east meets west

One man's trash...

2010-04-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

Is a construction project for two crazy ladies! Day one of Operation Garbage Thingy was a major success. You may recall the pile of "compost" behind the shed which included such treasures as a screen door, the boat cover, a frisbee, a collection of markers, a wood bee nest, a life jacket and several Budweiser cans. Did I mention this is also where Nali likes to do her business? I wore gloves. Okay, no I didn't but I'm realizing now while writing this that I should have. Anyway, those delightful treasures have now been bagged and tossed while the remaining dirt, leaves and grass clippings have been raked and leveled. Phew. Time for a beer. And to submerge my hands in bleach.

Okay, and we're back. We have refreshed ourselves with a beer so now it's time to start building stuff, with tools. What? Is there a problem?

Our plan is to construct a Garbage Thingy to hide unsightly barrels and such. Next to which there will be a mesh compost enclosure - for real compost this time. Around the corner and behind the shed will be nice, new grass shaded by forsythia (Mary-Lou's choice, I am not-so-silently against it but she pays the mortgage so that's that). We started today by constructing the base of the Garbage Thingy, a frame of 2x4's topped with spaced planking to allow for drainage. That took all of three seconds to write and all afternoon to do which doesn't really do our efforts justice so to better illustrate our diligence and hard work I will tell you that Bob's first comment was that "it is perfect". And it is. That's what happens when you spend all afternoon building a frame. Perfection.

Before...

Step One:

In the meantime...

2010-04-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

You should read this:

www.greenaroundtheglobe.com

Let's try this again...

2010-04-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

I said we were back and then all you got is a measly picture of the dogs' rear-ends. My apologies. I was hoping to post pictures of Casey's recent "before and after" project but forgot to take the "before" pictures which kind of makes the "after" shots a bit underwhelming. However, Mary-Lou and I are starting our trash can enclosure project this week following a very successful trip to Home Depot (they cut your wood for you, awesome) so details to follow including the "before" pictures (trash cans and dog poop buckets), "in progress" pictures (perhaps Mom and chasing each other around the yard with power tools. I kid, I kid) and "after"shots which will hopefully look something like this.

I'm heading out now to the Salvation Army to find some cheap old night stands and tables to refurbish. I was pretty happy with my nightstand project last spring and I have this crazy idea that I might be able to sell some of these things. Hopefully, I don't end up featured on regretsy.com.

For now, I will leave you with a dusk shot from Monahan's dock during our recent biblical rain storms here in Rhode Island...

Snow Day

2010-02-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

And we're back...

2009-12-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time, folks, but we'll be moving back east in just a few short weeks and I'd like to get back into writing. Living in a new place helped us realize that we never really explored or took advantage of our great location back East (unless you count every bar in Newport). We intend to camp and hike in New England just as much as we did here and I'd like to continue writing here at what I guess should now be kategoeswestgetsmarriedgoeseast. It is a convenient way to keep track of pictures and stories chronologically. So, we're back!!

First up: check out some wedding pics at kenluallen.com/gallery. Password is seattle.

Get it while it's hot!

2009-08-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Available for pre-order now at Amazon.com!

Couldn't resist...

2009-08-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

More of my favorites :)...

east meets west meets SOUTH!!

2009-08-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

In exactly 40 days, we will be on a plane to Quito, Ecuador. With all of the weddnig planning hoopla, we haven't really taken any time to consider the honeymoon (or the fact that we don't speak Spanish) so last night I stopped off at Barnes and Noble and picked up a Spanish phrase book along with a few travel guides for Ecuador. Within 5 minutes or cracking open those books I was trying to convince Casey to extend our trip - not because I simply wanted to but because we HAVE to! There is so much to see and do between the rainforest, the historic colonial era cities, the coast, the Andes mountains and the Galapagos. How could we possibly do it all in 8 days? Our current itinerary includes two nights in Old Town Quito (one night when we arrive and one before we leave) with 4 nights in Banos and 3 nights along the coast at yet-to-be-determined beaches. Get a napkin because you're about to start drooling:

Hotel Patio Andaluz, accomodations for our first night as honeymooners:

Quito:

Next stop: Four nights at Luna Runtun in Banos along the Avenue of the Volcanoes. I can't say more about the volcano here because my mom will read this and call the whole thing off so if you're interested in learning about the volcano next to Banos, called Tungurahua, see here.

While in Banos, we're planning to seek out recommendations on the best beaches along the Pacific Coast and then hop on a few buses to visit the best spots Saturday thruogh Tuesday before making our way back to Quito. Example:

If -and I really, really hope that this is possible - if we're able to get a few extra days, we'll plan to take 3-4 days at the end of the trip to fly to the Galapagos Islands before returning to Quito. Everyone we've spoken to has told us that we have to go to the Galapagos and it really didn't sink in until last night when I saw photos of marine iguanas and blue footed boobies and of course, the giant tortoises.

6 weeks, 3 days...

2009-07-29T08:42:00.001-07:00

... until the wedding! Since we're getting so close the family planned a great weekend for the bachelorette, bridal shower and guys golf outing (men, men, men, men). I have included some pictures below! Thank you Mom, Dad, Melissa and especially Lindsey.

Engagement Shots

2009-07-28T16:19:00.001-07:00

Last weekend while in Rhode Island Casey and I spent a muggy morning in East Boston with our amazing photographer, Ken Luallen. I stole a few shots to include below but you can see them all at kenluallen.com/gallery, password is seattle. Perhaps you may want to order a few life size shots for around the house and above the mantle.

Spring Project - After...

2009-06-04T22:13:00.001-07:00

A Little Taste

2009-06-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

The nightstand is finally done! However, I still have to move all the books, vacuum and set it up in the bedroom so we're not quite ready for the big reveal. Here's a little preview...

Penrose Point State Park

2009-05-31T17:59:00.000-07:00

Friday evening traffic is never appealing, but the promise of a campground at the end of the road was sure to reward our efforts. We peeled out of Seattle (no, Kate was not driving) just after 6pm and headed south to Tacoma, west to Gig Harbor, then south again to Penrose Point SP, which is located right on the Carr Inlet. As the crow flies, this place is only about 40 miles from Seattle, but traffic and the lack of a direct route turned this into an hour and forty five minute journey. Not to worry, the sun sets around 9:30 this time of year, so we had plenty of time to set up camp and check out the campground before getting the fire going. Of course, we were armed with beer and Pirate's Booty, so we didn't hesitate to park our rear ends in our camp chairs and hang out around the fire before an early bedtime.

After a comfortable night, we pryed ourselves from the tent and had some coffee and muffins before heading out for the day. The sun was out, so we headed out on the main hiking trail to the shoreline and followed the shore around to the main beach. We saw a handful of seals, a few early boaters, and a sweet view of Mt. Rainier. Other than a short visit by a family, there weren't any other people on the beach.

On our way to the main beach, we ran into a couple that lived nearby, so we chatted them up and asked about the best areas for clam digging. The didn't hesitate to disclose the local sweet spot, so we parted ways and headed directly to 'town' in an effort to arm ourselves with the best clam-digging gear we could find in the middle of nowhere. I ended up with a plastic shovel that couldn't pick up dog sh*t and Kate conveniently declared the soil rake as her own. Well, the plastic shovel didn't do anything except bend, so my hands became my primary tool. After a solid two hours of digging, we came away with about 45 clams (Littlenecks and Manillas, mostly), which was just over the daily limit for one person. We didn't intend on eating a million clams, so we took our fair share and headed back to our camp-site with a bucket of clams and sunburn on all of the skin that the sunscreen missed (read: I now have a cross between a wife-beater and a straight up farmer tan). Yes, Mom, our sunscreen efforts were genuine.

Now....for the best part of the trip. We basically ate like kings (and queens) Saturday evening. We got the fire roaring and then threw a few of the clams on the grate for a quick appetizer. They were damn good, so we didn't waste much time preparing the orzo and skewered veggies. Everything was delicious, but we ate so much that we really couldn't bring ourselves to do anything beyond the dishes after our amazing meal. We sat around the fire with full tanks and some Leinenkugel Amber until we realized that we were both comatose and needed to go to bed. The sun had not set when we retired for the night, so I'm guessing that it was roughly 9pm. Yes, our dinner was that good.

Sunday morning arrived after another great night of sleep and so did some good coffee and another dose of camp fire. We enjoyed our morning stroll so much the day before that we did it again on Sunday while we enjoyed the remnants of our coffee. We toyed with the idea of waiting for low tide Sunday afternoon to grab more clams, but we still had 15 live clams from the day before, so we headed back to camp and packed up our gear. Once we loaded everything in the car, we hit the road and stopped in Gig Harbor, which is on the way home and just west of Tacoma. Gig Harbor is a great little town that has a very East coast feel. There are tons of boats, shops, and some great restaurants (according to the crazy Norwegian guy that ran the local jewelry store that Kate steered us into for a quick visit). One of the places the jeweler mentioned, and one that I've heard great stories about, is Tides Tavern. As you can tell from the name, this bar and grill is famous for luring unsuspecting sailors in for a pint or ten and spitting them out the back door to find their boats hard aground at low tide. The drunken sailor is then faced with a predicament that has only one solution.....back to the bar for more beer! Kate and I had a great lunch and got out of there quickly because we were nervous that our car would have been aground had we stayed any longer.

We hit the road again and paid the $4 bridge toll (thieves) before hitting Tacoma traffic and joining the rest of the weekend warriors on I-5.

We had a great weekend and would highly suggest Penrose Point as a great place to stay for a weekend, or even a week or two. There's probably a good reason why the closest town is called "Home."

Before: The Room

2009-05-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

I can hardly bring myself to post this picture of our bedroom, it's so awful. But the big reveal wouldn't be as impressive without this photo to provide comparison. The new nightstand is drying in the yard at this very moment. "After" photos soon!

Tanjoubi Omedetou, Kate!!

2009-05-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

Casey gave me an early birthday gift today!! We went to Uwajimaya for a sushi class!! There will be lots of exclamation points in this post because I was so excited and it was the best!!

We learned a LOT of stuff, way to much to get down in one post, not to mention I've already forgotten things. We bought a maki-su and a rice paddle to prepare sushi rice and roll different makis. We'll have to have a little sushi-making party to demonstrate our skills. We started with futomaki; maki meaning roll and futo indicating that it is large. Then moved onto a smaller maki that would be good finger food at parties. Lastly, we learned to make an inside-out roll where the rice is on the outside rather than the seaweed. Then we got to pick ingredients and experiment on our own. I made a shiso (strong herb in the mint family) plum sauce and cucumber mini-maki at the chef's direction which was very good. We had so many left-overs to take home, we'll be eating sushi for days!! There's so much more to it than you would ever think. More time, more ingredients, more prep. It's definitely not just rice and roll. Can't wait to test our new skills!!

