Memorial Day Weekend Recap

I must say that this past Memorial Day Weekend provided me with a much needed breath of fresh air. I traveled west to Seattle to watch the Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels series. Sandwiched between my time in the Emerald City, I got to spend time in both Spokane and Ellensburg, making it so I divided my weekend in eastern, central, and western Washington.

As I mentioned in my Memorial Day post, I spent Thursday night in Spokane. Friday morning I traveled to Ellensburg where I met my brother. I got to meet his girlfriend as we had lunch at The Palace, a dive in downtown Ellensburg. After the meal, my brother and I made the 100 mile drive to Seattle.

Most ironic thing about this trip? The weather in Seattle was absolutely gorgeous. I am talking seventy degrees and sunny gorgeous…for all three days while we were there. We are talking about Seattle here! The most depressing city ever when it comes to weather. So while Missoula got to experience constant rain showers and gray skies, we got to bask in the glorious sunshine while watching baseball.

Ah yes, I just mentioned baseball. My brother and I attended the games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Despite all the good luck I tried to channel the Mariners way it was in vain as they lost all three games. Brandon League blew it big time on Friday, Felix got rocked on Saturday, and the Angels were not going to let a sweep get away from them on Sunday. Believe it or not, the losses the Mariners suffered over the weekend added to a pathetic streak for me. I have now seen the Mariners lose eight consecutive games at Safeco Field. I am waiting for the team management to ban me from entering the stadium gates from now on.

Me, Travis (our gracious host), and Glen hung out the whole weekend

Despite the disappointing final results, we had a great time enjoying the games. Nothing beats watching Major League Baseball on a beautiful day/night in an awesome facility like Safeco Field. My brother and I had a great time arriving at the park early each day, watching batting practice, drinking beer, eating peanuts, watching the starting pitchers warm up in the bullpen, and then watching the games from a variety of different seats and angles.  We also had a great time catching up with friends who also happened to be at the park. On Friday, Glen hung out with his friend Matt and his girlfriend, Marie. I got to hang out with my friend (and host), Travis. I also got to see a couple of my former interns, Nick and Johnny, on Friday night as well. For Saturday’s game, Glen’s former baseball teammate, Derrick, was at the game with his girlfriend, Kim. Travis joined us for the game too. And wouldn’t you know it, I ran into former Lady Griz star Sarah Ena at Saturday’s game. Come Sunday’s matinee game at 1:10pm, it was just my bro and I living it up.

Me, Travis, Glen, and Derrick enjoying baseball, sun, and beers.

Besides our time at the ballpark, we did other fun things in Seattle as well. Each time before entering Safeco Field, we would go down Occidental Avenue and check out the plethora of food vendors and scarf down a hot dog. Night time was fun too! Travis lives in west Seattle and the first night we went to a German bar called Prost in that area. We drank good ol’ fashioned German beer out of Oktoberfest mugs and we also drank a boot! With the help from two nice girls, the five of us managed to drink the whole boot without ever letting it touch the ground. After the game on Saturday, we went to an artsy pizza place called Stellar’s. Because I couldn’t resist, I neglected to get their signature item and ordered macaroni and cheese instead. My brother and Travis split one of their specialty pies that they made quick work of. My brother said I missed out big time. After dinner we went back to Travis’ house for a bit and then we took a taxi out to the Fremont District. One of Travis’ friends, Heather, was having a birthday party at one of the bars. We started their and sampled a few of the establishment’s 100+ beers and then made it to a couple other bars in the area. Definitely a good time.

Glen and Travis enjoying themselves.

After the game on Sunday, my brother and I drove back to Ellensburg. I decided to stay with him for the night and for the first time ever, I got to go out in “The Burg”. I had a great time hanging with him and his girlfriend as he showed me his stomping grounds. Staying true to the roots of the Reser Boys, we even checked out their casino, the Wild Goose.

Myself and Glen's girlfriend, Claire.

Monday morning I drove back to Spokane, took care of some items, and ate a fabulous BBQ rib dinner that my parents and I ate outside on their back deck on another beautiful Washington night. By that time the weekend had started to catch up to me. I went to bed, slept like a rock, got up at 4:30am this morning, and drove back to Missoula for the work day. Not a bad weekend.

This weekend was much needed. It was so nice to get out of Missoula for a little bit. I love the city with all my heart, but it really is a bubble. Because of the negativity that has lingered around the Zoo for the past few months, it was so refreshing to get out for a weekend. On Sunday, I wore my Griz gear to Safeco Field. I was overwhelmed with all the random people who yelled “Go Griz” at me and who came up and gave me a high five. Not one person had one negative thing to say. It just added to the pride and devotion that I have towards my place of work and alma matter. Others will sound alarms and do whatever they can to try to bring down something that they don’t fully appreciate or understand, but their attempts are futile.  Griz Nation is so strong, and although I have always known this, it didn’t hurt to have this message reinforced, even if it occurred 500 miles away from home.

A lot of people in Seattle let me know how much they love the Griz.

Thank you Glen for another great trip. Best brothers ever! Claire, it was so nice to meet you. Travis, thanks for being such a great host. Scott Downs, thank you so much for tossing us all of those balls. Thanks to everyone for making this a great Memorial Day Weekend. Don’t Blink.