Ya-Ya Weekend

Lovely time this weekend reconnecting with Old Friends, aka, the Ya-Yas, dubbed as such after all of us read "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" by Rebecca Wells.  Here we are (minus one, as our 5th, Joyce, couldn't get up from Nevada), in all our goofy glory:

This is going to be a picture heavy post as it was the first time since getting the new camera I've been outside the Puget Sound area, and Saturday was a gorgeous day for a road trip to Ronald, WA with friend Gayle to meet up with Deb (Greyhound bussed in from Spokane) at Shannon's, where we landed for the weekend.

Gayle and I met in North Bend, so I seized the opportunity to get some pictures of Mount Si, the main feature of the Snoqualmie Valley where I grew up.  Snoqualmie Falls is also something we are known for out there, but no chance to swing by and collect shots of that - another day, maybe.  Following is the view from across the valley - this is where the Snoqualmie Winery once was located.  I spent many a weekend morning working there in my early 20s, opening the winery gift store and enjoying the view of the Valley draped in mist, the mountain towering above.  Glad to have these shots in my collection...here is one:

I met Gayle, loaded her car with stuff, and we were off over Snoqualmie Pass and past the Alpental Ski area:

My sister, Melody (Mel) lives in Cle Elum and after being out running around with her friends (literally - 6 mile run and then a  hike), they stopped by for a quick visit - here she is chatting up Shannon, our hostess:

She's got her camera, of course, because we are genetically predisposed to take and immediately share pictures ~ hers were from her hike and run earlier in the day.

And here are Greta and Julie, Mel's running/hiking buddies:

Shannon lives in the old mining community of Ronald, WA.  The neighboring town, Roslyn, is where the TV show Northern Exposure was filmed many years ago.  Shannon's family has lived in the area for generations, so her property has some wonderful old buildings on it, along with an old orchard in her Mom's backyard, all wonderful opportunities to try out different settings on the camera.  Following are shots taking using the setting that allows highlighting/accenting of specific colors.

The last picture transitions us to dinner - longtime friend Dena joined us for dinner of fish tacos and some lovely wines.

As dinner and wine consumption progressed, so did the storytelling and laughter, my favorite part :)

Gayle...

Shannon...

Dena & Debbie...

Dena...

(trying "angle" shots here - shakin' it up a bit)

We of course stayed up WAY too late, but that's part of the fun!  Started rolling out of bed around 7am yesterday, then after breakfast and more chatting, decided to walk to Roslyn via the old railroad tracks.

After stopping for a snack/beverage break, we walked up to the old cemetary, which is vastly interesting....

...then walked back to Ronald, in the rain, nonetheless. Spring in Eastern Washington can be a mixed bag!

We dried off, had some snacks, then Gayle and I hit the road for home at 3pm yesterday. Drove home in the pouring-almost-no-visibility rain, but made it in the door at 5:30pm - all in all, a very lovely weekend with the Ya-Yas. 

DH once again demonstrated his awesomeness, in that I came home to folded and put away clothes, vacuumed house, emptied dishwasher, cleaned kitty box, Christmas lights off the house, and moss-out applied to the roof!  Oh, AND he made the bed!!  Wow.  Impressive AND appreciated :)

(Perhaps the best part of the weekend for me is that I think I've turned a corner, putting some longed for distance between the Months-Long Funk and myself...it was really good to spend quality time with these women who have been such an integral part of my life for 25ish years, and I think that has helped re-kickstart my mo-jo, which has been unhappily AWOL since December...I'm in a different place, still, but at least it's not such a grumpy one :)

ONWARD!