Vacation A Go-Go

Greetings to all,

In less than 6 hours my vacation officially begins. I am so needing the break. Looking forward to the drive and relaxing a bit. Seeing sister Janet tonight and on to Ashland and seeing Mom tomorrow. Taking Mom up to Crater Lake Thursday for an overnight. So if you do not see a posting from me for a while, no worries!

Cheers!

Snoqualmie Falls or Bust

After all the Ya-Ya's met up at my apt. for a while we carpooled up to Snoqualmie Falls where we valet parked as Salish Lodge and went to "The Attic" and had a late lunch. Then it was a short walk to the falls where we officially welcomed "Bright Bulb" to the group. "Jelly Queen" aka Jodie made the lovely crown for her.

I had my handy-dandy official "Dollywood" mister fan to provide water mist to complete the induction as there was no where for her to walk into the ocean nearby. Hey, we do what we can and still laugh about it. Guess I should have had a seashell so she could have at least heard the ocean. After that Rob (our Shep) took the following picture of all of the Ya-Ya's from left is Oysterboy, Flying Dog, Beautiful Butterfly Brain (B3), Swandafag, Bright Bulb, Foulmouth and Jelly Queen!

It is fun to get together and share stories and catch up and for some reason drinking and eating are a big part of the weekend. Oh my! Jodie and Rob are amazing people and they played hosts to the dinner Saturday night of an amazing spinach salad, deviled eggs, baked yam's, bread (complete with a gluten-free option) and two kinds of pan-cooked chicken as the weather did not allow grilling. Oh and did I mention macadamia nut chocolate clusters? OMG!

By the way, for those that have never been, Snoqualmie Falls is a majestic 268 ft. waterfall located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Whitewater tumbles over granite cliffs into the emerald river canyon below. It is home to the first waterfall driven power station in the world. Just amazing to think such beauty exists and creates power too!

First Photos on the New Camera

This is Cindy and she is our newest Ya-Ya! She's known Sandy a heck of a long time and they are good friends for like ever! She actually likes Tequila so it made the day all the more amusing. Jodie made a great new crown for her, I am so jealous. This picture was taken in my apt. before all the fun began, but you can tell we are already laughing a lot.

Seriously, does Michael ever take a bad picture? He just turns and smiles and poof! What a great picture. It is so good to see Michael and wonderful that the pain has greatly reduced in his feet. We shared a lot of laughs and oh my last night watching old episodes of "The French Chef" with Julia Child had us laughing, but nothing like driving home Saturday when all I said was "Oh take exit 164 - ish" and we were both in tears of laughter. I was amazed he was able to still drive.

This photo is just not right, but I am trying to be inclusive and show that I let others use my camera. Sandy took this one as I was trying to explain how to maximize the bling factor. I mean seriously, I look like a fricking pompous queen talking about the dang thing!

So there is the first round and more photos from the induction will be posted later this day. Enjoy!

A Perfectly Lazy Sunday

Greetings to one and all,

Alas, the Ya-Ya's have come and gone and a full report is due and yes there are pictures. But, in due course. First up is an afternoon of rest, reading and relaxing. So needed after the full weekend of fun. A post may arrive later this day or it may just have to wait until tomorrow?!

Electronics Are not My Thing!

So this is the new camera and it is charging away. There are two, yes two DVD's telling me about it and one has the user's manual in like 4 languages. The other is a "software suite" in 7 languages. Oh my goodness. Have the paper "Quick Start Guide" in 4 languages and got rid of three of them. Yes, I did get it in plum, why is that not a surprise to anyone who knows me!

This is the back of the camera. Seriously, the camera is smaller than the palm of my hand, will I ever really get to know how to work it? Well, I am going to try and hopefully by tomorrow you just might see a picture or two posted here from our adventures today of inducting Cindy and honorary induction of Rob. Should be a fun day...catch up with you later!

Minding My ABC's

A is for Amazon.com where I bought my new water purifier from plus my digital camera. They arrived today and with Rob's help the kitchen sink now has a new Pur Water Filter and gone is that little itty bitty steam of water that annoyed many people including me! Also in the same box was the Cannon Coolpix S3000. Who knew you can buy a camera but it comes with no memory card...thank you again Rob!

B is for Best Friends. This weekend I get to see several of mine. Yes, I said several. I have been blessed to have many long term friends and they are the best people you would want to meet. Jodie and Rob will join Judy to be here this evening. We will do dinner and drinks or the other way around. Tomorrow will add Michael (is more like a brother or would that be Seezter?) plus Sandy and Katrina. I get to once again meet Cindy as she becomes our newest Ya-Ya!

C is for Chinese. Tonight we will be heading across the street to Shanghai Garden for dinner. My second visit this week. For those of you who read this blog, you can see the restaurant in the posting about the big fire fan earlier this week. It is the restaurant in the background. We will likely get too much and so there will be leftovers for Rob & Jodie to enjoy as I continue to use up the stuff in my frig since I head down to Ashland next week to see Mom.

So there you go...Minding my ABC's!

Stormy Night & A Moment

The winds did not disappoint. Destruction Island off the NW Olympic coast hit 72 knots...that is 83 mph! Hurricane strength gusts (to be fair hurricanes have sustained winds greater than 64 knots), still it was quite a storm we had hit yesterday and through the night. You can see by the picture below a lot of homes went without power when the tree hit the power lines. Glad I am in the city and while some lines are above ground, many are below. It is funny, since I have lived in this building we have lost power only once and it was the night before I was to leave for Mexico a couple of years ago to go to the Copper River Canyon and oh my, missed my original flight and ended up making it by the skin of my teeth to El Paso, TX. That's a fun memory to re-visit.

Last night my windows rattled and it was pretty intense at times. The billboards had their ads flail in the wind and when I drove to work this morning there were a lot of trees and debris all about and many lanes on roads were closed. Traffic was like a snail at times, but you know, it is all good. You get to slow down and smell the roses or a lot of exhaust if your car window is rolled down. OK, bad joke, but hey it was a long day. Gearing up for a great weekend with the Ya-Ya's and it kicks off tomorrow with Judy's arrival via train from Portland. Rob and Jodie will join us here and then off to enjoy Chinese and get the weekend going.

