Field Trip: Gato Verde Sunset Cruise

 Some time ago our book group had the chance to have our meeting aboard the Gato Verde, and as you can imagine little talking about the book took place. Ever since then Steve and I have been talking about booking a sunset cruise and finally made that happen recently. 

The sunset cruise is a 1.5 hour cruise aboard the first plug in diesel electric hybrid charter boat on the West Coast. Thankfully, we had plenty of wind on our night out to see Todd, our captain work his magic with the sails, and soon we were under way out into the bay. We were paired with four other wonderful people and with plenty of room on the boat you could choose to be social or not. 

Steve and I spent a lot of time either in the seat he was pictured in earlier, in the nets, or a combo of both. There is something so peaceful about sitting in the nets, suspended over the water, with the occasional spray hitting you. Being on the water makes you feel incredibly removed from everything, though it's just a bit of time out of your day in the middle of the week. 

 The Gato, being a 42 foot long catamaran makes for a smooth ride with just a bit of fun when you hit the waves. Steve caught a bit of spray when he was sitting in the front, though  Todd seemed to be able to predict when we would hit and give us fair warning. 

And as far as the sunset part? It was timed out perfectly to see it! Steve and I moved to the back of the boat to chat with Todd and see the beginning of it. But he was sure to maneuver the boat in such a way that we had a perfect view of it from the front as he brought the boat in. 

The sunset is the perfect ending to a relaxing trip. We are now thinking we may need to make it a summer tradition. The cost is reasonable enough that we would even consider bringing our girls. They offer many different types of trips if you are looking for something more. And if not I highly suggest booking your sunset cruise here. 

Field Trip: Zootunes with Psychedelic Furs & X

Recently I had the good fortune to receive tickets from my friends Diane & Perry to see the Psychedelic Furs & X at the Zootunes concert series at the Woodland Park Zoo. I hadn't been to a concert there since my 20's and was excited to experience it again with friends from college and our daughter Kate (who was given a ticket from Pam! We are so lucky with generous friends!) We brought Sue, my roommate from college down with us so we were ready to reminisce. 

A bonus for us is the doors open around 4:30 and the show starts around 6, with everything being over by 8:30. This was a Sunday show which made it completely doable for us in Bellingham to get to and home in time to get ready for the week. There are a few more shows before the summer is out including Pink Martini which would be a perfect way to end the season. 

You can bring in your own chairs, blankets, and picnics. It's a relaxed atmosphere which for my friends meant two of them watched the Furs show from right by the stage! The rest of us enjoyed dancing in our seats mixed with standing and dancing. 

And really, when they sang 'Love my Way' there was no choice but to stand! It is so crazy to me how music can really transport you to a place in time and the Furs take me back to my time in college and directly after in a way few bands do. They make up a large part of my soundtrack to that time.  Not to diminish X, who made me so happy when they sang 'Breathless!' 

All this music and time with friends from college made me a bit nostalgic. With Sam leaving for college, and Kate hitting her twenties, it also made me realize I have a wish for them. A wish that they will find a group of people that will push them and help them find out new things about themselves that they wouldn't find out otherwise.

 Diane pictured in the photo above with me exposed me to new music, art and ways to thrift that made my life so much richer. She was also the first to really show me what it looked like to live with a real vision of what you were about and I loved it. She was curated from her room, to her wardrobe and it's incredible. 

Pam has been always completely and honestly herself. She has given me nothing but true, heartfelt friendship and I will never feel completely worthy of it. In college we had some hard, deep conversation and we continue to do so. I will never feel judged by Pam and hope she feels the same.

Can you tell by the photo above that Sue has been nothing but trouble from the get go? She was the one behind most of the jokes, pranks, and the funnest times I have ever had in my life.  With those sweet good looks she rarely got in trouble for it! Sue is still one of my closest friends and continues to be know as trouble! 

I hope for our girls that they can find and grow friend groups that challenge them and make them consider new ideas. I know that Sam has a strong group of friends here and I hope they are able to stretch with her as she heads off to college. And that she develops new ones. I will be curious to see what her soundtrack is while she is making those friends. 

Field Trip: Moorea Seal, El Borracho, SoDo Murals, Oh My!

