On the agenda today: Check out the church; get the lay of the land; help where we can; have fun.
We got up early, not quite as early as Marcie and family, got ready, left Marita's house, and headed for the church. It was a beautiful rainy day, Washington style. To me, Washington rain seems so refreshing. It is lovely, misty, small, sometimes never-ending, but sort of delicate. Montana rain is huge, hard, cold drops of water that a lot of times turn into snow, sleet, or hail, and can sometimes hurt when it hits you. I also had my new rain boots with me that, quite frankly, look pretty out of place in Montana about 90 percent of the time. But I love them, had to have them, really wanted to wear them, and secretly prayed for rain while in Washington so I could wear them for real. My prayers were answered. It rained all day. :)
As you know, we live for food. The plan was to head out, get down the road, find a great, fun place along the way to get something to eat (fish, oysters, etc.). Sort of kill two birds with one stone; find the church and find great food and fun.
We had seen the turnoff to Allyn, home of the Historic Allyn Church, as we were coming in the night before, but today, going the other direction, we missed it. We ended up all the way back to Purdy. There was also nowhere to eat from Lakebay to Purdy at 10:00 in the morning, so we were in a crisis. Why not pull into the grocery store, ask for directions, and maybe get a recommendation for food? Chris could wait in the car and Google directions to Allyn, as he is one of those that would rather catch on fire than ask for directions from a stranger. Not me; strangers become friends.
Debbie and Esther to the rescue: two lovely ladies employed by Harbor Wholesale Foods that just happened to be stocking shelves at the grocery store that day. I spotted them and knew our troubles were over. Sometimes you can just tell what people are made of. Some people look like their mission in life is to find and have fun. Some people look like they are 100 percent opposed to having fun, no matter what. I could tell Debbie and Esther belonged in the fun category. As luck would have it, Debbie has a house in Allyn, so she would be the perfect person to recommend a great place to eat.
Lennard K's Boat House Restaurant and Bar, here we come, where good times are on tap daily, according to their website. Debbie's recommendation: Monster Pizza and beer. We ended up ordering Caprese Pizza, Zach's Fish & Chips, Clam Chowder, Bloody Mary, local beer, and wine. While at the Boat House, we met Pat, the bartender, Gail and Mark, the owners, who, by the way, just happen to be from Whitefish, Montana, and Tom Sawyer, yes, Tom Sawyer, the chef, also sort of from Whitefish, Montana. We were thrilled with the restaurant, thrilled with the food, thrilled with the drinks, thrilled with our new friends, and the view was an added bonus, a simply breathtaking view of the water. I especially loved the clam chowder. Gail and Mark are the proud new owners of the Boat House. You can see Lennard K's rather large house from the restaurant, perched up on a hill. For some reason, I think he was probably of the fun category, even though I'd never met him. If you are ever in Allyn, you should stop in. Tell them I sent you. We said our see-you-later's, as we were pretty certain we would be back for breakfast on wedding day. Great start to this day.
We checked out the church. It was small, quaint, 100 years old, and cute as heck. Down at the water we found a really long pier/dock (don't know the difference) that would be great for photos. Chris took a few pictures around the area without any people. What a beautiful spot for a wedding.
Next stop: Alderbrook Resort
Friday and Saturday night, we (my sister, brother-in-law, Chris and I) would be staying at the very beautiful Alderbrook Resort in the town of Union. Our neighbor would be Bill Gates. Some people said he lived to the right of the resort, others, to the left. Who knows? We would worry about that when we actually checked in. The directions seemed fairly straightforward; a few miles down the road, then turn left; you can't miss it. As we were traveling down the road, after turning left, I noticed a sign on the side of the road. It said "Tarabochia". Guess what? That is my cousin's last name. Could it be that we drove right past the reception spot, which was next on our list to figure out? How many Tarabochias could be getting married and also had the bright idea of putting out a sign? We found Alderbrook, (you really can miss it) checked out Union, found the Robin Hood Restaurant & Pub that Gail and Mark had recommended, then headed back to see what that "Tarabochia" sign was all about. This was our lucky day. This was the reception spot. We now had the lay of the land. The only thing left to find was the freeway entrance to I-90 when it was time to go home.
Back to Cousin Dave's for dinner. By this time, Marcie had come down with the flu, and we really wanted her to be miserable in private. Chris and I would seek shelter elsewhere. We didn't have to look far. Down below Cousin Dave's house (which, by the way, has a view of Puget Sound out his very large bank of windows) sits Jay and Sue's house (which has an even closer view of the water), and they were kind enough to put us up for the night. It would appear that we are the relatives that everyone talks about; show up at mealtime and bedtime. We really had planned on taking care of ourselves as far as lodging. We typically just wing it. Whatever we find that looks fun will be a perfect spot. We want the freedom to stay or to go. That is how we travel, and so far, it has worked well for us. Our stay at Jay and Sue's was most enjoyable, very interesting, and we had a great time visiting with them, not to mention they have a really great, comfortable house. Both are retired school teachers, having taught 30 years in Alaska. Jay started his teaching career out in the bush, eventually ending up in more civilized, less remote, cities, after meeting and marrying Sue. Jay was a PE and 1st grade teacher, and Sue taught art. Great stay and great stories.
Singer/songwriter Meat Loaf says two out of three ain't bad, but I say three out of four ain't bad: check out the church (done), get the lay of the land (done), help where we can (sorry, tomorrow, I promise), have fun (done).
Two days down, two days until the wedding.
See you tomorrow.
"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." ~ Lao Tzu
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