a traditional night in the Pacific Northwest...

(This photo is courtesy of Momma B and her trip to the Cascade Mts.)

So when Kenny announced that we would start our married lives in a small town of Washington state, I was less than pleased. Aren't those Washingtonians just a bunch of crunchy, granola people who wear sandal like shoes all the time (like my dad) and love on their trees a great deal? Well the truth is many are very crunchy, granola - but in a good way! There are lots of co-ops here that people join and get fresh, organic produce when it is in season. There are many organically filled cows and just down the road here, I could buy my own organic cow and have the freshest beef alive...

Now I had to start with that so you understand where we live. It is quaint; there are many farms; there are many people who dress casual at all times.

So last night we met up with some friends for a lovely dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in a town 45 minutes away called La Connor. This is also where the annual tulip festival resides. The restaurant is called Seeds and everything on the menu is organic and delicious. It even says in the menu that the cows you are about to eat are grass-fed cows. Now granted I ate a veggie burger, but everything there is delicious and nutritious (sort of) but at least organic - which is so pacific northwest.THEN Kenny and I raced back to the town Anacortes which is on the island north of our island to see a youth group kid of ours play at a local venue. THIS is where the night gets interesting...

We showed up to what is called the DOS or Department of Safety in Anacortes. See this special spot at www.departmentofsafety.com. It used to be a fire station, but now is the kind of place where Phoebe from Friends would gladly reside/play Smelly Cat every night. So we arrive, see our student, go sit in the "venue" which is filled with old couches which have lots of cuddly teenagers on them. We are obviously over-dressed in our leather jackets, dock marten's and lack of facial hair. Plus, we are not wearing sandals with socks or a beat up old beanie. Nonetheless, we are there to see our friend, so we stay. After the second act, I look at Kenny and say, "I don't know how much more of this I can take." These are the crunchy, granola to the tenth degree, and I am WAY out of my comfort zone. Then, this man in front of us who has had on his little backpack the whole time stands up...this is special so wait for it....

He is wearing a knitted sweater with BELUGA WHALES ON IT! this was the most special part of the evening next to the guy who got up and rapped about tea and that it comes from leaves, and then proceeded to tell us not to be bored because that would make him sad. It was special. VERY special. And only because of Kenny did I stay to see our student. She was awesome. She has a gorgeous voice and is 16 and had the guts to play solo in front of about 40 people - songs she had written! Listen to her here.

(This is not the whale sweater as it was too dark to take pictures, but imagine EVEN MORE whales on this sweater and there you have it!)

So to sum it up, it was an interesting and special experience, but eye-opening and great to hear the talents of such a wonderfully talented and kind young person. Phoebe Buffay would have loved it...