This is What 5 Pounds Looks Like-

Last week The Husband and I left the Lake and took off for Canada to visit the Boy-Child (B.C.) But as usual, we couldn't just drive the five hours across the border and be done with it...oh no!

Our first stop was Bellingham, Wa- a town that I write about for work and have only driven past- what have we been missing?

A very cool/hip college town, thank you very much. Upon a recommendation, we stopped in at the Copper Hog (their motto:The Copper Hog. Where the beer flows like wine and the women flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I don't get it either.) for a late lunch and to watch the Kentucky Derby. (Yelp reviews be damned!)

http://thecopperhog.com/

Awesome staff, old drunk guy at the bar, great food and  perfect ambiance! I had a fancy Big Mac-like-burger and a few glasses of vino and The Husband scarfed down his fish & chips with Skookum beer. (Skookum..that word makes us laugh.)

My horse didn't win, but this place sure did! (yes, lame-ass sentence, but I'm tired, it's Saturday and this is just a blog, OK?)

Our next stop was some B&B in the middle of nowhere- a different nowhere- since that's also where we live! But this was more...in-the-woods-where-the-hell-are-you-taking-me kind of nowhere. Near Mt Baker. Heard of it? Well normally you can see it from everywhere in Washington, since it's a huge-ass mountain, but this time of year is was covered in clouds. But no matter- there was a hot tub!

So we drive up to this beautiful three-story place, we are greeted by the gal who runs the joint, shown our room and she leaves. As is, takes off. Goes home. Leaving us all alone. The only people in the whole damn place! Sure we could have rummaged through the house, peeked in medicine cabinets and looked in underwear drawers but...there was a hot tub! (And that whole video camera thing at the Spokane Best Western is still freaking me out.)
http://www.theinnatmtbaker.com/breakfast.html

 We soaked our bones and cranked the old-people tunes, drank wine and noshed on some goodies I had packed in the travel wine backpack- simple food-crackers, mustard, turkey and cheese. We watched the clouds and the birds and tried our best not to drown. Later we made popcorn and  fell asleep to the movie Chocolat..how apropos.

In the morning our innkeeper returned to make us blueberry waffles, bacon and granola- and I stashed the size 2 jeans in the suitcase and put on the 4's.

So off we went to the great country of Canada- bringing across the border lots of cheese, steaks, home made jam and alcohol (shh) for the B.C. and his housemates. It was Mother's Day after all.

That night we went for a Mom Day dinner at a trendy spot called, "Cafeteria," in Vancouver. It was good. It was expensive. It was Vancouver.
http://cafeteriavancouver.ca/

For breakfast the B.C took us to a rather dodgy looking cafe called The Dutch Wooden Shoe Cafe. It was at first glance- tacky. At second glance it was tacky as well, but the menu was huge. Being part Dutch, The Husband was pleased.

The food was great and we spent quality time with the B.C.  Dank je wel!

http://dinehere.ca/vancouver/dutch-wooden-shoe-cafe

Dinner that night was at the B.C.'s Victorian home that he shares with roommates and a bird. More wine, steaks from the U.S., potatoes, salad, appetizers, oh man, did I bring a pair of size 6 jeans?

By now the Pepto and Beano are being consumed, but there's one more stop.

In Seattle, before putting the B.C. and Gal-Pal on the plane (bound for Portugal and Spain- they're young and thin, so they can eat all they want.) we went to dinner at Peso's in the Queen Anne area of Seattle.

The food was great. Tacos!Carnitas! Margaritas! (No, not as good as San Diego Mexican food- just deal with it Washington.) The service was a little slow and when I mentioned that one of our party had not received their food, the manager hustled off to get it  ASAP. Better yet, it was missing from the tab.

Three stars for Pesos! 
http://www.pesoskitchen.com/
So now that we are home it's cabbage soup, rice cakes, water, and (almost) no alcohol. Added to this regime are 5-mile walks and every exercise video we own playing 24/7 to at least fit the size 4 jeans again... and maybe squeeze into the 2's before our next trip. Let's not even talk about bathing suits.

Suffice to say, I am safansified.*

*(not a real word, but it is a Reed word.)

"Oh spare me, Clark, I know your brand of family fun. Tomorrow you'll probably kill the desk clerk, hold up a McDonalds, and drive us 1000 miles out of the way to see the world's largest pile of mud!"Ellen Griswold