wanderlust

One of my favorite things: Food

I thought I'd take a step back to my trip and share some details about the great food I ate along the way. I was writing these down as I went, so don't think I can remember all of this now, a month later. Nope, I'm not that weird. Though when it comes to food, some details are unforgettable....

Restaurant names, however, as you will see, are not always memorable. (If you happen to know which restaurant I'm referring to—either because you were there or because you just know these things—feel free to share.)

There are some food events I'm not mentioning, mostly because it was food you could get in many other places. I'm trying just to mention the most memorable eating experiences. I've also refrained from listing meals eaten on the go, in hostel kitchens, at friends' places and while camping...because that would cause this post to be much longer and windier than it already is.

Rainy day...back in Walla Walla

Today is the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year and the end of my grand adventure.

I've been gone 107 days and 106 nights. While it feels like I haven't been gone nearly that long, plenty of things have changed—both in me and at home. I can't possibly begin to detail all those changes at this moment, but I'm sure I'll be writing about them in the days, weeks and months to come.

...

My last stop of the trip was Yakima, where I spent a few days with three (almost four—but that's another story) great friends from Walla Walla, from a college Bible study gropup five years ago. It was a great time of gabbing, singing, laughing and catching up. Yesterday we went skiing/snowboarding, which was fabulous. The weather was moderately crappy, but it was still a really fun day. And we're all sore now, but I think we all think it was worth it.

Key phrases from the past few days:
• Joel is lame.
• Back-rubs lead to....
• Tri-Ominoes rocks.

...

More photos to come. I'll be posting on my main blog now, with a possibility of some brief revisits to this page. Thanks for coming with me.

In the land of trolls, Ubi and wasabi mayonnaise

Where do I begin?

Possibly with Friday morning, when I met Leah for the first time. And her dad, older brother and mom, their cat, dog and bird, and Leah's hamster and snake. The whole kit and caboodle.

Since then, the weekend has been filled with eating, Seattle wandering, games, eating, laughter, baking, photo fun with the Fremont Troll, eating...and more laughter. Leah's family is crazy funny (heavy on the crazy), and I feel right at home here. I've been lucky enough to meet both of her brothers. Apparently, few of her friends have this pleasure.

Leah and I are way too much alike for only knowing each other through our blogs. We knew we'd get along great...and we do.

Right now Leah's family is having a holiday open house for their church (Leah's dad is the pastor...he's pretty cool), and there's a group of people sitting in the hall outside Leah's room, playing with her snake, Ferdinand. I keep hearing, "Is that a real snake?" One kid has it around his neck now. Like I said, fun times in Kirkland.

Yesterday afternoon we had some fun with the troll. We like the troll.

I'm leaving shortly to drive to Yakima and visit some more friends for a couple of days before heading home. I've had a great last week, visiting friends all around western Washington. Seeing Chelsea was especially fun. We really enjoyed being roommates during college, and now, even if we don't see each other often, it's always fun to hang out and catch up on things.

And now that I've eaten far too much this weekend, it's about time to drive for a couple of hours. The holiday bingeing has begun.

Seattle is cold; I'm hibernating

I've had some good days of exploration and amusement, and this morning I've been staying inside. It's cold out and the skies are gray. I've found winter, finally.

The Seattle light is amazing. And the sunsets—I don't remember the last time I saw such golden skies.

I like this city. I've been here many times, but rarely with my own time to wander. I spent a while downtown the other day, wandering Pike Place Market and thereabouts. The people here are so varied and strange. And the smells! I can finally smell again. My cold is nearly gone. My sense of smell must have returned right when I was at the market, because suddenly I was noticing the combination of aromas: fish, flowers, mildew, leather, pastries, coffee, exhaust. Scents are so very interesting.

Good friends in this city too. The other night I stayed with a college friend Becky, who I last saw at the end of our British Isles trip three years ago. Now I'm staying with Chelsea, my first-year college roommate. And tomorrow I'll be meeting Leah for the first time.

And now, since I've been lethargic all morning, I think I'll get out and go for a walk. It's currently 36. I think I can handle it.

My own state

This morning I crossed over the Columbia River from Oregon to Washington. Also this morning, my trip counter flipped back to 000.0: meaning, I’ve driven 15,000 miles…and counting.

I’m not sure how I feel about being back in my state. Just three days ago I was in San Francisco. Now it’s suddenly winter—the skies are gray, I’ve experienced rain and wind, and I’m wearing lots more layers.

But these are the exterior things. It’s a lot less easy to list the interior facts.

I’ve been in Olympia for a couple of hours. My family lived here for almost three years, but we left more than five years ago. Yet it feels so recent to my life experience. I have a lot of memories associated with this city, a lot of good memories. I had my first school experiences here when I went to SPSCC for two years. I spent countless hours at my church on the Westside, and I made a lot of close friends there. I bought an old German camera and began experimenting with photography more seriously. (That is, I took dozens of photos of the Capitol building and Mount Rainier.) I started driving in this city. Therefore, I learned to deal with traffic and rain, sometimes in alarming quantities.

Still, these are exterior details.

This is where I started to grow up, when I started to figure out who I would be. I used to take walks after dark in the neighborhoods near our house. I did a lot of thinking. I learned how to pray. I learned to love the rain.

…

I can’t say any more than that. I’m not sure how to say it. I just know that this place makes me thoughtful. If you see someone wandering the streets, wearing plaid wool pants and a brooding expression, give her a knowing nod and a wide berth.

What I found today

• Three Buddhist monks getting their photo taken on the pier, with Alcatraz in the background.
• An art gallery with a collection of Dr. Seuss paintings and mounted heads (his secret hobby was mock-taxidermy).
• A man wearing reindeer antlers and hiding behind evergreen boughs, scaring passers-by by waving the boughs and saying, "Whoo!"
• The Musée Mécanique, a museum with dozens of old-fashioned machines and other memorabilia. For $0.50, one machine read my palm and printed a ticket with my fortune:

• A family of skunks scuttling through the bushes.
• Late-afternoon sunlight on lettuce leaves.
• Sunset across the bay. (There’s a that Journey song that goes like this: "When the lights go down in the city and the sun shines on the bay, do I want to be there in my city?" Is it about this city and this bay?)