Seattle

Seattle, what a wonderful city! You of course by now have deduced that my flight to Seattle wasn't the most pleasant but, it was worth it! We stepped off the plane in Seattle, to a brisk September evening. I actually had to put on a coat, something that a Southerner never has to do in the month of September! I must say, it was a fabulous feeling. The twinge of fall in the air, the crisp breeze on my face, pure perfection!
We picked up our car, and drove straight into downtown Seattle. I was a bit worried that we would not catch the 8:15 ferry to Bainbridge Island, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Seattle is quaint city that lacks the loads of cars jammed in the streets that a city like New York or Chicago is filled with. We drove easily onto the ferry where we met my dearest sister-in-law Alli. 
The Washington air has worked wonders for her! She had rosy cheeks and a big smile on her face. Oh how wonderful it was to see her! Over the past few years, she and I have had many wonderful bonding experience. She was a trooper and helped me paint our new house, nearly top to bottom with no complaint! How I miss her!
Our ferry ride was chilly, but beautiful. We stood near the back of the ferry and watched the Seattle skyline slowly shrink as we crossed the ice cold water to Bainbridge Island. The 30 minute ride was filled with hugs, laughter, and lots of warm smiles-making the six hour flight a mere memory. We arrived in Bainbridge and drove through the beautiful town to our home for the next few days. Our dear friends, the owners of Fletcher Bay Winery, generously offered their loft apartment and guest house for our weekend stay. 
We woke up early on Friday morning and Alli took us on a hike down to her favorite beach. Though this was not your typical beach with sand and seashells, it was a green, vibrant hike down to a wonderfully private and oh so quiet beach that offers a magnificent view (as you can see from the pictures. We spent the remainder of Friday exploring Bainbridge Island. We had coffee at a local bakery, window shopped, visited a park for views of the beautiful and enormous Mt. Rainier and had lunch at the local "hot spot", 122 Winslow. I had a bowl of mouth wateringly perfect clam chowder. According to one of their cooks, they make a fresh batch of chowder every day and speaking from experience, I'll tell you it was fantastic. 
A brief side note, for those of you just joining me on my blog, I am a bit of a foodie. I LOVE food of all types, I love traveling, I adore shopping and I find cooking to be the most relaxing activity. For those of you who have been reading, I'll also offer this, soups, chowders, and stews are some of my favorite types of food. So, you can imagine how superb this bowl of chowder was! 
We wandered around Bainbridge and as we wandered we learned more and more about this fantastic island. The locals are very environmentally aware. They aim to be green, and their town perfectly reflects this with its clean streets, and beautiful gardens. Simply put, this chic little island reminded me of Nantucket, with a hippie flair. It is more relaxed, and a lot less "up-ity" than the fabulous Nantucket and I absolutely adored it! We thoroughly enjoyed our day in Bainbridge. We ended the evening back at 122 Winslow for drinks. It was packed with locals. We were able to meet several of Alli's friends and try Winslows fabulous mini-corn dogs with "fire cracker" sauce. Don't worry, I'll be experimenting and trying to recreate this recipe! They were fabulous. All in all, day one was a success. Now, I have blogged away this afternoon, and so I must take a break. I'll be back soon with something new, exciting, and just frivolous. I've got so much more to tell!

A Brief Lesson on Etiquette

To all of you Southern women out there who are familiar with the "bless her(or his) heart" expression then I'm quite sure you can appreciate where I'm going with this. I'm currently on an airplane 10,000 ft above the ground headed to Seattle, WA filled with "bless their hearts" types of people. That said, I'm not asking for sympathy but rather a brief moment of your time for a little etiquette lesson.

So here we go, for those of you out there who didn't have a charming Southern upbringing... take notes! When on an airplane I feel basic etiquette is most important so that you don't earn yourself any glares from your fellow passengers. The volume of your voice is very important. An airplane is a small space so there is no need to shout to your neighbor or tell stories to each other loudly enough for the people in front or behind you to hear. And my OH my you should never yell across the aisle to the guy who just purchased wifi to ask him to check the flight tracker to see where we are. Bless your heart, sir. If you want to know where we are use your laptop (the one you currently have on your tray table) to purchase your own wifi and check the status of our flight. Leave the nice man in his window seat with his headphones on alone...because he is enjoying his flight unlike the people around you because of your incessant shouting.

Next airplane lesson...never EVER drink too much. I don't mean too much water...I mean those cute little mini bottles. No one enjoys sitting next to someone who smells of New Orleans after Mardi Gras for 5 minutes, much less 6 hours! Now, I for one think that drinking plenty of fluids is important, despite the fact that you might have to ask your neighbor to stand often so that you may visit the restroom (you should periodically move around the aircraft during your flight...so you're really helping your neighbor stay healthy on their flight)just be sure that your are hydrating with plenty of nonalcoholic beverages.

Food...a sore subject on airplanes I feel. If you bring your own, which is just about your only option now, choose something bland so as not to draw negative attention to your meal. For instance the Chinese food with onions and garlic across the aisle from me and what smells like fried oysters in front of me are a bit obnoxious. Some people have strong reactions to smells and though the airline keeps seats stocked with little bags for those who can't handle the turbulence, your food should not be the reason why that little bag gets used.

Well I feel like after this little lesson I should at least tell you about my trip! My sister-in-law, Alli moved to Seattle briefly after Adam and I were married. We've been dying to visit. So we're taking advantage of this long weekend and jetting across the country to beautiful Washington. I've never visited Washington and I am thrilled at the chance to hop on a plane and head to a new fun place. I'm ready for cooler weather and mountains. I've packed a suitcase full of ever-classic cardigans and some of my fall favorites like my Banana Republic leather jacket that I called all over the country to find and my favorite skinny citizens oh fall! I am ready!

We're going to wine and dine, hike, tour, and shop, and I can't wait for the exploring to begin. We're staying with some family friends who own a vineyard and produce their own wine. I'm going to try and learn as much as I can about the process! Get ready for pictures, stories, and a couples of fun reads!

Have safe and happy long weekend and remember as you fly to your Ritzy vacation spots to be on your best behavior...you never know when a Southern belle with a knack for etiquette is sitting in the seat beside you. Cheers!