"Summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language."

   

Sunday we spent the day in Seattle.  Our first stop was Fremont where I spotted the perfect school bag.  Ever since receiving my acceptance letter from SCAD I've been searching for the perfect bag.  Originally I had been considering a tote bag for school, but realized they were a bit impractical.  The bag I ended up purchasing is a kelly green Jack Spade Greene Street messenger bag.  At first I thought I'd go with black, but the salesgirl convinced me that kelly green might go over better in the South.  The bag was originally $100 but happened to be on sale for 25% off.  So I got it for quite a steal.  Next we went for brunch at Cafe Campagne.  The owner of my favorite store, Great Jones Home, was seated at a nearby table and gave me a little wave.  I ordered the Croque-savoyard (Parisian ham and Gruyère with vine-ripe tomatoes) which was marvelous along with champagne.  The only unfortunate thing was that it was so bloody hot and the restaurant did not have AC.  At the market I picked up some of my favorite hazelnuts and discovered some really delicious strawberry rhubarb jam.  The market was filled with such beautiful flowers for so cheap but I knew I wouldn't be home till late and unfortunately they'd just melt in the heat.  After the market we went to Nordstrom to pick up some makeup I'd run out of.  A representative from Anastasia was in the cosmetics department doing eyebrow waxing and shaping.  So I decided to get mine done and they turned out amazing.  I was so thrilled with the results that I went ahead and purchased the "All About Brows" brow kit by Anastasia.  From downtown we went to University Village.  We had twenty minutes in Crate and Barrel to find the perfect wedding gift for my step sister Kat.  I found the perfect present and suprisingly I even had enough time to pick up a box of Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa coconut cupcake mix.  Then we headed to Chateau Ste. Michelle to attend another outdoor concert.  This time it was Pink Martini (somewhere between a 1930s Cuban dance orchestra, a classical chamber music ensemble, a Brasilian marching street band and Japanese film noir is the 12-piece Pink Martini).  They were just brilliant.  It was such a perfect evening.  There are peacocks at the winery that just wander around and one managed to find its way over to where the concert was taking place, it was so beautiful.  The winery also offers a vast array of food and drinks that one can purchase if you haven't packed a picnic.  I just had to have the blackened salmon caesar salad it was so delicious last time.