13/52: Let the 50th Celebrations Begin.....

I have an amazing group of friends.  New friends and old friends.  Best of all, friends that know how to throw an amazing dinner party in honor of my 50th year.

Jenny and Brent hosted an elegant dinner party for 9 including a champagne fountain, a 4 course meal and a jazz duo (Jenny provided amazing vocals) the first Saturday in April.

It was an amazing evening and one that I won't soon forget.  Thanks for my friends who are like family for celebrating my birthday!

Enjoy!
Stacy

42/52: Pumpkin Patch

The rains have returned, so we drove cautiously to Seattle Friday night and stopped off at Red Wind Casino for a wonderful dinner.

Saturday it rained....ALL....DAY....LONG!  To the grand total of over 2 inches of rain.  A perfect PJ, sports, crock pot chili and 2 PM nap kinda day.

I must say, I was a bit apprehensive about the pumpkin patch on Sunday, but the skies cleared and it was a beautiful day with our friends.

Enjoy!
Stacy

34 & 35/52: Summer Vacation Update

Dinner at 8 - Muckleshoot Casino

All aboard! Heading on the train to Vancouver, B.C.

Cheers on board sailboat in English Bay

Under Lions Gate Bridge - Vancouver, B.C.

Let's bike around Stanley Park - Vancouver, B.C.

Beautiful Vancouver!

Tuna Stack - Cactus Club Cafe (Vancouver)

Cheers!  What an amazing view (Cactus Club Cafe)

Happy Birthday, Brian (Alki Beach, West Seattle)

Birthday Dinner with Kenny and Mom at Cactus in West Seattle

Office DIY project done in West Seattle

Bayou Benedict (Hi-Life in Ballard)

Brunch with The Seymours

Sunset/Moonrise over Lake Morton

I had an amazing Summer vacation at the end of August including an amazing trip to Vancouver, B.C. (first trip to Canada) and enough home time to truly relax.  Time with friends and family. Birthday celebrations and great food!

Who is ready for fall?

Enjoy!
Stacy

9/52: Party Weekend

We had two celebrations over the weekend.  The first was an Italian inspired dinner party with friends.  A wonderful bottle of wine, a cheesy homemade lasagna and a fire in a back yard fire pit.  It was a lot of fun!

Sunday was Oscar Sunday back in Portland and we had a wonderful three course meal, complete with sparkling wine and small plates, inspired by the movies nominated for Best Picture Oscars this past year.

Good food, good friends, good wine, good times!

Enjoy!
Stacy

44/52: The Pumpkin Patch

Friday night's train ride was a real treat.  One of the conductors I know put me up in a roomette for the journey north to Seattle.  It's quite a luxury to have your own little private car, if only for 4 hours.  I celebrated with a glass of sparking wine in the classic parlor car. What a way to start the weekend!

Last Saturday was our annual trek to Snohomish, Washington with the Seymour family to visit the pumpkin patch.

It was a cool morning with light sprinkles, but everybody had fun walking through the patch to find the most perfect pumpkins.  

After the pumpkin patch, we walked the streets of downtown Snohomish and had lunch at our favorite place, Fred's Rivertown Ale House.

On Sunday, Brian and I had a nice walk through Lincoln Park, and spotted a blue heron along the waters edge.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Weekend Wrap Up: Pumpkin Patch

 

Tradition dictates that we spend a fall Saturday in Snohomish, looking for the perfect pumpkin.

We met up with friends, Sonja, Geoff and daughters for a Saturday adventure at the pumpkin patch.

After wandering the streets of Snohomish (it's a great place to shop), we ate lunch at our usual haunt, Fred's Rivertown Alehouse.

I had tons of great pictures from the adventure, but unfortunately my phone decided to delete all of them very mysteriously.  This one of me amongst the last of the summer sunflowers will have to do.

Enjoy!

Stacy

The Launch of the Sonja H.

It's not everyday that your friend invites you to the christening of her tug boat.


Last Sunday, Brian and I attended the launch of the Sonja H. in the shipyards of south Seattle with Sonja, Geoff and family.

Sonja christens her tug

Boyer Towing (on Sonja's mother's side) operates 32 tugs and barges on the Pacific/Columbia/ Alaska waterways.

The company also owns major barge/freight terminals and docks in Seattle, Ketchikan, Thorne Bay and Ward Cove.

Brian took a ride on the Halle H.

There were about 50 friends and family to see the christening of three tugs...the Gretchen H., Sonja H., and Halle H.
Thankfully, the rains stopped and the sun came out, long enough for a few tug boat rides. There was a lovely reception following the christening....lots of good food, beer and wine.

Enjoy!
Stacy

A bohemian Saturday night in Georgetown

Last Saturday evening, we hooked up with our friends, Sonja and Geoff in Georgetown for the Georgetown Art Attack.

The art attack runs every second Saturday at over 30 locations in Georgetown with music, art, wine tasting and shopping.

Georgetown has developed into a "scene" since the 1990's. Businesses like Industrial Coffee and Stellar Pizza began hosting music events which awoke the neighborhood. In the late 90's, quite a few new bars and coffeehouses opened in the neighborhood, plus a record store, a barber shop, a bakery, a "skin sanctuary", and numerous art gallery/studios.

We hit the north end of the attack our first time around and saw a couple of interesting contemporary displays.....abstract drawings at an art school and a cool shrinky dinks display along with art deco 60's furniture at the Old Rainer Brewery Building (where Sonja and Geoff just leased office space for their new business).

Brian and I had a beer on our way home at the very unique Jules Maes Saloon. Jules Mae's opened for business in 1888, five years before the Rainer brewery, and well before the street was paved.

Georgetown existed as a bustling corporate town then. According to newspaper clips that adorn the tavern's walls, Mr. Mae possessed the friendliness requisite to bring in drinkers. Things have changed a bit since then, the bar itself used to be several doors down, and was re-established in 1939, after Prohibition ended. A cast of characters still haunts the place.

There is food here, and from the volume of people ordering, I'd say it was pretty good. The back room, once a bookie joint, has been filled up with diner booths and a back bar for live music. The kitchen sits prominently in the front of the house in full view with one cook knocking down orders like Ali crushed his opponents.

We will come back to Georgetown soon, if not for the art then to check out more of the areas bars and dining.

Enjoy!

Stacy