Saturday, January 31, 2004
Wow, there is an effort underway to establish the ORCA as the Washington state mammal! I could definitely support this.
// posted by Janet @ 10:51 AM
0 comments
Friday, January 30, 2004
Politically Correct!! My post yesterday started me thinking about another characteristic of Seattleites. We tend to be picky about being politically correct and perhaps we go overboard. Sometimes, though, we need to go to one extreme to balance out the other.
For example, there are people who refuse to call Mt. Rainier "Mt. Rainier". The original Native American name is Tahoma (Tacoma, WA is so derived). The same thing has happened with Mt. McKinley in Alaska. Many think it should be called Denali. To be honest, "Rainier" sounds out of place among names such as Snoqualmie, Skykomish, Stillaguamish, Sammamish, Quinault, Puyallip, Humptulips, and of course Mukilteo. But I don't know, I still call the mountain, "Rainier".
My favorite flower has always been the "Indian Paintbrush". It grows in the high mountains of Montana and here mostly east of the Cascades. I have always loved the incredible shades of red from deep dark to pale pink. Our wedding invitation was designed with an Indian Paintbrush on the front; and I have a water color painting of a grouping in my dining room. Recently, while out to dinner in Seattle we noticed a local red wine called "Red Paintbrush" on the winelist so we ordered it. It was wonderful but as I read the name explanation on the back of the bottle, I realized my favorite flower had been renamed "Red Paintbrush"--probably to be politically correct. Hmm, I don't know! A beautiful Native American legend exists that I used to read to my children when they were little about how the flower became to be known as "Indian Paintbrush" and the word "Red" just doesn't have the same magic.
On the other hand, there is a hill--not really a huge mountain--near Yakima, WA called Squaw Tit!! Yikes!! I really wouldn't mind if political correctness caused a name change in this situation.
For example, there are people who refuse to call Mt. Rainier "Mt. Rainier". The original Native American name is Tahoma (Tacoma, WA is so derived). The same thing has happened with Mt. McKinley in Alaska. Many think it should be called Denali. To be honest, "Rainier" sounds out of place among names such as Snoqualmie, Skykomish, Stillaguamish, Sammamish, Quinault, Puyallip, Humptulips, and of course Mukilteo. But I don't know, I still call the mountain, "Rainier".
My favorite flower has always been the "Indian Paintbrush". It grows in the high mountains of Montana and here mostly east of the Cascades. I have always loved the incredible shades of red from deep dark to pale pink. Our wedding invitation was designed with an Indian Paintbrush on the front; and I have a water color painting of a grouping in my dining room. Recently, while out to dinner in Seattle we noticed a local red wine called "Red Paintbrush" on the winelist so we ordered it. It was wonderful but as I read the name explanation on the back of the bottle, I realized my favorite flower had been renamed "Red Paintbrush"--probably to be politically correct. Hmm, I don't know! A beautiful Native American legend exists that I used to read to my children when they were little about how the flower became to be known as "Indian Paintbrush" and the word "Red" just doesn't have the same magic.
On the other hand, there is a hill--not really a huge mountain--near Yakima, WA called Squaw Tit!! Yikes!! I really wouldn't mind if political correctness caused a name change in this situation.
// posted by Janet @ 7:24 AM
0 comments
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Native Americans--what a deep and complicated issue!
I grew up in Lewis & Clark County (Helena) Montana. We heard stories everyday it seems during my childhood about what incredible heroes they were. In the second grade I became Sacajawea for our Native American unit. (We called them Indians in those days) I like to read about Seadog--the black "Newfie" who was their Canine companion. My family has visited many parts of their trail in Montana, Idaho, and Washington. The other day I read an editorial about how Lewis and Clark were responsible for the beginning of the destruction of Native Americans out west. Whoa, but OK probably. At my age I am learning that many things I have learned are not quite right and many things our government tells us are not quite right.
I have lived my entire life in the Northwest and I know one--only one--Native American and he still doesn't admit to people that he is. We are completely isolated from Native Americans--their reservations, their culture, and their problems. (Completely isolated even though Seattle was named after a remarkable Chief and Mukilteo is Native American for good camping) Sometimes, we hear a little like when the Makahs decided to hunt gray whales again or when a new casino is opening on tribal lands but we basically pay no attention.
I was listening to NPR I think the same day I read about Lewis and Clark, and members of the Duwamish Tribe were explaining their plight. They are a small group but nevertheless an ancient community still in existence and trying to preserve their individuality. For decades they have been trying to be recognized by the federal government as an official tribe. Finally, finally, during the Clinton administration somebody listened and they received the news that indeed they would be official--guaranteeing to them tribal rights such as fishing and probably access to federal funds. There was tremendous celebration after all of the years of effort!
BUT, the minute the Bushies took over, the Duwamish Tribal status was revoked. I'm sorry but that is just downright mean--there is no other explanation but pure meanness. The whole situation could hardly be even a barely visible pinpoint in our gigantic and outrageous national deficit. And there was no other explanation--just one brutal little e-mail. So, I guess in 2004 the destruction continues.
I grew up in Lewis & Clark County (Helena) Montana. We heard stories everyday it seems during my childhood about what incredible heroes they were. In the second grade I became Sacajawea for our Native American unit. (We called them Indians in those days) I like to read about Seadog--the black "Newfie" who was their Canine companion. My family has visited many parts of their trail in Montana, Idaho, and Washington. The other day I read an editorial about how Lewis and Clark were responsible for the beginning of the destruction of Native Americans out west. Whoa, but OK probably. At my age I am learning that many things I have learned are not quite right and many things our government tells us are not quite right.
