I've lived in California, Washington, Hawaii, Hong Kong, and Maryland (by time, longest to shortest). Although all of our things are in Rockville MD right now, I still feel more at home in Woodinville WA. It could just be that the east coast takes time to get used to, or that I'm back in the house that I grew up in, or that streets are so familiar that I don't need to even take GPS along.
Seattle is truly a beautiful place. Today it seemed as though Spring was just coming out from hibernation. There was a little bit of sun and a little bit of grey, but no rain or cold. Grandma took XX out for a walk to get the mail and XX didn't want to come back inside. After a nice nap, they went back out for another walk, up the hill to see the horses. Meanwhile, Alexis and I went down to Pike Place Market to get some crab. We went a little late so the market was emptying out. The last few stalls open were the cut flower stands. Alexis pointed out some flowers and stopped to smell them. I dug my nose into them too. The smell was so nice -it reminded me of when I used to work in a flower shop. On the way back home we crossed the bridge over Lake Washington. The sky here was especially blue, more so than I have ever seen in Maryland. There was plenty of snow on the mountains in the distance. I just took a deep breath and felt at home again.
But one part of home is hurting though. Our friend's restaurant is struggling. When Lynn opened Lynn's Bistro 8 years ago, I helped move in some old hotel tables that later became the ones used in the dining area. At their 1 year celebration, I poured drinks for many of her regulars. When I stopped in from college, I'd find time to steam clean her carpets. During a crisis moment, Paul and I reprinted all of her menus (in the car with an inverter powering a laptop and a printer!) just in time for dinner. Although I was never hired by Lynn, I wanted to help her succeed because besides being an amazing chef, she is an especially kind person. The food she makes doesn't just fill people up. She helps to make occasions special through her food. Our friends still talk about her food and chocolate mousse cake that were served at our wedding reception. She loves what she does, and only takes off a week or two each year for vacation. After a long night cooking, she'll cook again for her staff, and once she even stayed around to play and giggle with XX.
But business is down by about half and the restaurant might not last much longer. It's sad to witness the economy bullying someone you know. Home wouldn't feel the same if "Lynn's" weren't around.
I'm going to go tomorrow and here's what I'm getting:
Famous French onion soup
Spinach salad
Ribeye
Chocolate mousse cake
Stop by if you are in the Seattle area. Dave sent you.
