Saturday, September 29, 2007

Visitor

Photo by The Mister.

I have just finished up one of the best weeks i have ever had. One of my most favorite people flew all the way to Seattle to visit with me for a week, leaving her husband and children behind.

We went on a sailboat ride in Puget Sound on a glorious day.

We went hiking on three different days. The weather cooperated unexpectedly well and my friend ooh-ed and ah-ed over the incredible beauty we witnessed. I was thrilled to be able to share it with her.

We brought back wild blueberries from our last hike and ate them for breakfast the next day.

We went shopping at the tall girl's shop (we are both 6' tall) and were each able to find things that fit with long enough sleeves. We didn't fight over any of it.

We went downtown in search of ridiculously large shoes. Unsuccessfully, but that is beside the point.

We frightened a short waiter at an Italian restaurant. We probably frightened other people too. That was fun.

We talked about things both important and unimportant, from the nature of friendship to hair-coloring, or lack thereof.

We ate excellent food that we cooked together. I am completely comfortable having her as a co-cook. There was wine too, many bottles in fact.

The Mister and i dropped her off at the airport this morning. I shed a few tears as we drove away.

There are plans for next year, including both our spouses, whom i also adore.

29 comments:

TTQ said...

First!

I wish I had friends, nobody can come out and play with me.

I like scaring people, that's always fun.

To color or not to color, now that I'm in need of coloring I no longer color..when I didn't need to color I paid a gillion dollars since I was a teen to have any hair color that was not mine. I tried pulling out the grays but that got tiring (and the bald spot wasn't doing me any favors)..I'm hoping it turns stark white, like I was scared to death. That would be cool. Until then it is what it is.

Bob said...

so THATs why you weren't posting as much. good reason.

my best friend and I are planning our annual trip back to the college where we met. it has this annual celebration of it's founding and some years we see lots of people we went there with, some years not - but we always have a good time. This campus is in the hills of north georgia and it is beautiful up there.

It would be amusing to be around you two, looming over the populous.

Dick said...

Good friends are wonderful. The last two summers in a row a group of my friends from our high school years have managed to get together in Spokane where we grew up for a few days. It has been fun and I look forward to doing it again. Many of now stay in touch all year via email and occasional in person visits when one of us is in another's town.

I think that the older we get the more we value family and friends.

Anonymous said...

How wonderful. I'm glad you enjoyed such a great visit and are looking forward to another.

flutter said...

what a wonderful trip

thailandchani said...

Sounds absolutely wonderful! :) So glad you were able to have that break.


Peace,

~Chani
http://thailandgal.blogspot.com

ms chica said...

Sounds like a lovely week. So you're saying the waiter was my height, right?

Anonymous said...

Sounds wonderful. My husband is going down to Seattle next week to pick up his new car.

Do you have shots of the hikes? I always enjoy some fine moutain scenery.

Anonymous said...

That is the BEST way to spend a week. Well, outside of a bed.

peevish said...

I'm very happy for you both, though it is sad not to get together more often, right? I'm bracing myself for such visits (and the subsequent departures) now that I've moved away from all my BFF's.

meno said...

ttq, i sometimes wish i had friends too, but then i realize that i do. I love scaring people with my height. No hair coloring here, i would like to say that it's a political statement, but i am just too lazy.

bob, yeh, i was busy having a fantastic time. I love that you have an annual trip with your friend. It is fun to watch people gawk at us. We pretend we don't notice, but we do.

dick, that is so true. I love my friends. They, and my family, are what makes life worth living.

de, sigh. i did. And i want more. Come and visit.

flutter, indeed.

chani, thank you.

ms. chica, hmmm, about that height, maybe less. I mean, he was Italian.

deb, to pick up a new car? Why Seattle? I didn't take a camera on any of these days, but here is a link to a post i wrote last year when the Mister and i went on one of the same hikes. The pictures are awesome.

nancy, i totally hate to say this, but it was better.

peevish, yes, you will be shedding tears at the airport too. But your friends are worth it.

AC said...

My girlfriend in South Dakota is ragging me to visit THIS WINTER. I don't have clothes for that kind of weather but she says, no problem. They have stores. They don't have sailboats though.

