Wine World

St. Michelle Winery, Woodinville

It hasn't rained for the last 36 days.  This morning the weatherman said the record is 54 consecutive dry days for Seattle.  We might break that.  There's a "slight chance of showers" on Wednesday then back to sunny weather for Labor Day, a weekend notorious for being cool and damp. Ever heard of the Bumpershoot Festival at the Seattle Center?  Still, there's a  feeling of summer waning and the first leaves are starting to change color.  Like spring, autumn is a long and relatively warm season in the Pacific Northwest.

We packed a sandwich and drove to the St. Michelle Winery for a picnic.  They have some tables set up around a small lake with a bunch of begging ducks and we've been going there for years, although not recently.  We actually had some trouble getting our bearings in Woodinville-- it has changed so much since John lived near there a few decades ago.

This big guy on the shore let me get close enough to zoom in for a nice portrait.  We had the picnic area to ourselves before folks in the St. Michelle "Reserve Club" started arriving early for a private evening concert and soon we felt like we were getting the bum's rush. 

On the way home we stopped at the new Wine World store in the University District.  You may know (if you even care about such things) that Washington voted to close the state controlled liquor stores this summer. If so inclined, you can now buy a gallon of vodka along with a carton of milk at the grocery store, or with your shampoo at the drugstore. Or with your clothing at Target.

Wine World

The store is an immense California-style liquor warehouse with a terrific selection of wine from all over the world.  I sat and read drinking magazines while John browsed labels and prices.

So many wines, so little time...