by Krista | Sep 30, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
(Good morning, dear ones! 🙂 The sun is shining brilliantly in Cancun and I’m finally relaxing. 🙂 Yesterday I got to swim down an UNDERGROUND river!!! Can’t wait to tell you all about my adventures. 🙂 Miss you muchly!)
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When I was a little girl I wanted desperately to live in the “olden days.” I didn’t much care which era, just as long as it involved adventure of some sort, and the opportunity to live off the land. I wanted to chop wood and milk cows and sleep under a bear skin. It all sounded very romantic and swashbuckling to my inexperienced self.
Nowadays I know better. I know the difficulties they experienced living far from civilization and all the protection, medical care, and social interaction it provided. But I confess I still get a hankering now and then to weave my own cloth on a loom, make butter in a churn, and get maple syrup right out of the tree.
This weekend I got to visit Fort Nisqually on Point Defiance. My friend Stacey knows I’m a crazy, history fanatic, so she let me drag her away from stunning ocean views to enter the walled enclosure and take a visual tour of a time when soldiers, adventurers and a few families left their comfortable worlds to create a new one in the wilderness at the height of the fur trade.
Fort Nisqually was a Hudson’s Bay Company outpost built in 1833, and was the first European settlement on Puget Sound. It employed laborers from America, England, French Canada, Hawaii, Ireland, Native American tribes, and Scotland, and became a thriving center of trade and agriculture.
It is now a living history museum where volunteers and staff, in period clothing, demonstrate the crafts of the 19th century and engage visitors in historic dialogue. Admission is $6 and allows you to wander through a general store, blacksmith shop, laundry and numerous other interesting buildings.
I enjoyed it immensely, picturing myself puttering away in the gardens, airing out the Hudson Bay blankets, or perhaps spending a cozy evening in the parlor of the main house playing cards by the light of an oil lamp.
Did you ever wish you could live in a different time in history? Which one?
by Krista | Sep 29, 2010 | Compatriot Wednesday
(I made it safe and sound to Cancun!! 🙂 Miss you all but having a marvelous time. 🙂 )
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It was a wild, stormy night when my friends and I gathered to cook dinner and hang out. Wind hurtled through the trees sending them into a wild dance that only added to the mysterious feel of the evening.
We sipped wine and visited happily as we dipped tortilla chips in various sorts of hummus and salsa. Half the folks gathered around the big screen TV to cheer and groan as they watched UFC, and the rest of us parked ourselves cozily in the living room to get caught up on a life and our latest adventures.
Cameron, Robin, Jason and Darren had worked hard that afternoon chopping and juicing apples for our annual hard cider making, but they set aside one jug of juice for our drinking pleasure. Oh my. Is there anything better than cold, freshly-pressed apple juice? So refreshing, tart and scrumptious. 🙂
Cameron and Robin gutted and seasoned the gorgeous fresh salmon they’d found for only $3 a pound, then slow cooked it in the smoker with Rooibos tea leaves until they were fragrant, tender, and absolutely delicious.
Ben scrubbed up beautiful little red potatoes, tossed them with olive oil, garlic, dried dill, salt and pepper, and roasted them for a good 45-50 minutes until they were soft and sweet and salty skins. Mmm.
Dana (my brother), Rachel (my sis-in-law), Bekah and I chopped red and green bell peppers and sweet onion for kabobs, and a whole pile of asparagus. Darren grilled them up beautifully until they were lightly blackened and oh so sweet.
We ended our evening at the hot tub, talking about all sorts of interesting things and soaking up that gorgeous warmth as the winds continued to go wild in the tree tops.
by Krista | Sep 28, 2010 | Gulliver Tuesday
I woke at 2:30 a.m., made it safe and sound to the airport and am happily munching on a toasted bagel while I wait for my flight. 🙂
I am absolutely thrilled to bits to have my friend Tuula sharing a guest post here today!! I have never met Tuula in person, but online she is one of my favorite people with her kindness, jolly spirit and supportive nature. Tuula is an American living in France and writes a beautiful blog sharing her adventures in France and Italy. (Click here to visit her Le Petit France blog and say hello.) Today she takes us with her on a shopping trip through a Roman market.