I have lived my entire life in the Northwest and I know one--only one--Native American and he still doesn't admit to people that he is. We are completely isolated from Native Americans--their reservations, their culture, and their problems. (Completely isolated even though Seattle was named after a remarkable Chief and Mukilteo is Native American for good camping) Sometimes, we hear a little like when the Makahs decided to hunt gray whales again or when a new casino is opening on tribal lands but we basically pay no attention.
I was listening to NPR I think the same day I read about Lewis and Clark, and members of the Duwamish Tribe were explaining their plight. They are a small group but nevertheless an ancient community still in existence and trying to preserve their individuality. For decades they have been trying to be recognized by the federal government as an official tribe. Finally, finally, during the Clinton administration somebody listened and they received the news that indeed they would be official--guaranteeing to them tribal rights such as fishing and probably access to federal funds. There was tremendous celebration after all of the years of effort!
BUT, the minute the Bushies took over, the Duwamish Tribal status was revoked. I'm sorry but that is just downright mean--there is no other explanation but pure meanness. The whole situation could hardly be even a barely visible pinpoint in our gigantic and outrageous national deficit. And there was no other explanation--just one brutal little e-mail. So, I guess in 2004 the destruction continues.
// posted by Janet @ 8:14 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Everybody in Seattle is from someplace else!! It is common to ask at parties, "So where are you from?" Rare is the person over 40 who was actually born here. I enjoy going to events and listening to people speak and guessing their home of origin--even if people have been here over 20 years, a faint accent usually remains. I'm pretty good at it--maybe that is why my son is majoring in linguistics. Recently, I was at a birthday party for a friend and this man joined in a conversation; a slight something still there--yep, New York, I thought to myself. Sure enough within a couple of minutes his wife said something about her husband's family in New York. These people have lived here over 30 years.
Even though I am not originally from here just like everybody else, in a way, I feel entitled. There is actually a negative attitude toward more recent arrivals particularly from certain states but it seems if you reach the 20 year residency mark, you are considered practically native. Anyway, I feel entitled because in the beginning of the last century (the early 1900's) my grandfather made it here from England escaping the Dickens workhouses. He skipped out of properly checking in at Ellis Island so I believe he was (gasp) illegal. He and his brother managed to make their way across this country to Stevens Pass near here in the Cascade Mountains. My grandpa was the quintessential Washington pioneer. He tried to get land to farm; he tried to find gold; he worked for the railroad; he cooked; he was a fur trapper; he finally taught himself to be an electrician for the railroad and that took him to Montana. But he lived for 10 years up on Stevens Pass in various cabins where in the winter it snows 10 feet and where he was witness to an avalanche in 1910 that killed 100 people. My grandmother also escaped the workhouses of Victorian England and joined my grandpa up there in the wilderness--and she was not an outdoor girl. They were tough tough people and they too suffered discrimination for being English. They were married in Wenatchee, Washington. So somehow, I feel like I belong here.
Even though I am not originally from here just like everybody else, in a way, I feel entitled. There is actually a negative attitude toward more recent arrivals particularly from certain states but it seems if you reach the 20 year residency mark, you are considered practically native. Anyway, I feel entitled because in the beginning of the last century (the early 1900's) my grandfather made it here from England escaping the Dickens workhouses. He skipped out of properly checking in at Ellis Island so I believe he was (gasp) illegal. He and his brother managed to make their way across this country to Stevens Pass near here in the Cascade Mountains. My grandpa was the quintessential Washington pioneer. He tried to get land to farm; he tried to find gold; he worked for the railroad; he cooked; he was a fur trapper; he finally taught himself to be an electrician for the railroad and that took him to Montana. But he lived for 10 years up on Stevens Pass in various cabins where in the winter it snows 10 feet and where he was witness to an avalanche in 1910 that killed 100 people. My grandmother also escaped the workhouses of Victorian England and joined my grandpa up there in the wilderness--and she was not an outdoor girl. They were tough tough people and they too suffered discrimination for being English. They were married in Wenatchee, Washington. So somehow, I feel like I belong here.
// posted by Janet @ 11:17 AM
0 comments
Monday, January 26, 2004
I was at a wine tasting party with our friends in Seattle this weekend. Conversations always take interesting turns. Somehow we managed to be talking about bugs smashed all over windshields after an off color joke. I then made the comment how it is nice that around here we do not have a problem with a lot of bugs while driving. This led another person to comment how when driving to Montana to go fly fishing, they would have to pull into service stations just to clean off the windshield. I responded how as a child we would drive from Montana to Idaho to fish and that one of my most vivid memories is watching everything from grasshoppers to bees splatting all over. Then the question, "Why would you drive to Idaho from Montana to fish?" Oh, but it wasn't to trout fish!!
People are always amazed when I explain that every summer of my childhood, we would spend 2-3 weeks in Idaho fishing for SALMON! And not just any salmon but Chinook or King salmon. My Seattle friends are always completely astounded. But yes, in the 60's the giant King salmon still made their way from the Pacific Ocean, traveling up the Columbia River, the Snake, and into all tributaries into the wilderness of Idaho. Great big 20 to 30 pound fish splashed and fought their way up small creeks to spawn. I have hilarious memories of my childhood Golden Retriever, Laddie, chasing a monstrous fish up the middle of a shallow rushing creek. And I have spooky memories of crossing a small walk bridge over a crystal clear creek and looking down into a calm and deep pool and seeing a gigantic dead ghostly white salmon at the bottom. It had spawned as nature intended and then died as nature intended in a small stream in the wilds of Idaho. But no more! We can thank human encroachment and dams for the end.