Lake Wenatchee State Park

2009-05-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Casey flew down to San Francisco for a boys weekend so I decided to go on a little adventure myself. We got out of work at 2pm on Friday, I packed up the car and headed out to Stevens Pass to camp at Lake Wenatchee on the eastern side of the Casacades. The goal was to stay at Glacier View campground; smaller, right on the water, a bit more primitive and hopefully a little quieter and private. Unfortunately, despite there being 20 out of 23 sites available at 3pm, all of the campgrounds around the lake were full by the time I made it out there. I thankfully managed to grab the last site at the state park before dark which, in hindsight, was perfect due to the fact that it is the only campground around with runnig water and showers. The only problem was that the site was for one night only and I planned to stay until Sunday. Because I have long trained in the art of procrastination, that was obviously a problem for tomorrow.

Oh, and let me get this out of the way right up front, I was alone. Just me. No one else. Holiday weekend, in the woods, in a tent, no friends, all alone. Mom, get over it. That place was so crowded with families, I had a better chance of getting bit by a family dog than a wild animal. And now for my weekend...

I had just enough time to set up my tent (neighbor kid: "Daddy, that girl is using that little tent all alone") and start the fire before dark. Let me tell you; boil-in-a-bag rice is excellent for campfire cooking. No mess, no measuring, no problem. Boil the rice, dump out the water and use the same pot to saute some vegies. Pour the rice, soy sauce and chili paste back in the pot and you've got campfire stirfry with one pot to rinse. Done and done.

Saturday morning I woke up on a mission to find a new campsite so as not to have to cut my trip in half. Well, one person's tragic medical emergency is apparently another person's vacation saver. Sorry bald guy with the Corolla and I hope you're feeling better but that site was all mine! A quick move 3 sites down and I was ready for a hike. The trail was open to mountain bikers, hikers and horseback riders. This meant that the first 3 miles were spent looking down to avoid massive piles of horse shit every 15 feet and no opportunity to look at the scenery. It kind of ruined my mountain high for a bit but after a handful of large blown-over trees blocked the trail I was past the horse bombs. Now here's where we learn a lesson about maps that are to scale and those that are not. What looked like a 1 mile hike was actually 6 miles in and another 6 out again. Oh, and by the way, that small little circle signifying that you will be climbing a mountain is so cute and easy looking on a flat page. Not so, my friend. I got to a point where I was climbing 20 feet and stopping for a rest, climbing 10 feet and stopping for another rest. I was ready to stop at noon but kept going until 1:30 because every time I felt like I was getting close to the lookout, the switchbacks would turn me around again and end me back into the woods. I eventually got above the snow line where the trees thinned out allowing a view of the lake below. But hiking in the snow in boots and no snowshoes is worse than jogging on the beach so I promptly sat down on the ridge for a quick lunch (no bears, no bears, no bears, pleeeeease) and then hustled back down the mountain before my legs gave out beneath me. Nothing exciting on the way down except some odd grunting in the brush about 10 feet off the trail. I, of course, convinced myself that it was a bear and gave serious thought to banging two sticks together while I walked. But then I felt self-concious about how silly I would look. Which is pretty sad when you're on vacation alone, potentially about to be eaten by a bear and you're concerned about not looking cool. Coroner, "Well, the remains are pretty chewed up but I bet she looked good! Not like that loser with the sticks."

About the pictures... Taking a picture of yourself using a stump and a few rocks for camera support is tough. I thought those were deer tracks but they were definitely from a mountain goat which is probably what was making noise in the woods. There's a section of the trail that cuts through a large area recovering from a wildfire from a few years back. Very interesting landscape and fascinating to see the different vegetation making its way back around the charred trees. The lake is where I started and probably about 7 miles away.

After a 12-14 mile hike (plus 2 miles along the lake that morning) and after a winter of doing nothing but lifting my beer to my mouth and back down again, I got to my tent and was asleep at 3:30pm before my head even hit my pillowcase full of clothes (i.e. pillow). I was so filthy, I then had to drive to the grocery store after my nap and buy a towel and bar of soap. I have no mousquito bites whatsoever and you can see from this video that is a nearly impossible feat. I think I was too stinky and dusty for even the bugs.

Now, here's where I am very liberal with the word "camping". There's a bar walking distance from the campground that serves $2 Session lagers, our new favorite beer, and $5 food PLUS karaoke at night. No amount of money could have enticed me to stoop over that campfire and cook myself another meal. My muscles were so sore and weak, I would have fallen into the flames and then probably would not have had the strength to get back up. But mostly: Mountain townies + $2 beer + Kate = A.MA.ZING. And, as everyone knows, beers on Saturday means breakfast sandwiches on Sunday. And the 59er Diner on the way out of town totally delivers! Of course, the owner is from New England which explains everything because I think Westerners are born without the part of the brain that knows how to make a breakfast sandwich. The 59er Diner "Stacker" was open-faced on toast with a pile of hash browns, grilled onions, garden herbs, tomato, swiss and an over-easy egg right on top. Perfect after a day of hiking and an 11-hour exhausted, comatose sleep.

It really was a perfect trip. I could be sweet and nice and say that it would have been better with Casey or friends and family but I think it was actually a very important experience to go alone and I truly had a great time. I look forward to going back with a bunch of people but I'll also really value the experience of going it alone.

Spring Project - Before...

2009-05-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

I have a rickety, particleboard and white veneer piece of awfulness that is making a poor effort at being a nightstand next to my bed. Every time I reach over to turn the light off I brace myself for the whole thing to crumble and books to come raining down. It was time for a change. So I haggled the Goodwill guy down to $9.99 for the nightstand shown above which sounds like a steal until you notice the mildew on the drawers and realize that when I first opened this drawer there was a live snail inside, no joke. But I will not be deterred!! Case and I picked up some patterned paper, white spray paint, drawer pulls, sand paper and acrylic spray at the Home Depot and we're getting to work on this bad boy tonight. I hope to have some dazzling "after" pictures before the end of the week. Stay tuned!

Red wine, white wine, dark beer, light beer

2009-04-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

It's like the grown up version of "one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish" and also a good description of our Sunday. We went to Delille Winery on Sunday for a barrel tasting of two soon-to-be-bottled wines and several recent vintages along with food from the Barking Frog. I think we've recommended it before but if you are looking for some new wines to try, check out Delille. The 2007 Doyenne Aix and D2 will both be bottled in June and are worth a try. The great thing about these red blends is that, while a particular cab might be super big and tannic or a grenache too high in alcohol on its own, the winemaker can mix them with complimentary grapes until he or she has just the right flavor profile.

Redhook Brewery is located right across the street so that was our obvious next stop. Nicole and I each got a 5 beer sampler for $6. Then we paid $1 to go on the brewery tour which involved standing in a glass room overlooking the brewing rooms and drinking 5 more samples of the same beer. The equivalent of two pints FOR A DOLLAR. They run three tours a day. What's everyone up to next Sunday? :)

First Mariners Game of 2009

2009-04-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday was 80 degrees and sunny and my pale skin could hardly take it. I was squinting like a mole all day and was sweating after 5 minutes of walking outside. Clearly, living in Seattle is really taking its toll. But it was too good to be wasted so Casey and I made a last minute decision to go to the Mariners game. It was a gorgeous day, the ballpark is right downtown, Griffey is back, the M's have had a great start to the season and they were opening a series against last year's AL champs. Sold out, right? Nope. We bought $8 bleacher seats 20 minutes before the game, walked in and sat behind the dugout.

Dad, you'll be sad to hear that Seattle seems to be consumed with soccer and all love for the Mariners seems to be lost. In the inaugural season, the Sounders have set attendance records and are the first MLS team to have greater than 28000 fans at four consecutive games. In the interest of full disclosure, I am also loving our soccer team and can't wait to go to a game. The other night, we walked to a English ex-pat bar in our neighborhood that shows UK and European soccer pretty much around the clock. They happened to have the Sounders game on that night and the place was PACKED with loud cheering fans in SOUNDERS FC scarves and blue and green jerseys. That's what fans should be like. I may have to become a soccer convert... at least until I can get back to New England.

Blackcomb - Day Two

2009-02-16T06:37:00.000-08:00

Day Two of our Whistler, Miller Dirty Thirty extravaganza was mainly spent on Blackcomb Mountain. We did a few runs on Whistler and then took the brand new Peak 2 Peak gondola over to Blackcomb. This is the world's longest unsupported gondola, spanning a total of 2.67 with 1.88 miles of unsupported cable. You are dangling in this massive gondola over a valley between the two mountains. Two of the cars had glass bottoms and I am thankful that we didn't end up on one of those, simply looking down out the side window was quite enough for me.

Sam and Keith spent the afternoon together exploring the back bowls, hiking to fresh terrain and boarding/skiing the Blackcomb glacier. Landon and I were well matched and spent the day trying every blue trail that Blackcomb had to offer. I do have to point out here, in retaliation against Casey's earlier post that he bailed halfway through the day to drink at Dusty's with Kirk. The old man's back hurt. Thankfully, our recent lesson at Crystal has corrected his stance and vastly improved his ability. Too bad we didn't spring for a lesson before the Whistler trip but it was still a great time.

Back to day two... Landon and I ended the day by returning to Whistler mountain and taking one of the last lifts up to the near top. We wanted to try one of the really long blue trails from the peak so we got on The Saddle. This is a picture of Landon about to drop into the very-steep-for-us trail. It had been used as the start of the slalom race and was extremely ice-y, steep and bumpy - probably my least favorite and scariest run of the weekend. But we made it down in one piece and boarded right up to the entrance of Dusty's for our second round of apres. Kirk and Case had a head start and had secured us a prime table. Now that everyone was together and settled in, we held our belated birthday celebration for Casey with a couple of rounds of shots (naturally). Back at the condo, we warmed up in the hot tub and then Landon whipped us up a delicious homemade ragu with pasta. This was the night that we decided to check out the bar scene in Whistler Village. We spent an hour or so at a brewpub, walked around the village and decided to finish the night at home. With $15 cover charge and a fridge full of beers at the condo, we figured we could have just as much fun back at Creekside. Maybe we're getting old, maybe we're cheap, but we had a great time and wouldn't change a thing!

One Private Snowboarding Lesson - $150. Two all-day lift tickets - $120. Beating Kate to the bottom of the mountain - PRICELESS.

2009-02-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry, no photos. I was going too fast to worry about pictures.

Whistler - Day One

2009-02-11T06:34:00.000-08:00

Casey and I pulled into Whistler Thursday evening after driving for several hours in the dark and the rain along the Sea to Sky Highway. This is a long, windy road up into the mountains that is under major construction due to the 2010 Olympics and completely lacks street lights and even lane lines in many places. We were thankful to arrive at the condo and even more thankful when we saw how great it was! The pictures online did not do it justice so we were very pleasantly surprised.

Keith and Sam weren't arriving until 2am so, in an effort to stay awake, we drove over to Whistler Village to check out the bars. Our condo is on the mountain in a smaller village called Creekside which is about 3.5km away from the main Whistler Village. We saw several patio bars with heat lamps and decided to sit outside for a drink. We were expecting pretty outrageous prices but our drinks were actually reasonable. I later read that due to the economy the resort has seen a significant drop in tourism this year. Many bars and restaurants have kept their off-season pricing and specials in an effort to attract business. We certainly saw first hand the lack of crowds in that we never waited in a lift line or had to wait for a table at the bar.