When Kate found out Moorea Seal was gearing up for a Five year Anniversary Party she requested the two of us take a day and spend it in Seattle together. It had been some time since we had hung out just the two of us so it was long overdue. We grabbed some hot drinks, some CD's and hit the road. Though traffic was a brute (the Bite of Seattle among other things was going on) it was worth it once we dumped the car and hit all the spots on our wish list! 

The main reason we went of course was to shop at Moorea Seal's party and wish her well! I met Moorea some years back at an Urban Craft Uprising where she was doing a book signing...I believe for her first book. She has never failed to be kind, warm and a whole lot of fun! Kate had never met her and spent an evening shopping, drinking and winning a prize after being warmly greeted. It was worth braving the crowd to see Moorea so happy and celebrating! 

After running around downtown we needed some sustenance and boy did we find it at El Borracho in Pike Place Market. Kate is eating vegan and can you believe that plate of nachos is vegan? It was mind blowing and according to her delicious! Meanwhile I was perfectly happy with my caesar salad and guacamole. And sitting outside on a summer night really can't be beat. 

On the way out of town we were able to find something we were both really excited to see. It's called SODO Track, a 2 mile long corridor of murals along a transit way between Royal Brougham Way and Spokane Street. We were able to park near the Sodo Transit station and walk around to see a few of them. The one above is by DALeast, an artist from China. I was drawn to the movement and the color, and imagine that it translates well even from the moving buses and trains. 

Kate was drawn to this piece by Paola Delfin, an artist from Mexico City. The artist said she was inspired by the tracks theme of "movement and progression" and applied it to her subject. 

And probably my absolute favorite from the ones we could see is this piece by Jillian Evelyn, an artist living in LA that paints females that express themselves with eyerolls and cigarettes. She's someone that I'm now following and completely in love with her art. 

Having a day with Kate was wonderful on so many levels. Seeing her out and about in Seattle as an adult is so different from when she was a little girl afraid of the crowds. She is confident, fun and ready to search out all the cool experiences. Having her ask me to spend the day with her was a sweet surprise and made me realize it was time for me to make more dates like this. Maybe next time will find us on a bus searching out the rest of these murals. 
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Field Trip: Rage Industry

I don't know about you, but life has been a bit crazy for us over here! With Sam graduating, Kate moving back, Steve's family in town, a party to plan, and other things we have a lot going on. You are left with a pair of two completely stressed out people. It used to be that I could put on a sappy movie, cry my eyes out and feel better. This time around I wanted something a little more active that would really work out some of these feelings I have been either holding back, or that have been simmering right below the surface.

That's where Rage Industry comes in. Steve and I read about it some months ago, and were recently reminded of it when they did something similar on an episode of the Bachelorette. We figured this would be just the ticket for a fun date that would help us both work through some extreme emotions. We booked the Double Trouble service and headed down to Seattle for some fun! 

We were greeted by Leslie, the owner and found that they have been open about a year (since April 2017). She said that things have been going well, as we would imagine since there are so many things to be angry or frustrated about these days. We were shown the wall where you chose your items (we were allocated 36 for our scheduled time) and got down to business.

Steve and I each had a crate to fill and got down to business. We chose a mix of beer, wine and other items to break. I found a couple of heavy ashtrays (that were amazing to go after with a sledgehammer!) and we ended up adding a couple of large vases from a dollar pile that were very satisfying to smash. 

Before you head back to the room where you go crazy you are given safety gear and a locker to store your things. You are encouraged to make a playlist that you can synch to a waiting speaker that they thankfully set up for you since you are a bit goofy with all the gear. There is a wall of "weapons" that you can choose from that ranges from sledgehammers, golf clubs, bats and a crowbar. Once they start the timer you get to it!

There are a couple of surfaces available to "rage" on, including a stack of tires that you can use to stack items on or just go crazy on! It was crazy to see what broke easily, what would shatter allover the room, and how quickly the time went and how sweaty and spent we were in the time allotted. 

This is us straight after. Can you see the steam in my glasses? We are unhurt and feeling like we left it in the Rage room. I would say it was better for me at this time than a sad movie as far as working through some emotions. It was a great date for us at this stage in our marriage and I think it would be an incredible way to learn about someone early in a relationship! I may also send Steve back for some time there alone to just go crazy by himself when work stress is getting to him. And I can think of all sorts of occasions to give a give certificate from there. What do you think? Would you try it? 

