Chapter 4 – Its all about family

Hello Family, Friends, and Dear Readers. It does feel as if it has been a few minutes since I last wrote. The last couple of weeks has been more about reconnecting with family than true adventuring.

Our time in Yakima included a lot of time spent by Dale helping out his brother and mother,(Steve and Carol) and me spending a lot of time with my sister-in-law, Stephanie. I really needed a boost in the workout department, and I had a ball joining her at the local YMCA, joining classes for yoga, Zumba, and a fun Fit over 50 class that was full of music that took me straight back to my college days in the early 80s. IF ONLY I’d had a pair of leg warmers to take to the workouts….

So while I was catching up on “regular life” activities ( a daily workout, hiking, even Mah Jongg!), Dale had his chance to do his “help around the house”. Our Trilogy friends and neighbors will likely not be surprised. We were blessed to spend our time in Yakima during some of the best weather of the season.

Our next stop was Duvall and Woodinville, Washington. We had four nights at my sister and Bro-in-law’s, Carrie and Rob, driveway in Duvall. As idyllic as our stay in Cowiche, we shared our morning coffee watching “the boys” come for a visit. Lots of good conversation, walks with their dog Snickers, and of course, no visit there is complete without a wine tasting day. Small worlds experience, there are SO many tasting rooms to choose from, I don’t know how one finds a favorite. Carrie enjoys Fedilitas, so when we went in for our tasting, I was taken aback when the host said “I know you”. AS it turns out he did! Kevin Donahue, a colleague from my Boeing days, recognized me immediately. Its good to know I haven’t changed that much! Our chats about our post-Boeing lives made the tasting even more enjoyable than it would have been normally. We also stopped at Matthews Cellars. This had been my favorite winery since it was started by winemaker Matthew Loso launched the brand. It has new owners, and it took awhile before I was ready to try them again, but we had fun to returning for a tasting- I recommend their Claret!

We moved into Woodinville for some quality time with my mom, Karen. We found a Harvest Host in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood that was simply wonderful. 2 miles from the popular winery tasting rooms(including Matthews) and my mother’s place, it was so quiet you would never know. Again, a HUGE shoutout to Harvest Hosts! I bonded quickly with host Taisa over wineries, and they were lovely enough to gift us with a bottle from JM Cellars – which we happily uncorked for our last night in the area.

And that, Dear Readers, brings you up to date! Make sure to check out the Facebook post documenting our first leg of the Alaska adventure. our drive over WA Highway 20, for a quick visit to North Cascade National Park and ANOTHER NP Passport Stamp!

Till next time,

Lady Wanderingwise