Memorial Day Weekend

It's hard to believe that it's already Memorial Day weekend. The unofficial start of summer has arrived! Fortunately, I left the rain of Seattle to spend the three-day weekend in Eastern Washington where the sun is shinning and it actually feels like summer. I'm spending the long weekend camping with my family. My prodigal parents have just returned to Washington and Keith and I have joined them in the Yakima Valley for a wine tasting weekend. It is great to visit with my Mom and Dad whom I haven't seen since Christmas. It's been a wonderful weekend, sipping wine, eating great food, playing cards, relaxing, enjoying the sun and great company. It will be hard to go back to work on Tuesday. Retirement seems like a lot more fun.

The wine tasting in this region is wonderful. We visited five wineries yesterday and three more today. The fruit growing tradition is this area is strong and the valley has a welcoming, down-home, old farmhouse style ambiance. Not quite as charming as Napa Valley, but the tastings are generally free and the winemakers here have a pioneering spirit and make a quality product. We have sampled a wide array of wines and purchased a little bit of everything from dry to sweet whites, light to full-bodied reds, late harvest dessert wines and even some port. The most difficult decision I've had to make today is which bottle to open first! I love being on vacation.

Run Forrest, Run!!!!

This morning was the annual Kirkland Half Marathon. I'd like to claim that I completed the 13.1 miles, but I was not running (or even participating) in this morning's race. Instead, my role was support crew and cheering section for my brother who finished in spectacular time. Keith averaged just over 8 minutes per mile, which is even more impressive given the difficult course. If you know anything about the topography of Kirkland, think about going UP from the shores of Lake Washington to the top of Rose Hill at Lake Wa Tech College. That's a LOT of climbing to do!!!! All his training certainly paid off this morning. Maybe someday I'll get myself in shape enough to run a 1/2 M. Maybe...

Way to go KEITH. I hope you can walk up the stairs tomorrow.