We spent last weekend in the Prosser/Sunnyside/Yakima Valley of Washington with great friends. We planned this trip months ago & were counting down the days until we could all get away & have a 'friends' reunion. Katie & Tom live in Spokane, so we thought we would meet each other halfway in Yakima. The plan: stay at a B&B, eat lots of good food, visit wineries & catch up with one another!
Fun fact: We have known Katie & Tom for 16 years!☺ Katie & I met through Clark County Indoor Play Park & Omid and Tom knew each other from work. Katie & Tom moved their family to Spokane 7 years ago.
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This was the view in sunny Goldendale, Washington. We left the rain behind in Camas.
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I texted Katie every now & then with an update to where we were in WA. She did the same.
We arrived at the B&B within ten minutes of each other!
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| First minute together! A perfect photo opportunity.☺ |
After getting settled in our rooms, we met in Katie & Tom's room for cocktails. After that, we moved outside so Omid could make us dinner. He made Persian jujeh kebab, mast-o-khiar & rice with tahdig. The B&B had a large patio area, so we took advantage of that.
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Tom & Omid discussing the finer points of grilling 'old school.' Then....Tom showing off his 'tiny fork!'
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Fun fact: We are ALL WSU Coug Alum!☺ Go Cougs!!!
We invited other guests at the B&B to join us, but each of them declined. A group of three older women were so scared of us, they scurried through the patio area & dashed in the back door. They wouldn't even make eye contact. We were sad!
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Happy birthday Lin!
Buttercream...just like you requested! |
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| This was the bed in Lin & Ward's room. Check out that dip! |
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Shake that thang!
Wait....Katie? You stole my thunder! |
We continued to have a lot of fun on the patio until 10:00 p.m., when we had to move it inside for 'quiet hours.'
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Awwww! Katie & Tom:
You two are so cute! |
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Lin & Ward - you two are cute too!
Why is there no photo of Omid & I? Poor Omid had to go lie down.
So I took photos of my sweet friends.☺ |
Fun fact: This was the first time Omid & I had ever stayed at a B&B. I loved it! Nice digs & yummy farm breakfasts!
The next morning, we met at 9 a.m. for breakfast. I made sure to smile & make 'eye contact' with the three older ladies from the night before.☺ Breakfast was coffee, banana bread, butter & fresh half & half from a local dairy, potato hash, kale & mushroom quiche, asparagus quiche, bacon & Greek yogurt with crystallized honey. Good stuff!
The plan was for Saturday was to visit several wineries. We picked a few on the map & actually visited five. The first winery, Omid & I dumped every single pour. The wine was so new, it tasted like vinegar to us. The second winery was run by former Cougs (GO COUGS!). Their wine was better than the first, but Omid & I still didn't want to purchase any. Next we visited another that had a good Riesling, but I have had better (stay with me here...it gets better!).
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| Girlfriends!♥ |
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| Love these photo bombing pictures of Katie! |
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| Gorgeous Prosser, WA scenery! |
Finally, we visited a winery that Omid & Ward had visited before & made friends with the owners. Ground squirrels in the area eat the roots of the grape vines, ruining the crops. Omid & Ward helped take care of the 'varmint' problem. This was my favorite winery of the weekend! It's called Pontin del Roza.
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I took this photo for 'planter' ideas!
I also loved the quote on the rock.☺ |
Pontin del Roza winery is the first winery that offered a dolcetto wine. I'd never had that before. It was good. But the wines that Omid & I really liked were their sangiovese, merlot & Riesling. Their Riesling tasted like sweet honey. I've never tasted a Riesling like that before. Absolutely delicious!
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| Finally, a 'couple shot!' |
The tasting room at Pontin del Roza is absolutely beautiful! It looked like something out of Sunset magazine. I loved every single touch that Scott & Dustin added to the room. I could live there. Seriously!
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Wine & a picnic lunch at Pontin del Roza winery.
Thanks for the lunch, Katie!☺ |
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Katie, Lin, Scott & me behind the bar at Pontin del Roza.
We felt special!☺ |
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| Friends: Old & new at Pontin del Roza winery. |
Just to let you know how much we loved Pontin del Roza winery: we spent almost two hours here! We felt completely at home. I loved talking about the finer points of 'Shahs of Sunset' with Scott & Dustin. They weren't aware that Omid is Persian, but soon found out. So much fun! ☺
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Omid & Ward playing bocce ball at Pontin del Roza.
When we first drove up, I thought this was a Zen garden.☺ |
We finally said our 'goodbyes' & headed to one more tasting room. This last place was awful! We were sure the employees were drinking. Tom paid for our tasting fees (Thanks, Tom!!), then they thought our group hadn't paid & other strange things were said. There were arguments among guests & insults traded as well. I couldn't wait to leave that place!
We finally left that tasting room & headed home so Ward could grill us tenderloin & scallops for dinner. After cleaning up, we all met in the dining room of the B&B and played several serious game of poker (all while listening (& singing to John Denver's greatest hits!). But first...Lin passed out dental picks for our teeth. Thanks to Katie for capturing the photos!
Lin was the big winner of the evening! I cashed out with $1. So much for my 'winning streak' at Christmas.
After playing poker, we hit the hay & met again for breakfast the next morning. On Sunday, we had croissant French toast, fresh whipped cream with pineapples & strawberries, steel cut oatmeal (which Omid & I each ate a 'bite to be polite", but we're still not oatmeal fans!), fruit plate and hearty sausages. Lin loved the steel cut oats. She took a heaping scoop & drowned it about 8 oz. of half & half. Wow!
After breakfast, we packed up & said our 'goodbyes.' I really didn't want the weekend to end. I had the best time catching up. It had been a year since we'd seen Katie & seven years since we'd all seen Tom. We decided to make this a yearly event. I am already looking forward to May 2014!
Fun fact: On our way home, Omid took us to the Legends Casino in Yakima so Lin could continue her winning streak. She didn't want to play poker, but played the slots instead. Did she win? Yes! Upwards of $30! Good job, Lin!☺
Surprise to us: this casino was 'dry.' No alcohol allowed on the premises. But...smoking was allowed. I actually felt sick from all the cigarette smoke. Yuck! We walked in a 'blue haze' wherever we went.
I loved our weekend away! Special thanks to my Dad for coming down to take care of Matty & Remy. ♥