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As the temperatures begin to cool, and I find myself selecting over-sized scarves instead of sundresses, I can’t help but find myself in a very romantic mood. Call it the changing of the leaves, the anticipation of hearty meals capped with full-bodied wines, or simply the chance to slow down and explore the changing world around me, but fall is most certainly one of my favorite seasons.
And one of my favorite things to do during the fall months is explore: new regions, off-the-beaten track villages, and most certainly…town markets.
When I lived in Rome, I often worked near the well-know Testaccio market. Famed for many things, including the infamous “tomato man” who knows exactly which tomato works for each & every pasta dish (no small feat my friends), the market also retains its legendary status based on its proximity to another Roman foodie institution: Volpetti – a must-do stop for an with a love from gourmet Italian items (yeah, figure that includes just about everyone..). And while Provençal markets tend to become a bit subdued during the fall months, the Testaccio market is anything but quiet. Vibrant, colorful, and oh-so-Italian, the market is a perfect opportunity to explore the heart of Roman neighborhood-life.
And for that taste of neighborhood life, there’s nothing like arriving early (around 9am) and taking in the morning’s activities. There’s the women who washes and prepares the puntarelle (a Roman chicory) to be bagged and sold at her stand; the men who clean, prepare, and artfully display the fresh fish trucked-in from the Lazio coast; and since the majority of customers are locals who do their shopping there every day, there’s certainly no shortage of lively conversation. Topics range from pleasant inquires about shopper’s families to outright debates on anything from the correct ingredients for a traditional Roman Amatricana to the current shortcoming of the Roma soccer team.
And, if you get particularly lucky, you might just find yourself in front of some of Made in Italy’s finest apparel. Surrounding the market are shoe and clothing stalls that have incredible bargains if you’re willing to do a bit of searching. For around €15, and a bit of luck, you could come home with a pair of “Yes, I bought them in Italy aren’t they gorgeous?” handcrafted shoes. It happened to me one day, and yes, I bought two pairs.
Ahh, the sights & sounds of Rome mixed with a few pairs of gorgeous shoes- enough to make any gal happy about the change of seasons.
by Krista | Sep 27, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Good morning, dear ones! 🙂 How was your weekend? What lovely things did you discover or create?
I had a great weekend, but a chock-full, crazy-busy, now-I’m-so-tired-I-can’t-think-but-it-was-worth-it one. 🙂
I was able to go hiking with my friend Stacey, stay up much too late talking up a storm with her and our pal Trish, grill fresh salmon and all sorts of veggies with my bro and sis-in-law and a whole slew of dear friends, cheer on my sibs and friends in a marathon they ran today, and meet up with more family and friends for ice cream at Mallard, a splendid ice cream parlor in Bellingham.
Now I’m cozy in my armchair, sipping tea and luxuriating in the stillness and quiet, smiling at lovely memories and planning a new week.
This week is an exciting one for me because I’m heading to Cancun, Mexico for a writing assignment!! I still can’t quite believe it. 🙂 I’ve never been to this part of Mexico before, and cannot wait to explore, meet interesting people, and park myself on the beach for a few hours and do absolutely nothing but soak up sunshine, read a good novel, and rest, rest, rest. This will be my first vacation this year and although it’s a working one and only for a few days, I’m absolutely thrilled to pieces. I promise to take all sorts of pictures and share my adventures with you. 🙂
What is your favorite sort of a vacation? Are you a “happy to turn off the phone and stay home” sort of person, or do you like to head out to new places?
I wish you all a beautiful week!
by Krista | Sep 24, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, dear ones! 🙂
Today I’m writing you from my brother’s kitchen table where I’m tucking into fried eggs and slices of fried turkey. Mmm. My dear friend Stacey is visiting from Texas and we are about to brave the stormy skies and head to Point Defiance to hike along the coast. I can’t wait!!
We may get drenched but we’re feeling very Seattle-ish in our jeans and fleeces and think the gorgeous forest and rocky beaches will be well worth a soaking. Can’t wait to show you pictures next week!! 🙂
In the meantime I’ll share with you some “rainy forest floor” shots I took a while ago. 🙂
Now I must finish my tea and then we’re off!! 🙂
I wish you a beautiful weekend, dear friends. Do you have any fun plans you’re looking forward to?
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