TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY

Last week I mentioned that Linda and I would celebrate 20 years of being together on November 9th. We decided to celebrate by going out to lunch at our current favorite restaurant, Provisions Restaurant & Market. We had been there once before and really liked it, so we decided to go again.

Provisions Restaurant & Market

We went inside and were promptly seated at a nice table near the bar. The restaurant is decorated in the style that is common to most restaurants these days, with an open ceiling and slate-type floor. This makes for a noisy atmosphere, which is what most people enjoy. I would have preferred it to be a bit quieter, but that's just me. Right behind where we were sitting was the display of bottles and glasses above the bar, which was quite lovely.

Wine, anyone?

Since it was lunchtime, we did not partake in any adult beverages, but decided to save that celebration for "drinkiepoo" time since it was Friday. We checked out the menu and both of us decided to order something different from what we had last time. Linda went with the Greek Lamb Burger and I chose the Provisions Burger. Both of our sandwiches came with the most interesting take on French Fries that I have seen in a while. They were like curly ribbons. Of course, I had to get Fry Sauce with mine. It was absolutely delicious. I told Linda that it was the best hamburger I have had in a long time.

A huge, yummy burger

After a nice lunch (which we only ate half of because the sandwiches were so big), we went into the Market section to check out what they had to offer. We had briefly been in there the last time, but we wanted to look at it more closely.

A few of the local wines available

The shelves in the market are packed with specialty items having to do with cooking. They have a lot of gluten-free items to offer, plus plenty of salts, oils, spices, rubs, baking mixes, etc. We had a good time perusing the shelves.

Lots of items related to cooking!!

The Market also offers sandwiches made to order, so we decided that this would be a good place to get some for a picnic next spring. Since it is close to the Yakima Greenway and Arboretum, it will be very convenient.


Not only did we go out to lunch on Friday, but a couple of days before that we had our traditional coffee date at our favorite Starbucks.

Love the new Christmas cups!

We also received a few cards congratulating us on our 20-Year Anniversary. Of course we had to display them on our mantel.

It doesn't seem like it has been 20 years

After all the celebrating on Friday, we got up on Saturday morning to this. I know my friends back East are cringing.

"RealFeel 26"??  I don't think so

At least this gave me a good excuse to turn on the fireplace while we were having our morning coffee.

Warm & Toasty

FREEZING FOG

With the colder temperatures we have been increasingly having, the prospect for any moisture to turn into something other than water exists. On Monday when we got up we were treated to a most beautiful phenomenon that usually occurs around this time of year. Click on this link here to read an interesting article about how Freezing Fog occurs. The result of this phenomenon makes for some stunning pictures, as you can see below. I do not ever remember seeing this in North Carolina, so I guess it is because we are close to the mountains here, plus Yakima is at a much higher elevation than Lumberton.

Rosebud on the Dad rose (photo credit to Linda)

BirdsNest Spruce branches

Rose leaves

Another rosebud on the Dad rose

One thing I love about the Freezing Fog is that you can see all these little tiny strands of spider web that would otherwise be invisible. If you look closely, you can see a few in the pictures above.

ANOTHER PUZZLE BITES THE DUST

Last week on the blog we had just finished putting together one of the puzzles that Linda's sister brought us when she came to visit a few weeks ago. This past week we put together the other puzzle she brought. I don't think this one was as hard as the one of the deer, but it was still a lot of fun to do. This one was named "Frederick the Literate" from the Cats of Charles Wysocki collection of puzzles. Click on the link here to read an article about Charles Wysocki, written by his son, Matt.

Frederick the Literate

PARTING SHOT

Summer Girl is a little sweetie for the most part, although sometimes she can get on your nerves. Here she is doing just that because I have no idea what she wants!

That's all for this week, friends.  Join me again next week for another edition of Southerner in the Northwest!