A Weekend Getaway to the Pacific Northwest – Part 2

For the full story, be sure to check out Part 1.

After we finished our napping and got ourselves all gussied up, we headed north around Lake Union to the Skansonia, the ferry boat where Megan and Kristen’s wedding would be held.  Although we wandered around for just a bit, we finally found the right place.

Whew!  We found it!

Don’t we look lovely?

 There, we met our friends Ashleigh and Amanda, who were also in town for the wedding. 

Here we are!  That’s Ashleigh on the left and Amanda on the right.

The wedding ceremony was gorgeous – the flowers were beautiful, the setting was perfect, and the brides were radiant.  Additionally, it was nice and short, and that’s always a plus.*  Both ladies walked down the staircase from the second to the first floor of the boat, and each had her Mom and Dad escort her down the aisle.

Here comes Megan!

And here’s Kristen!

Both ladies wrote their own vows which were at turns touching and funny and were completely right for both of them.

Kristen, valiantly trying not to cry, while Megan reads her vows.

After the ceremony, we mingled on the deck, having cocktails and appetizers while we waited for the newlyweds to appear.  They eventually came back down to do the traditional first dance.

Hooray!  They’re married!

A gorgeous picture of the first dance, which I stole from one of Megan’s other friends on Facebook.

Seriously, isn’t that pretty?

Ashleigh sharing a hug with Megan’s Mom, Mary.

After the first dance, we retired inside the covered part of the ferry to eat dinner, listen to the moving toasts, and dance the night away.

Hooray!  Dinner!

This picture also stolen from someone else on Facebook!

Our three ladies!

Eventually, the dancing ended, and the newlyweds made their escape.  The families handed out maracas, which we used to wish them well on their honeymoon in Belize and their life together.

Maracas!

Ashleigh and Amanda did us a solid by driving us back to the hotel,** and we both tuckered out pretty quickly.  The next morning, I once again woke up before Chris,*** so I retired to a quiet spot to work on class and read a bit more.  I also viewed the solid evidence of the unhappiness my feet were feeling from an evening of dancing in fancy shoes.

Unhappy feets.

Once Chris awoke, we headed back out to Portage Bay Café for another breakfast, stopping along the way at a neighborhood coffee shop for coffee and chai.  The day before at Portage Bay, we’d sampled the savory side of the menu, but we decided to go sweet on our last day in Seattle.  Chris had French toast, and I had pancakes, which allowed us to make us of the breakfast sweet bar for which the café is known.  Imagine huge bowls of fruit, fresh whipped cream, syrups, etc.  It was pretty epic.

Mmm…caffeine.

That’s a lot of breakfast!

After breakfast, we wandered the Lake Union area for a bit, taking some snaps along the way.

Woah!  There’s the Space Needle!

One of Harley’s cousins?

We found this cat saying hi to us from inside the front lobby of an apartment building.

He seems friendly.

Another shot of the Space Needle.

You can sort of see the EMP (Experience Music Project) peeking in from the right side,

beyond the trees.

We headed back to Lake Union to Lake Union Park, which had a few interesting exhibits we could see to kill some time before our flight.  We were originally going to stop at the Center for Wooden Boats, but it was of such a size that it didn’t look like it would take too long to tour.

I mean, come on, it’s barely bigger than Chris!

Instead, we visited the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), also in Lake Union Park.  The Museum was setting up for a family skateboarding exhibit, but since we arrived early, the Museum itself wasn’t too crowded.  The Museum shared the history of Seattle, from Native American settlements to gold rushers pushing west to the counterculture scene of the 60s and 70s.  Really interesting stuff.

I think someone may have a touch of dysentery.

The special exhibit at the Museum was on the history of chocolate, which was both fascinating and smelled delicious.

My every dream, fulfilled.

The top floor of the Museum also held a small exhibit on maritime history and trade.

Periscope up, mateys!

After the museum, we headed back toward the hotel, stopping at Cask and Trotter for lunch (good BBQ with several local microbrews on tap).  What a beautiful day – 72 and sunny; we didn’t really want to head back home.  The Cask was near the trolley stop, so we sat near the open windows and enjoyed the gorgeous weather while watching the trolleys roll by.

See?  Even the trolley is happy!

After that, we headed to the airport, then back home, which was rather uneventful.  Upon landing, I received a text from Megan and Kristen, thanking us for their wedding present.  For their gift, we brewed them an amber beer (think Fat Tire) and graced the label with their dog Espy.  We’re glad they liked it!

Congrats, ladies!

Later!

Amy

* But not as short as our wedding ceremony.  Six minutes from start to finish – I dare anyone to beat that.

** There was no way we were finding a cab from the dock of the Skansonia at 11pm at night.  We could find several other things there at that time, but a cab was not one of them.

*** Not as early this time!  Progress!