We were in Seattle to celebrate Dale's 80th birthday with her family: sister Sue (Ben), brother Frank (Cheryl), and nephew Chris (Inger). I arranged a curated dinner with wine pairings at the Rainier Club the night of her birthday and created a special surprise. I arranged for Gina Perregrino, a rising Opera star, to fly from Philadelphia to Seattle to sing for us that evening. We met Gina several years ago through the Atlanta Opera and became her friends, her patrons. Dale was shocked, surprised and pleased to say the least. Gina performed a special program including Opera arias and other music for about 30 minutes, finishing with my favorite, a Cole Porter song, "You're the Top" from the 1934 musical "Anything Goes", which you can hear in the video. The dinner was a curated meal designed by the Rainier Chef and me, with wine pairings for each course.
After the dinner in Seattle, we traveled to Twisp, Washington, and stayed at a lodge owned by Cheryl, the fiance of Dale’s brother.
Got some snow but temperatures dropped to -12 degrees.