We didn't make it until 2am Thursday night but we were up at 7:30 on Friday ready for the lifts to open at 8:30. Being on East coast time, Keith made sure that no one slept in too late or missed the first runs of the day. There hadn't been any fresh snow in a while so the first runs of the day when we could get out on freshly groomed trails were the best. From our condo, we walked to the end of the driveway, strapped on our boards and raced down a short trail to the Creekside Gondola. The trail is a black diamond, the Dave Murray downhill, which I was extremely nervous about, but it flattened out towards the bottom and we didn't have any trouble.

Friday was the first day of the Whistler Peak to Valley Race, the longest giant slalom race in the world, starting close to the peak of Whistler Mountain and running 5km, past our condo and ending at the Creekside Gondola. It looked exhausting. It also took up the blue trails that led to our condo so we were forced to return via the back diamond. It was rough on day one but as we improved we didn't have much trouble. We covered a lot of terrain that day. We were nervous and excited to get to the top of Whistler mountain where we saw that there was a green to try. It turned out to be an extremely long, extremely flat traverse that forced you to remain on your toe edge for what was probably miles. My calf still hurts from that run and I stayed on blues for the rest of the trip to avoid all of the flat spots on the green trails. Surprisingly, the lifts are only open until 3pm and we stayed out on the mountain without stopping for lunch until 2:30pm.

Next stop - Dusty's! We could have just stayed in WA if all we wanted was the snowboarding but we wanted to make the trip to Whistler for the full experience. It reminds me of a larger Killington or North Conway with plenty of bars, restaurants, shops and spas. At the end of the day everyone convenes on the outdoor patios for the apres-ski which consisted of pitchers of Dusty's lager (on special), garlic wings and nachos. As we sat on the patio, Kirk and Landon arrived. After the bar, we went back to the condo, found the hot tub, warmed up and then enjoyed a great dinner from chef Keith.

Next up, Day Two: Blackcomb and the Peak to Peak Gondola!

Jenny Lewis Solo at Meany Hall, 1/21

2009-02-10T06:32:00.000-08:00

I don't remember where or when I first came across Rilo Kiley but I loved Under the Blacklight and quickly looked for more songs from Jenny Lewis. Her recordings with the Watson Twins are great as well as her new solo album which she has been touring to support. Kirk and I went to see the kick-off performance to her solo tour and apparently her first time performing solo live. She did just a few songs on her own and quickly brought out her musical partner, Jonathan Rice, to perform the remaining songs. My favorites were her cover of Love Hurts and her performance of Melt Your Heart with some beautiful, haunting back-up vocals provided by the female drummer from the opening act and both Kirk and I loved her encore of Acid Tongue where she had her opening band stand choir style in front of the mics for back-up. I only got one video from way up in the balcony - this is Jenny doing Silverlining from Rilo Kiley's Under the Blacklight.

Concert from Kate L on Vimeo.

Tomorrow night, we're heading to Sunset Tavern in Ballard (practically our backyard!) to see Horse Feathers. Review, and hopefully some video, to follow!! Here's a look at their video for Curs in the Weeds.

Winter Catch-Up

2009-02-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

Posting has been slow in recent months, mainly due to the fact that my camera is so big and I've gotten lazy about carrying it around. But over Christmas Bob and Mary surprised me with a shiny new Canon Elph so I have a lot of photos from this past month, including some great ones from Whistler. I'll try to get everything posted over the next few days.

First up, snowshoeing a few weeks back at the Crystal Springs sno-park near Snoqualmie. We haven't had much snow fall this year outside of the few days before Christmas which meant this was an icey, crunchy walk. Still fun!! I even crawled into a tree to test out my Gorillapod.

Whistler + Miller Dirty Thirty = Awesome

2009-02-09T06:25:00.000-08:00

The trip to Whistler, BC was amazing! Case and I are definitely spoiled now since the terrain, apres options, ski in-ski out condo location and nightlife were all pretty wonderful. Many more pictures to follow but here's a taste. Kirk also made the trip but is the cameraman and is missing from this shot.

We decided that ski trips celebrating Casey's birthday will now be an annual tradition. For those who missed out this year, you MUST mark your calendars for next year's trip. The planning has already begun.

Happy 30th Birthday, Casey!

Yeah, baby! Yeah!

2009-01-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

T-minus five days 'til we hit Whistler. I'm praying for some new snow before Thursday, but the 50" base will be good enough, otherwise. I've been moving my bindings around a little bit, so hopefully I'll find the sweet spot on my board. Regardless of how many times I faceplant, I'm sure this trip will be excellent!

Breaking in the shoes

2009-01-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

Casey and I cracked open our new snowshoes and went out to Iron Horse State Park with a few dogs and a few friends. It was also Bridger's first snowshoe trip!!

"Oh my God, the earth is going to end!"

2008-12-18T12:11:00.001-08:00

This is basically what every local news station fed to everyone in Seattle over the past few days. Seattle's proximity to significant mountain ranges would make one think a few inches of snow would be an after-thought. Think again. We got two inches of snow last night and the city is friggin' paralyzed. I can't imagine how true Seattleites would handle a Nor'easter.

I plan to drive around town tonight and spread joy with my new spectacular LED Xmas lights. Eat you heart out, Santa.

I may not be able to wrap presents, but....

2008-12-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

...I can sure as hell decorate a car with Xmas lights. I decided to take advantage of technology this year and go with the LED Xmas light strand. They're about three times more expensive than regular lights, but they're more durable and will last longer than the car.

Why I can never work for Santa...

2008-12-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

This took me almost a half hour. I know, it's pathetic. I can't imagine doing this 20 billion times for the children of the earth.

Fremont Fright Night 2008

2008-11-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

Halloween is my favorite holiday... I won't even address New Year's except to say that I'd rather be in Mom and Dad's basement with the sisters in our pjs like old times, 4th of July is certainly up there but has lost serious points since moving away from RI beaches and Christmas Eve will be back to number one if and when it doesn't require 3500 miles of travel. But as much as I love Halloween, I was quite disappointed this year not to spend the night with Marcie as has become our annual tradition. And also, Melissa and I really need to work on our pumpkin seed (burnt) and apple cider (lumpy... I don't know how, either, don't ask) cooking skills. However, it was a major bonus to have Melissa here this year and the Seattle kids really came through with 100% costume participation and a great party!! We had a Seattle local, a bunny, Captain Hook, Bob Ross, a ladybug, Toulouse Lautrec, a vampire, a flapper, Sarah Palin and or course Casey's amazing "Dude" plus many more. Who is your favorite of the night?!

Duck Dodge

2008-10-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today I raced in my first Duck Dodge, a weekly sailboat race in Seattle. It is a pretty caual affair with a race across the Sound followed by several hours of partying on the boats. We started out okay but lost a lot of ground sailing downwind on our second leg. We were caught next to a large boat that stole our wind and we could not get out from their shadow. We finally put up the spinnaker and broke away, making great time for the next few legs of the race. We rounded the point to the finish and the wind completely died. After floating for a half hour we finally reached the commitee boat at the finish only to almost ram the bow of their boat. Oops!! Thankfully, we were moving verrryy slowly. Now for the fun stuff... We had about 40 sailboats rafted together with people hopping from boat to boat to visit friends and check out the other vessels.

We took many pictures and a few videos. I suggest keeping the sound off since John's making some strange coughing noises (no, he's not puking) in the background and the scenery is much nicer than the audio. Enjoy!!

Duck Dodge from Kate L on Vimeo.

Duck Dodge II from Kate L on Vimeo.

Hiking Lake Talapus

2008-10-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

Casey, Travis, Shasta, Curt and I went for a casual Sunday hike this past weekend to Lakes Talapus and Olallie in the Alpine Lakes region of the Snoqualmie Forest. Curt is a fan of geocaching and brought along his GPS to find a nearby cache. It's getting quite cold here in the Pacific Northwest but we're hoping for a few more sunny weekends to squeeze in a couple more hikes. Next weekend we have pumpkin carving and spiced cider on the agenda!

That is one hot piece of ash

2008-09-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

While Casey mastered the art of flyfishing, Melissa sat patiently watching me blow Casey's clutch trying to teach myself to drive a standard. We only had one car and we weren't about to watch Casey wave a pole around for 4 hours. Thankfully, after about 15 minutes, I was able to start from first gear in less than three attempts. Good enough for us!! So where would you go immediately after you learning to drive a stick? Perhaps a 52-mile drive up a mountain? Sounds good to us! While this was my first trip, Melissa was visiting Mt. St. Helen's for the second time this month. However, the sky was so clear and the wind so strong that it must have been like a whole new trip. The landscape was incredible, with whole sides of surrounding mountains blown away and a barren valley below wasted by the largest landslide in human history. After 28 years grasses, flowers and a few brave scrubby trees are finally sprouting near the volcano but, according to the forest service ranger, the fish have not yet returned mainly due to human intervention. The river drastically changed direction following the eruption and resettlement of the debris. The sediment barrier created by the Army Corps of Engineers to dam the direction of the river away from downstream homes has effectively prevented upstream migration for salmon. Currently, only rainbow trout that were introduced by a hopeful fisherman have thrived in the area's lakes.

Well, that's enough geekery for one night. The few hours that we spent on Mayfield Lake at Ike Kinswa State Park certainly were not enough. We'll be back next summer for some swimming and hiking. We also read that there is a southern approach to Mt. St. Helen's where we can hike Ape Cave, a 2 mile-long lava tube.

Come fly with me

2008-09-28T20:06:00.000-07:00

Pick up the fishing rod, wave it around, and catch a 30lb. bass. Yeah, that's what I thought, too. After an intense four hour fly-fishing lesson today, I can assure you that this is MUCH harder than it first appears. Imagine trying to keep track of a 30' fly line that's whipping around in front of and behind you, while making sure that a) it doesn't hit the water and, b) it never develops any slack. I'm a fairly patient person, but the first hour is a little rough, as swinging the rod as hard as you can in random directions is not the way to get results. It's a game of waiting more than anything else. If you managed to 'load' the rod and pull the line cleanly off of the water, it will stretch out behind you in a straight line. If you pick up the timing of the line stetching to its full length, you can bring the rod forward, point it in the direction you want the line to go and, miraculously, it's deadly accurate. For a while, I felt like Harry Potter casting spells on fish. However, after four hours, I'm confident that I can tackle a knargly Class V river, while ripping salmon out of the water. Maybe I'm a bit optimistic, but after casting well a few times at the end of the lesson today, I now feel like I can practice a bit more and hit the river. If you have the patience and ability to concentrate for a few hours, you would probably enjoy a fly-fishing lesson. My instructor told me that women tend to pick it up faster, simply for the reason that they don't try to cast as hard and fast as they can, so the ladies need to get out there and give it a try! For some of you competitive folk, this sport could EASILY create an entertaining guys vs. gals competition.

