Monday, October 8, 2012

The Vashonistas

Deb, Linda, DJan, Sally, Sandi, Jann: the Vashonistas
While we were at the Vashon Island Farmers' Market this past Saturday, I heard the announcer discussing a fashion show that would be held that evening, with "the Vashonistas" being the name given to the ladies who would model the fashions. I thought it was a perfect name for the six of us, bloggers all who have become fast friends after a wonderful retreat on Vashon Island. (For an extended tour of the farmhouse where we stayed, click here.) I am a little sad that this adventure of meeting five other bloggers, knowing little about each other except from our blogs, is now in the past. Please bear with me as I put up my final pictures from the weekend. I usually don't overload my post with pictures, but I've got no choice. You'll see why.
I was enchanted by the morning light coming through the living room. While standing in the dining room I saw the entire area turn to gold. Those curtains are cream colored except when the morning sun sets them on fire like this. There are also two sitting areas, and here's the one where we gathered Saturday night.
The wood in the lower right foreground is one of the arms of a large couch that seats three comfortably and makes into a bed, if needed. Each of us had her own bedroom, since there are two upstairs, two on the main floor, and two in the basement. During the day, we took full advantage of the covered porch, as you can see:
The gourmet kitchen is all it's advertised to be, and we filled the coffeepot with the provided coffee that would have lasted anybody for a week. We were treated to all kinds of tea, and we also had a wonderful time exploring all the kitchen's nooks and crannies. I didn't get a picture of the pantry, but I fell in love with it.
Everything that anybody could have asked for in order to create a wonderful meal was provided. Sandi gave us meals that satisfied everyone, including me (a vegetarian). I had some chicken on Saturday night, but she was willing to separate it if I had a problem with it. I didn't. As you look at this picture, you can see that we were in very capable culinary hands.
And you can see the actual color of the curtains in the living room: cream. It's evening in this picture and we are sitting down for our last dinner together. We did have a wonderful breakfast on Sunday, too. Since Deb and Sandi had to be at work on Monday morning (the only two not retired), we took one final picture before they left, and I used my tripod to get myself in it, too.
And even with all these pictures, I realized I couldn't leave it at this, so I made a new Flickr folder to put up 27 pictures to share with everyone. If you go to the sidebar under "My Relevant Links," choose "My Flickr Site" and find the folder called "Vashon Island." There should be enough pictures to satisfy anyone who needs to see more. The weather could not have been more perfect, and now I am happy to consider my task done. Oh, yes: I need to make sure all the Vashonista blogs are listed under "Fun Places to Visit," and THEN I'll be done!
:-)

27 comments:

  1. the place you stayed sounds more than comfortable and accommodating. and beautiful, too. :)

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  2. and i love the nickname you adopted for yourselves. :)

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  3. Glad you were willing to try the chicken dish, DJan, considering you prefer fish. What splendid company and what a splendid house! I just love the ambience of the place. Someday, I would like to meet you, Linda Reeder, and Sandi in person -- here, there, anywhere! Lol.

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  4. I love the photos and I feel almost like I was right there with you.

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  5. This will be one of those experiences you'll not forget: Fabulous setting, new fiends.

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  6. that is so cool....i want to try and pull one of these off now...would be neat to meet several more of my blogging pals...

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  7. I love your golden curtains, and the mountain pic on your Flickr album! What a lovely place! And such lovely ladies, all of you.

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  8. I glad you had such a wonderful experience. Thank you for sharing it.

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  9. It is quite the thing to link up with bloggers and I was amused by the photo where laptops were being used even on this short weekend meeting in such a grand place.

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  10. Vashonista...Wow. Can I add that title to my resume?

    Truly this past weekend was golden. Spending time with you and the other ladies in this special place was one of the most affirming experiences of my life. I promise I will write about it soon.

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  11. I am beyond happy that your BlogMeet was in such a wonderful place with kindred spirits.
    Wonderful photos - thank you.

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  12. Vashonista's - how sweet is that. The photos are grand and what a swell time you had. The dinner table looks inviting indeed. Good to hear you are not hard core vegetarian and tried the chicken dish. We do eat a lot of fish up this way - better for you anyway. The Vashonista Ladies all look sweet and charming. Happy Post DJan - LIKE :)

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  13. DJan, love the pictures! And the house... and all the smiles. Obviously you all had a wonderful time! Thanks so much for sharing.

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  14. Beautiful place to meet blog friends! A great adventure..Vashonistas..cool! :)

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  15. What a gorgeous place to meet new friends. Looks like you all had a wonderful time!

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  16. I love the photos and what a beautiful place for a retreat! And with blogging friends. How magnificent.

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  17. The picture of the sunlight streaming through the entryway is breathtaking. The entire farmhouse looks enchanting, and your pictures captured it perfectly.

    I'm so glad you all had such a nice time and were able to form even stronger bonds.

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  18. Beautiful photos of a beautiful trip D-Jan. It is an extraordinary place isn't it!

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  19. ....you gals look marvelous...and such a loving, fun group I'm sure. The atmosphere I can tell was perfect. The ambiance and your surroundings made it all the better. And DJan, if you want to share MORE photos, I'll be more than happy to see more. I enjoyed this adventure very much.

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  20. I went to the link and to your flickr--what a stunning place and you guys all look so happy, too! I bet you can hardly wait to do this again next year. :)

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  21. Sunslight streaming through a window, good friends, and an awesome place. I have a feeling you'll be doing this again!

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  22. I love seeing you and Sally in the same photo. I didn't realize she was there also. These photos are gorgeous. I think it's fabulous that all six of you had your own rooms so you could have together as well as down times. It's too perfect! It's all such a memorable time.

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  23. DJan I am so impressed with the photos! I am sorry to say that I still haven't had the time to post my thoughts on our magical weekend . . . hopefully I'll carve out some time this weekend! I am still trying to catch up on work related stuff!!
    Thanks for posting the photos. You are such an outstanding photographer!

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  24. Oh my gosh, and to think that you are now good friends -- created as a result of meeting on your blogs. Wonderful! -- barbara

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  25. Great name for the group! :o) Didn't you guys want to try and join in the fashion show? Could have been fun! ;o)

    And my that looked like a perfect place to spend the weekend!!! The light coming through those windows... gorgeous!

    What a wonderful weekend for all of you! I hope you get to do something similar again soon someday! :o)

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  26. Dear DJan, thanks for sharing all those additional photographs. You are look so happy and so delighted to be together. The picture of Deb and Sandi by the car said something about "for this year." So I gather that the six of you plan to meet again next year. How wonderful. Peace.

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