More From The Market

Our day up in Seattle started out by watching the fishmongers at the Pikes Place Market. They have a reputation for exceptionally good customer service. In fact, a motivational film was made using their business philosophy - "Catch". I remember watching this film when I was working. It showed the most joyous, committed guys, just having fun. Their slogan: Stop floundering! Get committed in your life and work! We stood and watched them sell, package and pack the fish, shouting out to one another while throwing and catching the salmon.

Crowds packed this area, taking pictures and visiting with the fishmongers, all of whom are listed on the company's website. You can actually learn more about all of them. Keith Bish, called "the Bear", greeted everyone. Although he is dressed in fishing gear, I have a hunch he is a successful businessman/entertainer who probably knows just how to 'steal the show'.... "At the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market, we know that it’s possible for each of us as human beings to impact the way other people experience life. Through our work, we’re out to improve the quality of life for everyone. We are working inside the possibility of world peace and prosperity for all people. This is our commitment - that’s who we are - it’s what we do."
The fresh fruits and vegetables were especially attractive, with colors that seemed out of this world.

Imagine, raspberries, grapes, mangos and cherries this time of year. All the color was an antidote for the greys of winter! People were chatting, laughing and smiling. The crowds were wonderful - maybe just what a person needs to see to get through the bleak haze of winter!

We strolled through many of the isles of vegetables and flowers, and I bought a huge bouquet of dried flowers which I put in my guestroom upstairs.

Alleyways in Seattle

We walked down this ramp to reach an old cobbled alleyway near the Pike Place Market on Saturday.

This is an area of Seattle that gets over 7 million visitors every year. Situated on a hill overlooking Elliot Bay, it is the most famous part of Seattle's commercial district.

It was a tad spooky as my eyes adjusted to the low light of the alley. Several men walked uphill to the market, bent over, carefully considering each step as they passed by.

I'm fascinated by alleyways, by the lack of pretense, by the unexpected. You'll see pidgeons here, pecking at crumbs, and homeless men rumage through garbage cans.

This wall is a depository, for chewing gum. Over the years, passersby have covered the walls with chewing gum, pressed into the surface of the bricks and mortar.

Looking closer, I noticed some artists chewed double wads, to create words strung out into letters, holding embelishments, like feathers, coins, shells and colorful stones.

Gum became mortar, holding images of starfish, hearts, and initials. Anything, to say "I've been here. I've left something of myself behind."

Sounds of the Street

This rousing gospel group clapped their hands and sang in harmony, causing crowds to gather around the Starbucks at the Pike Place Market. It was a gorgeous, sunny aftaernoon, just perfect for a day in the city. Urban professionals joined the tourists frequenting the little eateries at the Market, escaping high-rise offices for a little fresh air, lunch, and exceptionally good entertainment.

Over 100 street performers earn a living working the streets around Pikes Place Market. They pay $15.00 for a permit that allows a performer to remain in one of 13 designated spots for one hour. At some point, the musicians move to a different location, rotating their areas. They seem to really enjoy playing to the crowds, sharing their music.

As we visited many of the little outdoor markets, the music followed, lending a delightful ambience to our afternoon. It felt like a celebration, with fiddle players, accordian players, ball jugglers and guitarists all contributing.

Longbranch on the Key Peninsula

We loaded up the canoe for an early morning paddle near Longbranch, on the Key Peninsula. It couldn't have been more tranquil, with the fog lifting up off the water and slowly vanishing. It was 32 degrees, and frost lined all the trees and shrubs along the roadway to our put-in place here.
The marinas were all closed. Not a soul around. Just a stunningly beautiful Sunday morning on Puget Sound.

We paddled along, slowly pulling the canoe through beautiful, clear water. We rounded this gravel- bank and came across a large flock of seagulls. When we approach- ed, about 70 of them flew up into the air, then landed again, hunkering quietly down.

We were the only ones out on the water. As the fog burned off and it got a little warmer a few watercraft powered along out far in the channel between us and Anderson Island. The ripples from the boats caused our canoe to ride the swells, dipping and splashing.

There were only a few houses along the shoreline. I especial- ly liked this one.

We paddled for about three hours, beaching the canoe several times to check out the driftwood on the shoreline. I found some pretty rocks to add to my collection, and discovered a huge piece of styrofoam ( 3 feet by 7 feet) that had washed up onto the beach. I wanted to see how it floated, so I layed down on it, and pushed myself out into the water a few feet. It drifted in the current, bobbing up and down. I closed my eyes, and stretched out. Within a minute the current brought me back to the shoreline, and I just layed there rocking back and forth, sliding into the rocks. What generous-spirited lulabyes I could have composed, right then and there, had I put my mind to it!