Assuming we uploaded the correct video of today's action, you can watch the master make a few perfect casts. If you watch carefully, you'll see that 30lb. bass on the end of my line.

Last, but certainly not least, here's a shout-out to my instructor, Steve Buckner. Steve runs a guide service here in the PNW and he's a great teacher. He must have the patience of a saint in order to do what he does day in and day out. If you find yourself in the Washington/Oregon area, I highly recommend giving Steve a call.

http://www.northwestflyfisherman.com/

Ike Kinswa State Park here we come

2008-09-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Casey is cashing in his Christmas flyfishing lesson on Sunday morning in Chehalis, WA. Melissa and I decided to tag along and make a camping trip out of it. We're all leaving in 30 minutes to head down to Ike Kinswa State Park. Bags - check! Sleeping bags - check! Tents - check!

Melissa and I will be hiking tomorrow while Casey practices his casting. This may be our last nice weekend before the rain rolls in so I am hoping that we find some good trails.

Ike Kinswa State Park: The area around Ike Kinswa State Park was originally inhabited by the Cowlitz Indians. Their burial ground is located in the region. Many graves were relocated when the Mayfield Dam backed water up into the canyon. The area was originally named Mayfield Lake State Park, but the name was changed in 1971 to honor Ike Kinswa, a Cowlitz Indian who represented his people. Ike Kinswa State Park is a 454-acre camping park with 46,000 feet of freshwater shoreline on the north side of Mayfield Lake. The campsites are forested and available year-round.

Engagement Party: Rangeley Style

2008-09-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

This is a bit delayed but I have included below some pictures from the engagement party that Lindsey planned for me and Case. It was the greatest party and we could not have asked for a more fabulous night. We had spent the day hiking in the mud and rain and came home to a streamer filled room of everyone that we love (well, just about. We missed the Millers greatly) with great food, homemade pies, and even a twilight bagpiping concert courtesy of Mike Stone.

A Little Inspiration

2008-09-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

It seems that there are a lot of people who find "inspiration boards" helpful when planning a wedding. I would imagine that it keeps you focused on what really appeals to you. Here's one that I liked quite a bit. I wonder where that dress comes from?

And another that made my mouth water, literally. Apples and pears all over! Hmmmm...

And here are a few pictures that I have saved over the past few weeks. The board isn't as color-coordinated as others but hopefully still conveys the simple, rustic feel of the day. I promise that this will not become a wedding planning site with ridiculous notions of princess perfection and there will be very few of these planning posts. I guess I just have wedding on the brain today since we'll be looking at dresses tomorrow for the first time. I don't want to look like a frosted cupcake. Wish me luck!

Casey is currently camping with the boys on Blake Island since we could not include him in our dress shopping adventure. He, Kirk and a few other guys sailed out of Shilshole this afternoon and mored on the edge of the island. The temperature has dropped at least 10 degrees in the last 24 hours and it is well into the low 50's at night. Someone's going to have a chilly night in the sleeping bag.

Alright Already...

2008-09-19T21:39:00.001-07:00

Finally!!! Back by popular demand :)

Last weekend, Gram, Melissa and I made our way to Victoria, BC with Casey following the next day. We woke up early on Friday morning and caught the ferry to Bainbridge Island at sunrise. Next stop was Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. We took some pictures at the lookout, hiked around the ridge and quickly left to make our way down to catch the ferry to Vancouver Island. The last time Casey and I visited Hurricane Ridge, there were sections of the road that had eroded and fallen away. On the plus side, they had come a long way in fixing the road. On the down side, we had to wait for 30 minute stretches while the road was reduced to one lane. This really messed with our (let's be honest, my) carefully planned itinerary... At 12:45 we parked the car and could see our 12:45 ferry still docked in the distance. Gram threw me a $20 and I paid for the stall with my bags dropped in the middle of the lot. I turned around only to find that Gram and Melissa had run off to try to make the boat. We SPRINTED 3 blocks to the boat and were the last to board!! We were hoping to see some whales and save $400 by not having to do a separate whale watching tour but, alas, no whales.

Friday afternoon in Victoria: we settled into the Hotel Grand Pacific, explored the Parliament Building, ordered afternoon wine on Government Street and dinner at Ferris.

Saturday, we had coffee and breakfast on our balcony while waiting for Casey's boat to arrive. We all must have seriously underestimated our travel times because Casey was also the last to board the Coho to Victoria. We decided to spend the afternoon on a Hop On-Hop Off bus tour which took us to Chinatown, Craigdarroch Castle, Oak Bay and Beacon Hill Park. The castle was amazing and we could have used another hour or two exploring. On a recommendation from some of Casey's coworkers and after visiting the Royal BC Museum we had a fabulous Italian dinner at Il Terrazzo in downtown Victoria. Pick up some Ruffino Il Ducale the next time you cook Italian!!

Sunday, our last day in town! Unfrtunately, I couldn't make the album below any bigger so there are quite a few pictures missing from Butchart Gardens. Let me fill you in... flowers, dahlias, flowers, bees and dahlias. What started as an abandoned limestone quarry was transformed in the early 1900's into 55 acres of gardens. After another ferry ride (harbor seal this time but no whales) we took the long way home through Tacoma.

Missed me?

2008-09-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Internet -

I am sorry I neglected you. I have a few pictures to share and a few stories to tell. Many things have happened since we last spoke... Chelan, Cle Elum with some new friends, Rangeley with some old friends, a little bit o' wedding planning; but the most exciting thing is yet to come and I am sure we will be seeing a lot of each other. Melissa arrives in t-minus 2 days and you must prepare yourself for some sister-mania. Very exciting stuff, internet. Stay tuned.

~K

Christa & Jason

2008-07-25T06:41:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the gorgeous couple!! We all had a blast at the wedding. Can't wait to see the professional pics online.

Slackers

2008-07-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

We have been so slow with the posts these past few weeks. I guess there are only so many pictures we could post of sailing and barbecues and that's all we have been doing. This weekend, I'm off to Wayne, PA for Christa and Jason's wedding. Can't wait to see my girls!! And Casey will be mountain biking and enjoying two full days of no wedding talk.

Here are a couple of recipes if you're feeling adventurous this weekend. Both are very easy but slightly time consuming BUT they are delicious. Food & Wine featured recipes this month using honey to draw attention to the unexplained colony collapse going on all across the country. They point out that this is not affecting the small local bee-keepers so we should support them and protect the bees! Surprisingly, we had all of the ingredients on hand for the ribs from my failed attempts at Thai food. This was our first crack at barbecue ribs and Casey now wants slow cooked ribs everyday.

Honey Tamarind Baby Back Ribs

ingredients

2 racks baby back ribs (5 1/4 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup clover or other mild honey
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Asian chile paste, such as sambal oelek

directions

Preheat the oven to 275°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Put the ribs on the baking sheet and season on both sides with salt and black pepper. Bake the ribs, meaty side up, for 2 1/2 hours, or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend the honey, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, tamarind, garlic and chile paste until smooth.

Increase the oven temperature to 450°. Drain the fat from the baking sheet. Brush the ribs with the barbecue sauce. Roast the ribs, bony side up, for 10 minutes, until richly browned. Turn the ribs over, brush with more sauce and roast for 5 minutes, until browned. Brush the ribs with the remaining barbecue sauce and roast for 5 minutes longer, until deeply browned and glossy.

Transfer to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut the racks into ribs and serve.

Honey-Tomato Bruschetta with Ricotta

ingredients

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons clover honey
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 baguette slices, cut 1/2 inch thick on the bias
1 cup fresh ricotta (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon buckwheat or chestnut honey
6 basil leaves, thinly sliced or torn

directions

Preheat the oven to 300°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, honey, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Scrape the tomatoes onto the prepared baking sheet and turn them cut side up. Bake the tomatoes for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, until they begin to shrivel and brown. Let cool.
Preheat the broiler. Spread out the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Broil for about 30 seconds on each side, until the edges are golden brown.
Spread the ricotta over the baguette slices and top with the slow-roasted tomatoes. Lightly drizzle the tomatoes with the buckwheat honey, sprinkle with the sliced basil and serve with additional buckwheat honey on the side.

Wedding Inspiration

2008-07-02T20:41:00.001-07:00

From Marcie (thank you!!) - a little inspiration for the fall wedding, Autumns Alchemy from Irene Suchoki's etsy store will now be gracing our walls.

Summer...

2008-07-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

...It's finally here. As if my peeling, sunburned body wasn't proof enough, we have had two nights of heat lightning and thunder - a rare occurence in the Northwest. Right now, I'm sitting on the couch listening to the monkeys in the zoo across the street. They shriek with every clap of thunder.

Here are the few passable and/or silly pictures from sailing this weekend. All of my pictures were pretty awful. Apparently, I'm a better sailor after a few beers than I am a photographer. I think I could be okay with that. First up in your slideshow - Popeye the sailor man.

Random: Looking forward to the concert tomorrow night. Apparently, BB King has 15 children with 15 different woman. Casey's response; "Don't hate the player."

Weekend Sailing

2008-07-02T06:13:00.000-07:00

We were out on the water for 8 hours on Saturday on Kirk's Bagatelle. Here are some pictures from a friend's camera. Mine to follow as soon as I can move my sun-burned arms.

Last night we watched the Mariner's getting smoked by the Blue Jay's and left in the 7th inning, only to find out this morning that the M's came back and won with a "dramatic walk off vistory". Lesson learned... don't leave early.

Tonight, Casey is heading out to golf with Eric and tomorrow we'll be at Chateau St. Michelle Winery to see BB King. Casey's engagement present from me!

"Be A Bridemaid In My Wedding"

2008-06-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start. Click here for more.

Lake Quinault, Lake Crescent, Hurricane Ridge...

2008-06-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

All our weekend pictures HERE!

Gram's going to be mad but we were all thinking the same thing!!

2008-06-16T20:53:00.001-07:00

From: Elaine Beaumont

Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 8:15 AM

To: ashley Beaumont; Becky Nichols; Betty Macpherson; bruce; Cheryl Beaumont; Beaumont-Roy, Christine; Diane Owens; Jim Northup

FINALLY!!!!!!!

Can you find the heron?

2008-06-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

I never wrote about Mom's last day in Seattle which deserves mention. We visited the Ballard Market and picked up some bread and cheese before heading over to the botanical gardens. We sat on a bench and enjoyed our little picnic before walking over to observe the locks. Mom seemed fascinated by the mechanisms and procedures associated with the locks but I couldn't get over the smolt chutes that had been installed in the dam. The chutes are tunnels that allow the smolts to pass through the dam and into the canal without being harmed or exposed for too long to the gulls. However, a crafty blue heron had perched himself along the wall in just the right spot to catch the tide as it pushed the fish against the wall.

Later that night we went to Circus Contraption. Despite numerous warnings that it may "get raunchy" Mom swore she would like it which she did through the entire first act. I think she had enough when someone in the audience sent their 8-year-old up to the stage to put a dollar bill in the "performer's" underwear. All-in-all still an impresive show and a WONDERFUL weekend!!

