Queen Anne Afternoon

After I finished work last Friday, Kathy and I spent the afternoon together. It worked out perfectly! She got finished with the training she was doing in the morning, and called me as I was in the elevator going up to my hotel room. She was outside the hotel! So I merely dropped my work things in the room and drove off with Kathy -- first to Pike Place Market for some pad thai lunch, then up to Queen Anne hill for the afternoon. Her blackberry with Internet access and GPS navigation is very impressive, and we found Hilltop Yarns without having to go back to my room to pick up the information. After a lovely browse in the yarn store, we went down to the corner to Teacup for a pot of fragrant tea. So relaxing! We decided we liked the ambiance of Teacup -- clean and modern -- better than the chintz-y frou-frou of the tea shop near Acorn Street yarn. We just aren't the tiara type. Then we went to Nancy's Sewing Basket, where Kathy used to shop when she lived nearby. We had a nice chat with the woman in the ribbon room. I found so many ribbons I would have bought, but restrained myself. Everything from woven ribbons with flowers to hand-dyed silk ribbons to woven measuring tape ribbon. Plus beautiful buttons made from old molds. After checking out the fabulous fabrics, we hopped back in her car and found the house in which she and Chris used to rent the upstairs apartment. I have vivid memories of the large corner window. She pointed out all the changes in the house and yard, and we were astounded by the new rental price on the sign propped against the house: $1,450 per month! Then we found the little overlook park with a classic view of the Seattle center and downtown. Kathy took any of us who visited her on Queen Anne to that park for pictures back in the old days. The woman in the ribbon room had given us directions. We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on a bench in the sun, enjoying the view and talking. The mountain was out and it was beautiful. As dinnertime came, she stopped a couple walking their dog and asked for a recommendation of a local restaurant. We went to Sorrentino on Queen Anne Avenue. We split appetizers of classic tomato bruchetta and warm eggplant Parmesan. Then she had gnocchi in a cream and Gorgonzola sauce, and I had thick spaghetti in a sauce of pork and cauliflower. It was delicious and the service was very nice. It was a great choice for dinner. I was back in my hotel room by 7 p.m. to pack up and sleep before flying home early the next morning. It was a wonderful afternoon.