blog #8

blog #8 -- août 2007

I'd like to start this on-time publish of the August blog with a simple observation -- How ridiculously cool is Seattle,Washington? Furthermore, how cool are the humble inhabitants of this world-class city? I will admit up front, it will be very difficult for me to verbalize the emotions I have surrounding the events of August 2007. It was just...too good.

Yes -in case you didn't pick up on the foreshadowing of the Juillet blog, or the introduction above, Shannon and I spent most of the month of August with family and friends in the one and only Sea-town. Now, contrary to popular belief, this was not an obvious summer vacation choice for a couple living in France. In fact, of the 64,102,140 inhabitants of this country, I am willing to bet that approximately....2 of them spend the August vacances in Seattle. Why, on earth...with direct access to Italy, the Riviera, Provence, etc - would we travel 5,000 miles to spend our vacation in the good ol' Pacific NW? Ladies and Gentlemen, you're about to find out...

Whamm-o! Welcome back to God's Country...

Fenway - take notes. Not all ball-parks look like this...

Who said Seattle doesn't have stylish public transportation?

But we didn't just come home for the scenery - So let's start with pit-stop #1 - Family Johnson (aka Mom and Dad) and the completion of their newly-renovated palatial estate, nestled on the border of View Ridge and Hawthorne Hills. If you think I use terms like palatial too casually, consider the evidence that - after living in this house for over 15 years, I drove by it 4 times before realizing that it was the same one. Somewhat awkward asking your old neighborhood playmates - "Do you happen to know where Family Johnson lives?....Over there? No, that couldn't be it....."

Voila! Dining al-fresco now possible at Cafe Sooz...

The grand-opening ceremony was well attended by the whole Family J. With each family being spread across thousands of miles, these are rare opportunities for Christmas pictures, now only requiring 4 poses and 6 cameras. Don't be fooled by the picture composition - although Karsten (orange Harley trike) is trying to pass off for a part of the Laguna Beach brood, he is still Erika and Rich's...

Kid's night out! There are several mandatory requirements for trips back to Seattle. The first is comsuming a set of "must-eat dishes" ranging from the classic Dick's Deluxe to Wild-Boar Tenderloin at Volterra. Another requirement is quality time in the city of Ballard, Washington (be patient Ballard-aficionados, someday she will be free again). And wouldn't you know it, we knocked out two requirements in one night - special thanks to babysitters Mom and Dad for enabling this critical success factor.

I might add that some of those "must-eat" items come from one very special kitchen in Greenlake - which is the home of Rich and Carol Bettesworth. Believe it or not, on the Bettesworth family frontier we also had perfect 100% attendance with Anne back from Washington DC. Again, it was Christmas card picture time (preview below - credit Jack Bettesworth). I must confess, I accept full responsibility for the photo not taking advantage of any natural light...something having to do with me not getting home from work due to my newly added responsibility of changing tires on 520...You never know, this night-vision-esque concept could be a trend-setter!

You wouldn't know it from looking at her, but Rachel Blake (middle, previous experience includes '03 Johnson bridesmaid) is having a boy - which put an "international coalition of the willing" in action to organize a Seattle baby shower. Coalition members Alison Dykstra (left, previous experience includes '03 Johnson bridesmaid, '05 Blake bridesmaid) and Shannon (right, previous experience include '03 Johnson bride, '05 Blake bridesmaid) pictured alongside the honored "prego"...

And while all of this was no small potatoes, let's be clear that we are about to enter the Prime-Rib of August Vacation 2007 -- a little tradition in its 3rd year, known to many as simply "Lake Chelan", but known to the audience below as "operation: HARD CORE".

Why Hard Core? One must appreciate that no average-vacationer can live up to standards of what is required to survive one week in Chelan: the post-wakeboarding shoulder aches, the penetrating sun-burn, and most grueling of all - the stretching of the belly to accomodate a week of exquisite, home-cooked gourmet meals. Let's face it - not everyone can do what it takes to experience complete, un-adulterated bliss. But these people can...

"The Men of Chelan County" - August pose. Ty Pendergraft (left), with a classic boat-driving hard-core pose. David Totten (right), not giving a hard core pose, but rather shaking water out of his ear. Moi (background), hard-core pose blocked by Ty's shoulder.

Cheers! Now it's time to meet the other members of the cast, naturally over flank steak and pesto: Treva Totten (bottom-right, aka "the DIVA"), Haley Pendergraft (middle), Shannon (not pictured, but she's not bitter about it - trust me), and wait a minute...who is this new addition on Ty's lap? Ahh - that is the little man first featured in the RC pic of the week last winter - Luke Tyler Pendergraft (6 months).

Not that I would leave you guys hanging with a little photo like that - here is your chance to view the full specifications of the little man up close...He's strong, healthy, has an appreciation for Bob Marley, and almost seems to say "Mom, Dad - seriously, I can do Hard Core too.."

Alright, alright - one more! This time a Pender family pic - Luke showing off a tummy almost sculpted to perfection to mirror his Uncle Lars....

Enough of this baby stuff though - We had work to do. It's worth noting that I didn't so much classify this as a "vacation," but rather a 7-day shoot for the upcoming premiere of the low-budget documentary called "Chelan - you are so beautiful, to me..yes it's true..." We should be wrapping up post-production in three months, just in time for the holiday rush. In the meantime, please find some teaser still-photos, this one featuring Xtreme Pender looking confident on the wakeboard, the captain looking...not so confident. Note: this picture has been cropped for the protection of Rue Cassette readers.

Ahh...poolside memories. Shannon didn't so much pick up on the "springing tiger" theme of the photo...Neither did the lady "playing dead" in the background (note to self: cast more motivated extras)...

