Michael & Jennie's Urban Scavenger Hunt

What fun to put together a Seattle neighborhood scavenger hunt covering Ballard, Fremont and Wallingford!  At 6:00pm a photo Jennie's front porch was sent to her iPhone as it signaled the commencement of this urban puzzle.  At the doorstep was a "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE" envelope with instructions to initiate the fun!  With wonders of technology, the answers were either texted or photos sent to me for confirmation. 

Here are the questions ~ let's see how you would do??  The photo and text answers are below

1.  A park in downtown Ballard is located in the heart of the business district on the triangular site, also the site of the Ballard Seafood Fest.  What is its name and the three cross streets?

2.  A giant concrete statue has been lurking under the north end of the Aurora bridge and snacking on children and cars since 1990. What kind of car is depicted?  Find one of these cars and send me a photo.

3.  Wallingford’s oldest grocery store! Send me its name and address!

4.  This chocolate is proud to be the only Organic, Fair Trade, Bean to Bar, Chocolate factory in the United States.  Do you know it?  The Fremont factory tours are conducted daily but such a crowd pleaser that a reservation is required!  Since they are closed right now, stop into your nearest PCC or Bartells to photograph a bar!

5.  Founded in 1980, the museum is dedicated to the heritage of Seattle's Nordic immigrants, i.e. Danish, Finnish, Icelandic,Norwegian and Swedish Americans. It serves as a community gathering place and shares Nordic culture by exhibiting art and objects, preserving collections, providing educational and cultural experiences. 

6.  Downtown in Post Alley is well known Italian restaurant called “The Pink Door”, in the “center of the universe” neighborhood is an alehouse called “------ Door”.  Stop in, grab a flyer, paper menu or free postcard.

7.  The leading stock photography company with a famous name is headquartered in Fremont.  Do you know where their main entrance is located?  Across the street from their main entrance is the "most popular search" engine company.  Send me the name!

8.  Located in Wallingford, this store is considered to be Seattle’s weirdest tourist attraction.  They are celebrating 25 years of Oddities for your pleasure and entertainment.  When you find this shop, you must purchase an item under $1.00, and collect a business card.

9.  Formerly Interlake Public School, this destination is now  “Your Neighborhood Shopping and Dining Destination in the Heart of Wallingford.”

10.  Myrna’s favorite bead store – this should be a piece of cake!   Send me the name of this store!

11.  What burger joint begun in 1954 is well know for providing college scholarships for it’s workers?  Go to the nearest location, order a burger, save the wrapper please!

12.  There are 5 registered historic buildings in Ballard:

         Ballard Avenue shops

         Carnegie Library building

         Fire Station house

         Ballard Bridge

         Hiriam Chittenden Locks

Which one of these buildings used to be a nightclub & restaurant, and now a restaurant ~ what it’s current name?  Stop in to pick up a business card!

13.  Not far from “Waiting for the Interurban” is an import shop named after the most inspiring city in the world!  What makes this city unique is its split between two continents: Europe and Asia.  Find this city’s namesake store and sent me the name!

14.  A 16 foot (5 m) bronze sculpture of Bolshevik Russian Communist revolutionary located in the “center of the universe” neighborhood.

15.  Located on the corner of Ballard Ave NW and 22nd Ave NW in Ballard neighborhood, surrounded by rock walls and large pieces of stone and driftwood mingle with traditional playground furniture to create a unique play area and open space for children and adults.  What is located at the top of the central structure?  

16.  The last clue:  Best margaritas in town! Within site of the neon "rocket", south of the border cuisine.  Hurry up, reservations at 8:30!!

Answers: 

1. Market, 22nd & 24th 

2. 

3. Durn Good Grocery

4.

5. 

6. Red Door Alehouse

7. Google

8. 

9. 

10. Fusion Beads

11. Dick's Burgers

12. Fire Station House ~ now Hi Life

13. Istanbul Imports

14. Stalin

15. Bell

16. El Camino near the rocket

LOVE and A Turkey Pot Pie

WEST SEATTLE 

In our house my Dad preferred to have home cooked Filipino foods for our nightly dinners together.  We'd have a pot of rice, a main dish of chicken and pork adobo, ground beef and green bean piccadillo, a pot of Sinigang soup and so on.   

