Island Farmer’s Market. “.

I also had a nice conversation with Jim Nilsen. a local photographer based out of Edmonds, WA. As I was walking by his booth, out of the corner of my eye, I saw some vibrant colors and shapes that I thought were paintings at first. On closer inspection, I realized they were the photographs of Jim. His images are super sharp, super bright and take you to the rolling hills of Tuscany or the beautiful canals of Venice. We had a nice conversation and he’s the kind of photographer you want to be right next to while you are travelling to Italy. He had just spent a month traveling throught the different regions of Northern Italy. I encourage you to check out his website, his work is inspiring.

Here area few more images for you to check out from the day at the market.