People are always amazed when I explain that every summer of my childhood, we would spend 2-3 weeks in Idaho fishing for SALMON! And not just any salmon but Chinook or King salmon. My Seattle friends are always completely astounded. But yes, in the 60's the giant King salmon still made their way from the Pacific Ocean, traveling up the Columbia River, the Snake, and into all tributaries into the wilderness of Idaho. Great big 20 to 30 pound fish splashed and fought their way up small creeks to spawn. I have hilarious memories of my childhood Golden Retriever, Laddie, chasing a monstrous fish up the middle of a shallow rushing creek. And I have spooky memories of crossing a small walk bridge over a crystal clear creek and looking down into a calm and deep pool and seeing a gigantic dead ghostly white salmon at the bottom. It had spawned as nature intended and then died as nature intended in a small stream in the wilds of Idaho. But no more! We can thank human encroachment and dams for the end.
// posted by Janet @ 8:00 AM
0 comments
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Interesting--the frontpage article in the Seattle Times today is like an answer to my Jan.10 posting. In there I said that I wasn't aware of any place in Seattle where only "special" people are allowed. I was mainly talking about restaurants but evidently the Emerald City is "catching on" to the "big-city scene" with a couple of clubs with VIP rooms for the cool people. In particular, the article talks about Club Medusa in Belltown (an area near Yuki's Diffusions Hair Salon) where they have a separate room where the elite meet "to avoid...you". Ironically, the cool people mentioned to have been allowed in this room are not Seattleites--Derek Jeter and the Rock for instance. Bill Maher, also not from here, evidently did not have a very good time there because the women he hit on brushed him off. I really like the statement, "Of course, the culture of Seattle is against this elitist idea of having a VIP room. Regardless, it still exists." Evidently, it is frequented mostly by professional athletes "--particularly during baseball season--". I wonder if our own Olympic gold medalist, short track speedskater, Apolo Ohno, has been there on his visits home. In my book, he is heads above most athletes when it comes to class. He deserves more than anyone to be allowed in such a place but I wonder if he'd "fit" in.
// posted by Janet @ 10:44 AM
0 comments
Friday, January 23, 2004
I have been too positive so I think I'll be negative today for fun. Today I'll talk about some of the bad things about living here. It is wet all of the time. Our houses rot from the outside and rot from the inside. After you shower, you must leave the fan going for about an hour and even so rugs or carpeting in bathrooms slowly develop this black edge that spreads--it means your floor is rotting. If water spills over or behind anything like sink or tub tiles, it never dries and rot moves in followed by carpenter ants, termites, and all sorts of horrible things. If you spill on a wood floor--it must be wiped up because again, it will not dry and will warp the floor.
Keeping moss off of the roof is a constant problem because once moss appears, it eats through and then leaks happen. Living near salt water makes house paint deteriorate so everything looks run down all of the time and yet if you don't keep up the paint, the siding will rot. Oh yes, and UNder the house is really interesting. Many people do not have basements because it is impossible to keep water out. My neighbors had a flooded basement recently after no problem for 15 years. Experienced engineers cannot figure it out but I think they are in the path of a new little river coursing its way to the Sound. It was really clean pure water. And if you have a dirt crawl space like we do, water still likes to accumulate and then rats crawl in and the mold begins.
Gosh, and I haven't even started on SADS (seasonal affective disorder syndrome or whatever) that affects almost everybody. Coffee and winter trips to sunny places are the only remedies. More later--just trying to keep the place to ourselves!!
Keeping moss off of the roof is a constant problem because once moss appears, it eats through and then leaks happen. Living near salt water makes house paint deteriorate so everything looks run down all of the time and yet if you don't keep up the paint, the siding will rot. Oh yes, and UNder the house is really interesting. Many people do not have basements because it is impossible to keep water out. My neighbors had a flooded basement recently after no problem for 15 years. Experienced engineers cannot figure it out but I think they are in the path of a new little river coursing its way to the Sound. It was really clean pure water. And if you have a dirt crawl space like we do, water still likes to accumulate and then rats crawl in and the mold begins.
Gosh, and I haven't even started on SADS (seasonal affective disorder syndrome or whatever) that affects almost everybody. Coffee and winter trips to sunny places are the only remedies. More later--just trying to keep the place to ourselves!!
// posted by Janet @ 8:34 AM
0 comments
Thursday, January 22, 2004
Dave Matthews performed in Seattle last week. Evidently he lives here now. His wife is from the area. I guess his last album was inspired by our water, mountains, and politics. He loves it here. People come here and they do not ever want to leave--some companies call it the Rainier factor. Also, people will take lower paying jobs just to live here compared to what they might make elsewhere. "They" want my hubby on the east coast in a very important and more prestigious position but he won't leave and I won't leave. I asked him if I had said yes--let's try this move for something exciting in our lives because we can always retire here. He said no--"they" will have to do without him. "They" don't get it so "they" ask him again and again. We could live in a mini-mansion on lots of property but I wouldn't be able to see orcas out my kitchen window. I wouldn't be able to take my dog down to our deserted secret beach. I wouldn't feel the excitement of sunshine days that reveal the breathtaking mountains--the Cascades to the east and the Olympics to the west. Nope, it is hard to explain but Dave Matthews understands. Yep, he does!!
// posted by Janet @ 1:06 PM
0 comments
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Ok, the comments seem to be working now with only one click needed.
Today I talk about gray. When you live here, you learn that "gray" is very general and that in fact there are endless shades of gray. We always joke about teaching our children the color of the sky when they are little. It is difficult to teach them the sky is blue; little Seattle children know it is gray! When my daughter was a toddler, I have a distinct memory of her covering her face in the car in her carseat when the sun was shining. She was crying and asking me to make the sun go away. "Where is the gray sky?!"
