OLA: Thrice Making it to Five!

top view of , my 2 dozen yellow roses from Bill!

our parting family shot in Calgary

It was hard leaving Calgary for we knew we couldn’t take Kai with us. But being able to take care of my fifth grandchild, albeit just for 5 weeks, has been wonderful. Come to think of it, I was able to oversee the care of Krishna until she was 10 and Yeye until she was 6, fully baby-sit Kenji until he was two and Enzo until he was four months. In just 2 years, I will most probably be taking care of my sixth, April’s (she says she will have only 1), and I will have no more unfinished business as a grandparent. But then I may be given the chance for great grandparenthood next! Wonder if I will make it to 5 then, too?

final Canadian scenery

We left Calgary at 8:30 AM Mountain Time and arrived in Seattle at 9:30 PM Pacific Time, all of 14 hours accounting for time change. It was supposed to be 11 ½ hours but we had three stops: the Port of Entry border inspection, lunch, and dinner. So it wasn’t that bad for Krishna and me but it must have been very tiring for Bill. Krishna slept most of the way and I finished 2 more chapters of editing my book (3 left to go and the manuscript finally goes to my editor)!

The fly in the ointment is the used Saturn we brought in from Canada. But let me talk about this continuing saga next post because it isn't resolved yet! Hopefully, in the next couple of days we will be able to drive on to Suzanne's home in Denver! We have had to skip the visit to Jim's family in Boise!

Yeye's 17th birthday and Krishna's send-off PARTY!

view of Mt. Rainier and the Sound from the deck of the Zderics

The good thing is that we were able to attend Krishna’s send-of party and Yeye’s 17^th birthday party on Saturday evening and had a restful Sunday, prepared for any new challenges in the saga of the car. Plus we were able to visit the Zderics at their new house on Bremerton on the Sound. What a lovely home and dinner Irene and Fred had waiting for us. We even were able to see my good friend Fides Alviar for lunch n Sunday. And Krishna, my First Apo, treated Yeye and I to a sushi lunch!

Krishna's birthday treat for Yeye and grandma with her short white hair!

Madison Park Conservatory Signature Event

But the third 5 is this...Bill and I have just made it to 5 years! It was at 8 PM, August 8, 2008 (8888) was when we, sailing aboard Champagne Lady on Lake Union with 65 guests on board, said our ‘I Dos!’ It has literally been a long road from then until now. Bill surprised me with 2 dozen yellow roses! Then we had a special cocktail reception and four-course dinner with 19 other couples, a Visa Signature Event at the Madison Park Conservatory on the Seattle waterfront at 43rd Avenue East. 

It was sponsored by Bank of America, Alaska Airlines, Madison Park Conservatory, and Lost Canyon Winery in Sonoma Valley, California for Visa Signature cardholders.  Raw oysters, foie de gras, prosciutto ham, curried beef tongue, and baked brie with special bread and champagne filled the reception table. Dinner started with a special vichysoisse, then melon cucumber salad for me and heirloom tomato salad for Bill, quickly followed by a crispy prawn aperitif. An orzo dish baked with cheese and spices was served family style just prior to the petite fillet mignons. For dessert it was chocolat pans, berries, and cream.

with MJ and Ron at the Visa Signature Event

Chef Mahoney talked about everything he was serving us.  And winemaker Brad explained at tableside all the wine pairings, the Chardonnay for the salads, the Pinot Noir for the orzo and the heavier Pinot Noir for the steaks. But the best thing was that we sat with a very interesting couple, Ron of the Ophthalmology Center in Harbor View Hospital (and a chef himself) and Mary Jo, a bacteriologist from the biotech firm that makes hemostatin. Thus we had the perfect ambience: excellent hosts, new friends, good food, and great wines by the Sound! Bill couldn’t have asked for more. Neither can I, actually.