Spring Rain

It's early Saturday morning in June.  My wife is napping on the couch with the dog and my son, recently home from his first year away at college is still asleep.

It's raining outside and the whole house is open so I can hear the sounds of spring.

Coconut Cake

The White Album - Raspberries

Blackberries

It's just starting to be blackberry season in the northwest.  I was talking with my wife, Jean,  about doing a blog post about the great blackberries to be had for free around the Seattle area.  She took me to a trail where she rides her horse.  As it's a horse only trail there is no pressure from bikes or pedestrians so the blackberries are plentiful.

It was a beautiful summer day and we took the dog, Dozer,  along for walk.  Jean has fed him blackberries in the past so he waited patiently for her to pick some for him.

Apparently Jean didn't pick them fast enough as Dozer decided to pick his own.   After he gorged himself on blackberries and grass he laid down for a nap and we could get back to filling the bowls.

I'd stay in the fields more if all the farm workers looked like this.

Some of our harvest.

Blackberry Sorbet with a hint of Lemon Thyme.

Summer Dinners with Friends

During July we enjoyed several dinners with some neighborhood friends.  I was asked to make something for dessert so what better summer dessert than fruit tarts and galettes.























Peach and raspberry galettes before baking.

A beautiful birdhouse and some peach and raspberry tarts.  Also peeking in the top left is a lemon tart with blueberries for my wife.  She loves lemon desserts.

My son with his back to us and some friends.

  














Our neighbor Pete attended.  His wife and daughter are spending the summer in Mongolia so Pete is a bachelor for eight weeks.  Nara, Pete's wife, asked us to make sure he was well fed during the time she was gone.  Pete has a lot of house projects to complete while they are away and she wanted to make sure he kept his strength up.   Apparently Pete is unable to get a spoon to stick to his nose.   I blame a sheltered childhood.  My son shows him how it's done.

 















There was also a puppy in attendance as there should be at every summer outdoor dinner.  The puppy was also unable to stick a spoon to his nose.

Prosecco with Peaches

A little glass of prosecco for my wife.  With peach slices.

Chives

Been a while, sorry about that.  Been a busy spring.  But with spring comes baby veg and new posts.  This is going to quick and painless I hope.

Chive flowers for spring.

Pomegranates at the farm in Enumclaw.

It's that time in the northwest, spring.   And with spring comes tulips followed by summer and lavendar.  So here are a couple quick images to get you in the mood.  Sorry no foodie stuff in this post.

Early morning in the tulip fields of Skagit county.

Mid afternoon in the lavender fields of Clallam county.

Notice any similarities?

Lunch with my son.

My son and I had a couple hours to kill while my wife took a knitting class at Renaissance Yarn and one of our favorite places is Fondi.  So we ambled over and grabbed a couple salads and a pizza. 

Simple salad at Fondi at Kent Station.

Fondi makes Neapolitan style pizza.  The best Neapolitan pizzas around with just the right amount of char on the crust.  If you get a chance I highly recommend this place.  It's a very relaxed place to have a pizza.

Milano Pizza at Fondi.

And while you're there having the best pizza outside of NYC wash it down with one of these. And by all means relax, eat slow and enjoy yourself.  Just like you were in Italy.

Late Summer Window Shopping

My wife and I did a little late summer window shopping at the local wineries and antique shops.  Nothing fancy, just a wonderful day out with my wife doing nothing.

The wineries were beautiful as ever.  One thing about them is they always look nice no matter what season.

Saw this display at a local antique shop.  Don't tell her but this may be a Christmas gift  for Jean. The feet below are just for me!

A Quick Trip to SLO

My family and I did a short trip to San Luis Obispo CA so that our son could check out Cal Poly. It's pretty high on his list of colleges to attend and he wanted to look around the area. Of course we turned it into a short vacation and spent four days on the beach.



















While we were there we found some great stores and restaurants in the town itself. One that really stood out was an Italian restaurant where we ate an early dinner. Palazzo Giuseppe has wonderful outside seating on a pedestrian walkway where you can people watch during your meal. The food was perfect as was the atmosphere. We will be back next time we are in the area which may be frequently if our son decides to attend Cal Poly.