The Christmas Ships are a 'Coming

Ken Hatch, Arlene Wright, Jan Rogers, Bob Cremin

Last night we attended a beautiful holiday party in Kirkland overlooking Lake Washington.  It was a perfect evening outside with not even a drop of rain falling.

Bis on Main Chefs, David Olson and Peter Dobson

Bis on Main was the selected caterer for the evening and chefs David Olson and Peter Dobson presented a delicious buffet which included Caesar salad with lots of garlic (my favorite!), grilled vegetables, rigatoni with a very light tomato sauce and perfectly cooked beef tenderloin served with dollar rolls and horseradish cream sauce.  Small finger sized desserts were passed later in the evening and the only one I tried which I loved was a tiny gingerbread cupcake topped with lemon drizzle and whipped cream.

Carole Ellison, Sue Andonian, Cathi Hatch

Though we seem to see many of the same people throughout the holiday season at the various parties, there are always a few that we don't get to see as frequently and it was fun to catch up with them as well.  It was so nice to see Carole Ellison & Bob Cremin, Patti Payne, Peter Horvitz, Shirley LaFollette, Nancy & Charlie Hogan, Suzy & Moe Krabbe, Sue & Chuck Andonian, Carol & Spike Anderson, Joyce & Doug McCallum, Sandi & Tim Premselaar, Toni & Rod Hoffman, Trudi & Dave Syferd, Bonnie & Ron Elgin, Patty Barrier, Leena & Mel Sturman, Arlene Wright, Jan Rogers, Susie & Brian Vowinkel, Nancy & Van Strom and so many others too.

I was so happy to hear that the recent surgery for Susie & Brian Vowinkel's baby daughter, Alexa, had gone well and that she was happily spending the night at her grandparents that evening.  It was also a delight to see Patti Payne attending as she has been grieving the loss of her sweet little dog, Pepper Payne, in the last couple of weeks.  Patti wrote a beautiful and emotional tribute to Pepper and all of our animals in her column in the Puget Sound Business Journal which I had just read right before coming to the party.

Susie & Brian Vowinkel

One of the funny things that happened we didn't realize until the next day when Bob Cremin shared the story.  There was a woman at the party who knew of Ken from his CEO and broadcast days at KIRO TV and Radio and she wanted to meet him.  She was wearing a white blouse and a black skirt and when she approached Ken, he assumed she was a server and asked her to please bring him another glass of Chardonnay and another roll to accompany his beef tenderloin.  I thought she had an odd look on her face, but she played along with it and brought him back his wine, though she did forget the roll.  And she never divulged that she wasn't a server and never actually met Ken.  So now, Ken is embarrassed and wants to find another time to meet her and apologize.  I think she did tell Bob that she probably wouldn't wear the same outfit to another large party anytime soon!



Trudi Syferd,Nancy Hogan, Toni Hoffman, Bonnie Elgin

When the Christmas Ships arrived with the choir singing Christmas carols in the lead boat, everyone quickly moved to the terrace where we could admire the lights on the boats and hear the angelic music.  What a special thing we have in Seattle!