The Season Marches On -- Tulips and More at Point Defiance Park

What a difference a month makes. On Monday I took my camera and tripod to Tacoma's Point Defiance Park, without even realizing it had been exactly a month to the day since I last shot some photos. Those were for my blog post called "A Perfect Spring Day at Point Defiance." That day had seemed perfect, considering what preceded it, but yesterday was even better, warm with sunshine and rich with color. I took this photo of tulips with the foreground in sun and a shadow over the rear part of the flower bed.

During the month since my last visit, the daffodils must had reached their peak without me there. Just opening when I saw them last, the common King Alfred type have shriveled and turned brown. Now some of the fancier members of this family of bulb flowers, like narcissus and paperwhites, take their place with equal charm.

 

 

 

I was just in time to see the tulips. Their season of glory shows signs of ending. The weekend's warm weather must have caused them to rush into full bloom, although, as you can see, many nice examples remain. If you haven't had the chance to see them, enjoy these photos. Rain will surely cause their petals to drop.

I especially liked these red ones, and the purple ones below.

Don't stop scrolling yet. There is so much more to see.

 

 

Repairs to the pagoda, after the terrible arson fire, are coming along nicely.

Work on the roof is nearly done.

 And it's seagull-approved.

Take a photo tour of the Japanese garden...

...where water adds to the sense of tranquility.

Every time I turned around, I saw sights that refreshed me and brightened my day.

Thank you for taking part of your day to let me share my walk through the park. Aren't we lucky that Tacoma's early citizens cared enough about us to preserve this beautiful place? What are we doing now for generations yet to come?

All photos in this blog post are the property of Candace Brown

Copyright 2012  Candace J. Brown

Lycoming College Students Give Hearts and Hands to Tacoma

When I entered the basement of Bethlehem Lutheran Church I expected to attend a meeting. I never expected to find 26 college students camped out there, tired looking but cheerful, with their damp work clothes hung up to dry on some overhead pipes. Someone told me they’d come all the way from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, as members of the Lycoming College campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Wow, I thought. There’s a story for Good Life Northwest in here somewhere. I want to meet them. And I did.

These students volunteered to spend their spring break not in Mexico or Florida, but outdoors in Tacoma, Washington, during a March week full of crazy weather, mud, and chilly temperatures, as participants in Habitat's Spring Break Collegiate Challenge. They paid their own airfare to come work with the Tacoma-Pierce County Habitat for Humanity affiliate on a housing project called Larabee Terrace, at E Street and East 36th. That location doesn't exactly make you think of a beach on the Gulf Coast. Instead of swimsuits they wore jeans, T-shirts and sweats, and usually jackets, along with an important fashion accessory: a hard hat. But the next day, when I drove out to the job site under blue skies and sunshine, I witnessed a bunch of hard working people having a lot of fun.


"We might not be at the beach but I'm loving it," said Jestie Higgins. She was eager to speak to me. "It's really beautiful out here and it's such a great place to come and help people out. It's such a strong Habitat group, with a strong program going on here. I think it's kind of an honor to get to come and help them and learn from them."

A senior named Matteuw Hines agreed. He told me about the three years he's taken these trips, including one to New Orleans, and what he thought of Tacoma: "It's pretty good out here. I really like the guys we have to work with, nice good-hearted people. It's a change of scenery too. But I'm not used to having the weather change every five minutes. This is the best weather yet."

The many positive comments about the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate made me curious to know more. Later I called the office and spoke to Cassandra Jarles, Director of Volunteer Services and learned that out of 1600 affiliates across America they rank in the top 50 for how many houses they build each year. They feel enormous gratitude for any help received in the form of volunteerism, cash donations, or used building materials, furniture, appliances, fixtures, etc. to stock the ReStore they operate, another place needing help.

"We're hoping to complete Larabee Terrace by the end of this year," said Jarles. "It would be great if we could have all the homes done by October. It all depends on how many volunteers we get." The Spring Break Collegiate Challenge makes a huge difference.

"We love working with the college kids in collegiate challenge!" said Executive Director Maureen Fife. "They bring an amazing energy and positive attitude to anything they do, whether its working in a muddy foundation trench or putting a roof on. They are game for anything, and always with a smile on their faces. It is really our honor to work with them."