But gray can be beautiful if you look for it. At our nearest Puget Sound beach we have kind of a game we play and it is to point out the different shades of gray. The sky is light gray; the trees over on Whidbey are a dark greenish gray; the water is dark sloshy gray; and the pebbly beach is a mixture of every shade of shiny gray that exists. The Navy ships that pass by are gunmetal gray.
All of our houses tend to be some shade of gray--mine is chapel gray and trainsmoke. And our skin is pale--yes, gray. The only bright colors that stand out are the white and green ferries and the red roof of our lighthouse.
But when the sun does shine and our world is in color, it is spectacular and every shade of gray completely disappears. The water turns blue to match the sky; the mountains reveal themselves in pure whiteness; the trees turn green and even my house turns a lovely shade of taupe.
Today I talk about gray. When you live here, you learn that "gray" is very general and that in fact there are endless shades of gray. We always joke about teaching our children the color of the sky when they are little. It is difficult to teach them the sky is blue; little Seattle children know it is gray! When my daughter was a toddler, I have a distinct memory of her covering her face in the car in her carseat when the sun was shining. She was crying and asking me to make the sun go away. "Where is the gray sky?!"
But gray can be beautiful if you look for it. At our nearest Puget Sound beach we have kind of a game we play and it is to point out the different shades of gray. The sky is light gray; the trees over on Whidbey are a dark greenish gray; the water is dark sloshy gray; and the pebbly beach is a mixture of every shade of shiny gray that exists. The Navy ships that pass by are gunmetal gray.
All of our houses tend to be some shade of gray--mine is chapel gray and trainsmoke. And our skin is pale--yes, gray. The only bright colors that stand out are the white and green ferries and the red roof of our lighthouse.
But when the sun does shine and our world is in color, it is spectacular and every shade of gray completely disappears. The water turns blue to match the sky; the mountains reveal themselves in pure whiteness; the trees turn green and even my house turns a lovely shade of taupe.
// posted by Janet @ 8:20 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
It seems as if you have to double click the comment word to make it work.
// posted by Janet @ 11:37 AM
0 comments
Thirty years ago on our honeymoon, we learned about razor clams. This past weekend, on the coast, we lucked out with a short razor clam season. Hubby and son worked hard with a clam gun and came up with their limits. The best part was the feast. We had plenty to freeze and bring home but of course we had to eat some the same day they were dredged out of the sand. Razor clams are big and mild and best breaded and sauteed in butter--combined with a great bottle of Washington wine and the sound of the rain and the surf outside of our small cottage--what could be better?!
The next day, we visited our favorite seafood shop in Ocean Shores and picked up Dungeness crabs to bring home and eat. They were just out of the steamer pot and put on ice to cool and so fresh tasting when we got back to Mukilteo.
The next day, we visited our favorite seafood shop in Ocean Shores and picked up Dungeness crabs to bring home and eat. They were just out of the steamer pot and put on ice to cool and so fresh tasting when we got back to Mukilteo.
// posted by Janet @ 11:18 AM
0 comments
Wow, just got back from the Washington coast. My kids rated all of the places we have stayed and we now have hit every place that allows dogs. The Hi-Tide Resort in Moclips is still their favorite because of the beach access. I really liked Iron Springs because of its location in the trees.
The WA coast is so wild and damp and everything looks so run down but there is charm in that. It hasn't chnaged too much in 30 years and I hope it never does.
The WA coast is so wild and damp and everything looks so run down but there is charm in that. It hasn't chnaged too much in 30 years and I hope it never does.
// posted by Janet @ 8:11 AM
0 comments
Friday, January 16, 2004
About Coffee
I have to say I cringed at the news about Starbuck's opening in Paris--just like I cringed when I came upon a Starbuck's right next to Canterbury Cathedral in England. I like Starbuck's but I'm not sure I like spreading Seattle all over the world--it becomes not Seattle's anymore. I started drinking coffee as a kid--out of my Dad's thermos when we were camping or fishing and I was cold. He always put milk and sugar in it. In college I drank dorm coffee and instant in my room so I could study--by then I drank it black. One time in college, I visited this wealthy woman on her Montana ranch in the middle of nowhere and she brewed some coffee after grinding her own beans and served it in expensive delicate china cups; it was magnificent. A few years after that in 1979, we moved to Seattle and we weren't here long before we were told that people here grind their own beans. Well, I remembered that day at the ranch and we found a place that sold roasted coffee beans and grinders. It may have been the original Starbuck's--I do not remember because it was not that famous. I would never turn back--no more instant or Folgers for me. I have gone through a variety of coffee makers--including the kind that would grind and then brew all at once but I have always tried to recapture the euphoria of that day on the ranch. We now have settled upon a French Press and ironically, a thermos.
Eventually, Starbuck's had a couple more shops in downtown and when I worked downtown, I would treat myself to good coffee now and then instead of law firm rot gut. Not long after that, a Starbuck's opened near the University and I would drive in traffic 20 minutes just to buy good beans. They had the best beans and still do but now I can buy good beans from a variety of places within five minutes of my house. In downtown Seattle, there is a corner where you can actually spot six different Starbuck's and in Vancouver B.C., there are two across the street from one another. I never get the milkshake things they serve now at Starbuck's; only a double tall latte with skim milk now and then. But coffee is a Seattle thing spawned by our fog, mist and drizzle and Starbuck's does not belong in Paris.
