Ah the perfect skiing outfit

Ah the perfect skiing outfit
Originally uploaded by Stampalina

Did I remember to sum up Christmas?

No?

This should do it.

Hope it was good for you too.

We went to the Falls

It was my 31st birthday this past November, we went to Snoqualmie Falls to celebrate. I wanted to eat the famous Salish Lodge Country Breakfast, the one my mom had told me about over and over again. About the pinafores on the waitresses, the many courses of biscuits, oatmeal, eggs and bacon, the roaring falls just outside the window.

As a young woman her mother-in-law had taken her up to the lodge to eat the fanciest meal of her life. It was to celebrate her pregnancy, the fact that she would be a mother soon and that would be something they shared.

To celebrate my coming into the world.

It seemed only right to eat there for the first time on my birthday.

And the falls were in fine form. The sun was out enough to make the mist glow.

As fine as the breakfast was, my favorite parts were just this. Just us and the falls. Each of us lost in our own thoughts.

Then coming together again. There we are. (Jesse is taking the picture.)

A perfect way to turn 31.

For Nerissa

Carly & Andys wedding was beautiful and lots of us were able to make it there. However a few people, like Nerissa, were not. So this post is for her.

See this beach? This is Golden Gardens the beach closest to my home. Even though I don't go here often, especially in the winter, I love knowing it's there. I walk the ridge above the ocean view almost every day on my way to the bus stop. The fancier houses keep me from actually seeing the Pacific, but I always look East to see if the mountains are out.

Carly and Andy were married at the Boathouse on the beach. Built in the 1930's this brick building is quite charming. It looked even more so with us dressed up folk in it. Don't you think so?

And filled with decorations chosen by, or even made by the Bride herself! She made this flamingo topper for the bride & groom pie. Yes, pie!

Mmmm, yes there were lots of pies. Pumpkin, lemon meringue, pecan, apple, I didn't get to try them all, but they all looked delicious.

The bride was lovely and the groom was dasher. Carly had both her parents walk her down the aisle, which made me happy as I did the same thing. They both brought me here after all and it felt good to be able to honor them equally.

I bet Carly felt the same way.



After the ceremony at sunset there was still a little sunshine left and it caught the fall trees ablaze.



The bride getting a little assistance in the shoe department...



to her Fathers' amusement. Can you see how cute her green Fluevogs are!?

Then there was lots of time for dancing. Which I didn't properly capture as I was too busy cutting a rug myself. But I had a really great time.



I really did, and I think Steph did too!

I do wish you could have been there.

See you when the ice melts friend.

Weekend Plans

As usual I have many plans for my weekend. A plan in this context is a loose term. It implies activities I know I will attend, ones I hope to attend, and those I just like knowing exist and could only attend if I could bend the rules of time and space.

The Nordic Lights Film Festival is happening this weekend. In my neighborhood. With Nazi zombies. I should definitely be able to make at least one of these movies, right? But most of all the Nazi Zombies one, Dead Snow. But at 9 pm on a Sunday? Hmmm...

Also all weekend, the Leif Erikson Lodge Bazaar in Ballard of course! How can you pass up the chance to see authentic Scandinavian crafts and eat homemade lefse! I'm a member of the local Nordic Heritage Museum even though I'm not sure I have any to speak of... however I always enjoy celebrating with the Scandinavians. As I did this summer in both a silly

and more serious fashion.

I was blown away by the skills on display in fiber and wood. There were wool spinners, knitters, wood carvers, and lace makers. So beautiful.

There are always shopping opportunities and all the better when they are for a good cause. As is the Closet Treasure Sale which benefits the Dress for Success program. Helping women with low income reenter the work force by providing them with office appropriate attire. I remember graduating from college and realizing I had nothing to wear to an office job myself! I hit the thrift stores thinking how unrealistic it felt to buy a whole new wardrobe for a job that would hardly pay the bills. I'm glad this program exists.

Trumping all these activities is the wedding of Carly & Andy! So exciting to see these two get married. I've been watching them grow together for some time now and I'm very glad to be able to see them wed!

Where did the summer go?

We did manage to make a wee trip to Bellingham.

There was brunch at Old Town Cafe with Clover, Dan & Courtney.

Jesse's having trouble figuring out the bill but we're not concerned as we're already full of crazy, delicious scrambles and omelets. I have many favorite breakfast joints in Bellingham and Old Town is high on the list. Rivaled by Mt. Bakery so fancy with its frittatas and crepes.

After all that good, rich food it feels good to get outside and get moving. Even though I lived in Bellingham a long time there are always more places to explore. This time we went down Chuckanut Drive to hike up to Fragrance Lake. There were good views of the San Juan Islands at the top but I was looking in a different direction.

Doesn't he look rugged?

We found Fragrance Lake and learned that it isn't named for an enticing fragrance, but rather after a person who may or may not have smelled delectable. It is a pretty lake though, it really sparkled in the sunlight.

I wish I'd brought a bathing suit as it looked like pretty good swimming.

This summer was hot and long, but once Fall came on it's been real serious. Which is too bad as I'm waiting for Bikeworks to finish building me a bike and I do intend to ride it. No matter the weather.

Down in the Garden

I've had a little time to play in my new garden. More time than knowledge I'll admit... but there's always next Spring, right?

I really can't yet tell the difference between plants I want in the garden and plants I don't want. It doesn't help that I inherited this garden from previous tenants. So sometimes when I reach down to pull out a "weed" this happens:

If you look very closely you can just see a tiny carrot. So adorable we couldn't let it go to waste.

We even managed to share it, despite its diminutive size.



I plan to dig in this winter and study my seed catalog carefully. In the spring I hope to plant my own starters from those well thought out seed choices.

In the meantime the garden does contain pleasures that aren't food related.