Field Trip: Bellingham Farmers Market

Steve and I have had a standing date every Saturday to the Bellingham Farmer's Market. It just reopened for the season and it was time to re-institute our weekly date! Since it's Kate's 21st birthday weekend we decided to let her join us...just this once. 

We are new converts to fresh eggs ever since we tried those of Steve's co-worker Matt's farm, McIntyre Family Farms so that was one of our first stops. The eggs are delicious, gorgeous and it makes us feel good knowing the farmer (and Steve is excited knowing they use Scratch & Feed Feeds...his new workplace product). It will be a weekly stop for us for sure. 

Next we thought a grilled cheese sounded warming on a rainy day so we grabbed a classic from Something Cheesy. We treated Kate to a gorgeous plate from Cafe Vavilov that was almost too beautiful to eat. Kate is a vegan and it was a variety of delicious veggies and spreads. 

After eating there we realized they had used Raven Breads on their plate which led us to the idea of making fancy avocado toasts so we decided to bring home our own loaf of Raven's bread and multi colored radishes. 

We ended our tour of the Market with a couple of treats for Kate...a vegan cookie from Gathered Confections and a flower bouquet. It wasn't quite the date it usually is, where we have a chance to catch up with one another, talk freely about family matters, and hopefully just goof around together. But it was a wonderful time of being with Kate and hopefully making her feeling a bit loved. And the toasts we made for dinner were works of art! 

I love our dates to the Market to get a chance to connect, both with each other and our community. Is there a market you like to frequent? Is there something that you like to pick up from there? Tell me what to look for! 
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Field Trip: McIntyre Family Farm

Thanks to Steve's new job at Scratch and Peck Feeds we are all getting an education into a whole new world.  We've always been interested in farms and where our food comes from. Now Steve has co-workers that own their own farms and lucky us, we get to visit! 

We were invited out to "lampapalooza" at McIntyre Family Farm by Steve's co-worker Matt & his wife Jena to see all the newborn lambs! I can't think of a better way to welcome spring.  Even better, it's helpful in battling the minor depression I am battling that seems to rear it's head this time of year. Family time & baby lambs here we come! 

We were allowed straight into the pen with their flock of icelandic sheep with all the babies! All the animals were very calm about us being in with them and around the baby lambs. 

With Matt's help and quick reflexes we were able to hold them too! They are the sweetest and just snuggle in! They were warm and sweet and hard to put down. 

The lamb that Sam is holding is only two days old! The mothers are very calm about allowing us to hold the babies. They hang around nearby but show very little distress. The funniest part is when Sam got down low with them all and the lambs started trying to chew on her coat and boots! 

Of course with Steve being a newbie to chicken feed we had to visit the chickens of which they have about 200! Sam was a bit terrified, especially when she paid a visit to the chicken coop and was followed by a whole crew of chickens curious about what she was doing! The McIntyre's sell their organic eggs along with various wool products at the Bellingham Farmers Market and the Queen Anne Farmers Market. 

Snuggling with babies, learning about chickens and being out in the spring air (rain or not!) was the perfect antidote to any kind of lingering blues. We actually started the day with a breakfast of their eggs which may become a standard once we re-start our Saturday dates at the Market. 

Field Trip: Dark Table in Vancouver, Canada

For Valentine's Day my husband took me on a delayed surprise trip to a surprise destination. Do you remember when dining in the dark was a trending thing? Steve found there is a restaurant doing just that in Vancouver. While it's no longer trendy it's still a fascinating and fun thing to try! We ended up at Dark Table. 

Of course all my photos are from outside. You are greeted outside, order from a menu there, then wait for your server to come and retrieve you. Steve found out there are five servers covering twenty-five tables. The cool thing is the workforce is mainly blind or visually impaired, making it a wonderful employer for the non-sighted in a tough job market. And the most able people to guide you in the experience. Once you enter thru the doors you are entirely in their hands. 

And that is when the adventure begins. The led us to the restrooms first (we had just driven up from Bellingham after all!). You travel thru curtains before hitting the bathrooms which have lowered lights. When we came back out to the curtained area we waiting in a scrum of people for our server to retrieve us. 

