Valentine's Weekend Away, pt III

...So, about that camel.

Mona, she's called. We were speaking with the woman running the wine shop, and she was telling us about the island winery. She said there was a farm across the road from it, and the owners of the farm had a camel named Mona. The winery had a wine named after her. On Sunday we decided to drive around the island a bit to take in the scenery, and on the way, passed by the winery. And to our left, a camel! We pulled over to pet her snout and feed her the grasses that were just beyond her camelly reach. And now I know: camels have pretty funky breath, but are very nice about taking grass from your hands.

After petting Mona we continued our island drive, ending at Roche Harbor. We walked through an English Garden and a little decor shop where the owner and a friend were working their way through a bottle of wine, and sounded like it might not have been their first. Time was running short, and we headed back to Friday Harbor to catch the ferry home.

It was a wonderful trip. Nice to get away from it all and relax.

Jonathan Coulton at the Moore

When you're bobbing your head and singing along with most of the songs, across 4 performers, you know you're at the right show.

Tonight, Kat and I went to see Jonathan Coulton (www.jonathancoulton.com), Paul and Storm (www.paulandstorm.com), and Molly Lewis (www.sweetafton23.com). Just like the last time we saw them, an awesome show. Their collective cover of TMBG's "Fingertips" was just about dead on, and amazing!

The Short Version

My "suck" comment on FB, twitter, etc this morning was directed at my commute. It wasn't traffic that got to me, though...

I'll start by saying that everyone involved is fine. That being said, the sucky thing that happened is that I got into an accident on my way to work. It was just me rear-ending a truck after someone cut him off, forcing him to stop while I was checking my blind spot. But dammit, it sorta put a funk over my day today.

Cross your fingers for the Kia...

Valentine's Weekend Away, pt II

Once we found at least one place we could drink, we knew things would be okay.

It was late, we'd just checked in, everything else was closed... But this place was showing the Olympic Opening Ceremonies (LED Bear!) and serving beer and pizza. I've read about heaven, and I'll take this over it any day.

Booking the room at the hotel for the weekend was a spur of the moment thing, and we didn't put any thought into frills. For the occasion, Kat arranged an hour long Swedish massage for me on Saturday at the local spa. She'd wanted to schedule two for the same time, but there weren't two available in a single time slot. I convinced her to go ahead and do one on Sunday, so by the end of the weekend we'd both had a chance to get in some awesome relaxation time. After my massage, I stumbled back to our hotel room in a tranquil daze.

Our favorite Friday Harbor pub, the Front Street Ale House, was closed for remodeling! We were forced to find a suitable substitute. Across the street, the Blue Water Grill served nicely. By the end of the weekend, the staff recognized us and our beer orders, which is something I value in a dining (drinking) establishment.

Next I'll tell you about the camel...

Escaping reality

Last weekend Kat and I went away to spend some quiet time together for Valentine's Day. There's a little hotel in Friday Harbor that we'd stayed at a couple years ago, Friday's Historic Inn, that we enjoyed. On a whim a week before, we called to see if they had any rooms available for Valentine's weekend. Amazingly, they did, so our escape was set.

Friday Harbor is a pretty small little town, but apparently it doesn't hold still. Friday's Historic Inn has rennovated and is now the Birdrock Hotel. The Front Street Ale House, where previously we ate pretty much every meal, is closed for remodeling, forcing us to eat at a variety of places around town.

On Friday night, we arrived on the late ferry, checked in to our room, and headed out to grab a drink and bite to eat. Pretty much everything was closed, but we found a place that was still open, showing the opening ceremonies of the winter olympics.

Let the drinking begin...

Blowing off the dust

Hm. It's been a while. The post-holiday routine rediscovery is always a little weird, and this year there have been some additional things that have been demanding of my attention. Top that off with some excellent work project stress, and something's gotta give. I've pulled out of the digital realm a bit to regain a little perspective, and much to my surprise, it's been very refreshing. I'm putting down my phone now and then, and I'm entirely unplugging during the weekends.

House projects are all on hold. Nothing NEEDS to be done, and we're focusing on just finding the balance of daily living. Which means the dishes and laundry are getting done. :)

My 32nd birthday was last weekend. (2^5, as Daniel reminded me. Go nerds!) Instead of a party or anything, Kat and I went away for the weekend, holed up in a condo on a cloudy bay, and kicked back in our PJs watching movies. It was fantastic, and we've decided that running away from the real world is a legitimate tactic, and will be repeated frequently.

Thanks to those that sent birthday wishes. You can buy the next beer.

OMG!!!1!

I have a blog?! WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?!?!