The girls arrive Saturday with our newest inductee and then Michael arrives from Astoria. He is stopping there tomorrow for the season's final Vintner's dinner. Cannot believe it is already a month since I was over the to enjoy the last one with him. Below is a dog you just could not fail to love. Edgar! He was a boxer Michael took in and oh how he got us all to love him while he was with us. Michael sent it to me and I wanted to share. Enjoy and for now, Cheers!

Full Disclosure!

Hello to all...I am just getting into blogging and I do not wish to lead false actions in any way. The posts that you see under Tuesday's heading were posted today and I was just too over jazzed last night to sit and post. The fire happening and seeing Helene. Well, I did not get around to it. But the context of the fire and the explosion of Mt. St. Helene's demanding a Tuesday day. Thus, I altered my post and I hope you can all understand.

I am excited about the up coming Ya'Ya induction weekend and also I am headed down to see Mom in Ashland next week, what a lot of fun is in store. Stay tuned and we will keep you up to the moment. At least I hope to. There may be glitches while on holiday!

Cheers!

Two-fer Tuesday!

30 years ago today Mt. St. Helen's sent up a plume of ash and smoke that was amazing and was the largest eruption in the history of modern America. It was stunning. I remember where I was when it blew! Do you? There are those moments in history that just mark us. JFK's assassination and the 9/11 towers being hit. Man walking on the moon and just those moments in history. That summer when they though it might blow again, I was involved with Beaver Boy's State and we had to arrange for face masks for all who attended just in case it blew while we were in session in Eugene.

Funny how those kind of thing come back to visit and yet there are memories that come back when current event happen. Some of you might remember the movie "Ghostbusters" and what a hit it was on the big screen. I sure enjoyed it. During the movie there is a moment when one of them has this though to the giant Puff's Marshmallow Man and it comes to life and walks the streets.
Yes, I know, it is a bit of a stretch, but you must follow along as to what happened last night. Helene came over for a night of some wine and Chinese Food. We enjoyed the Walla Walla Washington Cabernet and proceeded across the street to a favorite Chinese restaurant, Shanghai Garden and we had a wonderful meal. During the meal I noticed people gathering across the street and then the red lights of a fire truck. Thinking it was an accident we continued our meal and finally departed completed sated and looking forward tom my return on Friday with Jodie, Judy and Rob.

We proceeded across the street and I went to allow access to our building and Helene was already inside. I entered the building to realize that the fire alarms were going off and all elevators were on the 5th floor. Bummer. So what was on fire? It ended up being something that someone dumped in the garage chute. Making matters worse, someone on the 5th floor saw the smoke trying to escape from the 5th floor and opened the chute door and set off a wind tunnel that made the flames go higher and sent smoke into the Uwajimaya Grocery tore and that set off smoke detectors but thankfully, not the sprinklers. It was not hot enough. The "fire" did bring two ladder units and two pumper trucks and a bunch of very hot firemen. Did I mention they were carrying some very LARGE tools! Wowzers!!

Water, I need water...

OK, OK, so it was a heck of a moment. Well, they got the fire out and we had been outside for a good hour and it was not raining so no worries. A lot of people just wanted to go home and a lot of employees wanted to get back in to close for the night. But after the fire went out there was still a lot of smoke in the grocery area and the smoke detectors would not go off...what to do...well, back to Puff, the Marshmallow Man...they decide to bring in this honking HUGE fan. It is 6 to 8 feet across on the truck.

This photo was taken by a fellow resident and they arrive. The fan is to be used in the transit tunnel in Seattle when smoke develops, but the Operations Chief had an idea, why not use it and blow the heck out of the store and food court areas. BAM, it was amazing to watch. in less than 30 seconds the fan had lanterns moving as well as balloons at a new place. Doors all around were moving and we could smell the smoke being blown our. Done and done in less than 5 minutes. It was STUNNING! The picture above was taken by Kelly who lives here in the complex on her iphone and I thank her for it. The other photos I found on the web. It was a hell of a Tuesday!

Monday, Monday...

So all of a sudden I am sitting down to do my post and I think to myself - "Monday, Monday" and the classic from The Mamas And The Papas came to mind. I had to share, Enjoy!

Monday Monday, so good to me,
Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee
That Monday evening you would still be here with me.

Monday Monday, can't trust that day,
Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way
Oh Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be
Oh Monday Monday, how could you leave and not take me.

Every other day, every other day,
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
You can find me cryin' all of the time

Monday Monday, so good to me,
Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee
That Monday evening you would still be here with me.

Every other day, every other day,
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
You can find me cryin' all of the time

Monday Monday, ...

Spring Wine Dinner in 7 Courses

Last night Jodie and Rob played hosts for a first run at something we are hoping to start doing three times a year or so. It is a dinner that is created much like a vintner's dinner but not confined to one winery. We were able to pair up wine to food for each course. You will note that the second course had two wines as did the sixth course. This was done to compare and enhance each course.

We look forward to our next dinner in autumn to honor the bounty of the harvet and another in early 2011 to visit the comfort foods we all love and tastes from EuropeFollowing is a summary of what we had and hope that it might inspire you to join us next time:

First Course - Appetiser

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Asparagus w/ Balsamic Drizzle
Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe

Wine - Riesling - Alsace Domaines Schlumberger - Les Princes Abbes - 2006
Alc. 12% by volume Dryness indicator #3

"This floral white offers lots of apple blossom aromas and flavors, along with quince, kumquat and a light smoky underpinning. Dry and well-defined, with a nice finish. Drink now through 2010. 87 by Wine Spectator.

Comment: This first course was a nice light kick-off and really allowed the group to begin the meal with a fresh dry white after a round of champagne to get things going to honor Rob's upcoming birthday. The asparagus was small enough that 3-5 were rolled in each slice of bacon. enough was left over to enjoy with my leftover omelet from breakfast yesterday. A perfect brunch combo with a bagel this AM. The wine was an early favorite.

