ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
Once in a long while, you stumble across a store so phenomenal that it takes your breath away. After lunch at Taqueria Hermanos Ochoa's, four of us were trying to kill some time before the start of Star Trek: Into Darkness at a multiplex. There used to be a market attached to Ochoa's, but it... Continue Reading →
Moss is your friend. At least, that's what I try to tell my friends who've been battling to remove it from their Seattle lawns. I have long since given moss full sway in my front yard rather than covering it with sod. I'm allergic to grass anyway. After many years of inattention, there is a... Continue Reading →
A geographical oddity was created when the Oregon Treaty of 1849 ceded Vancouver Island to the British. Victoria, capital of British Columbia, along with approximately one-quarter of Vancouver Island, lies below the 49th parallel. Yet, for all its proximity to American cities—closer to Bellingham and the American San Juan Islands than to Vancouver—it has a... Continue Reading →
No matter how many times we go to Butchart Gardens, one of the most beautiful in the world, we are never less than spellbound by the floral displays. This attraction, over 20km north of Victoria, is a premier destination of tourists from all over the world. It really is amazing what determination, imagination and top... Continue Reading →
In the middle of Ala Moana (between the shopping center and Ward Center) is a mural painted on the side of a building. Like many murals, you wouldn't notice it unless you're oriented correctly. It was difficult for us even when we were looking for it. The work is a masterpiece of trompe l'oeil as... Continue Reading →
To walk off the big breakfast (Rainbow Drive-In and Leonard's) we had this Easter morning, we took the bus to Ka Iwi State Scenic Shoreline to hike the 3/4-mile trail to Makapu'u Summit. We were told about this hike by a couple we met at the Eat the Streets event. The bus doesn't drop you... Continue Reading →
Breakfast is my least favorite airplane meal. Airlines seem to spend the least amount of effort to make anything remotely appetizing, at least as far as I'm concerned. Most, if not all of the meal consists of pre-packaged items that have been thrown together and weigh in heavily on refined carbohydrates and sugar. Hawaiian Airlines... Continue Reading →
Time has no meaning when you're in flight. When traveling in any direction other than along a longitudinal line, the clock shifts earlier or later. What does it mean, as a friend wondered, when my flight departed Auckland before midnight on the 28th and arrived in Honolulu on the same calendar date, but early in... Continue Reading →
The Waipara Valley Wine and Food Festival is an annual event that celebrates the wines produced in the namesake valley. Such festivals are generally fun to attend, so when our son-in-law told us about this one, it didn't take long to decide on going. In order to reduce traffic and congestion at the venue, several... Continue Reading →
I was pleasantly surprised in a most unlikely circumstance. Nowadays, you eat a meal on an airplane flight just to help pass the time, to get your mind off the cattle car roundup in the cabin, engine noise, TSA, and the other discomforts of modern-day flight. The last thing I thought I'd ever blog about... Continue Reading →
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