Last night, I drove to the Emerald Queen Casino (the one on Portland Avenue) to reconnect with a lady I met years ago when we both had vendor tables at holiday fairs. We’ve been friends on Facebook ever since. She was making jewelry back then at those holiday fairs. I bought some masculine jewelry at that time and she has made custom pieces for me since then that I just love.
Cheryl Young and her son at their holiday table about 2018
Two of the custom necklaces Cheryl made for me
Her name is Cheryl Young. For the past almost three years (before about seven months ago) she lived in Georgia with one of her children and her grandbaby and Shih Tsu dog.
When I found out she’s back in Washington, I suggested that we get back together to catch up. We did that last night.
I headed out in plenty of time to get there, as I had never been to the new Emerald Queen Casino before and wasn’t sure where to park or where the restaurant that she chose was inside the casino. That was a good thing, because there was serious police action on Portland Avenue, so the road was completely blocked. I wended my way around until I found an alternate route, and then parked in the East lot.
After ascending to the casino level in an elevator, I found myself in a vestibule occupied by security guards. The casino requires ID and a body scan (I guess for weapons?) to enter, so I gave a gentleman my driver license and said, “This was my first time in, and I’m looking for the Puyalapads Cafe.” One of the security officers pointed me to a carpet with what I called a kind of “a yellow brick road” (but multicolored) and said, “Follow in that direction, keeping to the right all along the way, and you’ll find it off in that direction. All of the eateries are located there.”
Worked like a charm!
I arrived ten minutes early, so hit the restroom and then, after going inside the cafe to see if Cheryl was already seated, I texted her, letting her know I had arrived. She told me to go ahead and get a table and she would be along shortly.
Before going in, I took photos of the entry to the cafe, because it’s so visually stunning.
Cheryl arrived about fifteen minutes later. We hugged and ordered our meals. I got seafood fried rice. She ordered meals for herself and her son (one of them to go, obviously).
We must have chatted for a good two hours, catching up on each other’s lives. Turns out she wants to try kayaking, too, so we committed to trying it out at Owen Beach this summer when the weather is right. I have always wanted to do that but my friend Lisa has always been hesitant, so now I have someone to do it with. We can’t wait, but doing it now would freeze us to death, so we have to wait!
When we finished dinner, I offered to drive her home to Federal Way. She usually Ubers around, since she left her vehicle in Georgia (and her shih tsu); she plans to go back in February and may drive them back at that time. Or maybe not. She can fly free, and she said the drive from WA to GA is quite the project! But she took her time getting there (six days instead of three) and she sat in a field in Oklahoma for a full six hours one day just soaking in the ambience, so she did it right, for sure. She took lots of pictures along the way, too, apparently.
Anyway, we had a truly wonderful visit and I look forward to having more adventures with her as the months pass. I forgot to get a selfie of us together, but you can see her (and her shih tsu, too!) on her Facebook page here if you’re so inclined!
