We awoke to a constant stream of rain. The clouds hung low over Mount Si which the hooded monk guards. I didn’t bother with any breakfast this morning. Maggi had eggs and Matt followed our host who stuffed himself with eggs and steak.
Geoff and the Jones’ decided to stick to the plan and go for a walk in the rain. I didn’t fancy getting soaked, especially as the temperature had dropped to 12 or so degrees. We followed the others to the start of the nearby trail head to see what it was like. There sat a pay and display machine in the middle of nowhere. A set of enormous pines surrounded the car park and the rain teamed down.
We drove back to North Bend looking for something interesting and failed miserably. Instead we decided to shop for the evening meal. Geoff had suggested fajitas and we duly obliged.
Having exhausted the delights of North Bend we moved onto Snoqualmie. This community did warrant a short walk around the few shops. We also found Snoqualmie Falls Brewery where we had arranged to meet the rest of our party.
By now I was hungry and so Maggi and I ordered a plate of chips to go with our beers. As usual the dish arrived with a larger portion than necessary. Nonetheless we ate the lot, which meant neither of us felt the need to eat anything else. The others arrived and while Matt and Helen only ordered a hummus our host scoffed a helping of fish and chips.
From the brewery we headed to Snoqualmie Falls, the only real tourist spot in the area. The falls are impressive with the constant stream of thundering water beating below us. A quick reminder of the power of nature lay before us. We didn’t stay long but drove to one of the local supermarkets to pick up more wine. The bottle we had bought didn’t suffice for Geoff.
Back to home where we enjoyed a quick cup of tea before adjourning to our room for a small kip.
Geoff is a very chatty fellowof 75. He has something to say about most things but doesn’t hog the conversation, so socially very adept. He obviously held a very important job and has accumulated significant amount of wealth. He has told us about both, but I don’t recall asking Maggi or I what we did before we retired.
One of the stories he told us really surprised me. He said that he and Debbie, his 4th wife, work 4 hours every Sunday at Whole Foods for $17 an hour. They do it for the company and the 20% off their shopping at the store. Geoff is very aware of the cost of everything and so I am half expecting a bill at the end of our stay.
Despite all of the above he has so far been a very relaxed host and easy to be in his company.