The Weekend that Wasn't

What I didn't do this weekend:

• Haul Ash Bike Ride from Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville to Red Door Alehouse in Fremont and back
  
• Obama and Decemberists Rally in Portland
  
• Beat the Bridge running race near UW and Montlake
  
• Seattle International Film Festival
  
• Seattle Cheese Festival at Pike Place Market
  
• Tickets for the Moby show at Neumo's (too slow)
  
• The camping trip at Mount Rainier that we had planned
  
• Norwegian Constitution Day parade in Ballard
  
• Who knows what else? Everything was happening this weekend
  

That might sound like one hell of a lot of missed opportunity, but it was still one of the best weekends that I've had since I got back to Seattle. The weather was amazing -- bright and sunny and 80's -- and the city was absolutely glowing.

On Friday after work I biked to Golden Gardens Park to meet Jana and her UW friends. We drank (lots of very strong) mojitos, grilled burgers, and had a beach fire. I had never been to the park before, which I now know to be a criminal oversight. It is a great beach with incredible views of the Olympics. The sunset was amazing; it was like going out to the ocean in California without the hour-long drive. I was completely in love with Seattle that night, and it wasn't just the rum talking.

On Saturday we went househunting. After looking at lots of places in Wallingford and Green Lake, we tried one in Wedgwood that didn't look all that promising in pictures. The pictures lied. It was a great place on a dead-end street, right across from a park. We couldn't believe that it was still on the market. We put in a bid right away.

After some grocery shopping and homework, we headed out to another party. This one was with many of the same UW friends, but it was at a house instead of on the beach. We grilled kabobs, drank (lots of very strong) margaritas, and ended up dancing in the kitchen. (Yes, even I was dancing.) Other than getting slaughtered in foosball it was another great night. The weather was just so amazing, and the dog even got to enjoy the party (and the chicken masala).

On Sunday we made pancakes for brunch with the last of the blackberries from last fall. Afterward, we sat on the back step and read the paper and In Defense of Food. Lyra rolled in the grass and got her belly rubbed.

After sitting around a while and doing some school work, I realized that I needed to get my act together and rent some skis for Ski to Sea next weekend. I found nothing on the internet, so I started driving around town.

Nothing at Second Ascent (but the Ballard Farmer's Market was hopping), nothing at REI, nothing at Play It Again, and nothing at the mountaineering store between REI and Play It Again. I was headed home in dejection when I decided to try to run-down little bike and ski shop that I drive by most every day. They were selling their old rentals for $20 more than the one-day rental fee a place in Bellingham was charging. I got skis, boots, and poles for cheap. Perfect.

When I got home, we made one of our favorite Indian dishes and then heard that we got the house that we wanted. That was a perfect way to cap an awesome weekend. We watched a few episodes of The Office and went to bed very happy.