It is always wonderful to see her, and the years melt away. We've been best friends for 27 years though she moved away 22 years ago. I'm still a little miffed.

I'm happy for you.

Liv said...

Dad-gum it! I'm so jealous of any sort of getaway that involves a boat. I'm just glad you didn't go on a 3 hour tour.

Anonymous said...

Friends like that are what make life so sweet. My best friend is a far away one, too. I miss her, but we talk regularly and when we do see each other, it's nearly always absolutely fabulous.

Especially when I kick her arse in a heated game of wine-fueled Scrabble.

amusing said...

OH! OH! ME TOO! ME TOO!
I like sploshing over the waves!
I like wine and scaring short waiters!
I used to do "model nights" in NYC so can tell you wacky hair color stories!
Hiking? Wild blueberries? YES! And I'll even make MUFFINS!

Tink said...

I think since you have so much height, you can give me a little. Right? Maybe for Christmas...

Lynnea said...

to Amusing, if Meno doesn't take you up on the wine and muffins, I will. Come on up.
Meno, I'm so jealous - sailboating, shopping, talking it up and I'll bet there were cookies in there somewhere...just a guess.

Andrea Frazer said...

Meno, you are such a beautiful woman. That's all I have to say.

meno said...

ac, south dakota? In the middle of winter? I think not! I'm Still miffed at my friend for moving away too. :)

liv, actually (da dum) it WAS as 3 hour tour. Although it turned into 3 1/2.

jennifer, sweet is the right word. Wine-fueled scrabble sounds right up my alley.

amusing, if you weren't on the wrong damn coast! Last time i made scones, but just eating them was really best, as they are so sweet.

tink, sure, i'd toss about 2 inches your way, would that help?

maggie, there MIGHT have been cookies... or peach cobbler, with blueberries.

mamap, STOP IT, you are making me blush. Ahem. I mean, thank you.

Lynn said...

Oh man...it sounds idyllic. Hanging with a friend, who KNOWS you, I mean really knows you and still loves you 'warts and all', well, that's just the best;~)

Stucco said...

I tend to hear from my friends when they need something computer related. Does that make them real friends or something else like "acquaintances"? I've been here in Seattle almost a year (in a couple of weeks) and in that time, Schmoopie's had several friend visits, and I have had none (*one friend was here for work). Maybe that should tell me something?

You are fortunate in this regard.

Princess in Galoshes said...

Sounds like an awesome weekend. I think those types of trips have been some of the most intense experiences, in my life. It's like a cramming a year of college into a week-long visit. The highs, lows, bonding, etc.

Here's to getting to do it again, soon!

QT said...

That week sounds divine. Isn't it wonderful when you get to spend time with someone where it all just clicks, the flow is natural, and you enjoy the same things?

Susanne said...

How great that you had so much fun. And you even like cooking with her? Amazing.

sari said...

Sounds wonderful, I'm so glad you had such a good time!

urban-urchin said...

what a cool weekend. One of my oldest friends was in town a couple of weeks ago and it was marvelous. Something about someone just knowing you that well- that you can be entirely yourself and comfortable.

Glad you had such a great time.

Mother of Invention said...

That truly is friendship when you can just hang out and be yourselves. It's even better when the spouses can all do that. We just came off a cottage weekend with 4 couples and it was just like that. Very cool.

I'm 5'9" so can I come too?!!

meno said...

lynn, it was the best. Except that i have no warts. (cough cough)

stucco, i would say they are acquaintences. I think it might be even harder for men to make friends, at least that's what the Mister and i talk about. I AM fortunate.

wng, we had fun doing it!

princess, except that this was more fun and with more money than college.

qt, YES, yes, yes. and yes.

susanne, it is quite amazing, but we've been doing it together for many years, so we just get the flow.

sari, it was. :)

u-u, it was like that. I hope to continue hiking and cooking with my friend into my 80s.

moi, wow, 4 couples, and you all get along? That sounds divine. Yes, you can come and help up scare the locals!

Anonymous said...

there is no balm for the crap of like, quite like a good girlfriend. I'm glad you had a great time.