I graduated from high school with Amanda, Josh, and Kelly way back when, and was thrilled when Amanda called me last month to tell me they were coming to visit. Â It had been far too long since we’d seen each other, and I’ve been looking forward to the chance to catch up and be silly with some of my oldest, dearest friends. Â And so Shane and I have spent the past couple of days playing host, eating and drinking and playing and laughing.
We kicked off Friday with breakfast at Both Ways Cafe, near Seward Park. Â This has become one of my favorite breakfast places in Seattle, for the warm, cozy setting just as much as the food. Â We sipped our lattes and spread jam on our perfect buttermilk biscuits, thrilled with the promise of a sunny Seattle day. Â Then we watched the sun disappear behind a pile of gray clouds. Â Go figure.
But we weren’t going to let gray skies keep us down. Â After breakfast, we headed to UW to rent a couple of canoes and spend some time paddling around Lake Washington. Â We wound our way through the arboretum, rowing our way through patches of lily-pads, under canopies of leafy green trees. Â And this is why I love Seattle…
Friday night, after a quick happy hour downtown, we walked over to Safeco Field to take in the Mariners vs. A’s game. Â Amanda and Josh are huge Oakland A’s fans (I don’t hold it against them), so they were stoked to watch their team cream Seattle. Â It was a fun night – not much of a game, but still, the garlic fries were good, the weather was perfect, and really, there’s nothing like a lively rendition of ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ with friends during the 7th inning stretch.
Saturday morning we pointed our car east toward Yakima. Â Amanda’s grandpa lives there, so we dropped her and Josh off for a visit with him, while Shane, Kelly, and I headed over to Red Mountain to do a little wine-tasting. Â We started at Tapteil Vineyards, and picnicked on the patio while enjoying a couple of their Cabernets. Â We then headed to Fidelitas, a cool little winery with modern interiors and an extensive tasting list, the highlight of which was their Merlot. Â Our last stop in Benton City was Cooper’s Vineyard, a brand-new winery that seems to be getting a lot of positive buzz. Â This was by far our favorite stop of the day – the wines were fantastic, and the time we spent chatting with the winemaker made every sip even tastier. Â His genuine enthusiasm about sharing the fruits of his labor with us was infectious – I’ve never been so engaged in the act of wine-drinking. Â On our way back to Yakima, we stopped in Zillah for one last tasting, and then…we…were…done…
After a long day of driving, nothing sounded better than a round of pizzas from Tutta Bella and a couple of scoops of ice cream from Full Tilt. As if our breakfast pastries from Columbia City bakery and our cheese-and-salame picnic lunch wasn’t indulgence enough…
We bid farewell to our visitors this morning, sad to see them go, but thankful for a weekend full of fabulous memories.