I have to say I cringed at the news about Starbuck's opening in Paris--just like I cringed when I came upon a Starbuck's right next to Canterbury Cathedral in England. I like Starbuck's but I'm not sure I like spreading Seattle all over the world--it becomes not Seattle's anymore. I started drinking coffee as a kid--out of my Dad's thermos when we were camping or fishing and I was cold. He always put milk and sugar in it. In college I drank dorm coffee and instant in my room so I could study--by then I drank it black. One time in college, I visited this wealthy woman on her Montana ranch in the middle of nowhere and she brewed some coffee after grinding her own beans and served it in expensive delicate china cups; it was magnificent. A few years after that in 1979, we moved to Seattle and we weren't here long before we were told that people here grind their own beans. Well, I remembered that day at the ranch and we found a place that sold roasted coffee beans and grinders. It may have been the original Starbuck's--I do not remember because it was not that famous. I would never turn back--no more instant or Folgers for me. I have gone through a variety of coffee makers--including the kind that would grind and then brew all at once but I have always tried to recapture the euphoria of that day on the ranch. We now have settled upon a French Press and ironically, a thermos.
Eventually, Starbuck's had a couple more shops in downtown and when I worked downtown, I would treat myself to good coffee now and then instead of law firm rot gut. Not long after that, a Starbuck's opened near the University and I would drive in traffic 20 minutes just to buy good beans. They had the best beans and still do but now I can buy good beans from a variety of places within five minutes of my house. In downtown Seattle, there is a corner where you can actually spot six different Starbuck's and in Vancouver B.C., there are two across the street from one another. I never get the milkshake things they serve now at Starbuck's; only a double tall latte with skim milk now and then. But coffee is a Seattle thing spawned by our fog, mist and drizzle and Starbuck's does not belong in Paris.
// posted by Janet @ 2:16 PM
0 comments
Yesterday, when I walked Apolo, I just got soaked!! Ok, ok, it is the PNW after all but usually I can tell how wet I'll get by listening to the rain on my skylights and if I cannot hear it, then that means it is drizzle and I will be fine. But yesterday, it was this very fine misty rain and it felt wonderful hitting my face but my jeans were soaked clear through in a 40 minute walk. Apolo was soaked to the skin as well and then his dark hair started to curl--he is so cute.
// posted by Janet @ 7:28 AM
0 comments
Thursday, January 15, 2004
The eagles are calling!! Our two neighborhood eagles are perched on their two favorite trees so they can fish. I love the shrill kind of gobble they make. Once you hear it, you always recognize it.
Anyway, hopefully I'll have a comment system in place on this before we head to the ocean and Iron Springs over the weekend to do some razor clamming.
Anyway, hopefully I'll have a comment system in place on this before we head to the ocean and Iron Springs over the weekend to do some razor clamming.
// posted by Janet @ 11:13 AM
0 comments
Poor Mukilteo!! Last October we had a two hour wind storm at hi-tide that sent a wave crashing through our waterfront restaurant, Ivar's. Nobody was hurt but people ran for their lives with drinks in hand. Ivar's is immediately next to the ferry and yesterday as an SUV was boarding, it broke through a sink hole on the dock so now they have to fix that, too.
I miss Ivar's--it'll be open in the spring again they say. Ivar's plays a special role with our family. When my Mom and Dad would visit out here from Montana years before we had any idea we'd end up here, they would always go to Ivars downtown on Seattle's waterfront. When we came to Seattle for our honeymoon 30 years ago we ate at an Ivar's that now no longer exists but it was replaced by the Mukilteo Ivars. My husband frequents Ivars Salmon House near the University and it is a great place to watch the Christmas ships IF you can get reservations. Ivars Mukilteo used to be Taylor's Landing and before we had any idea we'd be moving to Mukilteo, we took a ferry ride and ate at Taylor's Landing the day--just hours before--I went into labor to give birth to my daughter.
There are just three Ivars restaurants--downtown Seattle, near the U, and in Mukilteo. Ivars Fish Bars are all over. Their clam chowder is great; the rest of the menu is not gourmet dining but just good basic seafood cooked in a variety of ways and they do salmon well.
I miss Ivar's--it'll be open in the spring again they say. Ivar's plays a special role with our family. When my Mom and Dad would visit out here from Montana years before we had any idea we'd end up here, they would always go to Ivars downtown on Seattle's waterfront. When we came to Seattle for our honeymoon 30 years ago we ate at an Ivar's that now no longer exists but it was replaced by the Mukilteo Ivars. My husband frequents Ivars Salmon House near the University and it is a great place to watch the Christmas ships IF you can get reservations. Ivars Mukilteo used to be Taylor's Landing and before we had any idea we'd be moving to Mukilteo, we took a ferry ride and ate at Taylor's Landing the day--just hours before--I went into labor to give birth to my daughter.
There are just three Ivars restaurants--downtown Seattle, near the U, and in Mukilteo. Ivars Fish Bars are all over. Their clam chowder is great; the rest of the menu is not gourmet dining but just good basic seafood cooked in a variety of ways and they do salmon well.
// posted by Janet @ 7:32 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
I am wrong--we are in the fifties today--I need to get out and garden!!
// posted by Janet @ 12:47 PM
0 comments
Wow, I am still feeling on a high from spotting those orcas and by reporting it to my network, people over on Whidbey followed up and had a chance to see them as they traveled north. They are such magnificent creatures; I can completely understand how the Native Americans living here in the coastal areas revere these mammals and give them spiritual qualities. They are so black and so white and they move through the grayish water with complete ownership. I will admit I cried when I saw them and steamed up the binoculars to my great dismay.