When I was a child I used to love when my Mom would buy TV dinners and pot pies.  With my Dad away on military assignment in Vietnam, my Mom a school teacher and four of us feed, is when we were treated to the drive thru of our neighborhood "golden arches" ~ sounds funny but when you grow up eating full on ethnic home cooked meals a McDonald's burger and fries were a treat!  

Fish sticks, Salisbury steak TV dinners and pot pies were occasional Friday night meals that we all looked forward to having! A few years ago with leftover turkey in the house, I decided to try my hand at pot pies.  

Starts with 10 to 12 pound organic free range turkey, on a bed of celery sticks surrounded by quartered lemon and onions...

seasoned heavily with sea salt, red and black pepper...

 baked at 350 for about 3 to 3.5 hours...

mis en place:  

carrots, onions, turkey, turkey drippings, peas, green beans, potatoes, mushrooms, butter and flour

once the sauce mixture is cooked through and slightly cooled, its time to fill the 5 inch pie crusts...

meanwhile, cutting the puff pastry pie tops and cut out snowflakes and leaves...

brush with an egg and cream mixture before placing into a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

the aroma is heavenly comforting...

fresh out of the oven...


aren't they gorgeous? Crisp, golden and oh, so yummy...

packaged for giving....

for Tony, Dad, Dixie, Jennie, Heather, Steve, saving one for Sony, Kirst and Dave, Ann,,,
anyone else?

OOH AHH, SANG SPA

LOOKING BACK ~ UBUD

Spas, spas, everywhere ~ how do you choose one?  Luckily the recommendation for to Sang Spa came with Frog Song.  From the first visit having chosen the full treatment: six hours of treatments can be blissful though much like Bali itself, it was much more than that.

Susie and I shared two treatments:  the first ~  the Holistic Sang Spa package, the second the Eat, Pray Love package with the ultimate Good Karma massage.  That's 90 minutes of four hands, twenty fingers of synchronous massage.  My third treatment, booked several weeks in advance was another 90 minutes with spa owner Asti called Intuitive Flow massage.  Her strong hands and even pressure most definitely increased positive flow of energy.

This last time with Sang Spa was magical on so many levels.  I had requested Ami as my therapist again having met her the first visit.  The driver came to collect me at Frog Song and so we began our journey to the spa talking about his family, his home town of Singaraja and hopes for the future ~ a bit about my life both personal and professional, where I'm headed, and so on.  Very accommodating, genuinely interested and graciously friendly.

The frogs at Frog Song villa near the entrance.

And 25 minutes later we arrive at Sang Spa 2 ~ there are three locations in Ubud.  This location just finished with renovations to the entrance...

a tranquil walk down an austere and tranquil path...

a curve to the right...

 past a rooster or two, down a few steps..

and you're welcomed by a warm smile and friendly greeting!

Ami on the left

After I've received a cool drink, the receptionist helps me choose my scrub, facial and of course, a light lunch choice.  Everything is offered with generosity and kindness and some times a giggle or two!

Owner Asti, Ami and other spa therapists.

A quick moment to take photos of the staff, therapist and owner Asti, on the left above.

After the initial 90 minute massage, a special herb treatment followed by coconut jasmine scrub, a shower then honey yogurt coating, and a rinse...this grand rose bath is a dream.

The compilation of music, combined with sounds of trickling water or light raindrops on the thatched roof is hauntingly soothing and comforting.

Cap cay, rice and special house made lemonade. A fabulous lunch of fresh steamed vegetables in their flavorful broth served in basket bowl lined with banana leaf. Perfect!

All over Bali you'll notice shrines and temples wrapped in black and white checked fabric and ornately donned with parasols, flowers, and offerings.  The black and white represents the age old battle of good and evil, in which the Balinese believe the good always wins over evil.

Preparation for the final treatment of the day, a decadent foot and leg massage and pedicure followed by a manicure.

Ami and I have a few moments while we await the arrival of the portable credit card machine from another location.  Asti agreed to allow me to use a credit card for my services and purchases ~ such encouragement!

