island adventure
Jan. 18th, 2004 02:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ironymaidenyesterday was C's unbirthday saturday. we had a languid snuggly morning after the late night of opera and my fight with the Consumer Reports website. (i've paid the damn subscription fee for years now, and when i try to read any members only articles i can log on, but it asks me by name to subscribe and then won't show me any info. i spent more than an hour trying to work around it and then sent a really angry email. it would have been much easier to go to the library- and it's free) we rolled out of bed and packed up for his chosen destination - Bainbridge Island. got in the car and popped over to the post office to pick up the last of our stuff from the holiday trip, finally forwarded by C's parents after removing our bottles of alcohol. i would have happily paid for the UPS, but we didn't know there was a problem until it was too fucking late. it is a small comfort to know that T is dad's age and is still being treated like a child by his parents.
then we went to Nielsen's Pastries for potatoes and some other things that involved a thin ribbon of perfect custard and delicately carmelized cinnamon sugar. as C says, if you're going to break the diet, make it really worthwhile. they must be the last business in Seattle without a website, and they're not open sundays. i just love getting a pink box of pastries tied with twine, and the counter help is always pleasant, youngish, and punk rock, even though the store is really bright and kind of like the eat-in kitchen of my childhood friends without any kitschy design effort involved.
so we wound our way down to the docks and waited less than fifteen minutes to drive onto the ferry. this was our first time with the car and it went without a hitch. we were sorely disappointed to discover that there is no longer any food service on the ferry system (as of Dec 31, Sodexho dropped the contract and no company has renewed) so there would be no clam chowder or breve to sip while the wind knotted our hair on the bow. i snapped a few pictures of the Olympics and C looking out across the water that i hope come out. the mountains were visible in all directions, even though the clouds were low. the sound was bath calm, except for tugboat wakes.
getting off the ferry was a breeze, and i am continually amazed at the patient, courteous, and trusting northwesterners; no elaborate announcements, instructions, or flashing lights required, just a couple folks in orange vests making token gestures to direct traffic. we drove around a bit and then settled the car in Winslow and had lunch at the Streamliner. more perfect food, down to the strawberry freezer jam on the table. we visited the new condos across the street and got a big folder of info from the real estate place on the first floor. we dabbled in the various shops and i got a copy of Sake & Satori from the travel store, which i am devouring. it deserves its own post.
we wandered the island, and looked upon its beauty with lust in our hearts. thus far, if we were to live outside the city, it would be here. then we drove on across the Agate Passage (i think that's the name) bridge, and discovered the Clearwater Casino and Poulsbo. i though the casino didn't seem very busy, and then i saw the parking garage, with cars apparent on every deck. we decided we didn't have enough time to go to the peninsula proper, so we went south on 3 to Bremerton and caught that ferry home.
Bremerton is definitely Wilkes-Barre by the sea. we stopped at a driveup expresso place on the way so that we could have a hot beverage for the trip; they had a good dozen flavors of sugarfree syrup and i could have died. creme de menthe for me and english toffee for C. we literally drove right onto the ferry and were under way almost immediately. the Bremerton ferry appears to be a larger model than the Bainbridge one, and while the trip is longer, there's the payoff of sailing straight towards Mt Rainier for part of the trip, and the Cascades framing the city once we rounded Bainbridge Island. more pictures. there was someone onboard playing harp quietly the entire trip. i adore the people watching on the ferry...Sonics fans in full regalia, excited kids, romantic couples of all ages, bored commuters, musicians, cribbage players, people who stay on the car deck with their dogs, tourists, military. i can't understand how those girls in low-rise jeans can stay warm enough to be outside. we saw a fully loaded container ship coming in to dock as we arrived. i think those big orange cranes are so cool. they are crying for animal paint schemes. giraffe, elephant, paying mantis, one of those red head bobbing drinking birds, something.
gave up and went to the library to look at Consumer Reports to pick out new speakers for the stereo. we lost the cel phone somewhere in the car and i had to call it from the landline at home to find it under the seat. since we couldn't get into Marrakesh, we headed down to Panos Kleftiko for dinner.
the food was excellent, as always, and Max was in fine form. i know there's someone else who waits tables, but we've never had anyone but him. we were at the table up against the wine counter, and Panos comes out to help light a saganaki and asks C to make sure his hair is out of the way. C flips it over to the front of his left shoulder. the flames are huge, but if goes off without a hitch and the man is back to the kitchen. a moment later, C leans toward our table to reach for something and his hair drifts over the oil lamp on the table and catches on fire. i shout, he whips his head around, and it goes out. somebody in the restaurant says "Opa!" we all laugh, and open the door to clear the air. Max and Panos check on C, who is shaky, but fine, and we blow out the lamp.
