Seafood Fest - Cross it off of our list!

Cross the Ballard Seafood Fest off of our "to-do" list! We made our way over yesterday morning after conveniently dropping our car off at a nearby tire center to get the tire fixed. We were lame and didn't see the Smoked Salmon lunch booth so instead, I got a Blackened Shrimp lunch while Scott ate some Indian food. I gave him a hard time about it - why get chicken when you are a seafood fest? Anyway, then we walked around a bit more and checked out some of the shops in Ballard. It was a pleasant morning since it wasn't too crowded or too hot. Next year we'll make sure to try the smoked salmon!

PNA Summer Beer Taste

Last weekend May and I joined our friend Greg for the annual Phinney Neighborhood Association beer taste. It was a beautiful hot, summer evening, chock-full of beer enthusiasts with live music to boot.




Best food:

• Barking Dog bratwurst sandwiches
  

Best beer:

1. Alpine Brewing - Weizen-Bock
2. Boulevard Brewing - Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
3. Georgetown Brewing - Manny's Pale Ale
4. Issaquah Brewery - Menage-a-Frog (belgian style trippel)
5. Maritime Pacific Brewery - Triple Dry-Hopped Islander Pale Ale

To finish off the evening we had a burger-rifick BBQ in the backyard followed by a competitive game of Scrabble (thankfully May was on my team).

Congrats to Erica and Dave!

Two weeks ago we flew down to LA for our friend's Erica and Dave's wedding. The weather was typical LA - sunny, hot and dry. Scott didn't like it one bit and I admit I complained a little here and there, but it felt so nice to not worry about bringing a sweater in case the weather turns!

The wedding was held in Calamigos Ranch in the Malibu hills. Erica looked stunning in her custom made dress, and she and Dave looked happy as clams! They're moving to Atlanta after the get back from their honeymoon in Paris and while I'm excited they are starting their new life together, it's also sad to think that my friends are scattering all across the country. Oh well - this just gives me a reason to visit the South!

Baker's Dozen

It's official, 12 bike rides from home to work. My goal is 25 times to work by the end of the summer. According to my calculations, I've logged about 360 miles more than my brother-in-law who has been longing for a bike (12 x 15 miles x 2 ways). He has a lot of catching up to do.

4th of July

In honor of our nation's birth, we decided to have a traditional backyard BBQ for the 4th of July. Earlier in the day we took Meredith (first time Seattle visit) down to Pike's Place market and the waterfront. It was a scorching 82 degrees, so we had to lather-up the sun screen and arm each other with water bottles. The streets were packed with tourists, but it seemed like a 50-50 shot whether a store would be open. We walked the market booths and picked up some goodies for dinner. In addition to the fresh muscles May picked up on Whidbey Island, we also grabbed some fresh veggies, Hungarian sausage, Rainer cherries and a couple flowers for good measure.

Places that aren't open on July 4th: Cafe Ladro, Beserck Games, Dry cleaner and 1/2 the other stores in Seattle.

We were going to attend the Seattle International Beer festival, but we were all a little tired after trekking through Seattle and it was getting a bit late. So we decided to bring the party to the backyard and play an intense game of Stratego (I lost). The evening bar-b-que was fantastic; corn, hamburgers, muscle soup, salad stuff and plenty of cherries... now to slowly finish off all the left overs.

On Sunday we explored the Ballard locks, visited the Salmon ladder (with plenty of delicious looking Chinook's), outdoor summer concert and Ray's boathouse for lunch on the Puget Sound. It was the first time I experienced serious hot hummidity in Seattle, and it wore us down quick. After a quick recharge at Fremont's Theo Chocolates where we sampled some intensely good Basil and Jalapeno chocolate, we went back home for a quick soda and game of scrabble (lost again).

All in all a beautiful weekend in Seattle, but alas not enough time. Next year we plan to take everyone Kayaking and crabbing for some summer sea fun.

Long weekend

This year for the long weekend we were lucky enough to have May's family fly into town and stay with us. Technically May's parents had already been in town for a couple weeks, but they returned from their Alaska cruise and Whistler B.C. trip in time to join the rest of the family in Seattle. Thursday night folks arrived late so we didn't do much except for test-drive the new Adirondack chairs on the freshly minted patio. So far both are holding together.

On Friday, after a bit of a late start (May is working long hours on some super secret T-Mobile phone project), we finally set off on a road trip up north to Bellingham for lunch. Very picturesque town, but about 1.5 hours away. By the time we arrived we were starvin'. We decided to have fish & chips in an old double-decker British bus that happens to be perched in the middle of town. BIG mistake. Fried fish sampler was tasty, it just took an hour for it to be served. Apparently half of the state had the same idea to go there for lunch.

We took the scenic drive along the famous Chuckanut Drive down to Deception Pass bridge (links the mainland to Whidbey Island at the top), slowly meandering through the curvie-swervie roads. Chuckanut drive was built back in 1896, the first road connecting Bellingham to Whatcom county... apparently they didn't think cars would swell to the size of Chevy Suburbans when they designed the road. The weather was gorgeous so I didn't mind the drive - except when a rock hit our window and left a big crack. Oh well. The beemer is a magnet for dings. With little time left before our dinner reservation at Monsoon (fancy vietnamese food in Seattle in honor of May's parents anniversary), we raced through Whidbey Island which a quick stop in Coupeville for an ice cream and walk along the water. Next stop, ferry back to Edmond's.



[ On a side note, my grandmother living in Pasadena just turned 90 this year. Congratulations!! ]