Jazz at the Ajax

I love the Ajax Cafe in Port Hadlock. I've been going there since - well, way back when! Back when a man named Lonny owned it and was the chef. At that time, the place was cramped and dollar bills, women's undies and heaven knows what else was pinned to the ceiling with the restaurant's own cutlery! And the walls held a wild assortment of hats! As Lonny cooked, flames would flare in the kitchen which was open to the restaurant. Today's Ajax is a bit more refined - but not enough to lose its appeal. And the hats sill adorn the walls; from tricorns, to sunhats; from cowboy hats to garden party affairs. No chair matches any other and the menus still appear in LP covers dating back to when music came on large, black plastic disks.

So last night's visit was in honor of my friend Jim whose jazz band was playing. They are going to be playing there on Tuesday nights, from 6-8. Mardelle, Jim's wife and several of her friends, including me, sat at the groupie table! What fun! The restaurant was packed, some wearing silly hats, others just getting silly over drinks!

The menu focuses on local, with grassfed beeffrom Short's Family Farm, wild caught fish and the freshest, local veges from Red Dog Farms and poultry from Spring Rain Farms. I don't think I have ever had a bad meal there. And Ryan, who goes to some very high-end restaurants in Hollywood and LA, loves the place and the food. So high praise indeed!

Last night, I opted for the clam chowder, for the first time. And was blown away! This is not ordinary clam chowder - this is filled with real, whole clams in their shells, not a lot of potato and the most delicious, creamy broth. I think I just found my all-time favorite clam chowder.

Ajax Cafe - 21 Waters Street, Port Hadlock, Wa

(360) 385-3450

Open for Dinner Tuesday through Sunday, at 5pm. Closed Mondays

Seattle's Underground Tour

You must understand that the last two posts, on the Seattle Wheel and to Chihuly Glasshouse and Garden and this one all happened IN ONE DAY! What a sensory overload! But I loved every minute of it. This is something I have wanted to do but never got around to, since I moved up here to the Pacific Northwest 26 years ago. It's taken me this long to go Underground Seattle.  Years ago, when a group of us came over from Port Townsend to do up the town, we were at a jazz club in Pioneer Square and I saw a sign for Bill Spiedel's Underground Tour. That was when I learned that the current city of Seattle is built right on top of the original city!

But I learned more from the tour - that the original city fathers neglected to factor in the tides when building the original city, with major consequences. Some not too pleasant, like sewage backing up and exploding uphill in the houses on the bluffs; building being swamped on the incoming tides and the eventual rebuilding of the city after a disastrous fire wiped it out.

Walking through the dusty corridors, listening to our chipper tour guide, you can imagine what it must have been like. Of course, the rooms and old sidewalks are all reinforced and there is electric light down there, but looking up, the old purple-tinged glass lights or prisms are a reminder of times gone by.

Bill Speidel's Underground Tour

608 First Ave, in Seattle’s Pioneer Square, between Cherry Street and Yesler Way.

[206] 682 4646

Ticket Prices

$16.00 Adults (18-59 yrs) $13.00 Seniors (60+ yrs) $13.00 Students (13-17 yrs or w/valid college ID) $8.00 Children (7-12 yrs) Kids 6 and under are admitted free, but may find the 75-minute tour challenging

Eye Candy

That same weekend that Ryan was visiting, I was trying to keep pace with what he wanted to see and do. Our next stop in Seattle after the Great Wheel was the Chihuly Glass House and Garden. I had seen the Chihuly Bridge of Glass in Tacoma but hadn't even heard about the Glass House and Garden! Shows how isolated and out of touch I have been. This place should be on every person's bucket list. What an awe-inspiring, mind-blowing, spectacular place! The colors, the art, the the the the ....just everything! How beautiful!

And to be able to see it with my wonderful son was the icing on the cake.

This is a place that defies description. It is eye candy for the soulr. It is a place you have to experience. And although photos don't do it justice, I took a lot of pictures. Interior lighting was spectacular, illuminating the art so it stood out from an often black infinite space.  Impossible colors pop and even though there are numerous people around, I felt as if this was done just for me.

