My home town visit.

We ventured back to SEQUIM, my hometown this weekend.....The reason we went was for my baby brothers birthday.


My baby brother has turned 50....I can't believe it! The nerve....He's the youngest one in our family and....It seems that his turning 50 has affected me worse than MY OWN self turning 50! Why? I guess it's because this means that our entire family, all of my siblings are officially old!

Here we are: My DH and me, Baby Birthday Brother and wife (in middle) and our sister and her DH.

His wife put on a great 50th birthday party, where about 36 people attended to "roast" him as much as they could.

We had a great time, they were all nice and gracious people, UNTIL.... the poker game started....

Then, it was everyone for themselves!

I only lasted a short while....it seems all that playing online doesn't help if you don't have the luck of getting GOOD CARDS!

There were about 4 tables like this one set up, with two tables of fabulous food!

There was this older lady who had never played before, but had "studied" the rules before this party, one guy who (was ALL talk) claiming he's won thousands of dollars in vegas, and many others who play at the Elks every week. I didn't have a chance....BUT! the good news??? It was SOOO funny to watch the little older lady BEAT THEM ALL!! Ha! She got a trophy and a large cut of the pot (her share was $90!)

This day was lots of fun, but, it turns out the entire weekend was to be memorable for me.

My sister and I spent the first day browsing around the town that we grew up in, seeing many of the old "haunts" and we went back to the house we grew up in.

This made me cry...Not just because it brought back soooo many memories, but because we found that the new owners have let it go completely to pot! Or maybe that's meth....We're not sure. Very sad. They kept the drapes drawn all day on a beautiful day. We didn't even knock on the door to ask permission to take pictures,....they didn't even know we were stalking around snapping pictures. This house is in the middle of town, had always been kept in top condition, and my mom had lots of roses blooming.... Even tho it began as an old house, and my parents remodeled it at least two times that I remember. It ended up being a large 5 bedroom rambler that even confused most door to door salespeople. They'd go from one door to the other thinking they were knocking on a "duplex" or something. Ha!

We have always claimed we grew up in a fishbowl. Living in the middle of town, on a main corner and with lots of windows. Someone was ALWAYS driving by and honking, or stopping in for coffee.

I also took a picture to show you all, where my first kiss happened! Ha! It was right here, under this tree. Years later...I ran into this boy (we were both grown and married) and he said "You were always my Minnie, like on the Wonder Years Show?" Ha! I thought that was cute.

We took pictures of the front porch we played on as toddlers....

We photographed the "famous" Lilac Bushes that my mom had growing ALL along the back side of the house. Our bedrooms opened up to this hedge and in the summers, I remember waking up to the strong smell of Lilacs in the morning....I loved it and still do!

And WHILE we were "lurking" around the property, taking pictures I heard a familiar sound....

and I couldn't BELIEVE I was hearing this!

Ugh!...I can't upload this video AGAIN! so sorry...will keep working on it.

But, it was the high school marching band (that my sissy and I both marched and played in), They were marching up the street towards our house! Just like we always did! Our house was close to the school so they always marched around the neighborhood, practicing for the parades. We were so excited to be able to capture this childhood memory...we couldn't believe they still do the same marching route as they did 37 years ago! We drove up the street so we could get them on video coming towards us

Picture of the Pizza Hang Out:

Picture of the apartment I lived in when I met my husband: (It was "above" the cafe and newspaper.

My studio apt. is the window right above the Sunshine Cafe sign.

We went by the cemetery to visit our parents grave....I don't know why,....but I just don't get any peace from doing this.

However, I NEVER get home, so I felt we should go....

We were bothered by the bird poop on their headstone, so we washed that off and looked up our grandparents burial site as well.

Then, we decided to go to the Whinery and do some sipping and shopping.

Came away with some nice wine, goodies and a buzz.

Then, we went to see the B & B that we were staying in for the weekend. My DH and I decided it might be nice to try this, as we'v always stayed in hotels. This turned out to be a unique experience!

We chose the Dungeness Barn House B&B on Marine Drive.

It overlooked the straits of Juan De Fuca, and on a clear night you could see Victoria.

The owner, Berta is a retired Ethics Director for Boeing and she and her husband moved to Sequim about 10 years ago and remodeled this house to live in. Unfortunately, she lost her husband to cancer and he never got to finish and complete this dream with her. She has turned it into a B&B and spends her days making this a beautiful, comfortable place to stay. She is a WONDERFUL cook and master gardener! Her gardens are absolutely beautiful....

This is in the back, where we had coffee.

And, that's Berta with me in the back yard.

Berta used to SHOW dogs as well as ride horses! Her son was an Expert Dressage rider, he even went to Germany to study with a very specialized trainer. He used to do 3 day eventing.

Well, WAS I EVER SHOCKED to see her dogs!

She has two Cavalier King Charles dogs and I think I've found a "match" for Lizzy!

Anyway, We got to enjoy them in the garden....

Berta made us GORGEOUS breakfasts, in the sun room, overlooking the gardens and water.

Look at these pictures....hope you enjoy!

This little sign (with HER puppies) was hanging in the breakfast room:

Fruit cup, Fritatta, hash browns and strawberry muffin. Fresh squeezed apple cider

Scrambled eggs/parmesan, Belgian Waffles with flavored cream and strawberries, bacon and Blueberries/almonds/greek yogurt.

Back in the garden.......

I LOVED these benches she had made from horseshoes, but with a heart in middle of back.

OUR ROOM:

And last but not least, I can't forget PUMPKIN the cat who takes care of her grounds. Once Berta opened the B&B, Pumpkin had to become an outdoor cat.....not allowed in B&B's. But, she seems quite happy there!

This place had THE MOST comfortable king bed we have ever slept in. My husband is now searching for one like it. That says a lot!

I highly recommend the Dungeness Barn House B&B if you are ever in Sequim area. You will see wonderful lavender fields everywhere, and Berta makes the most of this, with her fresh cut flowers including lavender, the view and her house full of beautiful antiques.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the highlights of our weekend.

Thanks for looking, sorry this was so long.

Thank you to my DH for trying something new by staying here.