neusnews: 10th Anniversary

Tom and I met on a blind date in September 1996 (a golfing date to be specific on which I was so shaken up by almost getting a hole-in-one on Hole One that I promptly picked up my golf bag upside down and at least 50 balls that Peter had popped in from forays on the golf course in Wellington Hills and all of my golf clubs came pouring out onto the ground). We married almost five years later on August 18, 2001 in a wonderful outdoor wedding in West Seattle.

Now, ten years later we are still happily married and celebrated our anniversary with a trip to Roche Harbor where we stayed at the historic and sentimental (to me) Haro Hotel. We took the catamaran from Pier 69 on a perfectly clear summer morning through Deception Pass and around the San Juan islands to Friday Harbor. Where we had a pleasant lunch overlooking the harbor before setting out by bus to Roche Harbor. We spent a day on mopeds circumnavigating San Juan Island, swam in the pool, ate outside at the restaurant both nights in time for Colors (talk about a sentimental journey -- every summer we sailed to Roche Harbor with the kids and always had dinner out one night and always in time for Colors, which if you don't know is the taking down of the four flags -- US, Washington State, British and Canadian). We played bocce ball (Tom always won and he's not even Italian -- damn he's good) and strolled through the sculpture garden.

Standing in front of our hotel on the Siene first night of our honeymoon in Paris

Dinner in Paris, honeymoon September 10, 2001. The next day we would be thrust into another world when the twin towers came down and the U.S. was under siege.

Speeding up to the San Juans, Whidbey Island behind us, August 17, 2011

Going under the Deception Pass bridge

Entering Friday Harbor. I remember in the 70s heading in our sail boat looking forward to milk shapes at the soda fountain and a fresh supply of books at the book store. The town has changed. There are many more docks and a slew of people, but the UW Marine Science Lab is still there and it still feels laid back. Side story: To occupy two little kids, we bought Cherise and Peter finely meshed fish nets and they spent the day contently scooping up small tiny fish which we would then sell to the marine lab for a penny a piece. The lab in turn put them to good use extracting phosphorescence from them.