Hitched!

Liis and I were married on July 16, 2007. Our ceremony was officiated by Superior Court Judge Richard A. Jones and witnessed by good friends Bruce Moore and Lori Mimms. Bruce also photographed the proceeding. A selection of his images appears here, but his web site shows all the day’s photos in both Flash and HTML formats.






Judge Jones, Liis and me


Me, Liis, Lori Mimms and Bruce Moore



Judge Jones is the brother of the multi-Grammy award winner Quincy Jones, pictured in the middle in the photograph on the left above.


After the ceremony Bruce treated Lori, Liis and me to food and drink at Seattle’s Waterfront Restaurant.










The newly-weds Simpsonized

Okanagan Valley, BC - Day 3 and Princeton, BC

British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley wine region brings to mind the Napa Valley area thirty years ago and, in comparison, features a large lake and even more dramatic mountains.

Our accommodations were at the Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa.

Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa

Recently developed (some areas of the property are still under construction), Spirit Ridge is a resort of great potential, beautifully located a short distance from Lake Osoyoos and in the town of Osoyoos, BC. The resort includes the Passo Tempo Restaurant, where Liis and I had dinner on both nights of our stay.

Deck of Passo Tempo Restaurant

Spirit Ridge general manager, Mohamed Awad

The resort’s general manager is a former colleague of Liis, at O’Doul’s Restaurant and Bar, in the Listel Vancouver Hotel.


If you noted above that the resort's full name includes the term vineyard, the reason is the grapes grown for the adjacent NK’Mip Cellars winery.

NK’Mip Cellars


Next door to both the resort and the winery is the NK’Mip Desert Cultural Center. developed by the Osoyoos Indian Band, the owners of the winery.



After leaving Spirit Ridge and the Osoyoos area, we drove towards Princeton, BC, to visit Brad and June, friends of Liis. We made a few stops on the way, including Crowsnest Vineyards.





After arriving in the Princeton area, we visited an equestrian center Liis helped build and worked on before moving to Vancouver.




Continuing down the highway, we stopped Sherry’s ranch. She was another friend of Liis from her Princeton days:


Finally, we arrived at our destination. Brad and June’s home. They own a beautiful piece of property and we took a walk, visiting some of their horses, along the way.


Brad


Liis and June



We ended the day at Brad and June’s for dinner, under the watchful eye of a cat.

Okanagan Valley, BC - Day 1 & 2

With Liis relocating from Vancouver, BC, to Seattle soon, we decided to visit wineries and some of Liis' friends in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. We rented a car in Vancouver and a couple of hours later checked into the Spirit Lodge Resort and Spa, then had dinner at the resort's Passa Tempo Restaurant.

Spirit Lodge Resort & Spa



The next day, we begin our vineyard tour at the Quails' Gate winery.




Next was the spectacular Mission Hill Winery.



The winery's Chagall Room features a Marc Chagall tapestry



Then, we visited the Sumac Ridge winery.




Next was the Dirty Laundry vineyard. There is a story behind this winery's unusual name.


We closed out our first day of vineyard touring at Joie Wines and Farm Cooking School. Liis is a sommelier, as are Michael Dinn and Heidi Noble, Joie proprietors. Liis knew both of them in Vancouver, before they moved to the Okanagan Valley.



Michael Dinn and Liis