after baklava, we drifted back home and i examined the damage. removing the fried bits took C's hair back to his shoulders. it looks pretty good, and he's starting to warm up to it as of this morning. fortunately, there's still enough weight that it isn't in afro mode.
nobody local carries the speakers that we picked from Consumer Reports, but i was able to order them direct from the factory, no shipping fees, open box with full warranty for $89 instead of $150. *does a little dance*
then we went to Nielsen's Pastries for potatoes and some other things that involved a thin ribbon of perfect custard and delicately carmelized cinnamon sugar. as C says, if you're going to break the diet, make it really worthwhile. they must be the last business in Seattle without a website, and they're not open sundays. i just love getting a pink box of pastries tied with twine, and the counter help is always pleasant, youngish, and punk rock, even though the store is really bright and kind of like the eat-in kitchen of my childhood friends without any kitschy design effort involved.
so we wound our way down to the docks and waited less than fifteen minutes to drive onto the ferry. this was our first time with the car and it went without a hitch. we were sorely disappointed to discover that there is no longer any food service on the ferry system (as of Dec 31, Sodexho dropped the contract and no company has renewed) so there would be no clam chowder or breve to sip while the wind knotted our hair on the bow. i snapped a few pictures of the Olympics and C looking out across the water that i hope come out. the mountains were visible in all directions, even though the clouds were low. the sound was bath calm, except for tugboat wakes.
getting off the ferry was a breeze, and i am continually amazed at the patient, courteous, and trusting northwesterners; no elaborate announcements, instructions, or flashing lights required, just a couple folks in orange vests making token gestures to direct traffic. we drove around a bit and then settled the car in Winslow and had lunch at the Streamliner. more perfect food, down to the strawberry freezer jam on the table. we visited the new condos across the street and got a big folder of info from the real estate place on the first floor. we dabbled in the various shops and i got a copy of Sake & Satori from the travel store, which i am devouring. it deserves its own post.
we wandered the island, and looked upon its beauty with lust in our hearts. thus far, if we were to live outside the city, it would be here. then we drove on across the Agate Passage (i think that's the name) bridge, and discovered the Clearwater Casino and Poulsbo. i though the casino didn't seem very busy, and then i saw the parking garage, with cars apparent on every deck. we decided we didn't have enough time to go to the peninsula proper, so we went south on 3 to Bremerton and caught that ferry home.
Bremerton is definitely Wilkes-Barre by the sea. we stopped at a driveup expresso place on the way so that we could have a hot beverage for the trip; they had a good dozen flavors of sugarfree syrup and i could have died. creme de menthe for me and english toffee for C. we literally drove right onto the ferry and were under way almost immediately. the Bremerton ferry appears to be a larger model than the Bainbridge one, and while the trip is longer, there's the payoff of sailing straight towards Mt Rainier for part of the trip, and the Cascades framing the city once we rounded Bainbridge Island. more pictures. there was someone onboard playing harp quietly the entire trip. i adore the people watching on the ferry...Sonics fans in full regalia, excited kids, romantic couples of all ages, bored commuters, musicians, cribbage players, people who stay on the car deck with their dogs, tourists, military. i can't understand how those girls in low-rise jeans can stay warm enough to be outside. we saw a fully loaded container ship coming in to dock as we arrived. i think those big orange cranes are so cool. they are crying for animal paint schemes. giraffe, elephant, paying mantis, one of those red head bobbing drinking birds, something.
gave up and went to the library to look at Consumer Reports to pick out new speakers for the stereo. we lost the cel phone somewhere in the car and i had to call it from the landline at home to find it under the seat. since we couldn't get into Marrakesh, we headed down to Panos Kleftiko for dinner.
the food was excellent, as always, and Max was in fine form. i know there's someone else who waits tables, but we've never had anyone but him. we were at the table up against the wine counter, and Panos comes out to help light a saganaki and asks C to make sure his hair is out of the way. C flips it over to the front of his left shoulder. the flames are huge, but if goes off without a hitch and the man is back to the kitchen. a moment later, C leans toward our table to reach for something and his hair drifts over the oil lamp on the table and catches on fire. i shout, he whips his head around, and it goes out. somebody in the restaurant says "Opa!" we all laugh, and open the door to clear the air. Max and Panos check on C, who is shaky, but fine, and we blow out the lamp.
after baklava, we drifted back home and i examined the damage. removing the fried bits took C's hair back to his shoulders. it looks pretty good, and he's starting to warm up to it as of this morning. fortunately, there's still enough weight that it isn't in afro mode.
nobody local carries the speakers that we picked from Consumer Reports, but i was able to order them direct from the factory, no shipping fees, open box with full warranty for $89 instead of $150. *does a little dance*
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no subject
Date: 2004-01-18 05:13 pm (UTC)I'd take the flaming hair as a warning from the gods. You must sacrifice to get back in their graces. I'll be glad to help.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-19 03:17 pm (UTC)