I met one of the three site managers, a local guy with decades of professional experience in construction. Carl, the only name he wanted used, gives a lot of his time to Habitat for Humanity, even though he could be earning good money doing jobs of his own. I could see Carl's passion for what he does, and it made me wonder how many other good people like him quietly go about making the world a better place and don't expect applause. Just in that one day I met many such people. In addition to the students, their adviser, the Campus Minister Rev. Jeffrey LeCrone and three fellow advisers were working hard, as were a number of local volunteers and some future homeowners. The hillside buzzed with activity, punctuated with that satisfying sound of hammers hitting wood.

"We try to build as 'green' as we can," Carl told me, "and we'll recycle about 95% of this stuff." Even the earth moving was done with the environment in mind. I met Chad Bickle who owns a local excavation company called Green Tech. All his equipment runs on vegetable oil, and he's the only one in the area with a business like this.

The word "Terrace" in the name of the development describes it well, since the property where 12 houses will eventually stand slopes at quite an angle. Retaining walls were built to accommodate that number of home sites. Only a few houses are presently under construction, but the size of the project made it perfect for the large group from Lycoming, which was one reason they were matched up with this site.

"We build for our local affiliate back home but we don't put up as many houses because there we can only take a maximum of six or seven people on a work site," said student leader Allison Batties. "That's because we don't have as many leaders to guide us along. So on spring break we look for a site that has lots of projects and lots of leaders to keep everybody busy." Another reason to travel afar is to see other parts of the country. Allison mentioned getting to see the Space Needle in Seattle, and several students remarked on the beauty of Mount Rainier.

"We did get a chance to do a little sightseeing in Seattle one day," said Rev. LeCrone, "and we went to Point Defiance Park too. It's great when students like this give up their spring break to come and help the local affiliate, and it's been a pleasure to take them and the other advisers across the country. They're a great group to work with."

He appreciates the people in Tacoma too. Most of the meals the students ate that week were donated by community groups, churches, a home school and a large number of private individuals. On the night I met them at the church they were heading to the Varsity Grill for a free dinner. The downtown Tacoma YMCA offered a place to take showers and several churches provided shelter at night. It all helped with the many expenses associated with feeding, housing, and transporting thirty people.

I hung around until late in the afternoon, until the time came for the Lycoming chapter to end the last day on this project. They would be followed by other college groups until the challenge ends on April 3rd. Before heading out the students looked around at their accomplishments with a sense of pride and unity. Unity happens to be another thing Habitat for Humanity builds. Carl said: "We're planning to make one of these houses an interfaith project. We'll have volunteers from several different groups working together, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and local Native American tribal members."

Standing there in the sunshine I could look off to the northwest and see a bit of a view. I pictured all that positive energy and goodwill of the volunteers being absorbed into this place, Larabee Terrace, a small neighborhood that families I'd never know would someday call home. I hope they wake up every morning and think about their good fortune and the volunteers who made it all possible. I thought about something the young woman named Jestie said to me, when referring to kids from a home school group that came to serve them lunch: "They were a great bunch of kids and hopefully this will inspire them to come out and pick up a hammer someday."
Hopefully it will, Jestie, and hope is just what you and your friends are bringing to America. Thanks from all of us.



Note: There are still hungry, hard working college students on this project, from other states. Are there more kind citizens of Tacoma out there who can help with meals?















A few facts from the website of the Tacoma-Pierce County Habitat for Humanity:

Habitat has housed more than 291 adults and 588 children

Compared to children of renters, the children of homeowners are 25% more likely to graduate from high school.

Approximately 75% of Tacoma households cannot afford to purchase a home at the median price of $232,000.

Home ownership builds stronger communities. Compared to renters, homeowners are 28% more likely to repair or improve their homes.

Hydrangeas -- Blue and (making me) Sentimental

Dear Readers,

 I know many of you love hydrangeas as much as I do, so even though this post was originally published during the month of July in a past year, I felt like offering it again. This little story makes me feel good. I hope it will do the same for you. May the rest of your summer bring wonderful experiences you will someday savor as memories, as I do my own from childhood.

The gardener learns many lessons from plants, and here are two:

1.) Life is determined to go on.
2.) Nothing is inconsequential.

I think of these lessons when I see the hydrangeas in Point Defiance Park, here in Tacoma, as well as in my own garden.

Family stories always start out on what seemed like an ordinary day. Even though I hadn’t been born yet, I can picture the day when this story began, decades ago. I can see it in my mind, partly because I know July in the Northwest, or at least what it ought to be. July is when summer’s first flush of color is over, the lawn turns brown, and everything slows down. It’s the month of wet bathing suits hanging on the clothesline, mirages of heat hovering over blacktop, and baby pears forming on the trees. It had to be July because hydrangeas were blooming. Some things never change.

