ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
Hillary Clinton will not pick Bernie Sanders as her running mate at the Democratic National Convention, but the pair of Bernie O'Malley and Hilary (one "L") Emmer have teamed together and were named Vashon Island's unofficial mayors for the 2016-17 term. Done obviously in fun, they capitalized on their 'name recognition' to run for the unofficial office and... Continue Reading →
You could make a case that the biggest development in American dining trends in the last few years has been the explosion of food trucks. Literally, an explosion. Maybe the weak economy has been somewhat responsible. For a business, it kind of makes sense because you don't have huge capital expenses, can "move" your restaurant... 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 →
Among the many purveyors of mussel dishes for sale at the Penn Cove Musselfest was Bayleaf, a deli that ordinarily sells wine, cheese and other food items. In front of the store, a chef was preparing a large pan of mussels in a broth of chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic, ginger and other ingredients, a bowl... Continue Reading →
I tend to take for granted the natural bounty we have here in the Pacific Northwest. I'm not alone either. This could be because the Seattle area is a highly developed, urban area where we have become physically and spiritually disconnected from our natural surroundings, here where mountain and sea are close at hand. Unless... Continue Reading →
It was fortuitous that the grandest balloon festival in the world would be staged while we were touring the Southwest, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. I made sure that we would be in Albuquerque when it happened, which required my juggling our itinerary somewhat to accommodate the event. We always wanted to experience it, so... Continue Reading →
In early March, Coupeville, home of the world's largest mussel farm, plays host to the annual Penn Cove Mussel Festival to showcase its famous bivalves. Even though the weather this morning was ominous (freezing rain), a group of us decided to take part in the festivities. The rain shadow effect didn’t disappoint; the closer we... Continue Reading →
Venice, maybe more than any other Italian city, was a destination for us, as it is for millions of other tourists. No tour of Italy would have been complete without a visit to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The attractions are many: the canals to be sure, the gondolas and its... Continue Reading →
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