Second Course - Spring Salad

Baby Spinach with Jicama, Strawberries, Slivered Almonds w/ Strawberry Balsamic Dressing

Wine - Pinot Grigio: Alois Lageder - Dolomiti – 2008
(Indicazione geografica tipica)*
Alc. 12% by volume (dry white wine)

Wine Spectator: "Has Apple, honey and banana aromas and flavors. It’s Full-bodied, with good fruit and a crisp finish. Minerally, drink now. (7/31/09)" Producer notes: "Brilliant straw yellow with a green shimmer. Quite pronounced and expressive aroma with flowery and somewhat spicy notes. Rich flavored in the mouth, with a slight smokiness at the back and a good, fresh finish. Suggested Food: Starters (both fish or meat), pâtés and terrines, salads, fish and shellfish, poultry, white meat and mushrooms."

Pinot Bianco: Alois Lageder - Dolomiti - 2007
(Indicazione geografica tipica)*
Alc. 12.5% by volume (dry white wine)
2007 Dolomiti Pinot Bianco is brilliant straw yellow color with a green tint. Very fine, fruity (apples, peaches), forward varietal aroma. Pronounced, clean, elegant, grapey flavor, light to medium-bodied with a fresh mouth-watering finish.

Bottled: January 2008 Released: February 2008

*Indicazione geografica tipica is the second of four classifications of wine recognized by the government of Italy. Created to recognize the unusually high quality of the class of wines known as Super Tuscans, IGT wines are labeled with the locality of their creation, but do not meet the requirements of the stricter DOC or DOCG designations, which are generally intended to protect traditional wine formulations such as Chianti or Barolo.

Comment: Jodie got a great tip from the wine steward at Ballard Market who suggested a white balsamic vinegar. She macerated strawberries in the vinegar for a while and then strained them for the dressing. It made the salad very fresh and the Jicama really gave a nice crunch. While the Grigio really settled on the back of the palette, the Bianco held its' own on the front end. Many of us had never tried a Bianco before and that made for a real treat.

Third Course - Pasta Course

Bow Tie Pasta Tossed With Shrimp, Spring Peas, Garlic and Shallots all sauteed in bacon drippings and lemon zest added for freshness

Wine - Semillon: L'Ecole No 41 - 2008 - Columbia Valley
Alc. 12.5% by volume. (dry white wine)
89% Semillon 11% Sauvignon Blanc

Remarkably brilliant with rich fruit and balanced acidity, this wine shows fragrant citrus blossom, lemon and floral aromas, with melon, pear, lychee nut and key-lime flavors on a honeysuckle mineral-rich finish. Wine Enthusiast 90 points!

Comment: I had enjoyed a similar dish at a wine maker's dinner and thought it was the right time of the year to serve again. Also, like a Semillion and many are afraid of it. Not sure why? Jodie shared that the wine steward was quite pleased that I had opted to add one to our menu. Little did anyone know that L'Ecole No 41 is one of my favorite wineries. YEAH!

Intermezzo - Sorbet

Comment: Light and lively - At this point in the meal it is time to cleanse the patate and I was not sure what it would be until the day of the dinner and then in the store it hit me, how about a blood orange sorbet to bid farewell to the light courses with the white wines and then add a blackberry cabernet sorbet to welcome our entry into the heavier courses to come. It worked out even better when the former was a bit on the icy side and the latter was creamy and so there you go.

Fifth Course - Poultry

Deviled Eggs and Bourbon Chicken

Wine - Beaujolais: Appellation Controlee Domaine Dupeuble Pere et Fils - 2008.
Alc. 12% by volume. (dry white wine)
Mis en bouteille a la Propriété

Vivid ruby. Alluring aromas of cinnamon, strawberry and flowers, with a subtle undercurrent of pungent herbs. Velvety in texture and showing no hard edges. Smooth, sappy and gently sweet, with good finishing cling. Serve this with a light chill alongside some garlicky sausages or salty cheeses.

Comment: OK, so this was a hoot to enjoy. The wine had rested for a while and so had really had a chance to open up and then Jodie serves up the eggs. She had chopped bacon into the eggs and when we bit into them we were trying to decide had she also used chili flakes or peppers perhaps? Maybe a jalapeno or Tabasco? None of the above. She had put in some of the white balsamic and it had gotten the peppery overtone, even she and Rob were surprised! All the eggs were consumed during the dinner. What is it about deviled eggs? Rob grilled the chicken and oh my goodness. So moist and flavorful. Quite a treat.

Sixth Course - Surf 'n Turf

Grilled Copper River Salmon and Bacon Wrapped Top Sirloins

Wine - Zinfandel: Reserve - Quenett - Columbia Valley - 2004.
Alc. 15% by volume.

A vigorous and spicy Zinfandel with dark berry middle and a strong pepper finish. There is nothing subtle about this Zin. Savor it with lamb shanks, duck, or pasta.

Zinfandel is considered America's own great indigenous grape, even though its origins lie on the Adriatic coast. Planted throughout California and the Pacific Northwest, Zinfandel is at its best in warm regions with cooler temperatures during harvest. The wines can range from off-dry Rosés, White Zinfandels, and light bistro styled wines, to big, rich powerful wines - even luscious wines for dessert bottling. The flavors range from plummy to raspberry, although deep blackberry fruit and brambly spice tones are most common.

Comment: Oh my goodness, are we in heaven or what? This was a stunning moment of the dinner. We were all enjoying the wine and the Zin had been open for a while and it had come out of Jodie and Rob's private cellar. Can you say velvet! Rob had been the master griller and the fish and steaks were superb. Who knew that starting around 5pm would have us at this point just before 10pm. What an amazing experience. We were enjoying ourselves that Jodie even agreed to bring out a 2nd bottle of Zin from Bogle Vineyards. Quite nice to be sure.

