What a fabulous weekend away with the hubby! For Nick’s birthday this year I decided that we didn’t need anymore “stuff” and that the things we did “need” were things that should never qualify as birthday presents. In that spirit, I settled on a gift of memories, corny as it may sound. Booked a bed and breakfast in the quaint little town of La Conner. My mom agreed to watch Mackenzie for the weekend, and with that, we had an excellent grown ups get away.
Because of the timing of it all, we actually ended up with an extra night to ourselves -- Friday night. We took full advantage of the opportunity and made straight to Terracotta Red, seriously one of our favorite spots here in Everett. As per usual, Nick got the Curry Red and I got the Empress Chow Mein. I am literally craving this meal as I type out the name….
After dinner we watched “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” This is the first of the movies, in a series of three, which are based on the book series I am 2/3 through. Have to say, the movie was a let down. I’m hoping that the English version (coming out Dec 2011, starring Daniel Craig) will be more true to the story/timeline. It was fun to watch a movie that didn’t have singing and didn’t require me to get up and dance at the end :)
Saturday morning we got ready and set off first thing in the morning (in Bowsher land, first thing in the morning is roughly 10am). First stop: Starbucks! Being true to my no coffee commitment however, I ordered a chai -- still cheating I’m sure-- but a valiant effort. Next stop, naturally, winery no 1. Yes, we got there at 11 am, and yes we did the full tasting. Which, by the way, was free. Actually, of all the wineries we went to over the weekend, I believe we only paid a “tasting fee” at one and that was a wine shop and not a vineyard. Skagit really knows how to please.
Next up was the actual town of La Conner, all the shops, our favorite restaurant Calico Cupboard (the real reason behind any of our trips to LC), and a couple amazing antique shops. We found an awesome wine shop in the “Lime Dock Building” and got to meet an interesting women who works in the shop on the weekends for fun -- she gets paid in wine. Where can I find a job like this?! We even found a decent replacement for Paringa (the sparkling shiraz we served at our wedding), Uncle Dick’s something or other…
We checked into our hotel sometime late afternoon and were greeted by the most amazing cookies ever! Back out to the street to complete the shopping circuit… we landed in a really cool thrift shop full of fun treasures.
Back to the B&B to change and then it was off to dinner. Nell Thorn is a hole in the wall -- literally we were sitting in a cubby hole built up one level. Awesome food, ridiculous live music, loved this place!
Once again, back to the B&B where we picked up chocolat and spent some time enjoying the hot tub and our fun new wine. The movie was great although I couldn’t help but crave some truffles after seeing it…come to think of it.. I’m still craving truffles. Perhaps a trip up to the Enchanted Florist is in order.
Sunday, was serious business. We had brought a list with us of 105 things to do/see in La Conner. We had highlighted 17 of them. Sunday was the day to get things done! I’ll have to post the actual list at some point, because we didn’t get to do everything! Just a summary: Rainbow bridge, Pioneer Park, Swinomish Tribe Totem Pole, 1869 Bell in Sacred Heart, hand carved canoe from Swinomish Tribe, log cabin from 1869…. AND, the Skagit Valley Winery Loop.
THIS my friends, was more driving that we had originally thought. BUT, we set off in good spirits complete with recently purchased “WINE JOURNAL” (literally, we bought it that morning). We hit up Tulip Valley, Eagle Haven, Challenger Ridge, and Carpenter Creek. I loved them all, and yet, Carpenter Creek is worth note. When we walked in the door, they were in the process of bottling a pinot noir. As we did our tasting of there regulars, the wine master came over to us and gave us a pour of the wine they were bottling. This is the first “pre bottled” wine I have ever had. And it was so good. The peppery bit you usually find in a pinot was a “slap in the face” as opposed to the “hint” in most wines from our area. I really loved this, and I can’t wait to pick up a bottle when its ready in 6 months -- yes, I did mark it on google cal. Don’t you worry :)
By the time we got home, we had been to six wineries, two breweries, and one wine shop. Our booty -- six bottles of wine and one growler. This wasn’t meant to be alcoholics gone wild, but that’s what it appears to have become. The fun thing: we get to enjoy the memories all over again when we actually sit down to drink our wine. Excellent. In that case, the weekend was “free” -- that’s how money works right?! I’d like it to be…
Because of the timing of it all, we actually ended up with an extra night to ourselves -- Friday night. We took full advantage of the opportunity and made straight to Terracotta Red, seriously one of our favorite spots here in Everett. As per usual, Nick got the Curry Red and I got the Empress Chow Mein. I am literally craving this meal as I type out the name….
