Saturday surprises and randoms...

The surprise I planned for Brian and I was a tour of the Theo Cholocate Factory in Fremont.

We were taken down to a show room type place where we were given some history of how Theo started, how and where they get their cocoa beans, and the process for getting the wonderful pure chocolate that they then sell in their shop upstairs.

http://www.theochocolate.com/

Yes, we were very impressed with our hairs nets...
Even Brian, the hairless one, had to wear a net.

Our tour guide, Lauren, explaining how they go about testing the bags of beans that get shipped in...they found a brick once. But the test for discoloration and/or the way the bean looks on the inside, which if it looks off, could mean mold or mildew.



Lauren explaining how the roaster works.

This machine sends the beans down five levels of vibrating steps to shake all of the shells off. (Lauren, correct me if I'm wrong)
Clockwise, starting with the light colored bowl: Cocoa nibs (100% chocolate...2nd richest antioxident), Nib chocolate, coco butter, cocoa bean shells.
The first machine in the actual making of the chocolate.

The schedule in the confection making kitchen, the list of things to do were interesting to read.
When a batch of chocolate wasn't up to par or a mix of two very distinct type of chocolate, they wouldn't sell it but donate it, or make cool sculptures like this one.
Lauren passing out two different kinds of confections, lemon cream and a dark chocolate.

This kind, Coconut Curry, was my favorite...yes, weird sounding but amazing flavor.
"Love Potion. Dark Chocolate and Rose Scrub."

Little bit pricey for a body scrub, no??
They have samples out of almost every kind of chocolate they make. Mmmm...

The chocolate wrapers are designed by a local artist.

A walk by the canal...

Brian had planned a game afternoon for the guys at our house so I took a trip to Bainbridge Island to see mom and dad.

The Mora ice cream shop on the Island has the best ice cream ever.
Dad joined mom and I via mom's scooter.

My kitty that's living with mom and dad, Sparky.

On the ferry ride home, we were entertained by lovely cello music.

The simple things.

Just to share some beauty from our garden...

Persistence...

Kirby has this thing for rice...
If you put it in front of him, even though he may be sitting on your knee at the table and too short to climb up, he will try anyway.

2nd Anniversary

For the weekend of our second anniversary, we escaped to the sleepy town of Sequim to a cute cabin on the beach, looking out at the Dungeness spit. No internet, no phones, perfect weather, and wonderful company...it was perfect.

View from our deck.


Stopped in at the local farmers market and Brian found a feathered friend.
And Sequim is famous for it's lavender, fields and fields of it.



Built in 1892, this beautiful old school house is still used for community functions.
http://www.dungeness.com/schoolhouse/index.htm
Brian trying to cook our dinner over a fire on a very windy day...but it was awesome.
One of the highlights was the Olympic Game Farm...highly recommended to all. You pay your entry fee which is good for the whole day and an extra $2 will get you a loaf of bread to feed the animals.


The yaks were particularly persistent. If you didn't stop your car for them, they'd walk in front of you so you had to stop and then they'd circle around to the window looking for a hand out.
Then they would run after you when you drove off.



He didn't like bread...

And the bears!! They were behind an electric fence but very visible. They loved the bread!
They would do tricks for you to show you just how much they deserved the bread. They would sit up like this guy, wave at you, or wiggle their lips at you.

The elk...well, they were big, quiet, and snuck up on you to blow on your ear and freak the daylights out of you. Brian was standing up through the sunroof and an elk came up behind him...he's never moved so fast to get inside!
Then the buffalo...persistent and smelly. Their heads were too big to fit in the window so they just stuck their nose in as far as they could and snorted at you.

These little guys were cute and a little timid...but not for long.

closer...

closer...

ok...that's close enough...