Seventh Course - Dessert

Chocolate Lemon-Meringue Tart

Wine - Pinot Gris Port: Eleven – 2006
Alc. 12% by volume.

Light and fruity, the white port is a wonderful change of pace from heavier red ports. The typical flavors of Pinot Gris shine in a new light when joined by some additional sweetness. It goes wonderfully with creamy desserts that might be overwhelmed by a late harvest or ice wine.

Comment: We had six courses that just kept getting better and it was a kind of bummer in that Jodie had made such a beautiful dessert. When you took a bite, the flavors just did not mess well. Almost too much going on with the chocolate crust and the bed of raspberries plus the lemon and meringue. The port did not work with the dessert at all and reserves were pulled out at once to compensate. Bummer, but no one was sad, we had just enjoyed the most amazing meal and the finale was not horrible, just not something that would be repeated. You get to live and learn and the evening was all about that. What fun to be sure!

What's Up?

Granted, "UP" won the Oscar for Animated Feature Film, but it got me thinking about a recent email I got...

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ?

Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?

We call UP our friends.

And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.

We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has real special meaning.

People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary.

In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used.

It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.

When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP. When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so........it is time to shut UP!

*I thank my sister for sharing this fun listing and don't worry, there will be a full posting on the wine dinner later on!

Saturday is Such a Wonderful Day!

It is like getting a big bouquet of balloons for fun. Just kind of puts a smile on your face when you wake up as you know you have time to call your own and just enjoy what may come along. That is exactly what this day has been for me! Got to enjoy breakfast with Mick as I often do on Saturday morning and this day had us up at The Original Pancake House. I had not been to the Seattle location before and quite enjoyed it, but it is nothing like the original location in Portland on Barbur Blvd. From there it was off to get the two items I am contributing to the event this evening. After much searching I found a glorious 2 lb. fillet of Copper River Sockeye Salmon. And along with 2 pints of sorbet (Blackberry Cabernet & Blood Orange) I dropped them off at Jodie & Rob's place and headed for home.

Granted, it became a challenge as there was the Pike Place Market Cheese Festival and some charity walk/run through downtown so traffic was a mess and there were two cruise ships docked to show cruise season has kicked in. Now I did not know what charity walk was this day and did a search. While I did not have any luck in finding out who the charity was, I did find out that if you are in Seattle this day and having nothing to do tonight well, take heart. You can go to: Seattle Jello Wrestling Extravaganza @ 7:30p at Rendezvous Jewelbox Theater! Seriously, do I have to say ANYTHING else! I am laughing so hard right now.

So now I have enjoyed a nice nap, watched The Preakness horse race and it is time to head up to the Rob & Jodie's place (see how I flipped the names to be balanced and fair!) for a fun evening and will report all later. Cheers!

Copper River Salmon is Here!

There is just something about this amazing fish that makes you get all excited! It is a huge party atmosphere at the airport as the first plane arrives. That plane arrived this morning at 6:51am and was covered live on all the local stations. Here is an article on the event from the Seattle PI.com:

Seattle-based Alaska Air Cargo on Friday delivered the season's first shipment of Copper River salmon to Sea-Tac Airport, marking the start of the summer salmon season.

"Alaska Airlines flies more Copper River salmon throughout the season than any other airline," Joe Sprague, Alaska's vice president of marketing, said in a news release. "With enhanced food quality procedures and additional flights to support the Alaska seafood industry, we are going the extra mile to deliver fresh seafood throughout the country."

Alaska's freighter brought in Copper River king and sockeye salmon from Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Trident Seafoods and Copper River Seafoods. Alaska said at least four more Friday flights will transport salmon from Cordova, Alaska, to Seattle and Anchorage, Alaska, and across the United States.

Seafood processors and shippers follow "cool chain" standards, providing maintaining a consistent temperature range from the time the salmon leave the water to when they arrive at stores and restaurants, Beth Poole, Copper River Marketing Association's executive director, said in the news release. Alaska Airlines and Alaska Air Cargo are the only airlines who follow the standards.

"The first Copper River salmon of the year is a celebrated rite of passage, and Alaska Airlines plays a critical role in delivering Alaska seafood across the Lower 48," she said. "The airline's 'cool chain' program helps ensure prized Copper River salmon stays as fresh as possible."

This year, Alaska Air Cargo sponsored its first "Copper Chef Cook-off," giving executive chefs from Seastar Restaurant, Waterfront Seafood Grill and Anthony's Restaurant 30 minutes to prepare and serve the first catch of the season to a panel of judges, including: former Seattle Mariners slugger Jay Buhner; Mike Fourtner, deckhand on the F/V Time Bandit, featured on Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch"; Washington State University football coach Paul Wulff; and Alaska Airlines President Brad Tilden.

Pat Donahue from Anthony's Restaurant won.

That first plane had 25,000 lbs. of salmon and most of it was headed to Anthony's Restaurants around the area. Let me tell you, a few more have landed and stores are rushing to get it out in time for the weekend. Heck, we are including it in tomorrow night's wine dinner we are putting together. The "we" would be moi plus Jodie and Rob. We are going to have a few others join in and take in 7 courses of amazing food and wine will be paired with 6 of them. Check back for a full recap in a future blog posting. Cheers!

The Commute to Work

Oh those 4 simple words can strike fear into the heart of many. It can be draining. It can be time-consuming and it can just start your day off on the wrong foot. Or it can be a delightful experience and one that leaves you ready to take on the world. I commute 10.3 miles from my apartment in Seattle to the office in Bellevue. We are based in Bellevue because when Mark started the company it had a certain cache about it. Well, it is known for being a bit snobby and I have to tell you, if I did not work there I would rarely cross Lake Washington on I-90 to get there.

I do not like Bellevue. There, I said it. It is a city that 30 years ago was like 19,000 people and today it has an estimated population of 126, 200. After the current census we will know better. The downtown core is now 2nd only to Seattle in the state. Bellevue is French for "beautiful view" and it does have a lovely view looking outward. Sadly, downtown looks more like Dallas or some other sprawling city. Very little planning went into making it pedestrian friendly in that there are often 6-8 lanes of traffic. How sad. We are in a working office park on the fringe and so it is a tad better.