Hydrangeas at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma

At our place on Vashon Island our long, graveled driveway ran east in a straight line from what everyone called “the main road" and passed right by the seldom used front entrance of our old house before heading toward the back. A few steps alongside a bed of orange and yellow nasturtiums brought you to the screen door on the utility porch, which led to the kitchen. The welcome felt humble but warm. On summer days, the inner door to the kitchen stayed open and the outer screen door slammed about every two minutes, with kids running in and out.

I picture the day when this story begins as sunny, warm, and dry. I can’t tell you what occupied my mother at that hour, but something did, one of her endless household chores. Or she might have already been outside hanging clothes on the line or weeding a flowerbed. In any case, a car pulled into driveway, raising a little dust that hung in the still, warm air and she looked up to see who it was. 

 A friend, on the way to somewhere, had picked a big blue blossom from her own hydrangea bush and pulled up to our house to give my mother this small gift. I can picture Mom’s smile, the way she stood next to the open car window, holding the hydrangea bloom in her hand while they talked. And talked. And talked. Finally, she got tired of holding the top-heavy stem with its mop of little blue flowers, and she turned around and stuck it into a flowerbed next to the house.

Now that hydrangea cutting, like a newborn baby snipped from the umbilical cord, was shocked but still full of life. My mother poked it into the rich soil right near where an outdoor faucet jutted out from the wall, a place of perpetual dampness from the hose or the filling of the old galvanized watering can. She just stuck it there while they talked some more and eventually forgot about it. The friend drove off and the day went on. The little cutting, however, felt the damp soil and at some level of cellular awareness knew to start sending out its first small hairs of roots.



Do you ever think of how life is like a kaleidoscope, each colorful little piece of it ready to be shifted and changed at the slightest touch? When a branch is broken or pruned, growth takes off in a new direction. The encouraging or discouraging word affects the child’s mind. Intentionally or not, everything we do turns the cylinder just enough to tumble those pieces into a whole new design. The thoughts of a friend, the gift of a flower, the contact with moist soil, all worked together in an act of creation, and the next spring my mother noticed that the little cutting hidden among the weeds had rooted and lived and was sending out new growth. Over the summer it grew larger. By the next year, we had a hydrangea bush next to the house.

That hydrangea, embodying the hue of the sky on a perfect summer day, became part of home and my childhood. I can’t picture riding my bike down the driveway, being up in the limbs of the adjacent willow tree, or looking out the sewing room window without seeing it there, beautiful and enduring. Like my mother, its glory shone without pretension. Not as delicate or fussy as a rose, not as fragile as a lily, it graced our home in a quiet, charming way, always reliable, never demanding, just there. Maybe we took both it and her for granted.

That hydrangea witnessed the growth of a family. It witnessed kids learning to ride bikes. It witnessed teenaged daughters being kissed by the boyfriends who walked them to the door on summer nights as crickets chirped in the moonlight. It caught the sun's first rays from the east, at dawn. It made a good hiding place for cats seeking shade in the heat of the afternoon. I have a photo of myself standing in front of it with my brother, both of us in new clothes. It was taken on some September morning, our first day back at school. The flowers seemed to last forever, but when they finally turned tan and dry, and winter came, we always knew that in a few months buds would swell on the branches once again.

Now I am older than my mother was on that day long ago. I don’t live on the island anymore, but I still love hydrangeas. I even have a few in my own yard. As lovely as they are, they can only be reminders of the one at our old place, and the lessons it illustrated in shades of summer sky blue. Still, I’m grateful for this reminder that life pulses all around us, nature struggling against the abuses it endures, always hopeful, always attempting renewal.

 So how, today, will you shift the pieces of the kaleidoscope of your life? What will you do today to create a small change that can become a big change in a garden, the life of a child, the depth of a relationship, or the future of the planet Earth? The blue and sentimental hydrangea still has lessons to teach, if you only open your eyes and your heart.

Copyright 2012 Candace J. Brown 

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Rain Barrels- an idea to consider on Earth Day

It must have been the rain here in Tacoma this morning that made me feel so cozy in bed, not wanting to crawl out. But what could be more perfect than to wake up on Earth Day 2009, planning to write a blog post about rain barrels, and find it raining?

I know that one local guy named Dan Borba woke up happy when he heard the rain. I can just picture him with that grin of his, listening to the gurgle in his down spouts and thinking "YAHOO!" Why? Because when Borba hears that sound it means he's harvesting rain. He's an expert at it, THE guy to talk to if you want to learn about making and using rain barrels to create an off-the-grid source of free water for many uses beyond watering your lawn and flower beds. Some people have even figured out how to access it to flush toilets.

