The older I get, the less exciting my birthday becomes – I know, wiser and deeper and yada yada yada, but really, I wouldn’t mind staying in my early thirties for a few more years.  So when I saw my 35th looming on the calendar, my first inclination was to keep it fanfare-free – maybe just go out for pizza and then come home to put on my stretchy pants and crack open a pint of ice cream.  That felt like a missed opportunity to do something special in such a lovely time of year, though, so Shane booked us a last-minute rental in Yakima and we set out on Friday for a weekend celebration in wine country.
We arrived a couple of hours before we could check into our house, so we spent some time strolling along the Cowiche Canyon Trail, peeling off our sweatshirts as the sun blazed overhead.
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No golden oak trees or bright orange maples here, but these scrubby fall colors were beautiful in their own right.
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We arrived at our Airbnb mid-afternoon and were greeted with this stunning view from the front porch. Â Well done, Shane.
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We ate dinner Friday night at Cowiche Canyon in “downtown” Yakima.  I slurped down one of the best margaritas I’ve ever tasted and Juliette’s chicken and rice came with an unexpected side of french fries, so we both left there very happy.
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Shane went for a run on Saturday morning while Juliette and I stayed back at the house and enjoyed the view of that hazy early sunlight grazing the treetops.
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We grabbed breakfast and beverages at North Town Coffee…
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And then got on with the day’s main business: Â WINE! Â Yakima is chock-full of wineries and we kicked things off at VanArman Vineyards with sunshine, a glass of Merlot, and a hammock – SO GOOD.
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I wasn’t quite sure how we’d manage wine-tasting with a three year old in tow, but with lawn games and wide open spaces like this, it’s actually pretty grand!
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These rows between the vines were the perfect racetrack.
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Seriously, SO GOOD!
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Our second stop was Dineen Vineyards – I was worried we wouldn’t find another place nearly as kid-friendly as VanArman, but when I spotted this swing, I figured we’d be welcome to hang here awhile.
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Another bonus? Â Wood-fired pizzas served right next to the tasting room.
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And soccer!
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This might be one of my all-time favorites:
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We were closing in on naptime and wanted to check out one more place, so we zipped over to Bonair Winery for a final taste. Â No brick ovens or soccer balls, but this place had ducks!
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And all the grapes a girl could eat.
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I could have happily done another few rounds, but…
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So we headed back to the house to cozy up on the couch and doze a little.
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A snack with a view…
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We ate dinner at a small Mexican joint and spent the rest of the evening at the house listening to the Giants game. Â They didn’t come through like we’d hoped, but still, it had been a perfect day.
Sunday was my birthday, which meant I was free to linger in bed as long as I pleased while Shane took Jules-duty.
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I eventually rallied, though, eager to do a little more exploring before heading back to Seattle. Â We snapped a couple of last pics from the porch and set out for the day.
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Our first stop was the Yakima Farmers Market, for fresh-picked apples. Â And Kettle corn.
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We ate a hearty diner breakfast and drove toward the mountains, stopping a couple of times along the Naches River to take in the fall colors.
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We had hoped to do some hiking up at the pass, but as soon as the road climbed upward, the skies turned gray and the rain started to fall. Â So rather than mountaineering, we pushed through to Seattle and settled for a stroll at the Arboretum.
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Not a bad back-up plan!
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This little pond is one of our favorite spots, and I’ve never seen it look lovelier.
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Juliette drew pictures in the water with her walking stick while I sat back and counted all the different shades of green.
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We capped off the day with cocktails, chicken wings, and coconut sticky rice at Soi. Â Happy hour, indeed.
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Cheers to a very promising start to year 35!
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