A Memorial Weekend

I love living in the Pacific Northwest.

Especially on weekends like this most recent one.   The weather was beautiful, sunny and even kind of warm (60s-70s).

With any great plans, some happen and some don't.

The trip to Vantage was one of those casualties.  In a post last week, I mentioned were going there for a rock climbing trip, but those plans were ultimately scrapped.

However, Dave and Bret still ventured outdoors - only to Index instead of eastern WA - for some real rock climbing adventures!  The picture at left shows the rock face they were climbing, with Mt. Index in the background.  Washington is a beautiful place.

Dave seemed to have a good time, although he came back very tired, very sore, very hungry and very bloody.  Apparently, granite is a great surface for climbing but it will do a number on any portion of skin with which it comes into contact.

While they were out scaling rugged granite slabs, I stayed home to clean and such - which was AOK with me.  I managed to scrub the kitchen spotless, wash several loads of clothes, clean our room and iron a load of shirts.  Plus, TLC was having a Memorial Weekend of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" so I had that on to for a little background noise.  It's not the most thrilling way to spend a Saturday, but I was happy to get those things done.

That night, we wanted to watch the movie, Taken, but it was out at Redbox and we refuse to pay the $5 fee at Blockbuster.  So, what do we do?  Call M & L, who have their own version of Blockbuster in their living room so we "rented" the movie from them.  On the previous night, our weekly date night, we watched Paul Blart: Mall Cop; I totally fell asleep, though every time Dave asked if I was awake, I was like, "Uh, yeah".  Anyway, Taken was only 91 minutes in length but it kept our attention (namely, it kept me awake) and we enjoyed it immensely, even though there was minimal story or character development.

Sunday was spent at church and then down in Edmonds with Dave's family.  His sister, Rachel, makes an amazing chicken salad which we ate over croissants.  It was a wonderful day to relax, visit with family and just enjoy the beautiful weather.

On Monday, I headed to the 7am spinning class.  Dave and our spinning instructor, Rick, decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather by taking a bike ride after class.  As they headed out on the Interurban Trail, I drove up to my parents' house in Stanwood.  I spent a few hours up north, planting carrots, snap peas and lettuce for my mom while trying to dodge the large swarm of yellow jackets and bumblebees that were in entranced by the aromatic raspberry blooms.  I then watered the vegetable and flower gardens, and even gave a quick shower to the grass for fun.

I rushed back to the house so that we could get on the road as soon as Dave got back from his ride.  Dave's family has an annual (informal) barbecue at his grandma's house in Bellevue and if we got over there early enough, we could take time to cool off in Phantom Lake too.  

Alas, that last part was not meant to be.

Dave's little ride turned into a tour of the greater Seattle area.  He and Rick rode for nearly 8 hours - or 120.80 miles (according to Dave's bike computer).  He arrived home just in time for me to avoid calling out the National Guard - and to shower & quickly stretch before rushing over to Bellevue.

Phantom Lake was as beautiful as ever and the company was lovely too.   We enjoyed grilled chicken, burgers, salad and dessert as we sat and gazed out on the ripples of the lake.  What a great finale to our Memorial Day weekend - now just bring on the summer!