Signs, Signs
I love signs. The very first sign I remember photographing was in Kenya, where it said “Elephants have the right of way.” This is a couple signs we came upon while walking along the waterfront, and it occurred to me that in this very law-abiding community, there were all kinds of signs telling you what you can’t do . . . LOTS of them!
And because we ate at the Rock Tavern, I keep hearing this song going through my head and thinking my sign says “Thank you very much, Lord!”
Rockin’ Pizza
It was cold, so cold it was even . . . SNOWING! We were in the mood for pizza, and we had seen a tavern along the road that claimed a wood burning oven, which is our favorite kind of pizza. We ventured out in the cold and snow, made it to the tavern, and it turned out to have a rock theme.
It was a very fun place, with a fake old brick interior, booths, a stage – I guess for competing rock bands, but there weren’t any live bands that night – GREAT smells, and great looking pizzas coming out from the kitchen. It was called the Rock Tavern, and they played classic rock songs, some really old ones like from the ’50’s, too.
This is what it looked like inside:
Here is what I had; it was called Evil Ways, and had artichoke hearts, spinach, sundried tomatoes and a basil pesto cream sauce – oh YUMMMMM:
Adventure Man had Ripp’s Revenge, which had kalamata olives, marinated mushrooms and sundried tomatoes – also YUMMMMMMM:
By the time we left, it had stopped snowing and none had stuck.
Seattle Shopping Nirvana
Seattle is a shopper’s paradise. You can find almost anything. One of the pinnacles of Seattle shopping has always been Nordstrom’s.
Busloads of Canadians are coming in for shopping sprees, and this is where they start. The stronger Canadian dollar has made shopping in the US a gleeful experience.
Cold Weather Gear
I can’t be the only one to have this problem. It doesn’t even matter that I have lived in the Pacific Northwest; no matter what I pack, when I am in Kuwait, I can’t imagine being cold enough to need things like hats that cover your ears, gloves, and heavy scarves.
Last winter, I did buy some heavy shawls in December, in Kuwait, and I am wearing them over my jackets when we walk along the waterfront. The wind coming in off the bay is chill and damp, and goes right through everything we are wearing. I am so thankful to have beautiful wool shawls to keep me warm, but we still had to make a run to the store to buy more hats and gloves:
As we went out for our walk this morning, Adventure Man reminded me to take the tag off the top of my hat. Doh!
(I also have the same trouble going back to Kuwait at the end of a Seattle summer; like “what? I won’t need a sweater? Not for months?”)
Lutefisk Dinner
Do you listen to Prairie Home Companion? Have you ever heard Garrison Kieler talk about Norwegians and lutefisk?
Wikipedia gives the following definition, and if you want to see a photo or know how to prepare it, you can check on the blue Wikipedia above:
Lutefisk (lutfisk) (pronounced [lʉːtəfɪsk] in Norway, [lʉːtfɪsk] in Sweden and the Swedish-speaking areas in Finland) is a traditional dish of the Nordic countries made from stockfish (air-dried whitefish) and soda lye (lut). In Sweden, it is called lutfisk, while in Finland it is known as lipeäkala. Its name literally means “lye fish”, owing to the fact that it is made with caustic soda or potash lye.
As I was googling lutefisk, I actually found a place you can order it at Walleyedirect.com and it will look like this:
You probably won’t want to. Lutefisk is what poor immigrant Norwegians used to eat through the long winters. It is cod that has been soaked in lye and then dried to preserve it. It is also incredibly smelly. If you are at all sensitive to smell, you will probably not even be able to be in the same room with lutefisk.
Why am I telling you all this? Some people find lutefisk a rare delicacy; it brings back nostalgic memories of the good old days. Only in communities with pockets of heavy Scandinavian decent will you find signs on bulletin boards like this:
The Fish
You know how I love public art. These fish are amazing with the early morning light on them:
A close up – one has gone entirely iridescent!
The Pier
Walking out onto the great fishing pier, early in the morning, you see all kinds of things. It is brrrrrr, cold, and before we take another early morning walk, we will have to buy hats to cover our ears, and gloves, and maybe a scarf. The morning is brisk, there is only a light wind, but it is still cold, beyond refreshing, it is brrrr cold!
Seal pups are so vulnerable, and so cute, people have to be reminded to leave them alone:
This pier offers free fishing opportunities to hundreds of people – even on a chill morning, there are die-hard fishermen and women:
And as a courtesy, the city provides cleaning stations where your catch can be gutted and cleaned:
Do You Know These Men?
Adventure Man and I took an early morning walk along the waterfront – a week gone from Kuwait and we are still jet lagging, awake at 5 a.m. and it is a great time for a walk. As the sun comes up in the east, the moon is setting in the west, out over Puget Sound. At the pier, we see this poster:
This was an issue when I was here last summer, for Mom’s birthday. Security has tightened on the ferry runs.
Adventure Man Goes to Ivar’s
“You hungry?” I asked Adventure Man as he arrived.
He nodded his head.
“BBQ? Italian? Ethiopian? What’s your preference?” I tossed out several alternatives.
“Any place I can get some good clam chowder?” he responded.
“Sure!” I said, delighted his wants were so easily satisfied. “How about Ivar’s?”
We had a great dinner. He ordered Clam Chowder and Scallops and Chips, and coleslaw, and cornbread, and I had a crab cocktail and smoked salmon chowder. YuMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Our booth:
Our dinner:
Beautiful Weird Thanksgiving
This was a beautiful, wierd Thanksgiving for me. It’s one of the very rare Thanksgivings that Adventure Man and I have not been together. He was down in Florida, at an all day eating, playing and visiting fest with our son, our son’s wife and her family. He shucked his first oysters, and was told he had better keep his day job.
I am in Seattle with my Mom, and we went to my best-friend-from-college’s house. It turned out to be one of the sweetest Thanksgivings I have had. As we sat down at the table, my friend said that in her house it is tradition to go around the table and to tell one thing you give thanks for. I found that incredibly moving. You have a glimpse into another person’s heart when you tell what you are thankful for.
And the food! Oh my! All my good resolutions, all my good intentions, down the drain – the food was SO good.
I took some photos to share with you:
The Veggies and the Salmon-Spinach Dip (oh WOW)
Making the world’s most tasty gravy, with fresh sage and thyme:
Carving one of the world’s most perfectly cooked turkeys:
The dining table – just before the carnage:
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