Captions:

1- See title

2- Don't be jealous - It looks good but cost $3000 to fill the tank

3- Looking at dead fish babies through a magnifying glass

4- Those little fish are thinking, "OHHHHHHHHHH SSHHHHHIIITTTTTTT!!!"

27 Years Ago Today...

2008-06-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

...my wonderful mother spent 15 hours of agony for one wrinkled, screaming, pooping little child. And every year she tells me my birthday story in the exact same way followed by the same strawberry and whipped cream cake that I have had since my very first birthday. This year, Dad made sure I didn't miss hearing my birthday story and sent Mom out to Seattle as my present. I picked her up from the airport with her suitcase full of strawberry cake mix. You just never know what you can and can't find in these darn Seattle grocery stores. We slept late, went out for lunch, walked the market, opened presents, drank wine under a patio heat lamp in the rain before a delicious dinner at La Rustica and finally ended the day with big slices of strawberry cake.

Oh, did I forget to mention... this? This little thing? This is my new black leather ergo pleated satchel. Jealous? You should be.

Needed: Sea Bass Recipes STAT

2008-05-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

I'm still waiting on the pictures from our fishing trip but I have a few from Twin Harbors State Park, where we camped Saturday night. We had a great time deep sea fishing last Sunday. We returned with 40 bass fillets, each feeding 2-3 people as well as one ling cod. If you visit us in the next 4 months, you better like sea bass. Tuesday night, we brought 16 fillets to Nick and Katie's ~~to dump them on someone else~~ for a cookout, the rest of the fish is vacuum sealed and stacked to the top of our freezer. Nick grilled the fillets with salt, pepper and (I believe) paprika and I topped them with a warm tomato vinaigrette.

2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, minced
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Fresh herbs - dill, chive, and parsley to taste
Freshly ground pepper

Saute garlic and shallot in oil until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook until slightly softened. Remove from heat and add vinegar and herbs. Spoon over grilled bass.

Back to the trip - Saturday night we made sure to eat dinner no later than 6pm and took a dose of dramamine. We woke up Sunday at 5am, took another dose and skipped breakfast. Our theory was that you can't puke up what's not there!

Fast forward 30 minutes into a 2 hour ride to our first fishing spot... we're cruising through an early morning ocean - just our boat, the gently rolling sea, the smell of diesel and the sound of that guy over there violently retching over the side. Fast forward another 8 hours to 5pm - a successful day and the boat is full of fish, everyone is relaxing except for that guy over there still violently retching over the side. The sea was calm as can be all day and still, 4 of 16 people were ill for the entire trip. I don't want to know what it could have been like in choppy water. We motored from spot to spot finding schools of fish and catching a few at a time. With an hour left, we were concerned that we wouldn't reach the boat limit and that we would have to return home with only 5 fish per person instead of 10. Thankfully, the captain found a huge school of bass and we spent the last hal hour pulling up fish after fish.

TGIF

2008-05-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

An extremely interesting article for your Friday afternoon.

Also interesting to note that, at this moment, the top five stories on CNN include "Angelina Jolie gives birth?" and "Professor loses 133 pounds" as well as "Idol Champ ignores dating rules" while this story comes in at number 8.

Ahoy, Matey

2008-05-24T10:15:00.001-07:00

And we're off!! We're leaving now for Westport, will explore the town this afternoon, camp at Twin Harbors tonight and will be on the boot at 5:30 tomorrow morning. I've got my knee-high, waterproof, rubber rainboots that Yanet gave me before I left RI and a pocket full of dramamine. The sun is out and the forecast is 60 degrees for tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll return in 36 hours with pounds and pounds of delicious fish. Until then, we'll leave you with Keith's memorable fishing experience...

Sunday: Mt. Constitution

2008-05-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday, we decided to hike to the summit of Mt. Constitution, a very small mountain at 2400 feet but the highest point in the San Juans. We started at Mountain Lake, then one mile up to a ridgeline and the last two miles to the lookout tower at the top. The last three and a half miles brought us around Twin Lakes and back to our starting point. We immediately drove over to the ferry hoping to catch the 4:15 or even the 5:15. Unfortunately, we spent over 4 hours waiting in line and finally made the last ferry off the island at 8:10pm. As much as we loved Orcas Island, we will probably only return mid-week and will definitely give ourselves a few more days. The San Juans are known for sea-kayaking, especially among the pod of killer whales that live around the islands. That's on the itinerary for next time!

Oh! I almost forgot... salamanders!! We spent about an hour at in the middle of our hike staring at and trying to catch salamanders. It was awesome. I think in my past life, I was a 7 year old boy.

Saturday on Orcas

2008-05-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

Friday night we slept with all of the vents open in the tent curled up in sleeping bags to the sound of hundreds of frogs by the lake. We were up at 8:30, riding bikes to Cascade Fall just a mile from our campsite. You'll see from all of our pictures that it is incrediby green here.

Next up was a trip to the farmer's market for some local ingredients for dinner. We picked up a bag of stir fry greens, some spring garlic and a bottle of locally made basil-reisling vinaigrette. On a local recommendation we drove over to Coffelts Farm for some ground lamb. Everything was quickly sauteed together over the campfire and washed down with Deschutes red ale. Just perfect!! But before that we drove over to Obstruction Pass to walk along the beaches and then back to Moran State Park for a quick 4 mile walk around Cascade Lake. While Casey dunked his head in Cascade Falls, I decided to go all the way and jumped into the lake! By the end of the day we had biked 2.5 miles and hiked 5 miles.

Friday Night Ferry Ride

2008-05-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Casey and I left work early and made the 90 minute drive up to Anacortes to catch the 5:30 ferry to the San Juan Islands. Unfortunately, it was full, as was the 6:30, and the next available boat was not leaving until after 9pm. Break out the cards!! After a few hands of gin, we saw that there was some possible space remaining on the 6:30 boat - I looked at the truck of boy scouts next to us, they looked at me. The reflector vest-clad ferry woman came to the front of the line and shouted that they had room for one more, my hand shut up so fast I heard my shoulder crack. She pointed, Casey threw the Jeep in gear and we made it onto the boat just before it pulled away from the dock. Should I feel bad? I think not. This was a character building episode for those boys. Everyone knows their mantra - be prepared... well, those scouts were beat out by a true girl scout drop out. Maybe next time they'll put that scout teaching to use and they'll have me to thank. Be prepared, boys!

The ferry stopped off quickly on Shaw and Lopez Islands before dropping us off at Orcas Island. We weighed our options and felt that burgers trumped daylight and opted to stop at Vern's restaurant in Eastsound for burgers and beers before setting up our tent in the dark. Isn't it nice to know that we stil have our priorities straight?

* No boy scouts were hurt in the making of this story.

Weekend Preview

2008-05-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on editing the 208 pictures that we took last weekend but I know that Bob just loves our weekend activities so I thought I would give a little preview to this upcoming weekend. Not only is it Lou's birthday (present in the mail!!) but Casey and I will also be going camping at Twin Harbors State Park in Westport, WA and deep-sea fishing on the above-pictured boat!! It is ling cod and sea bass season and we just learned that they have opened up halibut fishing for one additional weekend as well. The gentleman who is taking us gave us some cod and sea bass two weeks ago and it was delicious! We're very excited. A few friends will be hosting a cook-out later that week and we will be contributing plenty of fish kebabs. Not only that but the Sox are in town beginning Memorial Day!! We'll be at the Monday and Wednesday games with Eric and Nicole, one day in the good seats and one day with the bleacher creatures.

On a less exciting note, I have jury duty beginning May 28th and even though there's a very nice courthouse just a few short bus stops from our home, I have been called to Kent, WA. Don't even ask me where that is. I have no idea. But they did give me a bus pass to help me complete my civic duty.

The PLAYBOY TOO is a 48-foot, 22-passenger charter boat that offers a comfortable ride in most all weather conditions due to its low decks. It features a dependable 465 horse, 343 Caterpillar engine; one of the finest motors Caterpillar has ever built. The PLAYBOY TOO is ALSO equipped with the finest state of the art electronics including Simrad, Furuno, Garmin, Nobeltec, and Icom. The boat comfortably sleeps 9 passengers plus crew for tuna trips and has the nicest head in Westport! We never have to worry about having plenty of live bait aboard because the boat is equipped with large bait tanks for anchovies. The boat of course meets or exceeds all of the Coast Guards safety standards.

Your Captain, Eric Samuelson is a 3rd generation Westport fisherman that started his career in 1978 with his dad on the Harbor Queen at the age of 11. He was licensed in 1985 and ran the Scooter for 4 years and then ran the Tally Ho for 7 years. In 1997 Eric and his wife Becky purchased the PLAYBOY TOO, which has been his love all these years. Eric has been one of the top captains in the harbor for many years specializing in rock fish, lingcod, halibut, and salmon but his favorite thing is bringing the boat into the harbor with a full load of Albacore Tuna….it doesn’t get any better than that!

High of 85!!! 85!!!

2008-05-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

Forecasters say we will have highs of 85 degrees for the next two days - hence the 6 exclamation points above and my barely controlled excitement. I am so overjoyed right now, anyone who sees me today may get a hug or a high five or football style butt pat - perhaps all three if you're lucky. Our level of cabin fever is off the charts, much worse than last winter. When I saw the weather forecast, I immediately booked a campsite on Orcas Island, part of the chain of islands called the San Juans off the coast of Washington. There are a number of boat-in only islands which would have been my first choice but, lacking a boat, we logically settled for Moran State Park. I use "settle" relatively though since Moran is considered to be an absolutely beautiful spot:

One of Washington's most beautiful and most popular state parks, Moran State Park rarely fails to impress. Situated on Orcas Island, the park is crowned by 2,409-foot Mount Constitution. It's the highest point in the San Juan Island chain, and the views from the summit are unbelievable. More than 30 miles of hiking trails lie within the park, exploring everything from forested lakes to the historic stone tower atop Mount Constitution. Whether you're visiting Orcas Island for a day or staying overnight at the campground, the trails of Moran State Park are well worth hiking.

Is it odd to be so excited to sleep under a sheet of plastic and eat beans coated in campfire ash for two days straight? I can't wait!! If you need us, you can find us here:

TRI Update...

2008-05-11T20:25:00.001-07:00

Kids, I'm on a roll with the posts tonight so here's a TRI update. Casey and I are still training, although I have not been diligent about posting updates in the right column. What with the new job and all, I just haven't remembered. I'm sure you're all losing sleep over it but you can rest assured, we're still putting along.

Anywho... Casey's ~~gout~~ overuse sprain has flared up again so he has mainly been swimming and laying off the running. I think I'm having sympathy pains or something because I seem to be training less but without the valid excuse. I think we'll still be ready for June/July but it will most likely require a responsible and sympathetic spectator who will scrape my limp, sore body off the finish line, pour beer directly into my mouth and carry me home after the race. Volunteers??