But what joy I get seeing Mt. Rainier in the morning with the sun rising and clouds parting. It often can make it's own weather pattern on top. The water on Lake Washington has so many personalities. From stormy to calm it is a joy to see what greets you as you exit the tunnel from Seattle side that goes under Center District and has to gliding down and across the water. There might be water skiers or various crew teams out practicing. There is currently some major cable project going on as two massive tugs have been out there for a while.

Another thing that just amazes me in the commute is how people have their radios blasting or they are on the phone. Hang up the phone people it is against the law now. People leave blinkers on and sure enough they are on the phone or they are often the ones who suddenly change lanes with no warning. It is all about them, of course. Well, they can have the noise and distraction, I will take the beauty and be a bit more defensive and get to work and home safely.

The sun is no longer right in your eye and that makes for a better morning drive. But that does not discount the evening commute. I do tend to get to the office by 7:30am so I can get out by 3:30-4pm. Try to miss the back-up and most often it works. The slightest spot of rain and BOOM! All traffic comes to a halt and there are nasty back-ups. Hello people, we live in the northwest! I have learned a few tricks to make the commute a little nicer. One thing is exiting onto Mercer Island and slowing down to 25 and while it is not 60, it is faster than dead stop. I keep moving and cannot tell you how many times I have been able to beat a heck of a lot of traffic home.

And that is where I am now relaxing after a rough day. Trying to play catch-up after being out two days is not easy, but hey, what will it be like after being gone a week at the end of the month, but I really don't care in that I get to see Mom. That will be a blast. Cheers!

Another Sign of Life Moving on!

Iconic British Luxury Department Store Harrods Sold for $2.2 Billion

Mohamed al-Fayed, owner of luxury department store Harrods, has agreed to sell the iconic London store to Qatar Holding, a sovereign wealth fund from the small Arab Emirates state.

The purchase amount of $2.2 billion (£1.5 Billion) was agreed upon after Qatar Holding pledged to continue investing in the company and to protect Harrods employees' pensions.Harrods, founded in 1834 by Charles Henry Harrod, has been owned by al-Fayed since 1985 and is a world-renowned London landmark that attracts more than 15 million customers each year.

According to Lazard, the investment firm that advised al-Fayed on the sale, "Mohamed al-Fayed has decided to retire and to spend more time with his children and grandchildren." It looks like a trend is starting now that Qatar Holding is in charge of Harrods and Dubai's Istithmar PJSC owns Barneys New York.

It will be interesting to see if the trend catches on and other luxury department stores will be bought up by Arab investors.The Financial Times reported that Qatar Holding is looking to capitalize on Harrods popularity by opening its first outpost, in Shanghai.

As other such luxury icons as Chanel, Fendi, Tom Ford and Harvey Nichols increase their presence in China, this may be a good financial move for the store. However, will turning Harrods into a global chain dilute the landmark store's image?

Of note, I do not wish to imply in any way that I wrote the above article. I did not. There are times you will copy items from other blogs and news sources and I regretably did not give credit for the above story. I do believe it was from eithere the Wall Street Journal or BBC News. In reviewing their websites several days later the stories have been updated and so I can no longer be perfectly sure. My apologies.

Taking a Mulligan - No Way!

"Taking a Mulligan" means to make a second tee shot if your first one was ugly. A Mulligan is the same as a "do-over". Officially, Mulligan's are not permitted under the rules of golf. However, under amiable conditions between combatants, it is "sort of" customary to permit someone who has not played in a while to have a second chance on the first tee if their initial drive attempt went badly.

Mulligans are generally frowned upon after the first tee unless the person hitting is a beginner. Because most beginners have difficulty striking fairway woods, it's probably a good idea to let them take a second drive off the tee. That will speed things along for everybody. Seniors also frequently carry a second ball in their pocket to hit a quick Mulligan. This is actually done as a courtesy to others so as not to hold the rest of the foursome up. "Mulligan" is the name given to the second shot taken.

So why the heading? Awoke this morning at 3am-ish to horrible stomach pains and frequent visits to the loo. By 6am it was obvious that there was something quite not right. I was painfully ill. Decided to stay put as there were few options. Lots of water and horizontal rest and after being aware that I was not in the best of shape I finally dazed out completely just past noon. Awoke a bit after 3:30pm in a drenched bed. EXHAUSTED! I took a shower and had some water and dry toast. Feeling better, but not 100%. Early evening I think. So no, I prefer to play through and not take a "do over" thank you very much!

What More Needs to be Said?

OK, so I can't resist...have spent the morning getting things ready for the Mother's Day High Tea being hosted by Moonsong and David. Will be heading up there in a bit. Made three different kinds of tea sandwiches for all to enjoy. A chicken salad w/ Brie on a cranberry walnut bread, cucumber and watercress on wheat and finally open faced egg salad on wheat. Oh the fun we will have.

Saturday - Take 2!

So today I went back to Hudson's for breakfast with Mick and we arrived at the same time as last week. What a difference a week and weather can make. It was gray and rainy last week so only 3 tables and a couple of people at the bar. This week sunny and nice and by 8:10am all 10 tables and booths were filled and not just with two-fers, but there were 36 people in there! Oh my gosh and bravo, or should that be brava since it was a woman, for handling it all. She acknowledged people and told them it would be a few minutes and slowly got everyone taken care of in pretty much the order they arrived. I think everyone understood and went with the flow. Heck, there was even one point where a guy asked for more strawberry jam and all the tables around him searched in the glass jars and passed them to him to save her a stop. She even took time to thank all of us.

One thing I realized this morning is that it is only for 21+ because of the bar and no divider. Stroller free! YES! Did not know it then, but it just became a top choice favorite. I decided to try what Mick had last week and that is the Chicken Fried Steak and it was mighty tasty. Too much to finish and that is saying something. Yes, I have been a member of the Clean Plate Society for a while. But I just hit a point and had to stop.