The gardens were a mind-blowing experience, and I can only wonder what it would have been like if the sun had been out! Complementary colors, shape against shape, impossible colors glowing among nature's own, natural flowers.

How could I have missed seeing this place? Now I know it's there and whenever a visitor comes to my house,  this is on the  list of must-sees.

I do have one suggestion, though. DO NOT take small children! There is just far too much priceless glass around for exuberant youngsters! Send them to Grandma's house and show them the pictures later! You will be so on edge and nervous, making sure they don't touch anything, that you won't be able to enjoy the beauty.

Chihuly Garden and Glass

305 Harrison St Seattle, WA 98109

HOURS

Sunday - Thursday	10am  –  9pm
Friday & Saturday	10am  –  10pm

Regular	Ages 13-64	$19
King County Special	Ages 13+	$15
Senior	Ages 65+	$17
Youth	Ages 4-12	$12
Child	3 and Under	Free

Being Brave

I've been a real slacker, not posting in the last month. Now I will try to catch up. So my adventures may not be in chronological order and I might do several shorter posts.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Do one thing everyday that scares you."

A couple of weeks ago, Ryan came to visit for the weekend and as he just can't sit still, we were on the move ... a lot! And the first thing he wanted to do was to ride the Seattle Great Wheel. Ferris wheels scare me. Heights scare me. So to get on that thing took a lot of talking to myself! And of course I did it because Ryan wanted to, and Mum's usually end up doing what their kids want, regardless of age!

I had no idea we would do that many revolutions! At the start, the attendant pointed out the red panic button in the gondola and I was sorely tempted! As the wheel started to move, my knees went weak and I thought I would either throw up or pee myself! Lucky for me, I did neither. But I could not look down! Looking out the side was ok and each rotation, it got a bit easier. When I was able to look out, the view was phenomenal! From the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound in the west, north up the Puget Sound and east looking out at the beautiful Seattle skyline to the Cascades. Then south over the dock area and the big cranes and ships that line the waterfront.

But I did it and I could probably do it again - if I absolutely had to.Finally, after five big long times around, we were released and boy, was I glad to be on terra firma.

Hours of Operation:

1301 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA

Monday-Thursday      11 AM-10 PM Friday                               11 AM-Midnight Saturday                          10 AM-Midnight Sunday                             10 AM-10 PM

Adult $13 Child $8.50 And if you are very brave you can get the VIP package - Great Wheel VIP $50.00 / each The VIP gondola is the special luxury gondola with four leather bucket seats and a GLASS floor.

It's Time to Fly

At last, and on the most gorgeous day, I get to fly over Puget Sound on a Kenmore Air float plane with the Department of Ecology. I am writing a couple of articles about how the water quality of the Sound is monitored. It has been delayed and delayed - weather (no surprise there) and equipment but today is going to be just perfect. There is a very light north wind and absolutely clear skies.

So stay tuned for more - photos and video!

Off I go into the wild blue yonder.

UPDATE: Here's the link to my other blog about the trip

A Local Adventure of Sorts

Adventures don't necessarily have to be earth shattering or spectacular. They can just be something you don't often do and yesterday evening was just that.

Mardelle sings in the Port Townsend Community Chorus and Susan was given some tickets so we went to support our friend. It was at the Presbyterian Church in town so I got to drive my new car at night for the first time.

The church is old; built in 1889 and has a beautiful old organ which is recognized as an historical piece. It wasn't used in the concert, but was the backdrop. The concert was all Civil War songs - spirtuals, slavery, war. It was a great selection of music, some poetry thrown in, but what got me was that a lot of the songs were gospel-type songs that came from slavery - and there wasn't a single dark face in the entire group. So somehow they lacked the impact you tend to get - or at least I do - from black gospel. Or in South Africa, the black singers.

Some of the readings were about building the country, rights of all etc., which sadly are the same words being spoken almost 250 years later. I guess evolution takes a long time.