Ami and my flat.

Below, Ami, the receptionist and driver are in awe as they learn the total of my Bali Tangi purchases! Sang Spa has their own product lines and shop just a minute down the road but I didn't dare walk through the store for fear of overspending. Ha!  With the help of my friends at Sang Spa, my suitcase was filled with five one-liter massage oil containers, toner, gel mask, facial and body scrubs, lotions, incense, moisturizers, and a foot treatment package.   Enough to put someone through school!

Never a need to experience another spa ~ Sang Spa offers an incredible array of treatments, in relaxing setting filled with a wonderful staff. 

Absolutely wonderful!

Bali Kopi & Luwak Coffee Tasting

STARBUCKS CORPORATE OFFICES

What better place to taste two exclusive Balinese coffees than with colleagues and friends at Starbucks?  Both of these coffees were purchased at a small coffee plantation down the road from Jatilwuth on the way to the sea.  

The history of the most expensive coffee in the world ~ this 100 gram packet was 600,000 rupiah or a little over $60 is interesting. In the 1650s the Dutch had command of the Indonesian farms and farmers and did not allow the common folks to pick the beans for there own use.  Industrious as they were, instead they collected the civet cat poop, who fed off bright red ripe coffee berries, carefully separately and cleaned the beans from the rest.  

The digestive system of the cats were delicate enough to pass the beans unharmed.  Farmers roasted them lightly and thus created a highly specialized Luwak Coffee.

Bali Kopi and Luwak Coffee...let the tasting begin!

Jennie with knife in hand!  

Always important to have delicate pairings when tasting coffees.  Here we share an Italian fruited panettone, brioche, and squash breads.

The grind of these coffees is extremely fine so Dixie was kind enough to figure out the best way to "brew" the coffees.  It took a bit of time for the grounds to sink towards the bottom of the press. 

Dixie:  Strong cherry berry flavor with a clean finish.  It left the tongue quickly.  It wasn't roasty, which makes sense since it would take away from the flavor.

pictured left to right:  Dixie, Jody, Jeremy, Kelly, Alicia and Jennie's head

Jeremy especially like the soft bread with fruity goodness...when you drink this much coffee perhaps the flavor nuances are not as critical!

Carlos:  I thought the Bali coffee was outstanding! My favorite was the first one we tried. I like it because it was strong but not overwhelming.

Taiece:  I thought the coffee tasted great!  It was really smooth without that bitter after taste many coffees have.  The flavor was earthy/organic like a homegrown tomato.

left around the table: Jeremy, Kelly, Alicia, Jennie, Carlos, Taiece, Dixie's head and Jody

ready, set...slurp and swish!

Myrna and Jody

Kelly on Bali Kopi:

I was surprised that this coffee had a very mild aroma – nothing really stood out to me at all.  I was also surprised when I tasted it. It had no acidity – which is typical of an Indonesian coffee, but it did not have the typical body.  The coffee had a surprisingly light mouthfeel – and the flavor was very balanced.  It was quite yummy, and I would definitely drink this coffee again.

Luwak:

This coffee was very intriguing from the first smell.  It had a strong earthy, herbal aroma – it smelled…..green.  The aroma in the cup reminded me of the smell of green coffee beans.  The flavor was very similar to the taste – rich with notes of grass, soil and herbs.  Like the Bali, the Luwak had no acidity, but was still very light in the mouth – no heavy, lingering aftertaste. 

Jeremy's tasting cup

Chocolates go well after a coffee tasting!

Jennie and I wired!  Nah, not really...

Nice pose Alicia and Carlos

Louie gets the girls with chocolates!

Coffee tasting....Part two!

More Bali Kopi & Luwak Coffee tasting with Jennie, Sara, Colleen and Karrie.

Isn't Sara wearing a cool sweater??? Oh, yea...coffee tasting.

Pretty smokey,.earthy, raw...

Karrie found that in tasting them against each other, she preferred Bali Kopi.

Yumm....Civet coffee. This time Jennie and I took the time to taste each
coffee. Jennie liked Luwak and I preferred the other.