He sells rain barrels at local farmers markets and through his fascinating website for Natural Rain Water. Check the website for interesting and thought provoking articles, instructions on how to build your own, where to locate them and how to install, "gadgets and gizmos" and other information. You can also see photos and read about some ways people in Tacoma benefit from rain barrels. You'll be amazed to learn how much free rain water you've been missing out on if you don't have a rain barrel.

"A 1,200 square foot roof in Tacoma has roughly 27,000 gallons/year falling on it!," Borba says. "With four downspouts, that's about 7,000 gallons/year running through your rain barrel!" If you're curious about the potential rain harvest where you live, check on rainfall statistics by clicking HERE.

"Wait a minute," you're saying. " Aren't you in the Pacific Northwest where it rains all the time?" Sorry folks, but that's just a myth we perpetuate to keep everyone from moving here. The past two days have been unseasonably warm and sunny and sometimes it can get pretty dry here in the summer months. That isn't to say we regularly run short of water, but we can, and Borba sees no reason why this abundant natural resource should be wasted. He has a lot of good reasons for harvesting rain that range from the condition of salmon streams to self sufficiency. But part of the attraction is what he refers to as the "childlike joy" of having his own water system. It's part of Borba's sense of freedom as a human being, and hey, it's just plain fun.

Celebrate Earth Day 2009 by learning more about water conservation and checking out Natural Rain Water. You can meet Dan Borba at the Proctor Farmers Market in north Tacoma's Proctor business district any Saturday spring through fall, or contact him through his website. He'll be happy to answer your questions. Then you too can start smiling more when you wake up to a rainy day.

CHEF HUDSON SLATER LOVES MAXWELL'S SPEAKEASY AND THE NEW MENU

 

Bourbon Glazed Pork Ribs at Maxwell's     Photo by Hudson Slater

 

There are restaurants, and then there are legendary restaurants. Maxwell’s Speakeasy in downtown Tacoma is destined to be the latter, and Chef Hudson Slater plans to be part of that legacy. Last week, I interviewed him to ask about the new spring menu and why he loves this place so much.

I have my own reasons for loving Maxwell's. I always find exceptionally delicious and interesting food served in the perfect setting—a warm, inviting space with a touch of Roaring Twenties elegance to match its location in the historic Walker Building. The Lance Buller Trio plays jazz on Friday nights. The private dining room above the main restaurant actually was a secret “speakeasy” during the Prohibition Era and still has a hidden door. Read on to learn about an event taking place there this Thursday, April 11. Then make your reservations, if you can still get in.

Good Life Northwest speaks with Chef Hudson Slater:

GLN: What do you like best about being the chef at Maxwell’s?

Slater: I just love this place. I’ve just always liked being here. I love the windows, the neighborhood, and the bar. It’s a great spot. It’s romantic, but it’s also where romance is more generalized, not just for couples. It has a real whimsical, take-you-back-in-time feel. When you walk in here, it’s like you’re not in Tacoma any more. You’re just kind of wherever you want to be. Call it New York or whatever.

And then there’s our food. I hate to brag, but I think it’s the best in Tacoma. We really try for consistency and quality and freshness. We make all our desserts in house, from scratch.  You should come in here and be taken care of. You should feel like it’s a treat, like “Wow. That was incredible.” But it’s reasonably priced.

And since Steve Anderson’s been the owner, there’s more of a foundation to it. He's here, and he's teaching.





Seared scallops with beet purée, southern greens and bacon, balsamic and creme friache photo by Hudson Slater

GLN: What is it like to work with Steve?

 

Slater: I like working with Steve. He has a lot of knowledge. It’s really nice because, you make a lot of food every day, and sometimes you have a good idea, but you may not execute it. He is there to try it. He’ll always try anything. Then he might say, “This isn’t going to work” or “I really like this.” It’s just fun. It’s like having a food friend who’s your boss. It’s like when you go out with your friends who like food, and you get surprised by something and say “Oh I love this!” He does that.

Or he has ideas. He’s like “Hey, I want you to do this.” Maybe he has something he wants to do—like he tried it at home, or he just wants to see it—so it’s fun to take his idea and put a twist on it or just do it. But he’s always got good ideas. And I bounce my ideas off him. So it’s been a good team.

GLN: Even though he’s an amazing chef himself, it sounds like he respects your talents and gives you plenty of freedom.

Slater: Very much so. I think with this menu, especially, he’s let me do most of it.

Fresh fruit tart                           phto by Hudson Slater                    



GLN: How long does it take to come up with a new menu and why a new one?