And though we really enjoyed the food, our server really made the evening for us. She was named Rose and told us to yell for her if we needed anything "just like on the Titanic!" She was hysterical and incredibly comfortable with us. She led us carefully thru the restaurant with hands on shoulders, flawlessly handed us drinks and food (both hot and cold) and made the meal incredibly fun. 

The cons of eating there? There were a couple of times when we had "air bites"...where we brought the fork up to our mouths and there was no food on it! The other thing we found that was funny was not being able to pace ourselves. When you were eating your dessert all of a sudden you realized you were done! 

The pros? One is you get to see if you know food like you think you do. You order your main course and drinks, then the rest is a surprise. We found we were pretty good at figuring out the ingredients in the salad. And maybe we figured out our dessert! 

And the best thing? An evening to fully focus on one another. We were fully unplugged. And there was nothing to distract us. We didn't find ourselves checking out what everyone was doing.  Just one another's voice across the table. And each others hand when we could find them! 

The waitress claimed that at least a couple a week has to leave because the dark is too much. And I can't even describe how dark it is! Do you think you would enjoy it? 

Field Trip: Skagit Skate

My sister and I have been working at getting our families together and meeting halfway between our two places. This made our latest get together at Skagit Skate a perfect halfway point. 

There is something so cool about taking your kids to do the things you did when you were young. My sister and I spent many weekends skating when we were young. Being California girls it was something that you did at a rink or on your street. But there was something special about being under the mirror ball with your favorite music playing. 

These things from our past are starting to disappear. The movie rental place that we have been going to for years is closing. There's nothing wrong with Netflix, but there was just something about shuffling around the rental place searching for the night's entertainment. At least our girls were able to enjoy a slice of our past for a couple of years! 

Thankfully our girls enjoy all the "old school" things.They find them fun and also incredibly photo worthy! So our time together is full of skating, eating, visiting and lots of photos. And my sister and I get to show off what little of our skating skills are left! 

And we get to watch our girls have just a taste of what life was like when we were kids. All of us goofing off together is just another crazy layer of life. We are hoping to continue on this track. Next time we are thinking bowling! 

Field Trip: Moorea Seal Store Opening

Sam and I were so happy to attend the Opening weekend celebration of Moorea Seal's new flagship storefront at 1012 1st Avenue. We've been longtime fans and it was wonderful to see her vision on a larger scale and see all the details come together! Knowing her and her staff have been working nonstop to make it a reality makes it even better! 

I'm not really sure what to talk about first, the woman or the store. Samantha and I met Moorea when she made an appearance at an Urban Craft Uprising signing her first book. We instantly loved her and were so happy to find her to be a genuine, smart and caring business woman that was interested in lifting others as she made her mark in the Seattle retail scene. 

And she has continued to be that person. A peak at her instagram and you know that she is passionate about mental health, women, equality and supporting small makers. And besides that she is a kick in the pants! She is truly one of our favorite people.

And then there is the store. Sam usually finds herself spending some time goofing off at the sunglasses wall and it's even more gorgeous now that the shelving is made of pink acrylic! The selection is fun and reasonably priced. I always think these would make the perfect gifts for teenagers. Especially if you want to be the cool adult in the know! 

There is a gorgeous selection of leather goods and something on my Christmas list (Steve are you reading?) is a Pine & Boone bag. Pine & Boone is made in Seattle by Jesse Marie Griffith who Moorea went to SPU with. I love all the connections, and being able to carry a piece made in Seattle is really special. 

Another item that I find irresistible is the jewelry. I find she has a great selection of fun everyday items and special keepsake pieces. I have collected both statement earrings and some beautiful rings that Steve has given me for special occasions. 

On this trip we found ourselves drawn to the candles. They have P.F. Candles (along with many others!)  that was burning at the lodge where Steve and I stayed in Palm Springs. And of course we had to bring home her signature candle fragrance by them, a gorgeous Moss, Rose, & Vetiver fragrance. 

And also in our bag is a copy of Moorea's third book Make Yourself at Home, which she finished in addition to her store opening! I can't wait to sit down, light a candle and take some time to look thru all the spaces covered in the book and feel inspired. And it's likely Steve and I will find ourselves back in her place before Christmas doing some shopping for our girls! Having one of my other favorite stores in Seattle, Watson Kennedy Fine Home a couple of doors down makes it a perfect area to visit! Maybe I'll see you there?

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