Tobias Tomatohead

2008-05-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

... or Toby Tomats for short - is our newest family member. He is a dwarf red robin tomato plant that, according to Harold from Sequim, will grow in my dining room and produce a crop of tomatoes every 3 months. We met Harold and his table of tomatoes at today's Ballard Market. I didn't tell him that I almost definitely inherited a black thumb and he sold me the plant with the guarantee that it will produce or my money back. Sucker!!! We are now accepting bets on how quickly I will kill this poor, doomed plant. The over/under is currently 16 days based on my barely-hanging-on pot of sad looking herbs.

In other market news, we bought a chicken from a local farmer (all organic and hormone-free and what-not) and the chickens were all in coolers where I couldn't see them so our transaction went something like this:

Kate: I'd like a chicken for roasting, please.

Mr. Farmer: Coming right up!

Kate: Is it, like, all prepared?

Mr. Farmer: No, ma'am, it is not cooked.

Kate: Umm, I mean, is it ready for cooking?

Mr. Farmer (a bit perplexed): Yes, you can cook it. Most people do.

Kate: No, what I mean is... (loud and clipped in embarassment) is it's head cut off?

Mr. Farmer then proceeded to open the cooler and fling the chicken out pretending that it was jumping at him while he and Casey laughed at me. Thankfully - feet, head and ther unsightly body parts were all cleaned out prior to my purchase.

Harold - if you are reading this, you are actually quite a nice man and not a sucker at all. I was just going for comic effect. Thanks for the plant!

You Know You're a Redneck If...

2008-05-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

... your neck is THIS red. Casey clearly forgot the sunscreen while golfing. Enjoy it while it lasts because as soon as he realizes I posted this and then figures out my password and then how to delete stuff... Forget it! This picture is here for good!!

Chelan 2.0

2008-05-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

We made our second excursion to Lake Chelan last weekend with four friends. The weather was beautiful, warm enough for golf, biking, sunbathing and tennis - all of which we did. The boys decided to play golf on Saturday while we girls hoped to find the Cinco de Mayo festival that was advertised in the local weekly as having a live mariachi band. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the fest but I took the girls to Blueberry Hills for lunch and the cafe just happened to have an 8 piece mariachi band on the porch! After lunch we tried two local wineries (if you can find Balsam Root winery unoaked Chardonnay - buy the whole case!!)

The apple trees had blossomed and all of the orchard owners had put out their bee boxes. I pulled my bike into an orchard and stood in between the trees before I picked up on the constant buzzing noise and realized that hundreds of bees were over my head in the buds and surrounding my feet in the dandelions. I only came out with just one sting.

Pictures below... our gorgeous host, Karen, who made sure to have the appropriate beverage for every hour of the day - morning, mimosas; afternoon, rosé; evening bottles and boxes and oodles of red wine. A beach view from the condo balcony - Lake Chelan is the third deepest lake in the world and it is over 50 miles long. The beach that you see below was about 15 feet from grass to shoreline last summer but during the winter the lake is drained and water is stored for irrigation. Apparently, it is then replenished in the spring with snow melt and, in a few weeks, all of the exposed docks will be submerged in water deep enough for boats and diving. And lots of blossoms and bees...

Cinco de Mayo!!

2008-05-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

I made a new friend at work, a very nice man who is taking Casey and I deep sea fishing in a few weeks and who also shared his last catch with us. We're told that it is currently halibut and ling cod season. The limit is 10 halibut per person and 2 ling cod which is about 11 3/4 more fish than a single person can consume in a week so my friend gave us several fillets of each. In honor of Cinco de Mayo (!!felizidades mis amores!) we used the cod to try out this recipe for Baja Fich Tacos from my secret internet boyfriends at The Paupered Chef. As delicious as it may be, I can't find anything appealing when I know first hand that it contains large wedges of lard - so I bought the low carb, whole wheat tortillas at the market and heated them in the microwave. The entire meal was outstanding and we didn't miss the lack of authentic tortillas at all. Next time, we'll spice the fillets and blacken them in a pan to avoid the batter and oil but if you're looking to splurge this recipe (it's all about the herb/habenero sauce) is outrageously awesome.

Bargain Hunter

2008-04-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

I will never go to the Fremont Market without Karen ever again. She is constantly talking about the great deals that she finds on furniture, designer clothes, food... you name it. Sadly, I've never been very thrifty which I find to be more a matter of patience and luck than fiscal planning and, lets face it, patience is not a virtue that I possess. But this morning with Karen, my good luck bargain fairy, by my side I walked into the market and the first thing I saw was an oversized coffee table which is exactly what Casey and I have been searching for...

PS. I'm purposely leaving the tag on for a few days because I do a little happy dance every time I look it.

Really Bored Crafty

2008-04-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning today which generally involves throwing away mass amounts of useless papers and small objects. I really don't know where these things come from and it needs to stop. But this morning, I went to throw away a piece of felt that was used to wrap a bracelet from Mary and I remembered this picture from dooce:

I then remembered this book that I flipped through at the Seattle Aquarium last weekend, 'Don't Throw It Out: Recycle, Renew and Reuse to Make Things Last '. And then I remembered my orange embroidery thread from my short-lived doll-making hobby this past winter (ahhh, riiiight, perhaps the crap is from all my half-finished projects and hobbies). So we come to me sitting around this morning waiting for a friend and 15 minutes of amateur sewing later (can that even be called sewing) - voila!

Gram - don't look, you'll just be disappointed. I obviously don't have your skill. I can't tell if just mine is heinously ugly or if they are both ugly and dooce is just a masterful framer with her photos. It also probably helps that she is not super lazy and uses a real camera, unlike me. I now understand those ladies (I'm talking about you, NHS home-ec. teacher from 1995) who wear crazy-looking home-made outfits. I always thought that they were oblivious to the ugly but now I know how they must feel. Oh, they know the outfits look awful but they finish that last stitch, hold it up and say "Yes, it's ugly but I made it and it's my ugly." So I'm going to use my ugly iPhone cozie because it's not just any old ugly, it's my ugly.

Update: GOUT-FREE!

2008-04-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

The doctor confirmed a few days ago that Casey is not suffering from gout. We weren't completely off base though since the doc also suggested gout when Casey first described his symptoms. However, if it had truly been gout Casey would have had much more severe pain and so he was ultimately diagnosed with an over-use sprain. He'll be back on the bike when he returns from Philly. He leaves Friday for a woman-free weekend of smoked meats and bachelor party preparation.

Katherine made it back to Boston alive and well, taking with her a bag of wet clothes and a new found taste for salmon. I included a few photos below, our collective favorite being the aquarium cut-out. Make sure to zoom in on Casey's face.

Week in Review

2008-04-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

Is it sad when you can cover your whole week in 10 lines? Maybe I'll pretend to be more interesting and make up some stuff...

- The big news this week is that Katherine's is here and it is currently 42 degrees with slush periodically falling from the sky. She's loving it!

- We think Casey has gout. More on this after the doctor visit. And no, this is not made up to sound more interesting. This is odd but true. And Mom, I told him you laughed and now I've told everyone. But to be fair 5 out of 5 people told have also laughed.

- I started a new job this week and it has been great so far. Not going to write too much here because I'd like to avoid being dooced. I will say that I was given a blackberry with a hip holster and I'm not ashamed to admit that I have used the hip case. Its not so bad when everyone else is doing it too. While I'm mostly pretending to understand the IT jargon flying around, at least I can look the part. Two pictures below are the view from my cube which beats the hell out of my old windowless box of an office. The other picture is from the car window in the international district at 9:30am. Two minutes before this picture, that corner with the 24 hour bar was filled with about 12 fighting drunk guys. I didn't get that shot because it was a bit scary. Not smart to climb out of a bright red BMW and take a picture with your iPhone. I thought anger could be redirected at an obnoxious preppy with fancy phone pretty easily. I'd like to scoff and say I can't imagine drinking at 9:30am but I have one word for you- 'tailgate'.

What a Difference a Day Makes...

2008-04-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

...Well, actually 14 days from my desperate snow post a few clicks down. I just popped in to make every jealous since I noticed that it's 55 and cloudy in Rhody. Casey's out playing 18 and I just finished a few glorious sun filled laps around the lake. I don't want to be in doors for too long; who knows how long this is going to last. Time to get back out there and replenish my vitamin D!!

How I Love Thee...

2008-04-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

Paseo, if you were a rock star I would stand outside your doors and wave my lighter and sleep on the sidewalk to see your sandwich show of deliciousness. How good must you be if your only sign is "Open" and people line up 20 deep (no joke, I counted) to eat your sandwiches? There's no sign advertising their name or their business, just the smell of caramelizing onions from three blocks away. I didn't even know the name of the place until after I had ordered and saw it printed at the top of the menu board. If you visit us and don't demand to be taken there, you might as well consider your trip wasted. I apologize to all those who have visited before we tried Paseo, we owe you. This being my last day of work before the new job, I decided to treat myself with a grilled chicken sandwich. So delicious. I will now go out and run for 3 and a half hours and consume only water for 3 days.

April Training Schedule

2008-04-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Are you there God? It's me, Kate

2008-03-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is opening day and I am very ready for spring. Please stop this nonsense.

Weekend Projects: Dining Style

2008-03-30T12:15:00.001-07:00

As mentioned earlier, after searching since June we finally bought a wine rack. Nothing big or ornate, just a handy little corner piece that holds about 35 bottles. I also planted a new window sill herb pot to replace the great one I had two summers ago. The basil and chives are thriving but I think I need to give up on the oregano. We also have some mint seeds that need planting because mint has many culinary uses like mojitos and chocolate mint martinis and mint juleps.

The Pimp Has Arrived...

2008-03-25T23:40:00.000-07:00

... is the e-mail that Casey sent me when Matt came into town. But then they promptly took a nap on the living room couches and then played Clue at the pub. That's one sorry pimp.

Seriously, it has been a lot of fun to have Matt in town. As with all of our visitors, we have been stuffing him with food and making him walk in the rain. Matt is also quite the foody so he didn't object. We visited Uber, a tiny pub up the street, for some Clue and Delerium Tremens beer. You have got to love any bar with a stack of board games in the corner. Of course we also visited Pike Place Market, Matt's in the Market for lunch, the Underground Tour, Sushiland, Ballard, Than Brothers, Seattle Center, the Seattle Art Museum and tonight is Matt's last hoorah at The Brooklyn happy hour and dinner at the Flying Fish.

Last night, Matt raided my spice rack and actually created something using the tube of mace that I thought would never be opened. Something delicious, no less. We had lamb chops (from the market) rubbed with a nine-spice blend served with a cucumber and mint relish and sauteed red chard. And then we sat around the table and rubbed our bellies. I won't say how the boys spent the rest of the evening because this is a family website but I will say that Keith's wedding is approaching and he better watch out...

