The weekend after the 4th brought some more family fun with a bbq at Brian and Lisa's house. Almost the entire Stephan clan was there, and it was wonderful to see family that we don't get to see that often.
One of the twins (I'm so sorry Kelly...I don't know if this is Lucy or Madeline!!) drools and enjoys some tummy time.
Jules and Grandpa chillin..
Mom and Dad enjoy the bbq
Brian (looking very zoolander) and Lily beat the heat in the shade
We spent the next couple of weeks basically trying to stay cool, and enjoying the summer as much as possible. It was just SO HOT. We took early morning walks, hid out in our air conditioned bedroom, and took Tango lessons. Okay...well only I took tango lessons, and it had nothing to do with the heat...but it was still fun.
Lily, avoiding an attack from a stuffed octopus
Naked baby on a cashmere blanket
Naked baby on a cashmere blanket, take 2
So...Apparently Seattle has quite a Tango scene and Nicole and her sister Jacqueline have been taking lessons. They roped me into a Tango festival that offered lessons and dances! In prepartion for Seattle "Tango Magic," Jacqueline (who has turned into a tango pro) gave us some lessons. I have no pictures of said lessons, but I do have some pictures of Elliot and Charlie showing us THEIR version of the tango. These pictures (Taken by Rob) are way cuter than any pictures of me would have been.
I believe they're dancing in "open embrace."
I love the fact that both kids have food on their faces.
Then it was time for the actual festival...and man...tango is HARD. Two days of lessons was not enough to make me even somewhat competent, but it was fun to dance and try something new. Someday when I have some free time, maybe I will try it again. We took lessons at the University of Washington, and then headed to downtown Kirkland on Sunday night for an outdoor Milonga and Salmon Bake. I was too afraid to dance, but here is a picture of the pavilion. It was wall-to-wall with Tango fanatics...
The mass of dancers in the pavilion
The heat continued, and we continued to fill our days trying to stay cool!
Ponch and Polly relaxing in the Sun
Lily, sporting a shirt designed by her Dad
We love to take walks down to the wetlands by our house. It always looks different, depending on the season. On this visit, we saw that the little ducklings and baby turtles are considerably more grown up, and the whole place was filled with beautiful lily pads.
Our last order of business in July was our Anniversary dinner at Nishino. Julia graciously offered to Lily-sit on our night out. We've been to Nishino before, but this time we went for the chef's choice Omakase menu. Only food that good could have made me forget that they didn't have air conditioning on a day where the temperature reached 100 degrees. It was seriously one of the top 5 meals I've ever had. 9 courses of amazing sushi/Japanese food. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We didn't get great photos of all the courses, and these don't do them justice. If you like sushi and live in Seattle...you MUST MUST MUST go for this omakase at some point.
Brian getting ready to dig into the first course
The first course, before being demolished
The requisite chopstick pose
An amazing ceviche. I seriously considered drinking the marinade that was left after I inhaled this.
This (I think) was a lightly crusted and seared piece of yellowtail. It was, of course, amazing.
Another course, toward the end of the dinner.
This dessert doesn't look like much, but it was perfect on a hot day. Fresh fruit, and homemade mochi ice cream...Yumz
A satisfied customer
I don't have a picture of it, but my favorite course of the night was a piece of seared ahi with fois gras, drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction. I almost fainted it was so good.
I will stop with the food madness now.
So as you can see...it was a great month!
Next post...Julia's graduation and Walla Walla wine tasting!
