Farmers' Market

 

Seattle has a great number of neighborhood farmers’ markets, and I’m fortunate to have one just a mile from my house. I'd never been to this  one, so one sunny afternoon I walked over to see what was available that week.

My favorite purchase was carrot cake granola, made locally in a nearby city. It is absolutely delicious and true to a carrot cake flavor with a light crunch. I’m enjoying it with yogurt in the morning and afternoon.

 

 

There were also plenty of fruit and vegetable stands, and a couple vendors offering pastries. The French Guys had many delicious breads and dessert rolls. My husband wasn’t able to go with me, but I brought home a blueberry cheesecake roll that he enjoyed for breakfast the next morning.

Farmers’ markets often feature various mushrooms either harvested or grown on farms. This stand even offered mushroom-growing kits to produce your own at home. 

 

Jams, vinegars, and flavored oils are also common at farmers’ markets and were in supply here. I love flavored vinegars, especially balsamics, for salads.

 

 

 

I always enjoy the fresh produce and locally made treasures I find at farmers’ markets and are glad there are so many markets available to us.

Tourist in My Own City

https://visitseattle.org/

Early this month my niece visited Seattle from the other Washington for the first time. Though she only had two full days in Seattle, my husband and I gave her a whirlwind tour of the popular sights in Seattle—some that I had never seen despite living here for 48 years.

Red Hall Link

The first day she was here gave us just a few hours to see the “red hall” at the downtown Seattle Public Library. I’d never heard of this floor of the library. A librarian told us it contained no books but housed library meeting rooms. Despite FIFA, we were able to get a dinner table right away, then it was time for her to get some rest before her first full day here.

 

 

 

Friday morning we had breakfast crumpets at the Crumpet Shop and then explored Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market. My husband and I make an annual trip here to shop for treats and Christmas gifts.
 

 

 

After an hour or so at the market, we headed to the Nordic Museum, which was the first time I’ve been there. Seattle has a significant Nordic population in the part of Seattle known as Ballard, named for Captain William Rankin Ballard.

Following that, we toured the Ballard Locks and fish ladder. The locks raise and lower water levels between Puget Sound and Lake Union and Lake Washington to allow ships and boats access each way.

The Falls

The final day of her visit was July 4th and we started off with a trip to Snoqualmie Falls and a stop in the historic town of Snoqualmie. Arriving back in Seattle, we then took an underground tour with Beneath the Streets. Seattle was originally built on tide flats, but following an historic fire that destroyed the entire town, it was rebuilt above the original stores and sidewalks. Many blocks of the old city still exist underground.



 

It was a busy two days of sightseeing that found aunt and uncle happy to skip fireworks and fall asleep on the couch shortly after 9pm. 😀

Romance Reader Event

 

 

For the past three years, a writing group I belong to has organized an event for romance readers and writers. Every year I’ve volunteered as a table runner, making sure authors have what they need at their tables.

The creativity that goes into not only the authors’ writing but also their tables is amazing. I love wandering through the event hall admiring the tables and swag as much as getting signed copies of books and talking with the authors.

Leah's table

Romance books I look for are known as sweet romances—nothing beyond hand-holding and kissing. I also enjoy cozy mysteries, stories that feature amateur sleuths, and I even picked up a cozy paranormal. It’s not just romance at this fair, though this author, Leah R Cutter, writes romance and many other genres. 
 

 

Lynne's table

I was able to pick up a sweet romance from a local author I know, Lynne Hancock Pearson. Like most of Lynne’s books, Grand Gestures takes place in the Pacific Northwest.

 

 

Image from FB

Among the 57 vendors were authors and other creatives selling jewelry, candles, bookmarks, stickers, and even a tattoo shop at the reader event. To my surprise, Sailor Moon Tattoo was completely booked for the day. Maybe it shouldn’t have been such a surprise since they were featuring book-related designs.

 

The event was a huge success this year with all 250 tickets sold out. I'm enjoying my new books and looking forward to next year!

 

It's HIP!

  

I often walk around my neighborhood admiring flowers and fruiting plants as I get some exercise and fresh air. One recent Friday a delicious aroma coming from a church along my path had me very interested in what they were doing. In their parking lot I saw two vans for HIP, Hunger Intervention Program. 

A shelter meal packed for delivery

Once home, I searched for the HIP website and learned they have many volunteer opportunities from cooking meals for shelters and seniors to serving and delivering meals. I filled out a volunteer interest form right away. 

 

The next week I was volunteering as a dish washing assistant. Hey, it’s a necessary part of making meals! Two days later I was preparing meals for delivery and serving at HIP’s free lunch for seniors.

Senior meal

The food is indeed as good as it smells and the next week I was helping to prepare the seniors’ lunch by slicing green peppers, cilantro,and red onions. The latter was a tear-filled experience. 😂 All meals include a main dish such as orzo with sausage and vegetables, a fresh salad, fruit, and often a freshly baked cookie for dessert.

With the daily volunteer opportunities available and being less than a mile from my home, I’m ready, willing, and able to help several days a week! 

I enjoyed these beautiful tulips along my walk and was inspired to plant bulbs in our yard for blooms next spring.

 

Take a Hike!

 

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

 

Over hill, over dale, we have hit the, ah, muddy trail. The weather on Easter Sunday was very pleasant, and after some yard work, my husband and I went on a short hike in a nearby forested park. Our main purpose was to practice using our new Rattler thermal imaging scope.

My husband bought this for us as a Christmas present after I mentioned I could be a more confident hiker if I were aware of bears or cougars around us on the trail. We were able to practice sighting and photographing birds on our short hike, while also discovering features of the scope that we need to learn more about.

Owl nesting box

Heated objects show up as yellow and orange. In the nesting box here,you can see what is probably a sleeping owl. The photo at the bottom of this page reveals a junco bird on a tree branch.

 

Besides using the scope, I looked around for flora and fungi. These purple flowers are Erythronium revolutum, commonly known as the Pink Fawn Lily, Mahogany Fawn Lily, or Coast Fawn Lily. 

 

 

Witch's butter fungus

On several dead logs I found jelly fungus, commonly known as witch's butter. They aren't toxic, but neither are they considered delectable as the link indicates.

 

 

 

  

I also found some unusual mushrooms nestled among a pile of rocks. 😀

 

We got a lot better at capturing wildlife with the scope. Surely we won't miss a puma or bear...or Bigfoot when we visit the Olympics at the end of May!  😮

Junco sitting on a branch