We stopped in Seattle for a quick family visit on our way to Becky & Gary's wedding in Missoula. I rode up from Portland with Beth, while Brita flew in from her fundraiser in SF, and we hung out for a few days. We went for a bike ride, ran errands and made repairs at mom's house, and visited family.
One night we were all supposed to meet for dinner, and someone had the idea to eat at a place on Lake Union. Susanne wrote to say she was flying in from DC that morning, so I invited her to take a walk with me in the late afternoon and then join us all for supper.
Will called while Susanne and I were walking near the arboretum: Brita and mom were stuck in bridge traffic, and the restaurant was closed for a private party... maybe we should meet there anyway and have a drink nearby while we wait for other to arrive? Sure, I'm easy. Better we decide where else to eat in person than trying to do it in a series of 19 cell phone calls.
Janet had read in a magazine that a new bar had opened nearby, on a boat. That sounded like fun, so we decided to try to find it. Walking the docks, we saw no signs, but we eventually spotted the boat by name. It was an attractive wooden schooner, but it seemed an unlikely bar! the closer we got, the more skeptical I felt... How unlike Janet and Will is it to seek out a bar too new to even have a sign up?
As I stepped aboard, all was revealed. 20-odd friends and family members sprang into view and shouted "surprise!" It was classic, like in the movies: it had never occurred to me that a party had been planned. Mom and Brita and Beth had been there for hours, and Will and Janet had helped organize from the beginning, and Suzanne was in cahoots too. Ha!
It was a real treat: not only were my Portland and Seattle family members almost all there, but several Seattle friends I'd not have had time to visit also came out. Phil brought his wife and kids, who were a pleasure to meet and talk with. We left the dock immediately, eating a delicious picnic supper while cruising through the ship canal into Lake Washington. Once in open water, we set sail and travelled north on a gentle breeze for a couple hours before tacking to head home.
As the sun neared the horizon, the breeze picked up, and we had an hour or so of more serious sailing, with drinks tipping over and warm wind in our hair. Brita had gathered photos of me over the years from friends and family, and mom loaded them onto a digital picture frame so we could all see what I looked like at age 7, and Will raised a toast to the first of many "39th birthday" parties to come. Here are the photos of me that Brita gathered, and here are Will's and and Beth's and Chris' photo galleries from the evening.
We could not have asked for better weather, and I'm so grateful for my loving and fun-loving family and friends, my extra-sneaky Brita, and the beautiful land where we live. Thanks also to you who weren't able to join us, but who sent greetings and photos, and thanks to Erma and Bert, Mosulet's new parents, who sent me delicious treats from Waddinxween! We'll be at a friend's wedding on my actual birthday next week, but I can't think of a better way to have ushered in the second half (more or less) of my life.