Ahh...lawnside memories. You can really sense the tension of the lawn-bowling competition...

Chelan Top Innovation of 2007! What is more of a necessity while boating than a pit-stop at a mid-lake, pirate-themed floating bar? This first-of-its-kind creation, called the Twisted Pearl became an instant favorite. It shocked me to discover that I was their first french-resident visitor - this is the type of monument that should put our state on the tourism map...

You think you know the true meaning of aperitifs "on the lake?" Not until your first round on "the Pearl"...

Forgot your credit card? Arghhhh, you'll be walking the plank (after signing a waiver, of course)...

And while tears were shed upon our departure from such a successful Prime Rib portion of the vacation, there wasn't too much reason for sorrow. In caravan fashion, the Pearl crowd pictured above drove straight to another Northwest landmark leisure spot - Cannon Beach, Oregon to attend our friends Alison & Turner's wedding.

And what a way to meet the wedding attendees! On the night before the wedding, the bride and groom hosted a fabulous BBQ / bonfire on the beach combo event. Predictably, the BBQ turned into a bit of an overcrowded flip-cup competition (minimally 10 vs. 10)-- which is basically the most efficient, socially approved mechanism for introducing friends across cohorts. You may recognize some familiar faces playing for the "home team" (left) - Kasey and Tyler Free, David Totten, and the face of fury (me). You may not recognize the poor members of the team that we handed a decisive 5-2 beating...

The wedding crowd cleans up nicely. Recent Chelan grads with the addition of 2007 RC visitors Demetri and Ann (the couple in the center, for those of you not following the narrative very closely)...

Alison and Turner's wedding was Northwest picture perfect, set inside Haystack Gardens - from the garden ceremony...

To the candle-lit outdoor reception dinner and dance party. Here we find Ann and D enjoying some Chardonnay and a few laughs...

And Treva enjoying the company of some...Jamaican dude....

I promise this is the only 5 minute break we took from the dance floor...we LOVE a good NW wedding!

But before we hopped a Paris-bound flight - why stop at 2 great vacation spots, when we could add a third? Coincidentally, Shannon's family was enjoying their annual stay at Klipsan Beach - a short drive from where we attended the wedding. We couldn't resist a couple more days of...well, doing very little. Here you will find a view of the prime lodging at Klipsan Beach Cottages - which, over the years, has become a second home for the Bettesworths.

In 40 years of marriage, these two have learned a thing or two about relaxation....

Beach + Man + German Beer = Serenity, re-defined...the re-occuring theme of our fabulous visit home.

Back in P-town (sorry Portland, but Paris is just slightly more relevant these days), we had visitors on the mind - as "the OC Johnsons" - Bjorn, Krysia and one special 15-month-old European Traveler Wynne Elizabeth were waiting in the wings!

You are in Paris - strike a pose!

Our adorable niece, Wynne, was a huge hit all-around....well, except to one family member. While Wynne was unbelievably fascinated with Ole, perhaps the feeling was not mutual...

I couldn't help but introduce my niece to Paris' most irresistable temptations - namely, Nutella-flavored gelato from Amorino. Let's just say, due to Amorino, her first official word is "more"...

Weekend Trip! With Wynne being such an angelic and portable guest, we decided to test the waters a bit more, with a weekend trip to Bruges in Belgium. Not knowing how to describe this place succinctly, I turn to my close friend Rick Steves, who calls Bruges "a heavyweight sight-seeing destination, as well as a joy". He then mentions the notable characteristics of this town - "Where else can you ride a bike along a canal, munch mussels and wash them down with the world's best beer, savor heavenly chocolate..." okay Rick, you've got me. Where do I get train tickets?

With Bruges minutes away, I thought I was a lock for Uncle of the Year - although Wynne seems slightly unsure....

As promised - impressive town squares filled with lazy cafes and medieval architecture...

Quaint canals that one can tour by boat (with proof that we did so...)

The Gents - both highly critical beer judges after being raised on German Pils and Weissbier. From the faces, the Belgian varieties are passing the test...

The Ladies - equally content with the Bruges life...

Wynne - never again to return to domestic light beer after this momentous event...

And while I cannot claim credit for planning the following, I can take credit for having good luck. The weekend that we visited Bruges turned out to be their highly-anticipated pageant (we translated this to the more familiar parade), that takes place once every 5 years! Seats lined all the major streets of the town, in order to see the decorated costumes and floats up-close. Notable sights included this viking ship (which sadly, we were not recruited to play a role):

It seemed that nearly every local townsperson played a part in this 2 hour parade - from the old gents above to the young boys in wigs...

And here is Shannon and I playing our parts as American tourists (a highly coveted role)...

And since one cannot leave Bruges empty-handed, I stepped inside one of the premiere chocalate shops for a To-Go order. Photographers note: Displayed on the right wall of the shop is, I swear, a family Christmas card from Rick Steves. Yes, Bruges is sacred ground.

Before you know it, the OC Johnsons were departing for a one-week adventure in Greece, in order to 1) attend a Santorini wedding, and 2) get some great Christmas card material (mission accomplished!). I offer you today only one preview picture from their Greece album, specifically Wynne's Sunset Santorini shoot. For the rest of their pics, check out Bjorn's MSN Photo album.

But if all good things must come to an end, I think they should end with a Sunet picnic on the Champ du Mars, with the glorious backdrop of Eify.

The ladies - a final, classic sunset "J'adore Paris" pose...

The gents - a final, classic sunset "Je suis le tigre" pose...(this is becoming a RC blog theme, apparently...)

And then there were only two! Left to enjoy the remaining days of summer, and to create a page full of memories for the Septembre blog. We'll see you there!

-Je habite-----------------J'apprends-----------------Je mange-------------------Je bois---------------------J'adore-