Tuesday Night Dinner (we are disgusting and will now fast for three days but it was soooo good):

- Prickly Pear Margaritas, Blood Orange Kamakazi Martinis, Jack & Gingers and Vodka Tonics with Buffalo Popcorn Shrimp, Poutine (french fries with Beecher's cheese curds and duck demi-glace), a dozen Judd Cove oysters and our favorite Brooklyn mussels
- Zind Humbrecht Pinot d'Alsace, wild salmon with fennel and sunchoke puree, halibut cheeks with blood orange slices and herb sauce, tuna poke with sesame seaweed salad and a spicy tobiko sauce and the grand finale - two pounds of salt and pepper dungeness crab lags with carrot-daikon salad and sesame noodles

End of Season

2008-03-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

Today we made what will probably be our last trip to Crystal Mountain this season. We had some great days up there and definitely improved our snowboarding. For those who haven't been there (everyone except Keith) you can take three separate lifts to get to the top and then you would also have the option of an additional hike to get to the true summit. We have contented ourselves this season with the easy runs from 2/3 up the mountain, never taking that last leg to the top. About two months back we decided to try the easiest blue at the top and I had a full-blown panic attack about halfway down. If I'm really honest with myself, the crippling anxiety actually started on the chairlift (I was doomed) and then happened to reach its climax in the middle of the steepest section. It also didn't help that the trail started with an 8 foot wide traverse with little room for beginner error due to the sheer cliff on the right. And that was the easiest part... But after spending the last few weeks on other blues, we thought it was time to make a second trip to the top. Thankfully, we were able to end the season on a high today and made it down without incident. The view of Mt. Rainier from the top of Crystal is tremendous and the high winds cleared away the clouds to give us panoramic views of most of the Cascade Mountain range.

We didn't have a camera today so I swiped this shot from the internet. It was taken on a similarly clear day from the traverse that I mentioned above... From the same spot where the wind was blowing so hard today that it was pushing Casey towards the cliff edge when he stopped moving. Don't worry, Mom!!

It May Not Last...

2008-03-22T16:52:00.001-07:00

... but for the 5 minutes that I am winning this thing, I want to make sure everyone knows it. :)

Terminal 91 Trail: Helmet, Bike Lock, Mace

2008-03-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

I tried bike commuting this morning for the first time. I even grabbed a handy little bike map from work and planned my trip in advance. After the road biking disaster last weekend, I decided to stick to trails and backroads as much as possible. There's a gorgeous waterfront trail that leads from Magnolia to downtown called the Terminal 91 trail, so I mapped my trip to include that route. I neglected the fact that the trail crosses through the rail and school bus depot and under a tangle of overpasses. That explains my checklist for my next trip in the subject line. On the plus side, the trip was almost completely downhill from my house to work but you know what that means... good thing buses have bike racks for the ride home!

Something About Nothing

2008-03-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

I felt obligated to write since the last post was over a week ago. But to be honest, we are two very boring people at the moment. Spring cleaning is in full effect... We bought a new vacuum cleaner and spent an evening marvelling at the dust and dirt that our old one left behind, even lifting couches and chairs to chase down every last speck. The dining room has been outfitted with some new placemats and a wine rack. I think that placemats are a clear indication of adulthood, these being my first ever, I'm feeling quite mature. Prior to the wine rack purchase, the wine was stacked up on the floor of Casey's closet where it is cool and dark while his shoes were left in the dining room. We're enjoying having wine in the dining room for the aesthetic effect but Casey has strict instructions that the wine is not for drinking, at least not right now. He insists that wine is for drinking which technically is true... but... just don't touch my wine! Really, how could he argue with my logic there?

TRI training is progressing slowly but surely. We made a Sunday trip to Gregg's, the local bike shop, $250 dollars later and I was successfully transformed into the geek on the left. I even have fingerless gloves. My bum seems to have enough natural padding as is but apparently insanely priced padded bike shorts are necessary for the serious cycler which I am trying desperately to convince people that I am. Watch out, Lance!

Methow Valley

2008-03-11T21:08:00.001-07:00

Skiing Early Winters - Base Camp

2008-03-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

Turns out our little ski morning was 6.5 miles combining River Run Trail and Jack's Trail in an area called "Early Winters" north of Mazama, WA.

March Training Schedule and Weekend Update

2008-03-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

I had to take down the last posting because I got some spam comments that may have been a link to a virus/inappropriate site. People have too much time on their hands.

Anyhoo, Casey and I have completed three weeks of training and have skipped 4 days already. Oops! In our defense, we skipped 10 minutes of walking/5 minutes of jogging and replaced with 3 hours of snowshoeing and replaced 20 minutes of biking with 3 hours of cross-country skiing. I'm not feeling too worried about it. I'm just hoping Casey doesn't sink to the bottom of the pool after 5 days of eating deep-fried, beer battered, gravy smothered lard cakes while he was in the South.

We spent the weekend in Winthrop, a western themed town in the North Cascades about 60 miles north of Chelan where we spent my birthday last summer. Winthrop is located in the Methow Valley which is a major destination for nordic skiing. It is located on highway 20 about 15 miles east of where the mountain pass shutsdown, historically it has been closed November through April due to heavy snowfall and frequent avalanches. We did drive to the end of the highway on Saturday but stayed clear of any trails with avalanche danger. I'll post pictures tonight and Casey will be writing about this trip when he gets back tomorrow.

Myrtle Beach Sunrise

2008-03-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

I would be more jealous except the sun has been out for 2.5 weeks straight! I shouldn't write that here because I don't want the secret to get out. People - Seattle is a muddy, rainy, miserable mess - don't move here. Maybe if we can keep this rainy reputation going and drive people away, Casey and I can afford a house one day.

Welcome to the South

2008-03-04T14:37:00.000-08:00

Casey is on a business trip in the southern half of the states and sent the following to let us know that he has arrived safe and sound. I can think of no better and no more indisputable 'proof of life' from the South than that.

I missed him yesterday so, on Lindsey's advice and with the hope that shared experience might bring us together, I watched My Big Redneck Wedding. Unfortunately, that's 30 minutes of my life gone forever.

Red Sox Nation

2008-03-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

Mariners tickets went on sale this morning and by 10:30 we had our Opening Day tickets as well as 4 out of 6 of the Sox games. Two games will be in the bleachers and two will be in good seats. Can't wait!!

Sushiland...

2008-02-27T09:57:00.000-08:00

As we're finishing dinner...

Kate: Thanks for dinner, babe.

Casey: No problem, Ka--... WAIT a minute!

Kate: Gotcha! You're buying!

Casey's meal: Nigiri sake (raw salmon, 2 pieces!), seared salmon, pork gyoza, eel and avocado roll (4 pieces!!), california roll, spider roll (1 piece - not a fan)

Raw salmon AND eel this time around! Satan's wearing his parka today.

Terracotta Pizza Night

2008-02-25T07:21:00.000-08:00

You would be surprised how difficult it is to find a pizza stone on a Sunday afternoon. Thankfully we had read an article about how unglazed quarry tiles or the unglazed terracotta saucer under planters will work equally well, if not better. $4 at the hardware store got us a 14 inch planter bottom, plus $7 for a 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, pepperoni and cheese and we had ourselves a pizza party. I really wish I had taken a picture of my first attempt. It was half hanging off the pizza "stone" dripping cheese all over the oven. But if it tastes like pizza and sorta looks like pizza, it's pizza!! We had 6 friends over so we worked in teams of two in order to fit in the small kitchen. The next three pies were all different and much better than the first thanks to a large piece of floured cardboard as a makeshift pizza peel. Looking forward to more pizza nights!!

Check out all of the pizza posts by the Paupered Chef for ideas. We didn't have a separate broiler/oven so we had to settle for baking at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes. The crust came out a bit crunchy but still good for a first attempt. The sauce was great! Saute two garlic cloves in a bit of olive oil until fragrant, add a can of whole peeled tomatoes breaking them up with your fingers, toss in a bunch of whole basil leaves, dash of salt, dash of pepper, maybe a quarter to a half teaspoon of sugar and simmer at least 30 minutes.

Best appetizer ever courtesy of Nicole- Layer of cream cheese topped with caramel and walnuts then scoop with green apple slices.

Sink or Swim: Probably Sink

2008-02-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

Casey is so good about going to the gym, me - not so good. For some reason it just doesn't motivate me, I don't feel a sense of accomplishment when I leave. There's also a battle of goals that come into play. For example, goal 1: Go to gym, lose 20 pounds, goal 2: eat whole pizza. Eat whole pizza will always trump go to gym. It's like rock, paper, scissors... it's unavoidable. But over the last week I seem to have found something that is keeping me motivated. What this post is really about is that Casey and I have decided to train for a beginner triathlon called a 'sprint'. Our official 11 week training program starts on March 25th but we're getting a 4 week jump on the program. I wasn't going to post anything about the event but I figured the threat of public defeat would be another great motivator. Above is our February training schedule for those who would like to follow along. I'll post the March calendar next week.

We were originally going to do the Moses Lake event on my birthday but we were informed last night that Moses Lake is man-made from farm run-off. Please feel free to review research here about why that concerns me. I'm sure it's prefectly safe but I'm really not interested in being the test case for whether atrazine induced hermaphroditism occurs in humans as well as frogs. As a result, we're skipping ahead to the June 28th Padden Triathlon in Bellingham. We've got a few friends roped in to do this with us so there's no turning back!!

Countdown to race day begins now: T minus 17 weeks and 5 days until June 28th

Casey 2.0

2008-02-20T21:54:00.000-08:00

Casey upgraded today from his prehistoric cell phone (I think you had to wind it or wait for a lightning storm or something) to a shiny new Blackberry with GPS, bluetooth, e-mail, a camera, music player and all the other bells and whistles one could hope for. Along with this phone came a brand new Seattle phone number. Don't be scared, Mom! This does not mean we're settling here forever and ever, although we do love it, it just means that he can now expense his cell phone bill.

He'll be keeping the old number for a few weeks to transition but give us a call or text to get the new number.

Also, stay tuned for battles over who has the better phone. We all know the answer to that one... I'll give you a hint... starts with an 'i' and ends with 'phone'.

Thank You, Gregg & Sandy!!

2008-02-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd take a minute to thank Gregg & Sandy for our Christmas gifts now that both have arrived. They gave us many options with a "choose your gift" program. After countless delicious pulled pork sandwiches at Erik's house I decided to go with the slow cooker. So far we've made a double batch of chicken soup, half of which was strained and made into chicken pot pie filling. Next up - pulled pork that will put Eriks to shame with Christine's secret (though I guess not so secret anymore) ingredient of apple pie filling. Casey decided to go with the digital camera so, pretty soon, you'll be enjoying original photography from Casey Miller in addition to my artsy iPhone shots.

Thank you again!!!

"You got a hose?"

2008-02-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

Forecasters predicted a 57 degree day yesterday so Erik and Nicole had us over for some steaks on the grill and "washers" - Erik's no-muddy-pit-required variation of horseshoes. Casey brought his charcoal grill and helped Erik drill together the boxes for washers. Very early in the day Casey said "I told you the wheel on the grill is loose, right?" to which Erik responded "Yeah, we should be alright."

