From Washington to Oregon and Back! Last Stop Seattle...

Daniel and Robin on the Hotel Balcony just above the Market
Seattle in the evening

The Market sign

Daniel enjoying the fresh air

Dinner at Chez Shea...
Oysters on the half shell topped with cucumber mignonette and

tomato & horseradish mignonette

Onion Cream Soup with Truffle Croutons

Trust Wine with Dinner

Seared Artisan Sonoma Foie Gras with Sweet and Sour Figs, Champagne Grapes, and Brioche Toast

Pan Seared Local Rockfish with Roasted Mini Potatoes, Cipollini Onions, Mama Lil's, Taggiasca Olives, and Lemon Sherry Butter

Painted Hills Natural Tenderloin of Beef with Green Beans, Baby Carrots, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, and a Demi Glace

Selection of Cheeses with home made crackers, honey soaked apricots, and candies pistachios

Pineapple Basil Sorbet

Fish Market

Hanging Veggies

No those are some Crabs!

LAST STOP SEATTLE

So our last stop on the week long tour of the North West was Seattle. We were only here for a day, but we could tell it was a place we would like to visit again. We walked around the market and then had another great dinner at Chez Shea. It was a french inspired menu with some wonderful twists. Our entire trip was amazing. We learned a lot about this part of the country and hope to someday be able to spend more time there.

From Washington to Oregon and Back! Third Stop Cannon Beach...

Daniel and Robin enjoying the beach
Haystack Rock

Daniel going to dip his toe in the cold cold water.

Low tide...there were hundreds of starfish waiting for the water to return

More starfish

These rocks are smaller and are known as the Needles

Daniel being crazy (really the water was like ice)

THIRD STOP CANNON BEACH

On our way from Portland to Seattle we decided to take a detour over to the coast to Cannon beach. We figured while we were on the west coast we would take advantage of having the car. Cannon beach is a tourist destination with interesting rock formations. We were there during low tide so we could walk right out to the rock. During low tide you can see all sorts of marine life including starfish, barnacles, sea urchin and more.

From Washington to Oregon and Back! Second Stop Portland...

Chinese Garden downtown Portland
Cup of Tea enjoyed in the Tea House

Daniel and his Oyster

Oysters and Beer!

Voodoo Doughnut Shop

the doughnut's we selected

Beast the Highlight of our stop in Portland

Spinach Veloute Bacon Fat & Cherry Tomato Jam

Charcuterie Plate: Foie-Gras Bon-Bon, Sauternes Gelee, Chicken Liver Mousse, Leaf Lard Cracker, Pork Pate En Croute, Aramagnac Poached Prune, Olympic Provisions Salami, Steak Tartare, Quail Egg Toast.

Carmen Ranch Petit Sirloin, Corn Pudding & Summer Chanterelles, Haricots Vert, Blue Cheese & Summer Savory Salsa

Heirloom Tomato & Smoked Fish Salad, Lemon Oil & Basil

Selection of Cheese with Anise & Fleur De Sel Shortbread, Bittersweet Farms Honey, Poached Apricot, Marcona Almonds

Chilled Fresh Cream Custard, Sylvan Blackberries & Black Pepper Tuille

SECOND STOP PORTLAND

After our amazing time at Youngberg Hill we traveled about an hour north to Portland to spend one day in the city. We hit all the hot spots including Beast. If any of you watch Top Chef Masters you may remember Naomi Pomeroy. She and her Sous Chef Mika Paredes have a small restaurant in Portland called Beast. There were two tables in the space and an open kitchen. We were in the late seating, once sat all we had to do is sit back and watch the masters work. It was an amazing experience and as you can see the menu above was fantastic! We hope to be able to go back again soon!

www.beastpdx.com

From Washington to Oregon and Back! First Stop Youngberg Hill...

Daniel and Robin at Youngberg Hill B&B
Youngberg Hill B&B
The view from our bed!
Daniel among the vines

Sunrise from our balcony

'07 Natasha Block Pinot...Yumm!

The Red Hills

From Vine to Bottle

sweet grapes

Tasting!

FIRST STOP YOUNGBERG HILL IN THE HEART OF PINOT WINE COUNTRY

After Ryan and Lyra's wedding we traveled down to Oregon, about an hour past Portland to the Willamette Valley. Atop a hill sits a quiet B&B called Youngberg Hill Vineyard & Inn. We had an amazing room with breathtaking views of the valley. We spent two days there, wine tasting and eating wonderful food. It was the perfect balance of relaxation and fun. We will always remember our time there and can't wait to go back.
http://www.youngberhill.com/

Ryan and Lyra's Wedding Sequim, WA

Daniel and Robin among the Lavender

Some of our favorite wedding pics
The Indy group

The Men and their Cigars

A little Dom to celebrate!

We recently traveled to Sequim Washington to celebrate the wedding of our good friends Ryan and Lyra, from Indianapolis. The Wedding couldn't have been more perfect, and it was so good to see our friends. It had been too long since we had all spent time together. Congratulations Ryan and Lyra!

Summer in our Back Yard

We have baby robin's...mom is about to feed him.

Mom and her baby

Oh how tiny he is.

It's been a few weeks...look how he has grown.

Handsome little teenager.

Standing on the edge of his nest...getting a little to brave for such a small guy.

A nice summer storm rolling in.

A butterfly on our neighbors butterfly bush.

This little squirrel is tired after spending all morning building her nest.

We are hoping this guy catches those pesky mosquitoes.

Our back yard has started to feel like a zoo will all the wild life we see everyday. We have caught some really great pictures and wanted to share. We hope you enjoy!