Our weather has returned to normal--40's and a chance of rain. It is drizzley with fog in places and I love it. Whenever we return from a trip from someplace usually drier or sunnier (most recently from Calgary), as soon as the plane lands I feel that comfort. My skin feels moist again; it is easier to breathe in the moist cool air and the dried nasal passages disappear. You look around and you see the damp green trees and water everywhere and you just want to smile. Yesterday, as I walked Apolo, I looked up at our weeping gray sky and watched a blue heron fly toward the beach. Yep--made me smile!!
Our weather has returned to normal--40's and a chance of rain. It is drizzley with fog in places and I love it. Whenever we return from a trip from someplace usually drier or sunnier (most recently from Calgary), as soon as the plane lands I feel that comfort. My skin feels moist again; it is easier to breathe in the moist cool air and the dried nasal passages disappear. You look around and you see the damp green trees and water everywhere and you just want to smile. Yesterday, as I walked Apolo, I looked up at our weeping gray sky and watched a blue heron fly toward the beach. Yep--made me smile!!
// posted by Janet @ 8:17 AM
0 comments
Monday, January 12, 2004
Well, you can just bury me in the desert now; I am happy!! (And I stole that line from that celebrity I met) I saw orcas from my kitchen window today and it was so exciting!! They were a ways out there and I could not see them well with my naked eye but man oh man they were there!! I saw a couple of boats with motors cut kind of nose to nose and I thought--they are lookin at somethin! I have my father in law's giant binoculars on a stand on my table and one glance revealed giant black fins sticking up. They were rolling northward toward the Clinton ferry dock on Whidbey Island. Seeing wild orcas from my house; I still cannot believe it!
// posted by Janet @ 4:39 PM
0 comments
I keep thinking about John Steinbeck and his book Travels with Charlie--I loved that book. He really liked Montana and said it would be perfect if it had an ocean or a coastline. I am sort of thinking backwards here. The Seattle area would be perfect if there were a lot less people--in other words like Montana. We have the coastline and the gorgeous mountains but we have traffic and crowds. In Montana, there is always a parking spot and it seems like you have 26 hours in the day because it never takes you more than 5 or 10 minutes to go anywhere AND you never have to wait in line. After 25 years, I am still not used to a lot of people and I go out of my way to do things at odd times to avoid crowds. Since my time is flexible, I manage fairly well.
People ask us how we can stand the weather here. I could use a little less darkness (we are the same latitude as Novia Scotia) and cloudiness but I love the weather here. I wouldn't trade our winters for Montana's winters ever. It was always such a struggle to keep pipes from freezing and to keep cars going and to worry about icy and snowy roads. Give me a drizzly, gray day and a traffic jam on I-5 over a fishtailing car on the 5 minute icy trip to the grocery store anyday!!
People ask us how we can stand the weather here. I could use a little less darkness (we are the same latitude as Novia Scotia) and cloudiness but I love the weather here. I wouldn't trade our winters for Montana's winters ever. It was always such a struggle to keep pipes from freezing and to keep cars going and to worry about icy and snowy roads. Give me a drizzly, gray day and a traffic jam on I-5 over a fishtailing car on the 5 minute icy trip to the grocery store anyday!!
// posted by Janet @ 8:29 AM
0 comments
Saturday, January 10, 2004
An e-mail from a friend is prompting me to write about the Seattle restaurant scene. Actually, this topic is something I have thought about. I always find it interesting on TV when they show rich people going to a restaurant in New York or LA all dressed up and in a limo--and they always go to a place that the rest of us can't or are not allowed to go. I cannot think of a place in Seattle that would be like that. Of course, I am not a celebrity and I do not know any celebrities (well, I have met one a couple of times) so maybe I just don't know the existence of such a place. There are a couple of places like Canlis for example that is very old and special and everyone I know has been there once or twice for a very special occasion. You should dress up to go there. But most places are casual. I mean the food is good and expensive and there are white table cloths and candles and a snooty wine list but jeans are just fine. You CAN dress up and then people imagine you are there for a special reason. And I cannot think of anyplace that caters to only "certain" people. I have seen Bill Gates at a restaurant and I was probably wearing jeans and maybe he was too and he is the richest person in the whole entire world.
// posted by Janet @ 1:05 PM
0 comments
Friday, January 09, 2004
By the way, nobody honked at the driver from Iowa. We just don't do that.
Whoa, I watched a logjam being towed by a tugboat this morning. Many seals were along for the ride. I do not quite understand this--they seem to be sleeping and do they realize when they fall asleep in Everett that they will wake up in Tacoma?? Then what do they do?
Whoa, I watched a logjam being towed by a tugboat this morning. Many seals were along for the ride. I do not quite understand this--they seem to be sleeping and do they realize when they fall asleep in Everett that they will wake up in Tacoma?? Then what do they do?
// posted by Janet @ 1:40 PM
0 comments
I feel sorry for visitors tryng to drive in our city. We went to dinner on Capitol Hill last night to a French Bistro called Cassis. It seems like Seattleites enjoy challenging outsiders on our streets. The signs here are not helpful and the roads are curvy and steep and switch without warning from one lane to two or two lanes to one. And it can be dark--very dark. If you have lived here for any length of time, you ignore signs and you just know what lane you need to be in. We are squished between two major bodies of water with water all in between and we are squished between two huge mountain ranges. In addition, there are hills everywhere and the roads wind around them or they curve to follow bodies of water or there are specific bridges. No perfectly straight grid exists here anywhere. But since area-wise we are not that big, everybody knows how to get everywhere like downtown, Queen Anne, the U district, Capitol Hill, West Seattle, etc. UNLESS you are from out of town.
