It's Been a While...

Life has brought so many changes, ups and downs and topsy-turvy happenings lately I've been remiss to blog. However, to make up for the coldest June on record we have had a fabulous October.

I can identify with John Muir:

The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.

Also:

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face. by John Donne

Last weekend I savored the best of autumn:

A pumpkin-themed dinner for girls' night...pumpkin chili, pumpkin rigatoni with goat cheese, pumpkin soup, pumpkin cheesecake, spinach salad with pumpkin seeds, pumpkin trifle, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin bread..all so wonderful!

And then a day spent wandering through the fields picking the perfect pumpkin, carving it up, and eating borscht, squash soup, and bread.

Local Flavor Day

Took some out-of-town guests on a tour Saturday...

We stopped at the Ballard Locks to watch the chinook and coho swimming through and were also treated to a myriad of boats large and small heading through the locks.

Then it was off to Cupcake Royale for lavender cupcakes and Stumptown coffee. Still fabulous, as always.

We topped the day off with dinner at Ivar's Salmon House. Eat here! I had a 70th anniversary special, a $19.38 three-course dinner, which was a side Caesar salad with alder grilled Alaskan sockeye and Ivar's homemade blueberry ice cream.

What a beautiful spot. It's modeled after an Indian long house. The cedar planks and old wooden canoes hanging from the ceiling make for some fabulous decor, the view of the city is unbeatable, and we managed to show up right on time to witness a spectacular sunset.

There's Nothing So Rare as a Day in June

A bright and sunny afternoon. Between jobs. Perfect for exploring.

Destination: West Seattle and Columbia City Farmers' Market.

Equipment: Bike and helmet.

First stop: Metropolitan Market

(http://www.metropolitan-market.com/homeA.php)

The reason for the stop was to buy some broccolini for a recipe I had seen in today's paper: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/368100_stayfood25.html. This is a fabulous do-not-miss store. Fresh goods, friendly employees (how often do you actually have a conversation with the cashier while checking out?), everything you could want in a grocery store. I ended up with lunch (multicultural finger food--a spanakopita and a samosa) too.

On to Alki. Parked across the street from Alki Bakery (watch for an upcoming review when I return), got out my bike and started riding. The smell of the saltwater is so rejuvenating. OK, correction here, apparently this is actually the smell of kelp, but no matter, it is wonderful.

I rode in the bike trail along the beach/waterfront. Except for one slight diversion past the trail through a residential neighborhood and around a curve that yielded a delightful view of the Mountain...it pays to go where others (usually) do not go. I stopped at the marker pointing out that Alki is Seattle's birthplace. The Denny party landed there in 1851. And then there is the Lady Liberty statue, our very own replica donated by the Boy Scouts in the 50s.

Right now there is some construction on the sewer going on that provides a minor inconvenience but otherwise it is a pleasant ride. The temperatures were in the 70s so the beach was filled with sun worshippers. I rode to the pier where there is a great view of the city and then it was time to head back to my car to go explore the market (3-7 PM on Wednesdays in summer).

On the way to the market http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/markets/columbia_city I had my first tour of the new light rail lines running through the south Seattle neighborhoods (Beacon Hill, Rainier, etc.) Seeing it is exciting, but we still have a wait. The light rail does not start running until 2009.

The Columbia City market is located in a parking lot at the corner of Rainier & Edmunds. It is a fabulous and colorful place with lots of diversity in people and food. I purchased eastern WA cherries and local strawberries. I also tried and had to buy apriums, which are a mix of apricots and plums (the direct opposite of pluots) and some of the sweetest fruit I have ever tasted. While there I stopped to sample birthday cake (the market is 10 years old) and a fabulous truffle that was lively with various spices (mint and chili were 2 of the spices).

By the way, dinner was great (I used chicken sausage and bowties though).