Janet's Birthday Weekend - Part 1 - The Arrival

After a stress-filled week I so needed the weekend away and it just happened that this weekend was selected by my sister as her getaway to the coast. Battling a cold and a lot of work stuff, I was not up to par, but the drive here only proved I could overcome any obstacle to get here. On the way there was traffic tie-ups for the Vice President's motorcade making it's way back to Boeing Field followed by two different accidents. Then along Highway 30 on my drive in they were stopping cars and we had to provide ID. Not sure what that was all about, but asked few questions and was gone in a flash. Arrived just a few minutes after Janet and we got settled in at the Best Western Ocean View. As you can see we did have quite the view, even in the stormy conditions.

We took a few minutes and got settled and knew that we should get dinner. Little did we know we were up against a women's retreat and a huge Bridge tournament. OY! But we decided to go to Norma's Ocean Diner for dinner. Chowder plus Fish & Chips seemed right to kick off the weekend. Just wish I had remembered the camera.
Arriving at Norma's about 12 people were ahead of us, but the wait was short and soon seated. Decided to kick off the meal with Onion Rings that were lightly breaded and served with tartar sauce. These came after our cups of chowder. Proved to be darn good chowder, but no bacon which was nice. Huge chunks of clams surprised me over and over and yet proved it was a local creation.

Janet opted for the traditional Cod but I decided to go for the full monty and decided to try some of each kind: Cod, Norwegian’s delight in addition to Albacore the house specialty & nowhere else in town! But we are not done as there was also Salmon, the local’s favorite which they consider a must-try and of course Halibut, by far the NW favorite! We both got slaw and chips and it was a good meal. Decided to top off the dinner with a birthday treat as we are here celebrating Janet's birthday. She opted for some Marion Berry Cobbler and I went for Peanut Butter Pie served in chocolate crust, covered with milk chocolate, can you just say HURT ME! Oh what a meal and as we made our way to the car the rain hit.

A stop at Safeway on the way back to the hotel only confirmed that we were in a small beach community as there were a few challenges that took some time to deal with, but in the end I got the water for us and some milk. What fun and soon we were kicking back enjoying the fireplace in the room and Janet was introduced to the show "Monk" which just has a way of hooking you in. Yes, the city was falling off my back and the fact that both of our cell phones did not work in the hotel was just fine!