So this brings me back to our dinner excursion to Capitol Hill. We take the curvy roads from the U through Eastlake and we are curving around to drive up the Hill and "expletive" as Hubby slams on the breaks. Yep, there was the problem--a guy in a truck from Iowa had no frickin idea where he was going or which lane he should be in. "What's the matter with people!?", hubby exclaims. I calmly reply--"The guy's from Iowa!" And he is trying to maneuver in the dark and in the slight rain on Seattle streets.
Dinner was fabulous and the kids enjoyed seeing ice in a fountain--not usual here.
So this brings me back to our dinner excursion to Capitol Hill. We take the curvy roads from the U through Eastlake and we are curving around to drive up the Hill and "expletive" as Hubby slams on the breaks. Yep, there was the problem--a guy in a truck from Iowa had no frickin idea where he was going or which lane he should be in. "What's the matter with people!?", hubby exclaims. I calmly reply--"The guy's from Iowa!" And he is trying to maneuver in the dark and in the slight rain on Seattle streets.
Dinner was fabulous and the kids enjoyed seeing ice in a fountain--not usual here.
// posted by Janet @ 8:04 AM
0 comments
Thursday, January 08, 2004
Wow, the Woodland Park Zoo e-mailed me back and said we probably saw a river otter and said it was a rare sighting. They said sometimes river otters hang out where creeks run into the Sound so they have the best of both worlds. They will eat crustaceans found on the beach and sometimes swim in the salt water. (I think he was sliding on the snow)
// posted by Janet @ 1:35 PM
0 comments
I love to see wild animals--must've been my upbringing in Montana and my Dad always looking. Yesterday, the kids and I had just finished lunch and of course we are always looking out toward the water; we look out over the neighbor's back yard. Lucas exclaims, "What the H** is that??" "Is that a weasel?" Of course, I scream with delight and I do believe the creature heard me because he froze for a minute. It was an OTTER!! In the neighbor's back yard!! (Their unfenced yard has a steep drop off to a trail to the beach) We pull out the books because is it a sea otter or a river otter? There is a creek at the bottom of the ravine below our yards that eventually goes into the Sound. We decided it was a river otter because they are sometimes found in coastal waters. A sea otter, on the other hand, would not venture out of the salt water and wander this far away from shore. Anyway, I think he just loved our snow and was using the steep hill to slide and when the snow melted yesterday, he came up to the top of the hill to find out where it went--that is my theory.
// posted by Janet @ 7:31 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Well, well, well, snow yesterday and ice today so again everything is closed. But my hubby always makes it to work no matter what. All of those years driving a Coke truck through Gallatin Canyon and Yellowstone as a starving student in Bozeman have paid off for him many times here. He, unlike most Seattleites, knows how to drive in this mess and up and down hills; nothing stops him from getting to the U. And now the tradition continues as my son is being schooled in Montana---he, too is learning how to manage his old Jeep in all of this.
Yesterday, on the news, people were concerned about two things--whether or not they needed to get to work and if not could they get to the nearest Starbuck's. Luckily, around here, most people are in walking distance of a Starbuck's. I am sort of but we are at the bottom of a very steep hill so we are stuck BUT I made sure I had my beans and plenty of them and my grinder and French press have been working overtime.
Really, the snow creates a Seattle festival. Our whole neighborhood was outside chatting and watching the kids sled down our street. Marine View Drive is a dead end and a hill so perfect for sledding. My son was sledding two hills over and he said when the plow came by everybody booed. The snow plow guy just laughed and said he gets that a lot!! What a deal and this only happens once every few years and yet we remember each time as if it were yesterday!! An unexpected unpredictable snowfest!
Yesterday, on the news, people were concerned about two things--whether or not they needed to get to work and if not could they get to the nearest Starbuck's. Luckily, around here, most people are in walking distance of a Starbuck's. I am sort of but we are at the bottom of a very steep hill so we are stuck BUT I made sure I had my beans and plenty of them and my grinder and French press have been working overtime.
Really, the snow creates a Seattle festival. Our whole neighborhood was outside chatting and watching the kids sled down our street. Marine View Drive is a dead end and a hill so perfect for sledding. My son was sledding two hills over and he said when the plow came by everybody booed. The snow plow guy just laughed and said he gets that a lot!! What a deal and this only happens once every few years and yet we remember each time as if it were yesterday!! An unexpected unpredictable snowfest!
// posted by Janet @ 10:40 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
The purpose of this blog is to include observations about things uniquely Seattle. Well, today is Seattle's reaction to snow!! You would think we were having a major hurricane. When I got up, there was not a flake to be found but our schools were closed even before the 2-4 inches hit the ground. The Today Show is preempted for Snow Coverage. It is true that our whole region is built on hills and in fact even a skiff prevents us from even going to the grocery store--BUT IT IS JUST SNOW--not an earthquake or a nuclear attack.
// posted by Janet @ 7:41 AM
0 comments
Monday, January 05, 2004
Yesterday was one of those days! It was very cold for here--20's and low 30's but clear. The water was blue and the Olympics were out in their full glory. Of course, they now are snowy white. We actually did not want to leave the house to go to the movies because the sunset was so stunning; I like to raise a glass of wine to the sunset. But we did go to the movie after all!!
// posted by Janet @ 7:31 AM
0 comments
Saturday, January 03, 2004
The paper said today the orcas were seen right out here between Edmonds/Mukilteo and Whidbey Island and of course, I missed them. But they have a new baby and they are worried about the spill--if they swam through it, it could hurt the baby.
