Self-portrait of family at Ptarmigan Ridge

Visiting another planet: Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon

I am a therapy dog

Marcos is a licensed therapy dog and we have started visiting assisted living houses and hospitals in the area. Right now, I am working on the concept of therapy dog for a project. Not just the therapy dogs that provide emotional therapy for the sick and elderly like Marcos but the ones that cure our ills by inspiring us and giving us confidence to face a daunting world, dogs like Lupe.

Cooking happenings at the Forest House

This is a chilled beet soup with pickle juice. Very good on hot days in the summer. Kirsten is holding a hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower, very tasty in a stir-fry.

Firewood

It took my truck 3 loads to bring a cord of firewood up to the house. The summer has been so nice we haven't had a fire yet. It took about all day to stack and organize the wood, in addition to making the trips out to a forest house outside of the towns of Nooksack and Everton, where an old guy in overalls was busy chopping and stacking what looked like the last piles of some 100 cords of firewood he had to sell. I asked him if he did it himself and he said yes. And I wasn't surprised that his torso was shaped like a V and his biceps cut from under his shirt.

Chilling at the Forest House

Bedtime stories and views of trees.

Family Portraits at Tomyhoi Lake

The picture of us all together came after one of the steepest climbs that we have taken all summer. Grueling and daunting, we felt quite lucky to be alive at the top.

Rebar: A modern food joint

We just made a pilgrimage to one of the West Coast's most beautiful cities in order to visit Rebar, a modern food eatery. I have been cooking my way through their recipe book for a couple years now. So we had breakfast, lunch and dinner there while also seeing a number of other sites in the water city.

When we got off the Coho, the sailing vessel that takes travelers between Port Angeles and the beautiful British Columbia city, we made a beeline to Rebar. We started our day off with wheatgrass juices. I had the Picasso’s tonic—beets, oranges, garlic, and a shot of wheatgrass and Kirsten had a concoction with carrots, apple, ginger and a shot of wheatgrass. These refreshments got our juices going and we got to Murchies to purchase a 4-month supply of tea and then headed to Chinatown to buy some chopsticks and bowls. A trip to Munro’s Bookstore whetted our appetite for good reading and we headed back to Rebar for lunch.

Kirsten had an absolutely scrumptious almond burger, made with their secret ingredients, and a cup of miso soup. It is hard to imagine how good a burger can taste when its main ingredient is almonds, but it was absolutely divine. I had the Southwest grilled cheese. Ever since I was a child, I have loved grilled cheese. Such a simple dish that brings me back to the innocent times of childhood, playing with Anthony and having a break for some grilled cheese sandwiches and grapes. Rebar’s rendition of the treat was spiced with a cilantro pesto and a smokey tomato-chipotle sauce. It was accompanied by the Rebar salad with a sesame-miso dressing.

We spent the afternoon at Butchart Gardens, one of the wonders of the Earth, and then did some afternoon shopping. For dinner, we went back to our new home in Victoria. Kirsten had the Enchiladas de calabacitas and I had the Clubhouse sandwich with lox instead of bacon and shrimp instead of turkey. It was topped with a perfect avocado dressing. All in all, some good eating.

The Washington Ferry System

Take a good look at a map of Washington state. Pay particular attention to the bays, islands, inlets, sounds, points, spits, hooks, sloughs. The Puget Sound area is a veritable maze of waterways that make traveling interesting no matter where you are. One excellent way of getting around is the Washington Ferry System, which is a wonder of efficiency. Almost always on time and running through all kinds of weather, the ferries run by WFS get people going to the see the beautiful scenery that Washington has to offer. Once on the ferry, you can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. I like to take Lupe and Marcos up to the front of the boat so we can smell the sea air and enjoy the sites. It is a nice break from driving and you can have a snack, read, and use the facilities.

The Harbour & the Coho

A great city should work in perfect symbiosis with its natural surroundings, not distracting from them or blocking their beauty, but rather working harmoniously in such a way that both the natural structures—bays, mountains, forests—enhance the beauty of buildings, streets and walkways,and vice-versa, thereby giving the city its own identity. It also is part of being a good steward to the land that you were blessed with; this is the mark of good urban planning. I believe the harbour that greets visitors coming in on the ferries from the States is a perfect example of such symbiosis.

The Coho is the most important asset to the Port Angeles community. It has never missed a sailing in close to fifty years of operation. It makes Port Angeles an important jumping-off point for visitors to Victoria thereby bringing lots of tourism dollars.