Suncadia Resort

Susan and I met Bruce and Marie yesterday at Suncadia Resort for lunch. It was the first time any of us had visited the resort, which opened in 2008 and is located near Cle Elum, WA. When the resort is fully staffed, there are five dining options. This is the off-season so our options were narrowed to either the bar or dining room in the lodge. We ate at Portals, the lodge dining room. The lodge is beautiful and the views of the surrounding mountains are stunning.

I could only get a very small section of the lodge in the picture. Guests can rent rooms in the lodge, which has 254 suites and penthouses, and one or two bedroom units. Guests can also stay at the Inn at Suncadia or rent condominiums or vacation rooms.

It would not be difficult to find something to do at Suncadia. There are two award winning golf courses at the resort with a third currently under construction. There are miles of hiking and biking trails, swimming pools, fitness center, spa treatments, ice skating (winter only), boat and scooter rentals, fly fishing excursions, river floats and much more! We stopped and watched some little kids try to ice skate. You can rent skates right next to the rink.

We checked out the Swim and Fitness Center (shown below), which has an indoor pool, rooms for classes such as Yoga, a water slide and a large fitness center.

There were several outdoor fire pits located around the resort, all with some type of seating available.

I would like to go back and visit the resort in the summer time when they have an outdoor concert and cinema series.

Sage Restaurant

Last night Susan and I tried another restaurant in Yakima. The Sage Restaurant and Wine Bar was the OpenTable.com Diners' Choice winner in 2009. Shortly after the restaurant opened, some of Susan's friends went and were not impressed, so we decided to wait a bit before we went. Since it was a Thursday evening, there were no crowds and we walked right in without reservations. I ordered the Ladies Thursday special that included a starter, half specialty salad and a dessert. The starter, Cranberry Orange Shrimp was just wonderful and big enough to be a meal all by itself. The shrimp salad was great and had so many pecans that I could not eat all of them. My only complaint was the Molten Chocolate Torte that for some reason was missing the lava. Susan ordered the Pacific NW Pot Pie and tried the White Chocolate and Berry Bread Pudding. YUM! She couldn't eat all of her dinner either. We liked the food and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Moving to Pittsburgh

Tommy, Julie, Adam and Luke are moving from Orlando to Pittsburgh. Tommy has taken a new position with Fairmont Hotels and he has actually been in Pittsburgh for the last couple of weeks. This week Tommy and his Dad drove down to Orlando to pick up Julie, Adam and Luke.

On the drive up North, they stopped outside Savannah for lunch. I don't know what Adam is looking at, but it sure has his interest. After taking anti-anxiety pills before the trip began, Luke appeared to be drunk but at least he was calm.

Adam sleeps in the car, bless his heart, so when they stopped for the night in North Carolina, Tommy and Julie took him to the pool for his first swim so he would sleep at night. He loved the water as you can see.

ANNIE

Last night Susan and I went to the Capitol Theatre to see Annie. This musical is part of the 2010 Best of Broadway season in Yakima. After the Thursday evening performance the musical heads to The Paramount Theatre in Seattle for an extended run. Our favorite performers were Mackenzie Aladjem (Molly), Madison Kerth (Annie) and Lynn Andrews (Miss Hannigan). This show is worth seeing if it comes to a theatre near you.

Construction Update

Construction has begun on our new home. To date, the sub-floor, walls, plumbing, insulation and heat vents have been built. Keep checking for more updates.

The Carousel

On Friday February 5, Susan took off work early to help me run some errands. It is very unusual for her to get home early on a Friday evening. Like most cities, restaurants in Yakima fill up early on Fridays so we very rarely eat out on Friday. We took advantage of this opportunity and went to The Carousel in downtown Yakima. Susan and I are continuing our quest to go to every restaurant in town and I had not been to this restaurant that offers French Cuisine. Susan ordered Pork Tenderloins with Shitake mushrooms while I tried the Crab-stuffed Salmon fillet. The food was good and we splurged and had dessert - Cherries Jubilee that they made right in front of us. We had a very nice evening.

Mom's Coyote

Ceramics is not what it use to be. Mom has been experimenting with new techniques in ceramics while in Arizona this winter. She made this coyote using a process called Horse Hair. The greenware is put in the kiln and when it is done, horse hair is placed on the item while it is still very hot. After the item cools, the excess horse hair is scraped off and the item is wiped with a wet sponge. Wiping the cooked hair leaves a smokey effect. To finish, a clear glaze is put over the entire piece. It is not only interesting, but very beautiful.

Animal Therapy

In addition to all the support Susan has provided over the last month, my 'therapy animals' do a great deal every day to lift my spirits. While Toby doesn't like to cuddle he stays close by. Susan gave me Christmas Bear while I was in the hospital and I smile every time I look at him. Tillie lies down on top of me most of the day. I am a lucky person to have all this love and support.

The Wedding Singer

My first outing after surgery, other than to doctor's appointments, was to go see The Wedding Singer at the Capitol Theatre last weekend. This musical is the first of the Broadway 2010 season in Yakima. Susan and I both enjoyed the performance, and the cast received a standing ovation. There were some powerful singers in the group, which always makes a performance more enjoyable.

There is something to be said for good pain medication and a lot of ice to cure cabin fever.

It's Official

Even though we signed the papers a few months ago, the sale of a home is not final everything successfully passes through the financial system. My sale of my house closed on December 31, 2009 and the money has transferred. My attempted to transfer the picture from the MLS to our blog didn't work especially well, but you can still make out the SOLD in red. Oh Happy Day! We can't begin to describe what a relief it is to have finally sold this house. We will be placing the order for our new house this week. YIPPEE!