Slater: We’ve been working on it for about a month now. I always think about new dishes. For example, we have the fresh catch, which is fun. That’s always changing. We did a nice crab claw pasta.

It’s fun to try new things and try new sides and vegetables and plating with them. That’s part of it. And then we go into seasonal vegetables and what sold and what didn’t. Sometimes you lose your favorite, unfortunately, and sometimes things go that you’re kind of tired of making, like braised beef. That was fun when it was cold out, but then it gets tiresome.

GLN: Please tell me about some of your favorite items on the new spring menu.

SLATER: Well, I really like the grilled New York steak salad with the poached egg.  It’s on a warm spinach salad. I like the steak and eggs combo. So I really like that one and it will be fun to see where that one goes. (with warm buttered spinach, poached egg, sherry vinegar, parmesan toast $18) 

The seared half chicken panzanella is kind of a classic panzanella, but the way we’re doing it is really good. That was kind of an Anna and Steve idea that I ran with, made a little twist on it. (artichoke heart, blistered tomato, zucchini, grilled crouton, arugula dijon vinaigrette  $21)

The apple smoked pork chop is something we just kind of hung on to. It’s just so good. We have a smoker in house, which is pretty rare, especially for a place like this. So we try to smoke a little bit just to give the menu a little depth. That pork, smoked, is just wonderful. And the pork chop is plated differently now.  The maple mustard glaze on it is really good. So we grill it and then put it on baby kale, mustard greens, chard, a little sherry vinegar and bacon. (with maple and mustard glaze, mascarpone whipped potato, southern greens and bacon $26)

There's the halibut. (with spring pea and bell pepper risotto, snap pea and pepper slaw, roasted tomato beurre blanc  $30) We wrapped it in prosciutto last fall, with a mushroom squash risotto. It was a big hit so we just updated it with spring vegetables. We’ll probably change it eventually, but people really liked it so we want to have things that people remember.



Grilled steelhead with chickpea olive hash, tomato ragout, and cucumber apple relish                  photo by Hudson Slater

 GLN: What about the grilled steelhead?

SLATER: I’m excited about that one, with the chickpea hash. We’re trying to do more vegan/gluten free options. Obviously, the steelhead is not, but the chickpea hash that we serve with it has roasted tomatoes and olives, a little cumin, and we sell it as a vegan dish as well. (roasted chickpea and tomato hash with tomato ragout, castelventrano olive, grilled zucchini $16) It’s packed with a lot of protein. We have two options for vegan/gluten free with the quinoa too. (grilled fennel and leek quinoa with haricot vert, warm shaved rainbow carrot, balsamic reduction, toasted almond  $16) 

GLN: And of course the Walker Burger is an institution. (grilled certified angus beef, white cheddar, bacon, arugula, tomato, grilled onion aioli, brioche bun AND choice of: house fries, potato chips or fuji and fennel slaw  $14)

SLATER: It’s our number one.

GLN: What about this chicken sandwich called “Das Huhn?” (grilled chicken breast, golden raisin mostarda, white cheddar, bacon, apple fennel slaw, pretzel bun - choice of: house fries, potato chips or fuji and fennel slaw  $14)

SLATER: That’s my baby there. That’s the chicken sandwich with the pretzel bun. It’s kind of German. It’s just a pretzel bun with our golden raisin mostarda, mustard incorporated with golden raisins. And there’s the bacon and the slaw. It’s really tasty. So that’s a fun sandwich.

Ahi crudo with cucumber apple relish, crostini and wasabi avocado purée   Photo by Hudson Slater

 

GLN: Anything new and exciting in the starters?

SLATER: We went from an ahi tartare to a crudo (with wasabi avocado puree, crostini, cucumber apple relish   $12) That’s really tasty. It’s really thin-sliced ahi with the wasabi avocado puree and then we spread it on a crostini. It’s separate, so you build your cracker, your bite, the way you want it, how much wasabi or how much tuna you want.

The pickled prawn cocktail I like a lot. So it’s poached prawns marinated in kind of a pickle vinaigrette. And then we have the horseradish cocktail sauce and then the wasabi avocado, so it’s kind of like two different horseradish profiles. We serve it in a little mason jar so it’s kind of fun.

GLN: I can picture how, while other people dream about certain things, you’re dreaming about food all the time.

SLATER: That’s right. All good cooks just think about food, dream about it, and are interested in it. I could just Google images of things like scallops, and just keep looking at them. That’s fun for me.