By 5pm the steaks were on the table with some mac and cheese and grilled vegetables. Casey and Nicole were just bringing in the last of the food when there was a crash from the porch. Casually, Casey looked up from the burning coals now spread across the wood deck and, as quiet and understated as he always is, simply says, "You got a hose?"

A Big Bouquet of Carbon Emissions

2008-02-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

I'm not trying to be the Grinch that stole Valentine's Day, everyone should definitely tell their loved ones that they are loved, BUT I thought this article (also discussed here) was interesting since it relates to our fumbling, new dialogue about how far our food travels. I never really thought it was odd to eat spring mix salad in January and I also never gave much thought to getting roses when all of the flowers outside my door were dead and frozen but Melissa mentioned to me tonight that it's amazing what you start to notice when you see things in a new context. Now that I've read a bit on eating local, I seem to have a built-in mileage meter for all things. I know that I'm toeing the line of being that special and unique breed of insufferable, holier-than-thou, Northwest liberal but I defend myself in that I am sharing these suggestions out of interest in the topic and not judgment of any person. I thought that some of the suggestions in the article were helpful for replacing some, let's face it, irrelevant (for many of us) and possibly irresponsible traditions:

- Give a gift of local foods and cook a romantic meal together
- Give a local potted plant
- Give a rose bush to plant in the yard and plan to snip home-grown roses for future holidays
- If you must buy chocolate and roses, buy VeriFlora flowers and certified Fair Trade chocolate

Personally, we'll be drinking local beer at a local pub with local friends. How's that for romantic?!

Casey's Denver Birthday

2008-02-13T13:19:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure if Casey will ever get around to posting about his Denver trip but Keith put up some camera phone pictures and a few comments about the trip here. Just skip over the picture of Keith and his black eye and apparently his not-sprained-but-actually-broken wrist and you should see some Denver pictures of Keith and Case.

More snow action this weekend!

Soaking Wet But Loving It!

2008-02-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

It poured rain for our entire snowshoe trip on Sunday and Katie snapped this picture as we started our final mile. Thankfully, we packed on enough clothes so that layers 1 and 2 stayed nice and toasty while layers 3 and 4 were soaked through. As of Friday, the Cascades had received over a foot of snow everyday since January 28th and there had been over 10 feet in 13 days. The precipitation continued Sunday but fell as rain in the lower altitudes due to the warmer weather. Recent reports have warned that this wet, heavy snow on top of lighter layers will cause major instability. If this continues and the snowpack is loaded with more dense snow then there will be an increased risk of avalanche even as late as May. This article was written mainly about Mt. Pilchuk where Casey and I hiked last summer. This place is crazy!

New!! Marcie Revens Wedding Blog

2008-02-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

Marcie's wedding blog is up and running. She includes information about wedding shows and events, pictures of her recent weddings and other fun info on jewelry, venues, etc. My favorite feature is the slideshow at the bottom of her posting about each couple. Also, how cute is the couple in the picture? Check her out at http://marcierevensweddings.blogspot.com/.

By the way, the photos included in this posting are copyrighted by Marcie Revens and may not be used without permission unless you are her best friend since forever and you are saying nice things about her on your website. I'm sure if you research copyright law that you will find that exact wording. Trust me.

Franklin Falls and Other Fun

2008-02-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

We had a super weekend and we hope that some of you will visit soon to try some of the new things we've been enjoying around Seattle! We'll have so much more to show you this year than just Pike Place and the needle. We have been house-sitting for Matt and Travis so we've been out and about in West Seattle quite a bit. Thursday night we went to the weekly wine tasting at West Seattle Cellars and tried wines from Cedargreen Cellars. Friday night we hit up GameWorks with Eric, Nicole and a few others for darts and race car games. Saturday, Nicole and I had our first "girls" day out since we both moved here and we were both in desperate need of some girl time. We had invite only passes to the winter release tasting event at DeLille Cellars. If you can find it in RI, we loved the Doyenne (their name for their Provence-style wines) Grand Ciel Syrah and the 2005 Doyenne Syrah. I was also a big fan of the DeLille (their name for their Bordeaux-style wines) Chaleur Estate Blanc which had been well-oaked and had a toasty flavor that Nicole didn't care for. She would recommend the Doyenne Roussanne which was more crisp and clean tasting. Also, I haven't tried the D2 and it was sold out on Saturday, but everyone raves about it. We spent the afternoon at the mall and then ended the day with some pizzas and a movie.

Sunday morning, Nick and Katie picked us up and we drove to Denny Creek up near Snoqualmie Pass at around 2500 ft elevation. We were the only people up there and had the whole trail to ourselves. Just to reach the trail head, we walked about 1 mile in on top of an unplowed road that was covered in 4-5 feet of snow. Even with the snowshoes several steps landed us waist deep in the snow. We then walked the Franklin Falls trail for a quick and flat 2 mile round trip. Since this was my first snowshoe trip, that was just perfect. We hoped to climb down to see the frozen, 70-foot falls but the recent record snow falls and the steep inclince were pretty treacherous and we decided to just turn back for the car. We were soaking wet from the rain and in need of some comfort food so Casey and I whipped up a double batch of Bolognese Pie and we polished it off with some Genesis Merlot, a 2002 Syncline Syrah Reserve and a bottle of my recently purchased Doyenne Syrah.

Congrats Lindsey!!

2008-02-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

From my Inbox...

2008-02-01T12:50:00.000-08:00

Casey and I are getting really lazy about updating this site but all we've really got going on right now is that it's cold and raining. Do we all really need to hear about that again? Well, there's that and it's time for taxes. Woo hoo! Can you even stand how exciting we are? I did do my taxes last night while drinking a dirty martini and then I looked at the calendar to make sure it was still 2008 and that I wasn't 47 years old. What is happening to me?

So, until we get pictures from Lindsey of what was a most fabulous weekend back in Rhody and until Casey gets a day off to write about his Denver trip, here's a little Friday filler to satisfy your Kate & Casey cravings...

ps. Yes, I did title this e-mail "Reply by 3pm Monday" and, yes, I am a bossy jerk.

From: Craig
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 12:42 PM
To: Kate
Subject: RE: Reply by 3pm Monday

No, Kate. Thank you!

So, looks like ACO is square. Let me know if you need any thing else. And have a great weekend. Any big plans?

From: Kate
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 12:49 PM
To: Craig
Subject: RE: Reply by 3pm Monday

You are a square.

THIS weekend? Must you even ask? There’s a little thing called the SUPER BOWL and a little team, you may not have heard of them, called the PATRIOTS. They won a few games this year, not sure if you heard. But I’ll be parked on a couch with a 30-pack and a bowl of buffalo wings for the majority of the weekend.

You?

Cabin Fever

2008-01-23T13:52:00.001-08:00

January has been a pretty slow month for activities. It's been cold and wet and rainy and icey and cold and that pretty much sums it up. January to date has included two weekends of snowboarding, work, iTunes and the Wii. Casey has gotten really into the sports games on the new system so I think we'll be splurging on Tiger Woods golf soon. Yet another incentive to visit us! Who will be first in 2008?

I'll be in Narragansett & Boston this weekend and Casey will be snowboarding in Colorado with Keith so we should have some more interesting pictures and updates next week. For anyone who may not have known, Casey's birthday was this past Saturday, the 19th, and the trip to Denver is his gift. We had a 1994-esque birthday party at the local pizza parlor, complete with large pepperoni pies and chocolate cake. When we all sat down a friend of ours said, "I think the last time I went to a pizza party birthday was junior high. Why do people stop doing this? It's awesome." And it was. By the end of the night we had planned to rent an RV for the 2010 Olympics, a long weekend in Hawaii (for next week, of course), a cruise to Alaska and summer trips to Victoria, Cannon Beach, Deception Pass and Chelan. We'll be accepting donations to our frivolous yet fabulous vacation fund soon!

The Smartest Sisters Around

2008-01-17T14:15:00.000-08:00

Lindsey is graduating next week from Bridgewater State College with a dual degree in Early Childhood Education and Psychology. She will officially be a certified teacher in the state of Massachusetts which has some of the strictest testing requirements for new teachers and is also the coolest person ever for deciding to have her party at the Willows.

Katherine was recently accepted into the Bryn Mawr postbaccalaureate pre-medical program which is a one year intensive prep program for medical school and pretty much guarentees entrance into the top medical programs. (No pressure, Katherine!)

And, only a sophomore, Melissa has accepted a position as a Chemistry Teaching Assistant at the College of Charleston while she continues classes full-time in the Life Sciences, Women's Studies and Being Awesome.

It's a good thing they have such wonderful older siblings as role models or who knows where they would be. **wink**

I have become...

2008-01-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

... a crazy bird lady.

I made bread, wait - scratch that, attempted to make bread last weekend. And just so the two people that read this (hi, Aunt Kathy!) know, inactive yeast is not the correct yeast to use when making honey wheat bread but I'm pretty sure everyone already knew that except me. The instructions read "let rise to double" and the internet said that should take 45 minutes. So I kept checking and it didn't appear to be rising but after 90 minutes I thought, well, maybe it did rise and I'm just not that observant. So I baked it off and ended up with a dense, doughy brick which I forced Casey to eat before I caved and acknowledged that this could not really be considered bread. That's when I checked all of my ingredients and realized that I had bought a life-time supply of inactive yeast because why buy 6 packets for $2 like a normal person when they sell it by the barrel for $5?

So what does this have to do with being a bird lady? Not wanting to be wasteful, I have started grabbing a handful of these... I guess they can't be called bread crumbs, they're more like hard, round bread bullets... so I grab a handful of these bread bullets in the morning for my walk to the bus stop and scatter them around outside for the birds. Generally I don't see anyone on my walk to the bus stop but, of course, there were plenty of walkers these last two mornings so now I must have neighbors talking about the crazy bird lady down the street. Casey's waiting to see flocks of heavy, bloated birds waddling down the street incapable of flight but I assured him that the internet said it was okay to feed them my bread bullets. Here birdy, birdy, birdy...

Continuing Christmas...

2008-01-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I cashed in my Christmas presents from Casey and we had an incredible weekend! Last night, Casey and I had a three hour French cooking class at Culinary Communion and then dinner and wine with our fellow classmates. The menu started with beef tartate, oysters with a mignonette sauce and delicious pate served on sliced baguettes. At 9pm, we sat down and enjoyed the food that we had made - potato gratin, bacon wrapped white fish in a tomato-mushroom-sour cream-basil sauce (our dish!!), stuffed pork loin, salad nicoise and braised leaks. For dessert, we soaked prunes in brandy to make a fruit tart and drank the brandy, of course!!

Today, we woke up early and drove to Crystal Mountain. They have had 7 new feet of snow in the last 10 days and I have never been boarding in better conditions. It was a bit of a mob scene to start and I was more than a bit cranky after walking a mile from the parking lot but we took a deep breath and were completely relaxed after only 2 minutes on the mountain.