Got back to the apartment and could see it was going to be a interesting day as the "No Event Parking" sign was already in place. Went online and sure enough, the Seattle Sounders are playing as I type this in the early afternoon and the Seattle Mariner's play tonight. What is funny about that is that for the soccer game this afternoon parking is as high as $40 right by Qwest Field where they play and goes down the further you have to go. For tonight, since the Mariner's are doing so bad and attendance is down you will see prices cut in half. Go figure.

In 10 days it will be the 30th anniversary of Mt. St. Helen's eruption. It made me pause and revisit some of the pictures that have come out of Iceland with the recent volcano eruption there. Have you learned to say the name of the volcano yet? I do try and know I mess it up. But here are two of my favorite pictures from the postings in the Boston Globe. You can see more by clicking on the Globe's name.

The picture above is in a field during the day and it is awe inspiring to be sure and then looking at the one below at night with the glowing lave and the lighting formed. Oh my goodness.

I've had a few more two-fer moments this day as I watched a couple of episodes of Julia Child's original series on PBS called "The French Chef" and read a couple more chapters in the current read. It is a series of articles based on food. One chapter this day was all about being part of the process in killing the animals that we eat. Now why? Why do I have to have a better understanding of what I am eating by going and killing the animal. That is just a bit sick and twisted to say the least. No, thank you very much, I do not have to go and kill a pig because I like bacon. That is like say I need to go and grow potatoes because I enjoy a potato-based vodka martini now and then. Please. I do event planning because it is my job and others have employment preparing food for us to consume. I do not mind reading about how it is done and often that can be very informative. But I do not need to go and butcher a cow in order to appreciate a good steak. OY! Should I step down from my soap box now? Well, this is a good place to stop and I hope that all the Mothers out there enjoy their day tomorrow!

Pause, Consider and Relect

Hello there,

Well, Friday did arrive on schedule and I am one happy camper that it did. It was a long and tough week. Every day was filled with an array of different tasks and I see that next week will be brimmed out as well. Did get to put the final touches on the surprise I have in store for Mom at the end of the month. We will have a good time. Also, I got to have some good phone conversations with friends and I look forward to talking to more over the weekend. This weekend is Mother's Day and I do cherish my times with Mom and the calls. I have been writing more postcards as I know she loves getting mail and call more frequently in that she gets lonely. My sister Janet is so much better than I on calling Mom and is driving down in the morning to spend the long weekend with her. I was to be there this weekend, but will get to spend even longer with her at the end of the month when I take a full week off work...how many calls? But I am coming back on the 1st of June to allow me the 2nd to get the apt. back up and running and then hit the office on the 3rd.

Tonight Curtis stopped by and we had a great chat. One that has needed to happen. Seeing where we both stand and the future. He is freaking a bit about turning 46 next month and looking ahead and I shared I see my moving along in the near future = at most 2 years. He left and I enjoyed Washington Week in Review one of the keystones to kick off the weekend. Tomorrow morning is breakfast with Mick and I think we are headed back to Hudson's and if so I am going for the Chicken Fried Steak or Monte Cristo. Then the rest of the day is to call my own so off to Trader Joe's to get supplies to make Tea Sandwiches for Sunday's Mother's Day Tea and then home to enjoy a few episodes of Julia Child's first TV series for PBS in black and white. Gotta love that. Then I get the infill supplies from Amazon Fresh Saturday evening as I enjoy British Comedies. I have seen many of them but they are fun and well, mindless.

Betty White hosts Saturday Night Live on NBC tomorrow and hopefully I can watch on the internet but may end up running down to Markie's if need be. We shall see. That should be pretty funny. Sunday has me up early and out of the house to allow Moonsong to clean and then back to make final preparations for the tea. It is at 4pm on Sunday. Then we will kick back and relax knowing that next week will be a bit of a scene with Mark visiting on Wednesday and well, who knows what fireworks will happen! Cheers for now.

Only 232 days unitl Christmas

So did your heart just flutter...I really hope not, I was just making a point. The whole thought of buying for the holidays has made it so the holidays are no longer fun. A few years back I decided to change that. It began with not going home for Christmas. That was just not right, but wait a minute. Alaska Airline/Horizon Airlines knows people are trying to get to Medford in droves and so they jack the price of a ticket by 3 to 4 time of normal. It would cost me in excess of $800. to get decent flights home for the holidays whereas if I wait until January, they drop to $198. round trip. So I called Mom and said, "How about my coming in January and we celebrate then?" She loved the idea and poof, it was born. Who knew the side effect and that is where Michael and I share Boxing Day together and make it a fun holiday. We just have fun and I head down on the morning after and we have a serious British holiday. What is also fun is that I get to have a "Jewish Christmas" with Helene or some other kind of fun. A Jewish Christmas = Chinese food and a movie. This past year it was Chinese food and Catan, a game I enjoy playing with friends. This whole Christmas thing has gotten out of hand. I love the holiday and the meaning and the magic of the season. I do not like how people get so crazed that it is no fun for them. Take back the holiday people.

So why did all this happen? Not sure. But this blog post happened in that I was watching PBS tonight and there was stress on the financial market due to panic in Greece and the market dropped 1,000 points and recovered and a guy is in custody because he wanted to blow up people in Times Square and well, the world just needs to take a breath. I know I am. Currently I am in a unique position at my firm. We had the controller leave and the Director of Sales is on such a thin ice it is crazy. I have been there 12 years and well, it is not where I will be when I retire and so where is that? A lot of confusion. So while I will stay put, change is beginning to happen. That means working on weight and seeking a new career path at plus 50 = ouch! But it can happen. Especially since I am making all this happen. So grab the silver rail and hang on because the new ride is just about to begin and who knows where it will end. Enjoy the ride and the holidays.