“TASTE TACOMA” EVENT ON THURSDAY APRIL 11

Make your reservation for this fun event in Maxwell’s Speakeasy, at 7 p.m., celebrating the tasty offerings of Tacoma with a special menu.

Slater says: "We’re going to be showcasing primarily the wine and beer (four wines from 21 Cellars plus three craft beers from Wingman Brewers) and pairing the food to that. We have four cheeses from Backcountry Creamery coming in and then four wines and three beers. I’m going to pick up some greens and eggs from Terry’s Berries. We’re doing poached eggs of course.

I brought in Cheryl the Pig Lady. We’re going to use her chorizo with the paella. Of course we’re doing steak, but if I can find something local for that steak I’ll just swap it out. We're going to pair an IPA with dessert. You don’t see that too often. It’s going to be a ginger spiced cake, similar to a carrot cake."

For more information, including menu, call (253) 682-4115

Ask about the Mother's Day Brunch too.

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Five Fun Ways to Spend the Last Weekend in February

Just when we thought an early spring was here to stay, the rains returned, along with the comforting feeling that things are normal. But around here we never let a little moisture stop us from enjoying the "Good Life" in the Northwest. Like the tiny primroses blooming in my garden, the kind slugs ignore and nothing can kill, those of us who grew up here still thrive. This week I'm offering a few of my favorite ideas for fun, in no particular order:

1. Treat yourself to a meal at the Adriatic Grill here in Tacoma. My husband and I visited this restaurant for the first time last Monday. What a find. We WILL be back to eventually try everything on the menu. We both thought the Five Cheese Pizza had a just-right crust, a most pleasing sauce, and like the regular customer at the table next to us said, (the one almost moaning over the homemade mushroom soup,) it had "the perfect marriage of cheeses." The Chop Chop Salad beats any I've ever had anywhere. Did I mention the relaxing atmosphere and excellent service?

This weekend wraps up the celebration of the Adriatic Grill's 2nd anniversary and you still have a few days left to enjoy the Daily Dining Bonus. Chef Bill Trudnowski is giving away special free gifts and discounts. Find out what kind of surprise that sealed envelope at your table holds. If you want to attend their Anniversary Gala, 6:30-11pm Saturday, Feb. 27th, you need to make your reservation NOW by calling 352-475-6000 because space is limited. The cost is $100 per person for plentiful food and drink at this party, with proceeds going to a new culinary arts scholarship at Clover Park Technical College. Call for details.

2. Take in Wintergrass. It's too bad Tacoma lost this Blue Grass Festival, a destination for top notch bands and their followers around the country. Now Tacoma's loss is Bellevue's gain. It runs Feb. 25-28 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Bellevue, WA. Check out their site for all it has to offer in the way of concerts, classes, vendors, jamming, etc.

3. The weekend of February 25-28 also means it's time for Sew Expo at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. Okay, okay, I know that just as Blue Grass isn't for everyone, maybe you don't sew, quilt, knit, or do other needle crafts. But if you took a look at the crowds it draws every year, you might wonder if you're missing out by not enjoying these hobbies. Sew Expo in Puyallup is the largest event of its kind in the nation, offering classes, demonstrations, fashion shows, and (here's the best part) all the vendors you could ever want if you love sewing, quilting, knitting, or other stitchery.

4. Visit the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma or the associated State Capital Museum in Olympia, located in the historic Lord Mansion. I recently took an afternoon seminar there and learned all about Northwest Native American basket weaving traditions of various tribes in Washington State. If you are not already a member of the Washington State Historical Society, considered joining. It's well worth the modest fee. You can learn about both museums and the Society through the link above.

5. Head north on Pearl Street and visit Pt. Defiance Park where spring flowers are beginning to bloom and the zoo, aquarium, and beach offer families or individuals a chance to reconnect with nature. Rain or shine, it always makes you feel good to hear those birds singing, smell the salt air, lean on a railing and watch the boats go by, take the Five Mile Drive with its forest and Sound views, or get some exercise walking.

This February brought us so many gorgeous days, the first signs of color in the yard, and for me personally, plenty of reasons to be optimistic, inspired, and full of energy. Now I'm ready for March and even more good things to come. I hope you are too. Have fun, stay positive, and enjoy every day.