Our son Rue and his wife Annie are expecting a baby! This will be my second grandchild, an addition to Daisy who is now ten. I've waited ten years for this happy, blessed news. And, while Annie may be in the throes of fatigue due to her pregnancy, I'm reminiscing .... pulling out old baby clothes.

These were given to me by my aunt, who said they were worn by her and my mother. All of them handmade with the most tender little stitches.

They are almost 90 years old. The fabric is so thin it is almost transparent. They have the tiniest buttons and snaps, unlike anything I've seen today. I cannot imagine a baby holding still long enough for the parent to push the button through the tiny hole!

This satin dress must have been special, as all of the decorative lace and stitching were meticulous.

I recall when my babies were born, I had sewn little gowns for all of them, for those first few months. I also made quilts, and later I sewed their coveralls out of durable fabric, with heavy snaps for the shoulderstraps and the legs. It was a way of taking care of my child while I waited for the birth. I also enjoyed going to the fabric store, paging through pattern-books, and selecting colors and patterns that I couldn't find in the stores. I always felt that anything hand-done just looked better than storebought.

All of my children received little hand crocheted sweaters and caps when they were born, lovingly made by George's mother. As the kids grew, they'd get a new sweater from Grandma Dannells every year. She also knitted afghans for them. It kept her busy throughout the year, planning each blanket, sweater, and cap. She learned that I liked sweaters to extend way below the waistline, down the hips, to keep their bottoms warm. It may have looked funny, but in Montana that was what was needed.

I haven't used my sewing machine in several years. I hope to get it cleaned, so that I can work on a small quilt, and put together a few little garments for Annie and Rue's new baby. It is a delightful way to stay busy and to daydream, imagining the delight Annie and Rue will feel when they bring their new baby home.

Are You Sure You Want To See This?

This is the sand-based wall paint that I used on the main bathroom downstairs. It provides a wonderful texture, but mostly covers up a lot of flaws. I used it only on the walls, not the ceiling.

I'm still swamped with repairs and cleaning. This week I'll start to sew a bedskirt for our bed, to hide those awlful boxsprings and rollers. Macy's wanted $200.00 for bedskirts, so I went to JoAnn's Fabrics, and got a durable forest green fabric that I will ruffle and attach....for about $14.00. Should take most of a day to put it together. The only problem with bedskirts, you can stub your toe on those rollers if you don't see them. I have one of them wrapped....it took 3 monthes to heal a broken toe.

This is Mordrid, waiting it out on a snowy winter afternoon in our guest room. He is the most optimistic of our two cats, and the most aggressively affectionate.
Our little feline, Pandora, is going on 10 years now. She can't seem to tolerate the cold weather and snow very long, and will scratch at the front windows to be let in. Then, she'll make a bee-line for this toasty spot over the livingroom heat-register.

When I opened my eyes this morning, the room was whiter and brighter, and I knew the snow had come. Weather advisories predicted the storm. I went out on my porch, took a deep breath, and greeted the morning. The sun was just coming out.

While holding my coffee, I watched George walk to his car. Things change around here when 3 inches of snow falls. Schools are closed, everyone drives slower. The stillness and quiet are broken by the calls of chicadees in the bushes. When the sun comes up, I'll be making some footprints of my own.

There is just a hint of sunshine and freshness here at the entrance to Sunrise Beach. We drove over on Sunday, just to catch a breath of invigorating air.

We walked in the rain, down to a little sheltered area on the beach, where the waves were pounding white foam onto the sand. This is a popular scuba-diving and snorkeling area, where there is a creviced wall about 30 to 60 feet deep and 100 feet long.
Wolf Eels and octopus inhabit the area. The current here can be hazardous, and awhile back someone perished while scuba-diving. Divers have to know the currents and the tides to explore safely.

The area all around Gig Harbor is still suffering the ravages of winter storms. Trees littered the edges of the roads, deadfall sprawled in the forests, and nothing seemed welcoming in the pounding rain.

The sky was deeply overcast, by the time we got to Crescent Lake. Rain pelted the water like a barrage of bullets or buckshot. A hypodermic syringe bobbed in the deitris, and someone had thrown garbage into the brush. A few scant leaves wobbled high on tree branches. We stayed only briefly, taking in the stillness across the lake, the pelting rain.

Ruhiyyih said, "Next time, prick the skin with a fork, before you bake them." It lets the air out.