After dinner we watched “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” This is the first of the movies, in a series of three, which are based on the book series I am 2/3 through. Have to say, the movie was a let down. I’m hoping that the English version (coming out Dec 2011, starring Daniel Craig) will be more true to the story/timeline. It was fun to watch a movie that didn’t have singing and didn’t require me to get up and dance at the end :)
Saturday morning we got ready and set off first thing in the morning (in Bowsher land, first thing in the morning is roughly 10am). First stop: Starbucks! Being true to my no coffee commitment however, I ordered a chai -- still cheating I’m sure-- but a valiant effort. Next stop, naturally, winery no 1. Yes, we got there at 11 am, and yes we did the full tasting. Which, by the way, was free. Actually, of all the wineries we went to over the weekend, I believe we only paid a “tasting fee” at one and that was a wine shop and not a vineyard. Skagit really knows how to please.
Next up was the actual town of La Conner, all the shops, our favorite restaurant Calico Cupboard (the real reason behind any of our trips to LC), and a couple amazing antique shops. We found an awesome wine shop in the “Lime Dock Building” and got to meet an interesting women who works in the shop on the weekends for fun -- she gets paid in wine. Where can I find a job like this?! We even found a decent replacement for Paringa (the sparkling shiraz we served at our wedding), Uncle Dick’s something or other…
We checked into our hotel sometime late afternoon and were greeted by the most amazing cookies ever! Back out to the street to complete the shopping circuit… we landed in a really cool thrift shop full of fun treasures.
Back to the B&B to change and then it was off to dinner. Nell Thorn is a hole in the wall -- literally we were sitting in a cubby hole built up one level. Awesome food, ridiculous live music, loved this place!
Once again, back to the B&B where we picked up chocolat and spent some time enjoying the hot tub and our fun new wine. The movie was great although I couldn’t help but crave some truffles after seeing it…come to think of it.. I’m still craving truffles. Perhaps a trip up to the Enchanted Florist is in order.
Sunday, was serious business. We had brought a list with us of 105 things to do/see in La Conner. We had highlighted 17 of them. Sunday was the day to get things done! I’ll have to post the actual list at some point, because we didn’t get to do everything! Just a summary: Rainbow bridge, Pioneer Park, Swinomish Tribe Totem Pole, 1869 Bell in Sacred Heart, hand carved canoe from Swinomish Tribe, log cabin from 1869…. AND, the Skagit Valley Winery Loop.
THIS my friends, was more driving that we had originally thought. BUT, we set off in good spirits complete with recently purchased “WINE JOURNAL” (literally, we bought it that morning). We hit up Tulip Valley, Eagle Haven, Challenger Ridge, and Carpenter Creek. I loved them all, and yet, Carpenter Creek is worth note. When we walked in the door, they were in the process of bottling a pinot noir. As we did our tasting of there regulars, the wine master came over to us and gave us a pour of the wine they were bottling. This is the first “pre bottled” wine I have ever had. And it was so good. The peppery bit you usually find in a pinot was a “slap in the face” as opposed to the “hint” in most wines from our area. I really loved this, and I can’t wait to pick up a bottle when its ready in 6 months -- yes, I did mark it on google cal. Don’t you worry :)
By the time we got home, we had been to six wineries, two breweries, and one wine shop. Our booty -- six bottles of wine and one growler. This wasn’t meant to be alcoholics gone wild, but that’s what it appears to have become. The fun thing: we get to enjoy the memories all over again when we actually sit down to drink our wine. Excellent. In that case, the weekend was “free” -- that’s how money works right?! I’d like it to be…
It was great to get home and see Mackenzie all wound up! I always love how much energy that kid seems to whip up!
I love you Nicholas and I hope you had an amazing birthday! I can’t wait for our next adventure together!
I love you Nicholas and I hope you had an amazing birthday! I can’t wait for our next adventure together!
Mack started preschool today, but that's not something I will blog about just yet. I'm still getting used to the idea...wouldn't want to start crying over the keyboard :)
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