All the best,
Candace

Serendipity-Finding a Louisiana Fairytale in Southwest Washington

We finally met Nadine, and now we understand. We'd known her husband David for a little while. He'd come up I-5 to Tacoma from Vancouver several times to sub in our Traditional Jazz band, Combo de Luxe. (www.combodeluxe.net ) on clarinet and sax. David was a perfect fit, recommended by our cornet player Chris Tyle. They had both played this music we love, the classic jazz of the 1920s and '30s, for many years in New Orleans, the city of its birth. Easing into our lives like a warm magnolia-scented breeze, came this tall eloquent gentleman from the South, and we knew we'd be friends forever. He hadn't been in our house for five minutes when we first heard of Nadine. They'd been married for twenty years and he was still smitten. "I really want you to meet her," he said to me. "You two would get along."

David is a sensitive, thoughtful and appreciative person, in a way that transcends manners. His personality is revealed in everything he does, as a musician and as a human being. Every note he plays must feel like a dove let loose into the world with purpose, carefully chosen to guide the human heart to some new place of meaning. We see who he is in the way he talks to our dog, as if she is as important as anyone he's ever met. He does or says nothing without intention and kindness. But it is when he speaks of Nadine that he radiates pure love.

Last weekend my husband Dave and I headed "down south", as far as you can go in Washington State that is, to the city of Vancouver on the Columbia River, for a two day music job. David was playing with us, and he'd invited us to stay at his home. We'd gone directly to the gig and had played awhile, when there in the crowd was a lovely redheaded woman he obviously knew. At the end of his solo he took a breath and smiled and said, "There's Nadine!" There she was indeed, tapping her feet in time to the music, smiling at all of us with genuine warmth, and even before I finished playing the song I knew I liked her.

After the job we followed them home, uphill from the river, through a beautiful area of wooded neighborhoods, where rhododendrons, flowering trees, and spring bulbs contrasted with all the green. When we turned into their driveway it was to find ourselves surrounded by a sea of tulips and pots of ranunculus, as a welcome, and that was only the beginning. On the other side of that door was a piece of Louisiana in the Evergreen State, complete with more Southern Hospitality than I had ever known, and at the center of it was Nadine. She'd come home with bags and bags of groceries, even though we'd planned to take her out to eat while David played another gig that night.

"Oh I just decided at the last minute, I'd make some Jambalaya." she said, with a native Louisiana accent that could have soothed a baby to sleep in minutes. Real authentic Louisiana Jambalaya! We couldn't wait. That's when the coffee pot went on and the stove was heated up, and the aromas of green peppers, onion and tomatoes, sizzling sausage and warm roasted chicken began to waft through the room. All that homey kitchen noise was background music to good conversation, while their sweet dog Jasper supervised. David went upstairs to change for his gig while she cooked. Pretty soon I was helping by chopping vegetables while she stirred and a happy feeling came over me, of having done this so many times before in my life with the women in my family. She could have been a sister. When it was done we sat down to a meal I'll never forget, and it seemed like all the color, warmth and flavor of the South, the appreciation for good food, the appreciation for life, were before me on my plate.

Nadine, this sophisticated lady, successful business woman, and charming hostess, grew up on a Louisiana farm. She worked hard in the hot sun, picking their own cotton alongside her mother. "But nobody could pick like my mother," she said. "She was FAST." Some of that very same cotton filled the two old quilts I would sleep under that night, stitched together many decades before, by the strong and loving hands of a mother now passed away but still very present. I was shown an old photo of a very young woman with the hair around her face combed back and up and pinned in a 1940s style. That night I would think of her, and how time is only relative, as I lay there warmed by those quilts and my new friendship with her daughter.

After dinner David left for his gig and that was when my husband and I really had a chance to get to know Nadine. We listened, fascinated, while she told us all about her childhood, one that taught her the down home values and comfortable grace we saw, and the ten years she spent as the cruise director on a riverboat, living and working on the Mississippi River. David had worked on the riverboats for years too, as a musician, and that was how they'd met.

We laughed our heads off, hearing her funny stories of those crazy times and characters she'd known, like the dishwasher from the galley who would be called upon to say a few lines in a show (everybody, included Nadine did double duty) and would walk on stage in his apron and dripping rubber gloves. She told about how she not only directed the cruise, but also had to sing and dance in musical productions, and show movies like "Gone With the Wind" and "Showboat" on a white sheet in the dining room, because they didn't have a screen. Then there was the time they "blew the stacks" while she was on deck, and her white dress was instantly covered with black soot. She told us about the "Cat House", a bed and breakfast place along the river, where guests got a real cat with their room.

In the midst of all this hilarity Nadine remembered that she still had some notes from a talk she'd recently given about those days, and scrounging through the recycling bin in the garage, she found them, and read more to us, describing her job:

"where you meet Alex Haley, Ken Burns and BB King all on the same cruise"

"where you arrive in a town to be greeted by the mayor and all of the city dignitaries, complete with a brass band, because you are the attraction"

"where you only work half a day-of course that's 12 hours!"