I just have to say one of my favorite views--even after living here for 25 years--is of Seattle heading south on I-5 right after the Univ and onto the viaduct. All of a sudden, you see Lake Union down below, Queen Anne to the right, the Space Needle and downtown in front and Capital Hill with St. Mark's perched atop to the left, and Husky Stadium and Lake WA to the left. It does not matter what the weather or night or day; of course if it is clear and the water is blue and the mountains are out, it is even more spectacular. I never get tired of it and I suspect others feel the same because right at that point the traffic slows a bit--everybody is enjoying the view.
I just have to say one of my favorite views--even after living here for 25 years--is of Seattle heading south on I-5 right after the Univ and onto the viaduct. All of a sudden, you see Lake Union down below, Queen Anne to the right, the Space Needle and downtown in front and Capital Hill with St. Mark's perched atop to the left, and Husky Stadium and Lake WA to the left. It does not matter what the weather or night or day; of course if it is clear and the water is blue and the mountains are out, it is even more spectacular. I never get tired of it and I suspect others feel the same because right at that point the traffic slows a bit--everybody is enjoying the view.
// posted by Janet @ 1:57 PM
0 comments
Friday, January 02, 2004
I really have no idea what I am doing with this but let's just chalk it up to a major learning experience.
// posted by Janet @ 1:04 PM
0 comments
There is concern about the orcas because of the oil spill. So far they have not been seen in the area where the spill traveled but it would be possible for them to swim in that area. I am so outraged by this; it makes me feel like I want to save up puppy Apolo's poop for an entire year and then go dump it on the houses of those responsible for this. I just do not accept mistakes like this when the consequences are so extreme. A previously pristine beach was covered by this oil; they'll never get it all. I makes me just sick.
// posted by Janet @ 12:45 PM
0 comments
Thursday, January 01, 2004
// posted by Janet @ 3:08 PM
0 comments
I see the Coast Guard skiffs speed by and I realize it is the code orange but I wonder what they could possibly do about anything.
// posted by Janet @ 2:41 PM
0 comments
I love looking at the water. I did not realize how it changes from hour to hour. Sometimes there are waves with white caps and then there will be calm places and then wide swaths where the tide is moving and currents have been created. I love that we are this close that we can see the individual waves.
Our eagle soared by this morning. He helped ease my rage over the oil spill near Edmonds. I do not understand how such a horrible mistake could be made. A seal has died and crabs are dying and clam beds have been destroyed.
Our eagle soared by this morning. He helped ease my rage over the oil spill near Edmonds. I do not understand how such a horrible mistake could be made. A seal has died and crabs are dying and clam beds have been destroyed.
// posted by Janet @ 2:20 PM
0 comments
Links
ARCHIVES
- 12/01/2003 - 01/01/2004
- 01/01/2004 - 02/01/2004
- 02/01/2004 - 03/01/2004
- 03/01/2004 - 04/01/2004
- 04/01/2004 - 05/01/2004
- 05/01/2004 - 06/01/2004
- 06/01/2004 - 07/01/2004
- 07/01/2004 - 08/01/2004
- 08/01/2004 - 09/01/2004
- 09/01/2004 - 10/01/2004
- 10/01/2004 - 11/01/2004
- 11/01/2004 - 12/01/2004
- 12/01/2004 - 01/01/2005
- 01/01/2005 - 02/01/2005
- 02/01/2005 - 03/01/2005
- 03/01/2005 - 04/01/2005
- 04/01/2005 - 05/01/2005
- 05/01/2005 - 06/01/2005
- 06/01/2005 - 07/01/2005
- 07/01/2005 - 08/01/2005
- 08/01/2005 - 09/01/2005
- 09/01/2005 - 10/01/2005
- 10/01/2005 - 11/01/2005
- 11/01/2005 - 12/01/2005
- 12/01/2005 - 01/01/2006
- 01/01/2006 - 02/01/2006
- 02/01/2006 - 03/01/2006
- 03/01/2006 - 04/01/2006
- 04/01/2006 - 05/01/2006
- 05/01/2006 - 06/01/2006
- 06/01/2006 - 07/01/2006
- 07/01/2006 - 08/01/2006
- 08/01/2006 - 09/01/2006
- 09/01/2006 - 10/01/2006
- 10/01/2006 - 11/01/2006
- 11/01/2006 - 12/01/2006
- 12/01/2006 - 01/01/2007
- 01/01/2007 - 02/01/2007
- 02/01/2007 - 03/01/2007
- 03/01/2007 - 04/01/2007
- 04/01/2007 - 05/01/2007
- 05/01/2007 - 06/01/2007
- 06/01/2007 - 07/01/2007
- 07/01/2007 - 08/01/2007
- 08/01/2007 - 09/01/2007
- 09/01/2007 - 10/01/2007
- 10/01/2007 - 11/01/2007
- 11/01/2007 - 12/01/2007
- 12/01/2007 - 01/01/2008
- 01/01/2008 - 02/01/2008
- 02/01/2008 - 03/01/2008
- 03/01/2008 - 04/01/2008
- 04/01/2008 - 05/01/2008
- 05/01/2008 - 06/01/2008
- 06/01/2008 - 07/01/2008
- 07/01/2008 - 08/01/2008
- 08/01/2008 - 09/01/2008
- 09/01/2008 - 10/01/2008
- 10/01/2008 - 11/01/2008
- 11/01/2008 - 12/01/2008
- 12/01/2008 - 01/01/2009
- 01/01/2009 - 02/01/2009
- 02/01/2009 - 03/01/2009
- 03/01/2009 - 04/01/2009
- 05/01/2009 - 06/01/2009
- 06/01/2009 - 07/01/2009
- 07/01/2009 - 08/01/2009
- 08/01/2009 - 09/01/2009
- 09/01/2013 - 10/01/2013
- 10/01/2013 - 11/01/2013
- 12/01/2020 - 01/01/2021