CK’s aunt and uncle, Leslie and Bob, were incredibly kind and let us stay with them last weekend at their charming storybook like home by the ocean. I absolutely love this house and was thrilled to have the opportunity to wake up on an honest to goodness sunny morning and have sparkling blue water be the first thing that I saw from the window in our guest room.

It was hard to be away from Watson and I knew he was in Anna’s very capable hands while we were out of town, but I still missed my little guy. However, their gorgeous rag doll kitty, Paris, did an admirable job bewitching me with her crystal clear eyes and adorable stunts including the ability to drink from the sink and beg for treats. Watson could definitely learn a thing or two from cousin Paris.

This shaded table on the patio is where we spent the majority of our time when we weren’t in the water of course. At low tide you can walk right out onto the little island in front of the house and swim or sunbathe. I honestly can’t imagine a more perfect way to spend the day.

Leslie also has a number of lush flowers and vegetables planted throughout the property so we were treated to freshly picked salad greens and herbs all weekend. In addition, this regal purple patch of lavender is so covered in honey bees gathering nectar that it appears to be alive.

I think what I liked the most about staying with Leslie and Bob was how casual and carefree I felt. We sat around in bathing suits and sun block with messy hair and it felt extremely easy and natural. You definitely can’t say that very often about day-to-day life.

On Saturday evening after the sun set we were treated to two fireworks displays. One from the town of Niantic and the other from a neighborhood family celebrating a wedding. Then we drank Sam Adam’s Summer Ale and ate hamburgers and hot dogs. Isn’t it amazing how perfect everything tastes after a long day relaxing in the sun? I honestly can’t remember the last time I was so completely relaxed. I’m quite certain that my “happy place” will also be by the sea.

Any idea where CK and I took this picture while we were in Seattle?

Image taken while on the fabulous Seattle Underground Tour.
Don’t Worry! There are more to come.

On Thursday, CK and I took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island. I channeled my inner Meredith Grey while sipping an amazing White Mocha and getting a huge kick out of checking our location on the iPhone GPS. Look guys! We’re surrounded by water. Please ignore the fact that I am in desperate need of a manicure.  Unfortunately, shortly after my shiny happy ferry ride began a seagull went to the bathroom on my head. Best of all? I didn’t notice it until we got to the restaurant we were having lunch at. Birds are evil.

Look! I actually smiled. This is pretty much how I felt in Seattle every day. I can’t remember the last time I was outside in the fresh air for so long. We walked everywhere. It was so awesome to not be stuffed on the T or trapped in my windowless office. PS: like my new glasses?

This was the view from our hotel room on the 17th floor of the Westin. There are about a million floors in this circular hotel, including those that featured water views, but I think our view was pretty fabulous anyway. We were told by quite a few people not to stay at The Westin, but Chris and I actually got an amazing “name your price” deal on priceline.com so we threw caution to the wind.

In the end the beds were super comfortable, the rooms were very clean, and the location was perfect for all of our toursity whims. Our only complaint was that there wasn’t free in-room wireless access and the wired connection in our room didn’t work at all. Thankfully Chris’s co-worker let us use his laptop cell phone card (Chris says it’s called an EVDO card) so we weren’t completely internet deprived. In addition, there was free wireless access in the lobby of the Westin. So in the afternoons we usually went downstairs, had a few drinks, and caught up on emails and our respective Google Reader addictions.