Clams and then there are Clams

There are so many different word for money. Moola, cash, bucks, bread, payola, greenbacks, dinero, ducketts, mean green and of course clams, as it that cost a lot of clams. That was the case with a can of shaving cream I had to buy on a cruise in November, 2008. A simple can of Colgate Shave Cream on board was $6.95. Yup, you read that right and so why am I sharing this, well today I used the last of that shaving cream. I happened to look at the price tag (which I left on just to remind me how stupid I had been) as I tossed it and said "that was a lot of clams" and in so doing remembered that my friend Michael had sent me some pictures of his clams post prep for the cooking phase. Below I present the Razor Clams before cooking, but cleaned...

Then they are being cooked after being dredged in flour, egg and flour again...have you said yum yet? OK, first you need to like clams and oh do I LOVE me some clams! And then we have the final phase...

The clams are plated and ready to be devoured. Oh with some coleslaw and maybe fries or other nibble veggie, we are talking heaven!

And so there you have it folks, clams and more clams and yes, it is over the hump day and I made it. Feeling pretty good this evening and glad I have the weekend to relax. But what will be fun is going to High Tea at Moonsong's and David's on Sunday to honor Mother's Day. Also, I get to go shopping for a new camera. Watch out world, more photos will be on the way.

Two views of Kentucky

So here is Barbara having the time of her life this past weekend at the whole Kentucky Derby Weekend. Barbara (and mine you I have another name for here that only I get to use and am not going to abuse my privilege and use it here on the blog) is in the travel business and we met back in like 2002 on a winery cruise in California. We have been in touch ever since. Well, over a year ago she met the two gentlemen with her on a cruise and they live in France. Last summer she went to visit them at their country manor. It appears that one thing lead to another and poof she was arranging tickets for them to the Barnstable Brown Derby Gala the night before the Kentucky Derby to box seats for the actual event. Well, let me tell you, Barbara was a princess for the weekend including wearing the wonderful evening gown and people, this is a girl who does not like to wear a dress! But heck, there are exceptions. Here is the article from the Courier-Journal newspapaer talking about all the who's who of who would be there:

What do baseball's all-time home run leader, pop music royalty and the anchor of the CBS political show “Face the Nation” have in common? They'll all be among the guests at one of the most delightfully eclectic Barnstable Brown galas on Kentucky Derby Eve. Barry Bonds, Tito, Marlon and Jackie Jackson, and Bob Schieffer are hardly the only boldface names on this year's guest list for the internationally known party.

"We've got music covered, we've got sports covered, we've got drop-dead gorgeous covered,” Tricia Barnstable Brown said with a laugh. She plays host to the party with her sister, Priscilla Barnstable. “We've even got edgy-cool covered.”

Flamboyant figure skater Johnny Weir and gold medal-winning skier Bode Miller will bring some Winter Olympics glamour to the Kentucky Derby weekend event. John Calipari might not have gotten to the Final Four with his Kentucky hoops team, but he will make it down the Barnstable Brown red carpet with former players John Wall and Patrick Patterson.

Other sports superstars on hand will include the New England Patriots' three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Famous musical acts always take the stage at the legendary Derby bash, and this year's party looks like a reunion of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members. Three of Michael Jackson's brothers — Tito, Marlon and Jackie, all founding members of the Jackson 5 — will perform.

Barnstable Brown expects that one of the highlights of the party will be their musical tribute to Michael Jackson, also starring R&B legend Jennifer Holliday. In addition to old-school rap icon Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Motown superstar Smokey Robinson will attend. They'll be joined by 1980s hitmakers Taylor Dayne and Salt-n-Pepa, as well as country chart-toppers Travis Tritt, Rodney Crowell, John Michael Montgomery and Little Big Town.

Boy band alums will be well-represented, with Barnstable Brown regulars Joey Fatone and Nick Lachey.
And Lachey might be part of the most-anticipated paparazzi moments of the night. Ashlee Simpson will be at the party, along with her husband, Fall Out Boy singer Pete Wentz. Ashlee, of course, is the younger sister of Jessica Simpson — Nick's ex-wife. Ashlee won't be the only glamorous woman setting off flashbulbs. Supermodels Marisa Miller and Rebecca Romijn and Vanessa Minnillo, former Miss Teen USA and MTV “Total Request Live” host, will do the red carpet. They'll be joined by Hollywood stars Jerry O'Connell (“Jerry Maguire”) and Terry O'Quinn, from “Lost.”

“We've got two more episodes of ‘Lost,' and we're going to have John Locke (O'Quinn's character) here. In my living room,” Barnstable Brown said. “I get very excited.”

On Monday, the signs of preparation were everywhere. Workers had decorated the Highlands house with glittering, silver lamé decorations, making every trip downstairs feel as if it were choreographed by Busby Berkeley. “I get to live in a fantasy world,” Barnstable Brown said.
With the most consistently eye-catching guest list of Derby week, the Barnstable Brown party has long been a coveted ticket on the Louisville social calendar. Barnstable Brown has been organizing this most glittery of Derby events for the past 22 years.

“We raise lots of money, I'm proud to say. That's very meaningful,” Barnstable Brown said.
Proceeds go to support the Barnstable-Brown Diabetes and Obesity Center at the University of Kentucky.

So there you go! But all was not so fabulous in the state as heavy rains covered the state. In fact, the Derby on Saturday was so muddy and nasty that Barbara ended up changing outfits to survive the rain. She shared that the infield at Churchhill Downs was like looking at Woodstock!

In addition to knowing Barbara I know two wonderful people by the name of Kate and Eric who have a farm. That would be Frog Hollow Farm outside Lexington. Well, there is a little "creek" that babbles near their road and driveway that is usually about 4 feet wide and oh 8 inches deep. Well, that was not the case this weekend by the two photos below!

The do appear to be surviving but my oh my, Kate was all worried if the dryer repairman would be able to make it to the house on Monday. Kate, I don't think so and I would not put the laundry out on the line either.

This storm just dumped on Tennessee and there have been over 15 people who have died so far. Between this storm and the oil spill in the gulf coast it has been a blistering weekend down there. Know that my thoughts and prayers are with y'all! Until next time.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Mom ~ How I Love You!

See you at the end of the month!