To Secret Beaches

Making the most of a summer evening at the beach near our house.

Rediscovering Canadian geese with visiting British friends.

Jesse getting his feet wet. (Though he says he doesn't like the beach.)

Graeme flying a kite, or just contemplating it. I think Graeme has a beautiful silhouette.

Alina relaxing on the sand. She's really not a baby anymore, but still adorable. All that hair!

Hopefully there will be many more beach filled evenings this summer.

Knitting Envy

I remember feeling this way on occasion, but I've matured since then.

Is that laughter I hear? Okay, but I am a better knitter than I was in the beginning. If not much faster.

Learning to Knit from Max Alexander on Vimeo.

Memorial Day Weekend

Since I spent the whole weekend with Opie, ahem, I mean Stephanie Kay Oppelaar. I'll let her tell you how our Memorial Day was, but I'll chime in by saying I had a really good time.

Weekend in a Nutshell.

Bellingham is always a retreat for me, but this was an especially calming and grounding visit.

Two Tickets to Paradise... Fibers that is

Besides the draw of Nerissa and Ian, lambs and goats, etc. Eastern Washington has Paradise Fibers. I convinced Jesse to indulge two of his favorite knitters in visiting this warehouse that is open to the public.

Nerissa has this devilish smile on her face because she has already been inside to see:

The Wall of Coned Yarn. However, she is facing the Wall of Sale Yarn and trying to make some baby knitting decisions. There really was a lot of yarn.

Not all of it was even coned, but I thought it looked the most luscious. Of course, we had to look at it all. Jesse meanwhile...



found a place among the books to get comfortable. While he is most at ease around books these were all about knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving, etc. and therefore more my style than his. Still doesn't he look happy or at least patient?

While the staff said their in store shoppers are sort of "red headed stepchildren" to their online shoppers I didn't feel treated that way. They were quite kind to us. Definitely worth a visit when you find yourself in Spokane, WA.

Lambs!

A few weeks ago Jesse and I made the sojurn east to visit our friends Nerissa and Ian in the wilds of Cheney, WA.

Besides their lovely company there was the enticement of new lambs. Yes, freshly lambed lambs.



Now I wouldn't say the lambs wanted me to hold them, but I got away with it for a little while.



When they bleated, as this one was doing, their whole bodies shook!



It surprised me! But they didn't need to worry as mom was nearby and I was only interested in their fiber, not their meat.

Jenny's ranch had all kinds of sheep, an alpaca, a fainting goat, or was it two? A couple of big friendly dogs... I really liked it. She was very kind to show us city slickers around.



I think Ian and Jesse liked it too.



Don't they look amused?

part three

3) Do something you've never done before. Repeat as many times as possible.



I've never taken a cooking class before and neither has Jesse, so we decided to take one together while we were in Oaxaca.

We decided on a traditional Oaxacan menu. We arranged for a class with Nora Valencia through, Las Bugambilias Bed and Breakfast. Nora took us to a local market nearby where we shopped for our ingredients. She explained how to find the freshest and best of the market.



This vendor lives in the hills around Oaxaca and had fresh picked her ingredients of squash flowers, herbs, and corn early in the morning before coming to market.

I was enthralled with the families working the booths together. Even the booths I normally wouldn't find tasty were attractive.



Sausages anyone?

Then Nora took us into her lovely home, the highlight of which I must say was the cucina. A dream kitchen in any home.



We made tamales in this happy, and many times blessed, tamale pot.



We also made moles, a soup and the stuffed squash flowers seen above. They were gone so quickly I don't have any pictures of the rest. But we enjoyed eating them very much in Noras dining room.



A lovely experience, one our friend Alvin has written about much better in this article. We've already attempted to recreate the tamales here at home, while not quite as good as the ones we made in Oaxaca, they were tasty enough to keep trying. I'm hoping for many more culinary adventures in the New Year.

(Doesn't Jesse look cute in an apron?)

part two

2) Bring two of your best friends along with you.



Even though I had thought of celebrating la Dia de los Muertos for my birthday as a kid, I forgot when I grew up. Opie reminded me. She called me to say, we're turning 30. It's a big deal. We should do it together. She was right.

Opie got her first passport to make this trip! Here she is admiring a mermaid at the Santo Domingo Museum. Aren't they both lovely?

Opie and I have been best friends for 15 years. In high school we used to dream about going on trips like this, to see first hand what we were learning about in Art History. This was our chance to do that together.

Jesse is up for going anywhere, that doesn't have assassin bugs, that is. So I knew he'd be on board. Here he is in the Santo Domingo library which contains Pre-Columbian codices.


I know this isn't what the bookstore he works in looks like, but this is how I picture him at work. Surrounded by ancient leather bound manuscripts with a little smile on his face.

Jesse and Opie both have adventurous appetites, for music, food, language and culture. I'm so glad they wanted to go on this adventure with me.

How To Turn 30, part one.

or at least How I Turned 30.

1)Find a country that celebrates a holiday on your birthday.

I've wanted to visit Oaxaca, Mexico since the age of 9 when my childcraft encylopedia told me that November 2 is Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. It's much more fun than it sounds.

Celebrating this holiday means you remember those who have died and celebrate their lives. While keeping in mind that our days our numbered too and we should enjoy the ones we have. Part of the celebration is staying overnight in your families cemetery. We were lucky enough to visit two. One that is the main cemetery for Oaxaca, which is huge and old and another that was smaller and more intimate.








There was music and marigolds, a carnival atmosphere with food stalls and rides outside of the cemetery. Everyone seems to come out. Families stay all night with their loved ones, playing live music and drinking to them.

I found myself getting teary thinking of my grandmothers and grandfather who have died. Seeing people grieving and celebrating at the same time. It was really touching. I wish that we did more in my family to make a point of remembering those who have died.