Birthday Week

I turned 53 this week. It's been a lovely time of fun activities, not all centered around me (thank goodness!), but a week of things which I've enjoyed immensely.

On Friday, Mom and I went shopping and out to lunch. She & Dad had given me birthday funds for shopping, so we went to TJ Maxx (one of my favorite stores) and had a blast. After that, we drove through the rain to the General Store at Port Gamble (our first time there) for lunch. It is a great place - a real, old, country store, converted into gift shop & restaurant. The food was excellent. If you haven't been to Port Gamble, you might want to look it up. It's a charming old mill town, situated on a bluff overlooking Hood Canal, and has been very well-preserved.

Friday night, Gregg and I went out on a date to one of our favorite places, the Harbour House Pub on Bainbridge Island.

Gregg perusing the menu, which is designed like a newspaper. The pub's yam fries are the best!

Roses bloom outside the pub in June - one of my favorite patches of garden in town

Interior of the pub - yes, a bicycle is always on that beam over the bar.

The pub is in an historic house on the harbor in the little town of Winslow. We love the atmosphere and the food. We had planned to meet friends afterward for an evening of live music at the coffee house nearby, but Gregg was exhausted after two intense weeks at work, so we went home after dinner.

On Saturday, Gregg gave me the best birthday gift: a card and a day at the beach, followed by dinner out. We went to my favorite beach and hiked eight miles. David was invited to join us, but had another invitation to hike on Mount Rainier, so he spent the night with family and went with them. He and I will make the beach hike later in the summer.

Thanks for the cute sweatshirt, Laura!

We ate the picnic lunch we had packed around the halfway point, picked up some beach glass, and were caught in a downpour on the way home. Eight miles of beach walking = heaven on earth!

We visited a couple of thrift stores, and decided to change our dinner plans to escape the rain. We drove back to Bainbridge and went to a wonderful little Japanese restaurant for tea, miso soup and sushi.

Meanwhile, David's group decided that the weather wasn't good enough to go to Rainier, so they went to Cle Elum instead. They were still caught in a lightning-and-hail storm, when the temperature suddenly dropped at least 20 degrees, so I'm grateful they decided to forgo Mt. Rainier! Fortunately, he was with my brother, sister-in-law and nephew, who have mountaineering experience, so they had everything they needed - and came home safely.

On Sunday, we picked up my parents, drove to the ferry and rode to Seattle to see our nephew, Phil, who was visiting from the Bay Area, and my brother and sister-in-law. Some of the group played tennis, while others went for a walk. Afterward, we gathered for lunch together. It was great to see Phil and hear more about their hike.

On my birthday, David worked on the Argosy Camp Goodtimes Cruise (a.k.a. "Da Boata"), so I had a quiet day at home and a massage - a perfect birthday luxury. Tonight, my parents took Gregg and me to Burrata Bistro for dinner. They are so generous!

Kim (the owner) had a bottle of wine waiting for us at the table. The dinner was excellent. Three of us had the special (osso buco with baby carrots and pea greens on garlic polenta). My dad loves the roasted chicken so much that he ordered that instead.

Burrata Bistro's Osso Buco

Kim also sent two desserts for us to share: a lemon tart and tiramisu, both home-made and delicious, beyond my powers of description. Thank you, Kim & Alfonso! Thank you, Mom & Dad!

I bought this top (on sale, 50% off) when Maribeth was here. It's not a style I usually wear, but I like it!

Gregg has been teasing me that this week has reminded him of my grandmother's 90th birthday, when she had two parties given for her (one a private dinner for 35 at the Four Seasons hotel) and decided it wasn't quite enough, so she threw a third party for herself. What a character she was! The difference is that I didn't organize the week this way - it just happened!

Tomorrow, I'm off to volunteer at Camp Goodtimes West in the Arts and Crafts department, and I can't wait! It's also Carnival Day at camp, and it's going to be so much fun for the kids & staff. I hope your week is going well, too.