St. Valentine's DayWe've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it. Monday, February 14, 2000
Jack and I had discussed trying to get together over the weekend, but then he came up with a better idea: we should meet halfway between Bellingham and Seattle tonight! This sounded like a very clever concept to me, and may be applicable on future, non-Valentine occasions also. Jack had originally said that I should do some web research and pick the place, since neither of us are really familiar with restuarants in the towns in that no-man's land area. But over the weekend, he'd heard some radio commericials for the Tulalip Casino in Marysville -- their Valentines festivities would include a band that he likes. Why not go there? I've never been to a casino, so I was agreeable. It was a quiet day at work -- we are trying to get things set so Chip can get to Hawaii for a week. Must be nice, huh? Actually, as an entrepenurial type, he actually does do some work and checks the site often on these trips, which doesn't really seem like a vacation! I remember standing up and looking out the window to the parking lot. "C'mon, delivery truck!" I joked. "Bring me stuff!" (I thought it was likely that Jack would send me flowers, as he did last year.)
I drove north to the Tulalip Casino, at Marysville north of Everett. Of course, I was there about half an hour early! But I didn't know how bad the traffic would be. The casino is a fairly large building, with parking all around. I walked all the way around it, because Jack and I hadn't set a specific meeting place, and there were a number of entrances. I picked what looked like the main one, and stood reading a book under the awning there (the weather was cold and drizzly). That's how Jack was able to walk up and surprise me! I gave him a big hug and kiss. It was so good to see him! I was surprised to see that he had two roses (visible in the picture because I added them to the arrangement the next morning), more candy, and a nice card for me! Because the delivered stuff had arrived almost at the end of the day, I hadn't emailed him to thank him, so he'd been concerned that it hadn't arrived. So he'd bought this extra stuff as a backup, on the belt-and-suspenders plan. We went into the casino and checked it out. Row upon row of slot machines beeping and booping, plus some card tables and roulette wheels. We didn't see the restaurant at first -- it isn't that big. Finally we found our way there. They don't take reservations, and it was a two-hour wait! So we decided to drive into the town of Marysville for dinner, then come back for the show later. Neither of us know anything about the town, so we just headed for the main drag and drove randomly. I suggested we stop when I saw a sign for the "Buzz Inn" Steak house! This was a member of the chain I'd suggested before the casino plan happened. (I'd just picked it randomly from the yahoo yellow pages, because Jack likes steak.) It turned out to be something like the place we ate at Oak Harbor, but better. Is this some restaurant meme I'm not aware of? You place your order at a counter, get a number, and they bring it to you. We both ordered steak with a peppercorn sauce, then sat down. I was a bit distracted by the Simpsons, playing on a TV up above Jack's shoulder. Jack opened up the big box of hot-sauce stuff I'd bought him, and seemed very pleased by it. He even tried the key-chain sized bottle of sauce on his steak, and said it had a good flavor. The food had arrived very quickly, and was good overall! But I'd skipped eating my iceberg lettuce salad.
I'd come prepared to spend the night at a motel. It just didn't make sense to me, to drive an hour or so back home after a long evening, but if Jack had insisted on that, I'd have complied (or gotten a room on my own and slept). But as we were driving back to the casino, he reached over and stroked the back of my neck, and allowed as how he'd spend the night -- if I paid for the room! I laughed and said I would. We went to the large side room in the casino, where Swamp Mama Johnson, the all-female (all lesbian?) blues band was already playing. We managed to get a table after a few minutes. Jack heard them a few years ago at Bumbershoot, and has been a fan ever since. They are good! Jack especially was impressed with the guitarist, Laurie Miller. She played a variety of blues styles, in a very authentic and funky fashion. Jack and I did some dancing! It seemed to go better than it had at Norwescon last year. If there had been anyone who was swing-dancing, I'd have asked them for a dance on the few jump blues numbers that were played, but I didn't see any likely candidates. It was such a fun evening! I was glad Jack got the chance to relax, drink a single-malt scotch, and enjoy the music. I enjoyed it, too! The dance floor was tiny, the waitress harried (we tipped big for the free sodas I drank; she deserved it!), and the decor not fancy, but I'd go back again for a good band. And we got out of there without gambling at all! We drove across the street to the Best Western motel, got a room, showered, and fell into bed.
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