It is fun to just sit and chat with Mom about all the great stories and memories of the past. I get to go down at the end of the month and spend a few days with her. We laugh and watch Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy" and we are going on a surprise road trip. Mom said yes, but has no idea where we are going to go. Have a couple of places in mind. Just going to be overnight. It is amazing sometimes to pause and think of all the changes in the past 87 years. She often marvels that she is still here! Well, here is to many more....

What's going on in my world?

Mick mentioned a different place to go for Saturday breakfast in that after 2+ years of going to The Shanty Cafe it had grown stale and so we headed to Hudson's which sports a horseshoe bar, coffee parlor, and a Southern-inspired menu. Among the tasty dishes are deep-fried French toast, a pulled pork omelet, and shrimp and cheesy grits on the weekends. They open at 8AM and we were the second table. Within minutes there were multiple tables and people sitting at the bar. The pacing was great and everyone understood they were just getting going. Mick enjoyed the Chicken Fried Steak with country gravy and they also offer a sausage version for the biscuits. He also got a side of has browns and they were quite tasty as I got to enjoy a taste of both items this being my first visit. I opted to try the Shrimp and Cheesy Grits and opted for a biscuit on the side plus a side of bacon. Both good choices especially since the biscuits had just come out of the oven. I will be going back with good coffee and nice people, a winner.

We headed out rather quickly afterwards as Mick was headed north to see friends in Vancouver, BC and I decided to make a run for home and hide. It proved to be a day from hell as both the Mariners and Sounders played in town on the same day! Thankfully not at the same time as has happened before and likely will happen at least once this year, just watch. But it was just the right weather to kick back and have the windows open to air out the apartment and do some much anticipated reading which can be a wonderful nap inducer. It was!

My dear friend Michael lives on the Long Beach Peninsula and gets to enjoy daily walks with Hank, his dog. Now there are times that those walks take on a whole new meaning and that is when he gets do go claming. I love hearing the stories of his adventures and yesterday was no exception as was able to enjoy a treasure trove of bounty and scored not just one or two but a full dozen before calling it a day. The thing I love about Michael is that he is not one to rely on those new fangle things that do all the work and you get to have faux bragging rights. No, Michael has a good old fashion clam shovel that he get down there and have a game of who is going to be the winner? Him or the clam. Sometimes he is the winner and other times the clam will win. But it is a fair fight to the finish and may the best mman or clam win! The pictures shared here were posted by him on his facebook posting and I snagged them for those who might not know what a razor clam looks like. The first photo is a single clam. The picture on the right is of his clam shovel holding three of the prizes and finally the third picture is of the entire bounty presented in true prize formation. If I am not correct they are being displayed on the front porch but you know that soon enough they will be in the kitchen and cleaned ready for some wonrderful dish to enjoy.I have to share that Michael is an amazing cook. We have shared many of his wonderful dishes from Oyster Stew to a Boxing Day Dinner that had us transported to England spit spot! And oh if you could have been at one of our many Super Bowl parties where the food overtakes even the commercials of the game. What wonderful memories we do share. I look forward to seeing him over here in Seattle later this month for our Ya-Ya spring induction weekend. We had planned it for last month but it got postponed. Speaking of Ya-Ya's yesterday fellow Ya-Ya Jodie and her boyfriend Rob scored at a Garage Sale they went into with three other couple and cleared 90% sold the first day. They stopped by on the way home ands we celebrated by enjoying Peking Duck at Shanghai Garden. That will be the last time for a while for me as it is something to be reserved for special occasions and well there seems to have been 4 of them since last November. It can be just a bit too much after a while. We left very happy and full.

Today has been quite lovely with a lazy morning of coffee and reading - can you tell I like to read! Then a nap and at 1pm the group came together for Catan. It was a different version and one where I was just having a ball. For some reason I decided to count and poof, I had won. Who knew!?! It was a fast game that was done and done in just a little more than 3 hours. So the boys headed for home and I got the apartment back to order to allow for me to pause and bring you up to date on what the heck is going on in my world this day. Cheers for now!

Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!

May has arrived and with the new month comes a family ritual that our Mom got us doing years ago. Here is what it is: When you wake up in the morning of the first day of a new month you are to utter ~ Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit! therein bringing you good luck for the month. It is something that is fun to do and check in with siblings to see if they have. From time to time I share this tradition with others and it is fun to find different things that different people do as family customs and traditions.

May is also when Wisteria comes into full bloom. One of my favorite flowers, I took the liberty to post a nice picture of it above to welcome the month. Here a Uwajimaya Village Apartments, we have a lovely arbor of it that is going to be stunning in the next week to 10 days an plan to post a picture once it happens.

Yesterday Markie stopped by with his brother who took the train up from Eugene. I love the train and Seattle has King Street Station. It is going through a major renovation right now and below is the exterior while I can tell you is a bit dated n hat lovely new green tiles have been placed on the roof. The whole building is greatly influenced by some of the great buildings of Italy. Thus the new roof is green tiles and just lovely plus the clocks work again.
The interior is going through a most amazing renovation. In the 60's they totally bastardized the interior to make it look more modern. How horrible. Well, they have now begun the process and it is stunning. Below is a picture of he entrance lobby. It is glowing again with marble and original light fixtures refurbished. I am so happy that they decided to do this. So now they have a lot more work to do, but they are on the way. The old wood seating is back and it just makes you love trains all the more. If you have not taken the train from Seattle down to Portland or reverse, you owe it to yourself. It is just so lovely between Tacoma and Olympica riding right along the water.

Well, I paused to watch the Kentucky Derby. It was rainy and messy. The "Run for the Roses" did not disappoint. There was a guy who bet $100,000 on Super Saver. Well, he won over $900,000~ WOWZERS! I am so looking forward to taking to Barbara in Lexington on Monday when she is back from her fantasy experience of going to The Kentucky Derby. She got to do the parties and the Derby itself with two friends from France. Oh the stories should be good. People, this is a person who does not wear dresses and she wore one last night for a party and another today for the Derby! You go gurl!