When she finished, those notes were headed for the recycling again, but I begged her to give them to me. Just this morning I sat down to really read them over again, and saw even more on those pages. It was about David and their wedding. She was the first person he'd met when he boarded the boat in Cincinnati. Soon after, they were assigned to two different boats but became engaged in Memphis and married, her notes say, "when the two boats made a rare appearance together in Natchez, Mississippi." I'd seen a photo on the wall, among the many paintings of riverboat scenes, of a bride and groom kissing, with a riverboat crowded with cheering passengers in the background. It was them, David and Nadine!

Quoting Nadine's notes:

" People magazine heard about our wedding on this famous boat and thought it would make an interesting story. They sent a writer and a photographer down from New York and the photographer posed us out on the "stage" dangling over the river right out in the middle of the Mississippi River! Passengers from both boats lined the decks and we were dazzled by a barrage of flashes going off.

After the photographer was finished the two boats landed side by side at Natchez-Under-The-Hill, the most infamous town on the Mississippi River! The marriage was performed by a judge from Natchez who was two hours late because it was his first ceremony and he couldn't get to his robe. It was locked in a closet in the court house and the janitor, the only one with a key, was gone fishing!

When it was time for the boat to leave we stood on the bank in the early December darkness as the boats, lights twinkling on the water, slowly cast off."

Sitting there at the table this morning, drinking my coffee, her notes in hand, I finished the page reluctantly. I felt like I'd been there on the Mississippi with them. I could see those twinkling lights. I do believe a bit of that twinkle was absorbed by David and Nadine, because I've caught a glimpse of it in their eyes.

How many of us truly appreciate what we have? How many of us are wise enough to savor what a good Jambalaya represents: a richness of flavor, an act of love, good times, memories, a passion for life and all it offers the senses and the heart? How many of us stay in love forever, treating each other with respect and tenderness always, remembering how we felt when the lights of a riverboat twinkled on the water?

I will not forget my weekend "down south". I hope to remember its lessons and should I forget, the look in David's eyes when he says his wife's name with remind me, like the old song, "Louisiana Fairytale". We finally met Nadine, and now we understand.

November Photo Tour of Point Defiance Park

Here in Tacoma on what some call "Black Friday," the clouds shared the sky with November sunshine, giving us a nice break from the rain. If you've had enough of shopping, traffic, and rushing to catch some elusive bargain, remember that in the background of our lives nature moves at its own perfect pace, whether or not you notice. But shouldn't you?

Come along for a breath of fresh air and some serenity through today's photo tour of our beloved local treasure: Point Defiance. Even though many readers know this place, those who don't live around here might enjoy the journey. We'll start out at the ferry landing and take a walk along the waterfront,  then back up through the woods. (Video included.)

Let's wander over to the boat house, just past Anthony's restaurant. It's a great place to enjoy all the action, especially during salmon season, when proud fishermen return with their catch. You can also watch the ferry on its way to Vashon Island and observe seagulls and other birds up close.

This video is best watched on YouTube. Just click on the YouTube logo.

No James Bond action in this video, but it offers what we too rarely take the time to do, and that is to pause long enough in our busy lives to quietly and patiently observe nature, in this case the behavior of seagulls. If you are reading this far from your Northwest home, here's a chance to watch them again and hear their haunting cries.

A long paved walkway tucked under the hill on the point's northern tip makes a lovely place to wander. Shady in the summer and sometimes downright cold in winter, it can be busy or bare. On this day, I enjoyed the solitude.

Bare tree trunks clustered here offer their own beauty.

This must be some kind of lichen.

We are approaching Owen Beach.

During the summer, Owen beach swarms with people, dogs, and cars. I like it best in the off season.

These old steps lead uphill from the beach to the road above.

Watch out for cars in the summer, but by November you might have the place to yourself.

The canopy of trees changes with the season. Few leaves remain.

              Ferns grow on tree trunks in the moist, shady environment of a Northwest forest.

Even the deer feel safe from traffic.

                 I followed them through the playground and then they disappeard over the fence.

The flower gardens have been put to bed for the winter and signs tells us that new plantings of bulbs hide deep under the mulch and soil, awaiting spring. However, even these plants now gone to seed offer their own beauty and remind us of the way nature's cycles go on without regard for mankind's folly.

As we officially enter the holiday season, I wish you happiness and peace.

Photos and text copyright 2011 Candace Brown