Mukilteo Musings

Terrific Weekend

Port Ludlow!! Port Ludlow is across the water and accessible by taking the Edmonds ferry and the Hood Canal bridge. As the seagull flies, Port Ludlow is not that far away but because of ferry lines, it takes about an hour and a half to get there from Mukilteo. Dave's sister used to live there and she loved it but she now spends her time in sunny Yakima and sunny Florida.

Driving across the Hood Canal Bridge


The Inn at Port Ludlow offered a wine-pairing dinner package which included a room. We decided to take advantage of the offer. Obviously, the room is a great idea because trying to maneuver the Hood Canal bridge after an evening of lovely wines could result in an unexpected cold water swim.

On the way to Port Ludlow, you drive through a perfect little town called Port Gamble. It is a strange village of Victorian homes and reminds us of the ceramic Christmas village we set up during the holidays. In fact, we always feel like we have been mysteriously shrunken into our Christmas town whenever we drive through. Never do we see people walking around and frankly, it is creepy.

Episcopal Church in Port Gamble


Houses in Port Gamble


Usually, we do not drink wine for lunch but we decided to begin our lovely weekend with a little wine, bread and cheese picnic-style after we arrived in Port Ludlow. My husband and I realized we were celebrating probably to the weekend the 35th anniversary of our first date in November 1969. The picnic was a little cold and my hair turned to frizz but I did not care. We were having fun!!



The dinner was fabulous and intimate with only about 16 couples. We began with appetizers in the sun room and a brief lecture about the types of wines we would be tasting. In the dining room, we had a table to ourselves; we had a chardonnay with scallops; a pinot noir with duck breast; and a cabernet with beef short ribs. This is the second time in a month we have been served short ribs in a fancy presentation. Hmmm! Must be the new "food du jour"! An apple panna cotta was served for dessert with a muscat. The first time we attended a wine-pairing dinner about a year ago, I was so snockered by the time they brought the dessert that I could hardly keep my face out of it. So, this time, I got really good at placing my hand over my glass with a sweet smile when the sommelier cruised by. I actually remember the dessert.

Inn at Port Ludlow


View of the Olympic Mountains from our room


The following morning breakfast was provided in the dining room. We expected a muffin and a cluster of grapes but Noooo---an entire fresh baked mini-loaf of blueberry and apple bread was provided to each of us respectively with practically a whole melon in addition to the cluster of grapes. Needless to say, we brought home a nice snack for Kaley. After breakfast, we returned home and enjoyed a lovely ferry ride. On the way back, there is this weird corner with strange wood people carved out of old stumps or maybe these are the people who actually live in Port Gamble. Who knows? But I confessed to my husband, I actually took pictures of stumps for this blog. He laughed and decided a coffee table book with photos of old stumps was actually a great idea...but I think I will not include these scary wooden folks.



The Inn at Port Ludlow hosts a wine-pairing dinner once a month during the non-tourist season. Definitely, we will do this again!