Sunday, September 28, 2008

Jay & Jan's 31st Anniversary in Leavenworth, WA- Sept. 24, 2008

       We really did have a very fun, memorable time celebrating together in Leavenworth! I could 't ask for a better husband. He takes care of my every need & is always trying to find ways to please me & make me happy. I know he really loves me when he is willing to do those things that he detests, like shopping, for instance. When we're together like this, it makes me feel like I can conquer the world & I don't have to think about all those things that cause me worry & stress. He is my protector & 'knight in shining armor'. I sure do LOVE him!!

For our anniversary dinner, we opted for a nice garden salad, hot bread, good ole American beef steak & lobster, with asparagus & a baked potato with all the trimmings. We finished by having some sparkling cider & some German chocolate & carrot cake back in our hotel room. We had rented the movie, 'Sentinel' to watch, before we finished off our evening together.


Before going to dinner at the very nice Katzenjammers restaurant right across the street, Jay surprised me with some nice diamond earrings! We also gave cards to each other to read & ponder & reminisce over our 31 years together & what brought us together, how our love has grown & what has kept that love alive for so many years. It's times like these when we can get away & concentrate on making each other happy, that makes a big difference in the 'rat race' of life. My present to Jay was arranging this getaway for us to be alone, together.
After our hike, we went back to the hotel, ate a bite, rested & then did a little shopping in some of the little stores pictured on this street & beyond. Our hotel was only about a block south of main street shopping. We bought a couple of tapestries, one of them for our cabin & then looked at a 'willow creek' anniversary carving that we are going to give to each other. No luck in finding my sign.

Driving south on Ski Hill Dr., we passed some nice homes on some acres with horses & a nice view & the home above has a fun sign that I've been trying to find. (Between the 'Dead End' & 'Cat Crossing' signs, it says, 'Slow Grandparents at Play'). Click on the picture to read it.




The path near the top of the hill where we took the next two pictures overlooking different parts of the Leavenworth valley. Jay in the first picture and Jan in the second.

Next we drove to the Leavenworth Ski Area on the north side of town. We started walking on a path dotted with workout spots to do various types of exercises. The picture above shows the bars & instructions for doing chin-ups or whatever. First time I've seen something like this in the mountains.
We both took a few minutes to try out the swings in the playground area. You can see the edge of the lake in the background.

On the morning of our anniversary the next day, a kind lady walking her dog took our picture overlooking the scenic Leavenworth Lake, a few miles from town. We pretty much had the area to ourselves. We took a little hike through some trees, watched some squirrels playing & jumping from tree to tree and got a picture of some leaves starting to change color, pictured above.

On our first night, we ate at a German restaurant called, the Baren Haus (Bear House). Jay & I both tried some German dishes. Jay had Sauerbraten, (beef cooked a special German way). My plate is pictured above (Beef Roland-a mixture of rice, carrots, ? , in a special sauce rolled up in thin slices of beef & topped with gravy. We both had sauerkraut, cooked red cabbage, candied apples, & we tried a type of German pasta with egg & gravy. We enjoyed the meat, Jay likes sauerkraut, but it still tasted like I always remembered, which means I don't think I'll ever acquire a taste for it.

The Gazebo in the main little tourist shopping area. The picture above is on the street where most of the fun little shops are located. They are all required to build & decorate in the Bavarian style.

      A Bavarian looking mural painted on a motel. Other murals are seen around the village.


While walking down mainstreet, we passed a cool putting green & above Jay is looking down on the green with mountain goats eating grass just above it, next to the road.

    The next two pictures are of deer as we were leaving the park. We saw about five of them.
           Jan by another area of the river in the park.
A stroll through the park. Leaves changing color above Jay's head & light shining through on the path in the background.
          A scenic view taken from the bridge we are pictured on, below.
          Jay & I (Jan) & on the bridge crossing the Wenatchee river seen from our balcony.

           These next two views are from our 4th floor balcony.
After eating his waffles, Jay is reading up on all the adventurous things to do in Leavenworth.



          Our room # 401, is in the center on the top floor.



I just wanted to mention that last Sat. the 20th , we watched BYU football beat WYO 45-0, at our Country Mercantile in Pasco. They are now ranked 7th & 8th in the polls. Pretty Exciting!

Jay & I had a very nice anniversary in the little Bavarian Village of Leavenworth, about 2 1/2 hrs. from our home in Basin City. We arrived on Sept. 23rd and checked into our little studio apt. in the Blackbird Lodge overlooking Leavenworth Park & having a view of the picturesque Cascade mountains. (This area looks much like areas of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc.) A very fun atmosphere & lots of places to find German cuisine & crafts. We stayed two glorious nights & left on the 25th. The weather was perfect, brisk in the morning, but a nice 65-70 degrees for hiking at mid-day to afternoon.

1 comment:

Carl said...

What an awesome anniversary spot. I loved everything, but I would give my right arm for that putting green extravaganza/mtn. goat park in my yard. Of course it wouldn't be that much fun playing one armed.