Ok, so it was more of a visit than an invasion… and really more from SLC than from Britain…Â
Two days after the Ashleye departed, Kathleen (who really is British) arrived to spend 5 days in the lovely northwest with her fantastic friend (me). She thought she was coming to relax, but I had other plans. Actually I didn’t really have other plans, but we kept ourselves busy nonetheless!
She arrived in Seattle at the ungodly hour of 7:50am (neither of us are “morning people”) and we headed straight into Seattle for the “Savor Seattle” tour at Pikes Place (review to follow in another post).  This is Kathy standing by one of the many flower peddlers in the market.
After a fabulous, but exhausting, 2 hour walk around the market, we made a few purchases and headed back to my place.  Kathy (who hadn’t slept the night before, worried she wouldn’t hear her alarm) took a much needed 2 hour nap…. that lasted until late the next morning 
.  Â
We took it pretty easy on Friday, exploring my small garden and left the condo only for dinner at Azuls and a little shopping at the fabulous Musings, which features the work of local artists. We finished the evening off with pedicures. Our feet were very happy.
Saturday was another big day.  We started off by browsing a couple of shops at The Country Village, then headed to downtown Bothell (which is tiny) for a bit of lunch at the Kozy Corner Cafe – and then were off on a quest to find the Chateau Ste Michelle winery.   We took the scenic route through some lovely Woodinville farmland (i.e., I didn’t know where the hell I was going), and eventually found ourselves entering the incredibly beautiful grounds.
Neither of us had ever been to a winery before so decided to take the free tour. We both learned a lot about how wine is made, why red wine can be so expensive (aging them in expensive, hand made oak barrels imported from France or Italy) and all about why Washington’s Columbia Valley offers the perfect climate for growing wine grapes.   And did you know that the year of a wine is not the year the wine was made, but the year the grapes were picked?   Neither did I.
The tour ended with a tasting of 3 wines…. I should point out that I hate wine. I think it’s nasty. And it’s deceptive! It smells so wonderfully fruity, and then has this dry, bitter taste. Blech! So the tasting was a bit awkward to say the least.  I graciously did try a sip, and when our cute tour guide noticed I was disposing of the remainder (or pouring them in Kathy’s glass for her to finish ) I explained that I like my drinks sweet.   Â
So she was delighted to tell me that the final wine we would be tasting is a sweet wine… a dessert wine, Muscat Canelli (2006, I believe), available only in the retail shop at the winery.   I was a bit apprehensive, but discovered it was quite tasty and finished the glass.  Wouldn’t it figure that I’d like a dessert wine? And an expensive one at that.  I’d probably never buy a bottle, but if you offer me a glass of dessert wine, I’ll try it.
Kathy, on the other hand, really enjoys wine in all its varieties. She can expound on which were her favorite.Â
We would have loved to spend some time exploring the beautiful grounds, joining the other winery visitors who had spread blankets on the grass to enjoy a picnic or some wine and cheese… such a delightful place to spend a Saturday afternoon… but it was TOO DAMN HOT!  Most residents of the area were enjoying Seattle’s unseasonably warm weather (80-ish) that weekend, but we both prefer a cooler temp, so we got back in the air conditioned car and made the requisite pilgrimage to nearby Molbaks.
Look – while I was taking photos of hydrangeas, Kathy found more wine and passed out on a lounge chair. Â
Molbaks is the ultimate garden store…  acres of flowers and fabulous interior decorating/gift sotre. On a rainy or cool day we’d have spent hours there. But, unfortunately, it was also a bit warm for both of us – so our stay was brief.Â
We had a party to get ready for anyway.
After a bit of freshening up, and preparing a tasty spinach salad for the potluck, we headed to Mercer Island for lovely evening socializing with 15 members of my fabulous Seattle Post Mormon group. Great conversation, good food, perfect temperature, and a beautiful view of Lake Washington.Â
Kathy was a hit at the party, of course. This woman is very clever and knows how to tell a story… she can even make funerals funny. They were very disappointed to learn she lived in Salt Lake and won’t be a regular attendee.
And so ends part 1 of our adventure…. tune back tomorrow (or the next day) to hear about our journey to the San Juan Islands…
Looks like you guys had a great time. That Savor Seattle tour was fabulous… I’m excited for that post.
Kathy is hilarious- I’m not surprised that she was the hit of the party. And I’m glad you were a sport at the wine tasting. I don’t know if I would have been able to bring myself to try any- since I haven’t liked any that I’ve tried in the past. I’ll bet Kathy was in wine heaven 🙂
Wonderful. Obviously you 2 had a glorious time.
When your group gathers (post-Mormon) do you discuss religion or do you not go there?
Yes, Kathy was in heaven : ) She marveled at the huge selections at the grocery store as well….. Washington is 2nd only to California in US wine production.
At our PostMormon parties we discuss religion as well as other topics. It’s a social group, but very much a support group as well. Every month we have new people find us and attend for the first time and they always want to know they are not alone… so glad they’ve found others who have been through their experience. So certainly there is sharing of stories, shoulders to cry on (some have had very painful experiences), laughter at some of the humorous experiences, discussing how we fill the void after losing a spiritual community, etc. But it’s also about getting to know who we are NOW, after mormonism and just enjoying each others company. What I like about it is that it is so authentic… everyone is free to completely be who they are without fear of conforming up to someone else’s standards. Some really great people.
Allison and Ashley, Darlings, you make me sound like a lush when I am not even a minor alcoholic! So for all of you who don’t know me personally, I just want to say, let’s get together for a drink and talk about it. On a serious note, Allison is a gracious and perfect hostess. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of visiting her in Seattle, you must put that on your to do list. We had a wonderful time and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the people at the post mormon party. It was my first time at aa fireside that had an open bar. I was a little disoriented at the food table, the absence of green jello with carrots and no punch and cookies was a shock, but one glass of chardonay and I was back in the swing of things. What a great couple of days!
Oh mom!! If you were not so damn cool, clever and beautiful I would have to start bearing my testimony to you.
I’m glad you had a good time! The photos are great and you are right Allison and Seatle are both wonderful and fun!!!
Love you Moma!