Local Tripping: Bainbridge Island

Last weekend I played tourist on Bainbridge Island, just 45 minutes away. The town of Winslow is the connecting port for the Seattle Ferry, so there is a fair amount of traffic on the main road as people make their way back and forth. A lot of commuters live on the Island, too, avoiding the city hubbub.

I have spent little time there, mostly driving to and from the ferry and visiting a friend who lives there. And once, many many years ago, went to a very larny restaurant there. So it was a real adventure for me and Susan who joined me for the get-out-of-Dodge day.

The first road after we crossed Agate Pass, we went right. And that was it. Blue highways all the way. We ended up driving around the entire island and were amazed at the diversity of the houses. On one lot or parcel, an expansive farm with barns, horses, llamas. On the next, a dilapidated tear down, with moss and trees shrouding it, ancient vehicles rusting back into the earth. Then a brand new Craftsman-style for one of the neo-wealthy, probably a Microsoft employee! And right next to that, perhaps a lovely old Victorian lady all dressed up in pretty colors. It was surprising to see how many homes there are, tucked away in the woods.

As we looped our way around the island, we ducked into coves with docks and amazing views across the inlets. Some looked across the still waters to more houses. From other vantage points, across at the amazing Seattle skyline. We looked for the restaurant from years ago, but discovered by googling it that it had closed.

People of all shapes and sizes were enjoying the pretty day, at the parks, biking, running and walking. Dogs were enjoying the beaches and frigid waters as owners tossed sticks for them.

To end our outing, we went into Pegasus Coffee down on the waterfront in Winslow. Sunday afternoon with a very loud band encouraged us to sit outside on the patio under the heaters, welcome warmth as the sun went over the yardarm.

For everyone who has grown blasé about their local surrounds, I can only encourage you to get out and about, look at things through a tourists eyes and you will be amazed at what you might find.

An Outing to Port Gamble

As I promised myself, I would make every outing an adventure! Today my granny friend Susan and I took a little jaunt across the Hood Canal floating bridge to Port Gamble.

It is a tiny dot on the map, but very attractive with some cute artsy craftsy sort of stores which are housed in the old houses that line the street. The first little store we visited, The Artful Ewe, is a yarn store - every color and type you can imagine! Vibrant, brilliant color! And the most adorable whippet called Princess Grace, who welcomed us in her knitted collar and pearls!

I have lived within 15 minutes of the village for 9 years, visiting the store a few times when they used to serve a buffet-style breakfast in the General Store. Since then, it has become quite a little tourist town and the serve-yourself cafe is now a full-blown restaurant with a very good menu and an excellent reputation.

After browsing the eastern side of the street, we ended up at the Port Gamble General Store and Cafe, which also houses the local logging museum. The store has a whole wall banked with candy! And a wide variety of other tourist-type goods, like cards and hats and t-shirts. It also has a very good selection of local wines. However, we chose to have a snack, sans wine! I had a delicious clam chowder with smoked salmon that was more bisque than chowder. Definitely recommend it and Susan had sweet potato fries with blue cheese and garlic! Wow, they really pack a punch. The leftovers were quite pungent, creating an interesting aroma in the car.

The last store we visited is called TangoZulu and is an import store with a difference. They only deal in Fair Trade goods which included Ilala Baskets up in Zululand which I have visited. There were other Zulu things there - the wire baskets, wire and bead key rings, motorbikes made from coke cans, the usual tourist things we see in South Africa but a rare find in cloudy Washington.

Port Gamble, according to the Kitsap County Visitor and Convention Bureau:

Port Gamble

The village streets of this once bustling logging town haven't changed much since the 1850s.

The original New England Victorian-style homes have been preserved, along with the town's general store and stately church.

Port Gamble is a National Historic site. While you're there, visit the hilltop cemetery and look for the grave of the first US Navy man killed in battle in the Northwest.

Prior to its closing in 1995, the Port Gamble Mill was the oldest continuously operating sawmill operating in North America.

The Port Gamble General Store is still just that, selling clothing, a wide variety of specialty gifts, toys and gourmet foods. A restaurant within the General Store features homemade favorites. There are also antique shops, a trading company featuring local artists, a day spa, a now famous truffle shop and more.