A great holiday weekend, and a better week
We're still reeling from (entirely self-imposed) stresses here, and taking life and each other a day at a time (meditation, exercise, and alcohol help, tremendously, though the last one probably isn't the best idea). Nonetheless, we enjoyed a terrific Memorial Day weekend, and are looking forward to our plans for this coming Saturday.
Friday
Skipped out on work a bit early for a showing of a new French film with Juliette Binoche (part of the Seattle International Film Festival), called Summer Hours. I really liked it, and Grant enjoyed the experience, but learned he doesn't care for French films all that much (though he did like Amelie and The Very Long Engagement).
A magnificent dinner at Tilikum Place Cafe -- we shared two appetizers (one of white anchovies, beet caviar and pickled red onions, the other a duo of cheeses with flatbread), shared a magnificent pan-fried trout (stuffed with lemon slices and carmelized onions, and served with a roasted tomato, pepper, and almond compote), then shared a chocolate bread pudding for dessert. We enjoyed two different wines, and will definitely be looking for the French white I had to enjoy at home. It was our first time here, but definitely won't be our last.
Then, home for music, cuddling, candles, conversation and . . . - very relaxing and a perfect way to end a wonderful date night.
Saturday
Stripped the old finish off the deck - twice (grr . . . ) Showed a friend from out of town around Seattle for about six hours - lunch at Chinook's, some time at the Ballard Locks (the smolts are running (backwards, no less!), which I find absolutely adorable), a stop by our house, then a meandering trip to Jamba Juice (a delicious first (but certainly not last, for us!) before taking him back to the shuttle to get him to Bellingham, where he's spending a few days with his dad.
Repainted the deck - whew!
Made shrimp scampi with fresh pasta for dinner
Retired, exhausted, but feeling very accomplished
Sunday - FolkLife!!
10 hours of great music, sunshine, tasty beverages, great people, and yummy carnival food from around the world - this is our 4th year attending, and it was just as fun (perhaps even more fun) than previous years. We actually stood/walked for more than 5 1/2 hours - without sitting - if I'd remembered this, I wouldn't have drug Grant around Discovery Park with me that morning . . . .
Though we heard a lot of interesting music, we were taken enough with only one group to purchase a CD this year - Dave & The Dalmations is an a cappella group who performs almost entirely folk music from the Balkans.
Some pictures -
Dressed for hippie fun:
Many buskers:
including my favorite group from Peru:
VamoLa! drew quite a crowd:
Dressed to perform:
As were the dancers!
The show went off beautifully, and I think Grant was really pleased with the band's performance (I know I was!). Walking back to the car, we passed his VP - making me doubly glad I'd dressed up a bit that day.
By the time we got home, my feet and legs were absolutely DONE -- so, I took an Aleve before going to sleep.
Monday
We'd decided to have a car-free day - so, we walked from our house to Ballard for breakfast at Salmon Bay Cafe, then bussed/walked our way across Ballard, Fremont, and the University districts - probably covering about 7 miles on foot, all told. Yes, we walked a lot this weekend - I'm surprised my legs/feet recovered as quickly as they did.
Along the way, we stopped for smoothies and an almond horn at Whole Foods, and picked up some vegetables for the grill.
We also visited Big Time Brewery & Ale House for a pint, and took some pictures of all the Pacific Northwest flowers in bloom.
Coming back through the Locks, we saw far more boats returning from their weekend outings than we'd ever seen before:
they were even tethered to one another:
I found this woman very striking, and asked if I could photograph her:
With the deck completely dry, we put everything back together (now we're just waiting for the new furniture to arrive, and keeping our fingers crossed that it gets here before Grant's parents and uncle do) then fired up the grill, enjoying margaritas, turkey burgers, mushrooms and asparagus for dinner, followed by far too many ripe, sweet cherries.
Work's been very good this week, with some uncertainty that had been floating around about our roles (individually and as a team) finally resolved - in ways that make me feel very happy to be where I'm at. The next 12 months will be interesting, challenging and (I predict) very rewarding.
Up this weekend: cooking for friends with a new baby (a couple of lasagnas, chicken nachos, and a meal from our South Indian cookbook), then, dinner at Le Pichet followed by an evening with Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali. We'll also put some tomatoes and basil in pots -- we've decided the unpredictable Seattle summer doesn't warrant the time and effort for a full garden but, really, garden-ripe tomatoes are a must!
Friday
Saturday
Sunday - FolkLife!!
10 hours of great music, sunshine, tasty beverages, great people, and yummy carnival food from around the world - this is our 4th year attending, and it was just as fun (perhaps even more fun) than previous years. We actually stood/walked for more than 5 1/2 hours - without sitting - if I'd remembered this, I wouldn't have drug Grant around Discovery Park with me that morning . . . .
Though we heard a lot of interesting music, we were taken enough with only one group to purchase a CD this year - Dave & The Dalmations is an a cappella group who performs almost entirely folk music from the Balkans.
Some pictures -
Dressed for hippie fun:
Many buskers:
including my favorite group from Peru:
VamoLa! drew quite a crowd:
Dressed to perform:
As were the dancers!
The show went off beautifully, and I think Grant was really pleased with the band's performance (I know I was!). Walking back to the car, we passed his VP - making me doubly glad I'd dressed up a bit that day.
By the time we got home, my feet and legs were absolutely DONE -- so, I took an Aleve before going to sleep.
Monday
they were even tethered to one another:
Work's been very good this week, with some uncertainty that had been floating around about our roles (individually and as a team) finally resolved - in ways that make me feel very happy to be where I'm at. The next 12 months will be interesting, challenging and (I predict) very rewarding.
Up this weekend: cooking for friends with a new baby (a couple of lasagnas, chicken nachos, and a meal from our South Indian cookbook), then, dinner at Le Pichet followed by an evening with Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali. We'll also put some tomatoes and basil in pots -- we've decided the unpredictable Seattle summer doesn't warrant the time and effort for a full garden but, really, garden-ripe tomatoes are a must!