Babymooning at Chateau Blueberry

When Clint and I planned our “Babymoon”, we realized that our budget and travel ambitions did not match. Since we aren’t the Federal government, we had to either find extra cash or trim our travel plans. We passed on the tropics and stayed at Chateau Blueberry.

We also decided that the best vacations (and stay-cations) all had three things in common: time, autonomy, and slothfulness.

 

TIME

We are both productive people.  But efficiency is the Stephen King of vacations—slow and sneaky until something precious is murdered.  We are not fans of murder (even of days).  Intentionally not scheduling each day allowed us to lavishly squander our hours.   

 Here are a few ways we did this:

-         Walking—not for exercise, but to master the art of hand-holding.  We strolled around the neighborhood, Greenlake, downtown, and Pikes Place.  As a reward for a bench sitting break at Alki, we saw a pod of whales pass us by. 

-         Staying in PJs all day and eating breakfast in the afternoon.  This was shocking…for us.

-         Loitering around Whidbey Island, enjoying the beach and sunshine.  Our stomachs were our only gauge of time, propelling us on to great cafes and eateries.

 

AUTONOMY

Our goal was to connect with each other by disconnecting from others.  We are blessed with rich community in the Seattle area, but prioritizing this time together was refreshing. 

Here is how this happened:

-         Columbia Tower--the best $8 we’ve spent at Starbucks, which bought a hot drinks and a smokin’ view of the city skyline.

-         Theo Chocolate Tour—we were twitching from the sugar rush by the end, but the chocolate was quality.  A highlight was Clint’s mandatory “beard-net”.    

-         Tulalip Casino—indoor smoking, fanny packs, and lack of natural light created a bleak feeling of despair.  This was the only event I regret.

 

 

 

SLOTHFULNESS!

There were no mints on our pillows at night, but we committed to not cleaning the house or cooking.  This left us with endless restaurants to sample.

Here are a few of note:

-         Fremont’s Paseos is only a step up from a food truck in atmosphere, but the sandwiches are worth it.  I suggest the Cuban roast on a baguette topped with caramelized onions. 

-         Lunchbox Laboratory—Nostalgia is served up deliciously (equal parts Heathfliff and Strawberry Shortcake), although the burgers are mediocre at best.

-         Bellevue’s Facing East—Well priced authentic Taiwanese fare.

-         Belle Epicurean has quaint French ambiance and serves Fonte coffee!

-         Sushiland—typical conveyor belt style sushi, but great service and tasty food.

 

As we prepare for sleepless nights and joyful busyness, this trip invited us to connect and be calm.  It was our favorite trip.

 

Out of the Blue…berry

We inherited a dear neighbor’s blueberry bush when she moved this spring, and with it came dreams of abundant berries.  On a crisp April morning, we planted the Patriot Blueberry in our yard.  I zealously pinned online recipes, waiting for the berries to leap from the bush.  The nomenclature of these desserts alone was alluring: scones, cake, strudel, bars, pie, crisp, muffins, cobbler, and a buckle (requiring a black belt in baking, I suppose).  We waited.  And waited.  With each week’s passing, my expectations diminished.  Last Saturday, I had no more patience.  We picked a few ounces of berries and decided to use them as pancake garnish pancakes.  Delish! 

Our (nearly) Priceless Wet Bar

What do a media room and library lounge typically lack?  A wet bar, of course.  To remedy this often oversight, we installed one.  What American can be bothered with a flight of stairs for a soda?  Not many.  In order to embrace the lazy American stereotype, we worked for months.  Unfortunately, our attempts to become slothful have utterly failed.  We must try harder to be idle!

-          Craigslist Cabinet: $50

-          Craigslist Stainless Steel Sink: $30

-          Rust-o-leum “Heirloom White” Spray-paint:  $5.32

-          Glulam bean:  $10/ft at Lowes = $60

-          Sikkens Wood Stain & Finish: free from the lovely Lamberts!

-          Craigslist Stainless Steel Mini-Fridge: $50

-          Hours of our weekend labor: $1,000,000 (We pay ourselves well, but the check is in the mail…)

-          A refreshing upstairs snack: priceless (actually $1,000,195.32)

Singing in the Rain

Walking into our bathroom was accompanied with an Alfred Hitchcock soundtrack when I first moved in to the Blueberry.  No amount of disinfectant or air freshening would rid this room of its creepy vibe. I could almost see the germs smirking at me from cracks in the poorly installed bathtub. Showering at the gym seemed the lesser of two evils.  We eventually gave up using it as a bathroom, and it became a makeshift laundry room instead.  Two years later, Clint worked his remodeling magic.  After gutting it, he redesigned the layout.  Clint installed the tub against the far wall, providing width to the room and opening up the space.

Now, instead of Hitchcock, we hear the chipper steps of Gene Kelly—dancing in the rain of our room. 

Led Zeppelin Steps

They must have had our house in mind when writing their climbing lyrics. Our original 1914 home had a second floor (rafters in the attic) only accessible by a rickety pull down ladder.  Clint fell through this hatch while working upstairs, and we then realized that permanent stairs were needed.  After months of geometric carpentry, the stairs were complete!  I polished them off with a few coats of paint.  We pieced together the railing from Second Use, a vintage salvage shop in Seattle.  What will you find upstairs? Page, Bonham, Plant, and Jones rocking 80s hits…on Guitar Hero. 

A Charlie Brown Christmas

After our drawn-out floor staining process, we were exhausted. Christmas Eve morning, we stumbled into Starbucks for piping hot cocoa and warm conversation. We recapped the week in a series of play-by-plays about the coats of stain and the accompanying nights that never ended. Then Clint announced his plan to pick out a Christmas tree! We drove to his family’s property in Carnation and trudged around in the rain until we found the perfect (for us) tree. Its small size made it easy to cut and carry. My dear husband also surprised me with ornaments, strings of lights, and stockings at home. Our tired bodies were energized, and we decorated in a frenzy before falling asleep atop our new floors and under the twinkle of lights. Some would call our Christmas Eve decorating silly, but our tree and décor lasted well into February. Fire hazard? Perhaps. Fun? Absolutely.

Staining with the Beach Boys

“Little Saint Nick” lyrics are eternally tied to my memory of staining our fir floors. The week before Christmas, we patched, mended, and sanded spots needing extra attention. Then came meticulous vacuuming and washing until not a speck of dust remained. Blaring Christmas classics was our secret to sanity. The actualy staining process scheduled for 3pm quickly became 9pm. Our progress became tied to the number of times Beach Boy ballads repeated on the radio. Finally, at 9:55, we brushed our first stroke of stain across the light wood. The floors instantly “popped” with vintage color. Our “wax on, wax off” method continued over every square foot. Our bags were packed and sitting near the door, as we made our way to the finish line. Although The Beach Boys provided numerous reminders that “Christmas comes this time each year,” staining floors will happen only once in a lifetime.