VIP

My brother, Steve, called me last Thursday and said something really great might be coming up for me, but he had to know what I was doing on Saturday. Not much, I said. The weekend looks pretty quiet.

"I have VIP tickets for the Moody Blues Saturday night at Chateau Sainte Michelle Winery. It looks like my client's husband can't make it, so I asked Rose if she'd like to have my sister sit next to her. Rose is a very outgoing person, so she said sure right away, but she has let me know if she can get the night off."

Steve works for Youngs Columbia, a major beer and wine distributor. Rose owns a bistro in Mukilteo. It isn't easy for her to get a Saturday night off. Steve called on Friday and said everything is a go, could I meet them at his house at 3:30 for bubbles and appetizers. We should be at the winery by 5:00 for schmoozing, and the concert starts at 7:00. Oh, you bet I could!

Steve and his wife, Ginny, Rose and I met up at the rally point.

The VIP seats are for people in trades like restaurant owners, sales reps, and people the winery wants to reward. I couldn't have bought the ticket for myself. I'd never had this experience and I was very excited as we entered the property. "We'll go to VIP parking," said Steve, faking a yawn.

That was easy. "Look at all the people lined up for general admission," said Steve. Some of them feel they have to get here at 11:00 a.m. and wait hours to get in. They all want that just right spot on the lawn. Seating is open, it's all lawn, and people bring blankets and low chairs to sit on. Some make quite a big deal out of low tables with linens and complete picnic.

We side stepped these unfortunate line people and took an inside sidewalk to the Chateau. As we glided by one of them said, "HEY. The back of the line is over there!" Rose stopped to explain that we were where we were supposed to be, and I said, "Give em the finger, Rose." But she didn't.

We were checked in and hand stamped, wrist banded and name tagged. Then graciously welcomed into the Chateau.

We get a special crystal wine glass and it is refillable, no charge. There is a table full of really elegant canapes; crab cakes, asparagus in phyllo, curry chicken skewers, antipasto... I can't remember all of the things. No charge, of course. We sat on the VIP patio and enjoyed the beautiful weather, and in the distance we could see the line people making very slow progress.

"It is kind of our hosts to situate the line people a fair distance from us. They look sweaty," I remarked to my brother.

Fifteen minutes before concert start, we thought we'd go look for our seats. We noticed that our section of porta potties sat discretely behind the VIP tent. They were a little bigger than the potties provided for the line people and they said VIP on them, too.

I took off my sandals for that Summer of Love barefoot look. Ste. Michelle has lush lawns and they feel so nice. We found our seats, opened a bottle of chardonnay, and looked around. Perhaps we should see what kind of dessert is offered in the VIP tent this evening. There were so many goodies and cheeses you could not fit them on the dainty little plate. I chose three tiny goodies; one lemon, one chocolate and one cheese.

The Moody Blues started promptly at 7:00 and gave a good performance. There are three orignal members, the all-important rich vocals are very much there. The weather was absolutely perfect. People were naturally relaxed due to these conditions and were smiling at each other. We settled into our chairs while the line people got comfortable in their earthy territories.

It was one of those rare nights in the Northwest when you remember that this area can be quite like heaven on earth and people can be nice to be around.

Fantastic!