I've been swamped with cleaning and home-repair projects, with about 8 men coming and going. Major repairs to the insulation under the house, the furnace and vents, and the men's bathroom. Seems like January is a good time to tackle this, as once the weather warms up, nobody wants to be inside doing cleaning and repairs. It will be time to get out the garden tools....or, go camping.

We heard the sounds of mallards. They swam right through this, as if they were finger-painting...... I would love to do that!

Amidst all the celebratory poinsettias and amyrillis at the Seymour Conservatory, we found a host of orchids. A few are included here....

Taraz and Megan on Chambers Lake

It was late in the afternoon when we took the canoes out on Chambers Lake, about 3:30. This lake, three miles southeast of Olympia, has no surface inlets, but is fed by stormwater and surface runoff. As a result, it varies in size.

It is a lake we've paddled at least three times before, and I even thought about trying to fish it from the canoe once, when George was frequenting the nearby bike trails, the 'Rails to Trails' route that is throughout this area. I recall huge carp that would swirl in the water in the summertime, dash away from us and hide under the lilypads.

It is a small lake, about 60 acres, with a boat-ramp leading down into the water. George is holding the canoe steady here, so Megan can situate herself up front. Normally, we wear garden boots (waders), so we can walk into the water when loading-up. That way, the canoe is further out in the water and won't scrape the bottom when we sit down.

Once situated, they took their paddles and gently pushed away from the cement boat-ramp. If you notice, they are wearing PFD's (personal floatation devices) that zip up, and are form fitting for men or women. I find in winter that they help hold body heat in, and in summer they are sometimes unbearably warm if they are black (like George's).

We paddled for only about an hour before the sun started to fade over the hills in a nice rosy glow. We managed to paddle around the lake, with a few little side-trips into the reeds. This is a surprisingly shallow lake - about 8 feet at the deepest - and the roots from lily pads were often within just a few feet from the bottom of the canoe along the shoreline.

It was fairly cold out, and when you are out on the water it feels even colder. Megan is putting on a hat and her hood here.

I spent about 20 minutes filming parts of this glide, which had really lovely, calm water patterns, and deep color. When we loaded up the canoes at the end of our paddle, the sun had set, and little lights twinkled on the shoreline.

We had managed to sneak in a delightful little paddle at the end of a busy day.

Of Speedboats and The Mekong Delta

One of the perks of canoeing is meeting other water enthusiasts who show you their boats and share their fishing stories. Steve, pictured above, was just the guy to make our excursion on Lawrence Lake considerably more interesting on Christmas day!
Steve is an Alaska resident who came down here to speed-boat race on Lawrence Lake over the past 20 years. He says Lawrence Lake holds 1/3 of the world's records for speedboat racing.

Although he only works 'crew' on the boats now, he has his own beauty, this fishing boat that he helped to rebuild after his brother smashed it up in a terrible accident on the Talkeetna River. Steve says his boat, a 20 foot Lowe 'Jon Boat', (which can go upstream in 4 inches of water), wasn't fueled up fully when his brother took it up the river. Floodwaters made for some precarious going. When they came across some big log jams that had suddenly piled up they got across several by revving the motor - 'throttling up', as Steve would say. That drained the engine, and depleted the gas. The engine stalled and water got into the motor. Suddenly a 15 foot log jam was right in front of them! The craft flipped and rolled, ripping off the cowls, tearing off the wheel-house, and caving in one entire side of the boat. His brother bailed out alive, but the boat was battered to smithereens. New decks and seats had to be installed, the bodywork had to be welded with aluminum supports and a fiberglass overlay which was then sanded down to make a boat that looked brand new! Steve did all the work, and he was mighty relieved his boat made it through as well as it did.

While George and Polin loaded up our canoe, I con- tinued to visit with Steve, video- taping many of his stories (yes, these guys are more than happy to have a lady ask them all about their boats and their fishing trips!) He told me that he hopes to go out on the Cowlitz, but that fishing down under is nothing compared to the King Salmon that they get up in Alaska. He said, "If you ever get up to Soldotna, check out Les Anderson's record King mounted on the wall at the Visitor Center - a record 97.4 lbs. Photo here, if you need proof! That fish is as big as a man!

Now, what does Lawrence Lake have to do with the Mekong Delta? As we headed out on Christmas day, we got a phone call from our friend Polin, who paddled on the Mekong. From Cambodia, in this country for 4 years, he showed interest in going with us.

To be on the safe side, I packed an extra warm jacket, scarf and hat for him, to make sure he knew what he'd be in for.....I was right. He wouldn't have lasted two minutes out on Lawrence Lake with a thin jacket.

