It was a weekend full of so much goodness, from the overladen table of Indian food we plowed through with Jason and Nancy on Friday night, to the salmon we pulled off the grill for dinner just a couple of hours ago. Â And all kinds of summertime perfection in between…
I told Shane on Saturday morning that I was in the mood for an adventure – the sun was shining, our day was wide open, and I was itching to do something out of the ordinary. Â However, inspiration wasn’t striking me, and so I figured I’d settle for a stroll down to our favorite ice cream shop for a scoop of salted caramel ice cream (life on the edge!) and a glass of wine on the back patio. Â There are worse ways to spend a summer afternoon… Â But Shane had bigger, better plans brewing, and as soon as I made it back from my morning run, I was given direct orders to take a quick shower, grab a blanket and a book, and hop in the car. Â We were heading east, bound for Rattlesnake Lake for an afternoon picnic by the water. Â Not too shabby, for a last-minute mini-getaway!
We spent hours laying on our blanket in the shade, feeling little spots of sunlight make their way through the canopy of leaves overhead. Â Shane dodged each ray like it was a laser-beam (he overheats easily), but I was in sunshiny heaven.
We made a couple of pit-stops on the way back to Seattle (one for a mini-spree at the Banana Republic outlet in North Bend, then another for self-serve fro-yo at Yogurtland), and arrived home with just enough time to squeeze in a solid nap before dinner. Â It’s surprising how sleepy an afternoon of lounging/eating/shopping can make you (or maybe I’m just lazy?).
We spent last night with our friends Jordan and Belinda – they are moving out of the country in a few weeks and needed some help emptying their liquor cabinet before they skip town. Â Shane, being the selfless and giving friend that he is, was quick to offer his cocktail-consuming services. Â We kicked off the night with Cadillac margaritas, and I wish I’d snapped a photo before we sipped (er…slurped) them all down. Â They really were a thing of beauty – if summer could be captured in a single drink, I think it would be in that fresh, citrusy glass of Tequila-laced goodness. Â We sat around the table for hours, chatting and drinking and snacking on the lemon tart I picked up from Whole Foods. Â Shane has a new appreciation for Tequila. Â And for friends like Jack that let him off the hook when he’s not quite feeling up for a previously-scheduled Sunday morning training run.
I spent much of today in the office (a total travesty), but whipped through my deadline to-do’s quickly enough to still enjoy a couple of sunny hours sitting on the back patio and working in the yard (I suppose the one unfortunate by-product of all this sun is the couple of neglected, dried-out plants that needed replacing in our back planter). Â An evening jog down to the lake, dinner on the grill, and it was time to say so long to another lovely summer weekend. Â Cheers! Â And, sigh…