We paddled slowly over to an island, where we hiked around, exploring old campsites.
Steve's boat circled around the island a couple of times, making huge waves in the water, and blasting the air with the sounds of his motor.

I took out my video- camera, to record some of the lichen on rocks, and to videotape Polin and George as they talked about the trees, many names being unfamiliar to Polin. George pointed out the madronas, the tall cedars, the fir.

I bent down with my camera and checked out details.

This was a large firepit, used last summer by the fishermen. It had a shell-like rotation of stones that was unusual, and as often is the case, brown beer bottles were left behind.

This time of year, it is more difficult to get a paddling day in. It can be rainy, windy, and cold. Rarely do we see canoers out in the winter. But, if one paddles close to shore, pays attention to the wind, and stays away from moving water (rivers), it is usually quite a pleasant experience. Christmas day offered sunbreaks, no rain or wind. So, conditions made for a good paddle. We kept it down to about an hour, with simple meandering through the tall reeds, spotting a muskrat nest, and enjoying the fresh cold air.

Polin said that in Cambodia nature is very important - the people love the fresh air, and the river brings food. He said the world of nature is in their poetry, and one of his favorite poems is about a sparrow that flys very far away. The poet asks, "when will you return, little sparrow?"

Merry Christmas Everyone

With weather in the high 30's, my daily walk has been a bit more challenging. Part of me wants to walk, work up a good appetite, and the other part wants to sit by the fire with a good book!

Today, I put together a hearty lunch - homemade lentil soup, flaxseed muffins with butter and honey, hubbard squash with cinnamon and brown sugar, and assorted salad veggies.

I made the flaxseed muffins with whole wheat flour, and ground the little seeds in my coffee grinder. The lentil soup is a quick, easy soup to make: Saute the celery, carrots and onions, and add them to vegetable broth, with the lentils, a can of stewed tomatoes , a dash of pepper, lemon juice, a bit of kitchen bouquet, a tad of tomato puree, and cooked sausage or bacon. I add a little brown sugar, salt, and parsley or Italian seasoning. Within 40 minutes, the soup is ready, and the muffins have come out of the oven. These muffins provide amino acids complimenting the ones in the lentils, to make a complete protein - just as your beans and rice combinations. It's a great way to get protein and fiber.

And, this is a plate of 'what's left' of the Snickerdoodles that Annie made, with some chocolate truffles dusted in powdered sugar. Truffles should be placed out at room temperature before serving, to inhance the intense aroma and smooth texture as they melt in one's mouth. I seldom settle for only one....

The World of Tasha Tudor

When I think of children's books at Christmas-time, I think of the endearing illustrations by Tasha Tudor. She started her career in illustration with the publication of 'Pumpkin Moonshine', published in 1938. She is now 91, still living in New England, and her family runs the business of selling her books.

Tasha Tudor has illustrated over 100 books. She is also featured by the photographer Richard Brown in the books here on my bookshelf, which document her daily life, from taking care of her nubian goats and chickens, to growing vegetables in her garden.

Another book, "Tasha Tudor's Heirloom Crafts" by Tovah Martin and Richard W. Brown, features all the handmade items that are an integral part of her legendary nineteenth-century lifestyle. She spins flax, dyes wool, weaves on looms, and makes soap, candles and lotions.

Tasha Tudor does all her illustrations from life, from the field studies around her home. All the fantastic floral borders and blossom-packed wreaths that run around the margins of her books are painted with real-life gatherings from the meadows around her house. She has even known to freeze dead birds and mice, to thaw later as a field study!

Tasha Tudor uses fresh goat's milk, eggs, and herbs in her cooking. She held tea parties in the afternoons, and held puppet shows for local children. When asked how she first got started in the culinary arts, she responded, "by making mud pies, as a child." Her family carries on this tradition of afternoon teas by hosting special event teas, already sold out, at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Maine in December and February.

She still cooks by a cast iron stove, and cans tomatos and pears in the fall to put away for winter. Potatoes, squash, and carrots are stored in a root cellar. Apples are collected in the autumn and put through a cider press. When she was a child, that was the beverage served at mealtime.

Once the gardening season was over, she spent winters illustrating stories, drawing advent calendars, and creating Christmas cards. These are so charming....I hope you will visit her shop, and see what she has to offer during this holiday season. My favorite is the Sleigh Ride, reprinted from the vintage Tasha Tudor Christmas Card Collection. The interior greeting says: "With warm wishes for the holiday season" Those are my sentiments, exactly.