Rachel: Photo Diary » about Seattle

Baby Q

Rachel — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:24:23 +0000

Two friends recently welcomed their baby girl into the world. They travelled back to Seattle yesterday to introduce her to the gang up North.

Winning!

Rachel — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:25:46 +0000

Our friend G suggested we head out for trivia last week. We won 4th (pretty good, out of 16 teams), then tried again this week. The rounds were up and down, but in the end: FIRST PLACE!

Thinking of the Long Term

Rachel — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:21:25 +0000

The Baron and I found this picket fence wrapped with roots during our afternoon stroll. I approve of this kind of long-term project, and it got me thinking about 2012 gardening plans. There have been some interesting ideas in the past…let me just say this now: I’m still not up to raze part of the front yard to make way for an asparagus patch, despite it having the best conditions. (By the by, this requires a minimum three years to the first harvest.)

Sorry, honey, I know you love spargelzeit.

Snow, Day 2

Rachel — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:22:14 +0000

I don’t know if the snow ever let up today! Still not sick of it, but a snowy hike seemed like a good preventative measure.

Snow Day!

Rachel — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:18:20 +0000

Late afternoon, I caught cross-country skiers headed down the street.

We’ve had a bit of snow in the Pacific Northwest this week. (It rarely snows.) This may be my first event where I haven’t had anywhere to be — I’ve taken full advantage of it by reading, watching 30 Rock, and so on. It’s very quiet in the city right now, and that may be my favorite part.

Sunset, for the Record

Rachel — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 06:22:31 +0000

I’ve lived here nearly 12 years and have never seen a sunset like tonight’s. I was in the very back of the kitchen when I realized the front curtains were glowing.

Burger of the Month: Marjorie

Rachel — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:21:20 +0000

My burger of the month gang visited Marjorie. I found $17 to be a bit pricey for a burger with cheese and bacon. However, this was one of my favorites of the last few years we’ve been ISO Seattle’s best burger. Worth it. Special note: they only make 10 burgers per day. When they’re done, that’s all.

We also sampled a number of other dishes — the plantain chips with guacamole/salsa, duck liver mousse, and a prawn/shrimp dish with grits. If you’re into that sort of thing, you definitely should get the mousse (it doesn’t often do much for me but I loved it). I enjoyed pretty much everything we tried which is unusual for BOM. I also left inspired to recreate their harissa ketchup at home. The chef is doing fantastic work at Marjorie.

Regarding the Next Adventure

Rachel — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:19:56 +0000

I love it when fortunes confirm the rightness of your plans.

Happy 2012!

Rachel — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:18:39 +0000

Happy New Year!

2011, In Review

Rachel — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:34:13 +0000

I decided today I was being unfairly hard on 2011 over the last week, and wanted to compile the highlights of the year in Flickr photos and blog entries. It was a great, albeit lengthy exercise today and certainly gave me better perspective for a momentous year.

January: Defined by work. I took the above during a solo break from sorting out projects before work year began in earnest. Highlights: a visit to Dom Polski on Cap Hill. The view from the boardroom at Columbia Tower where we held our AllHands. Friendsgiving 2: Electric Bugaloo. Ride the Ducks with UK visitors.

February: In honor of our 1st anniversary, we returned to New Orleans for a weekend to celebrate. We went back to Restaurant August where we were married, we found a gem in the French Quarter at the Green Goddess, and I ran the Half Marathon, while I was at it. February was Cookbook Club with David Lebovitz’s recipes. We went out swing dancing, a few times. We had our anniversary dinner at the Book Bindery.

March: My mother had a serious surgery and I spent a lot of time fretting. I visited San Jose for a tech conference. I spent a weekend with Carey and friends at C’s Bainbridge home. Mr. T and I fell in love with the Lao menu at Savatdee Thai.

April: We met up with Maya and her partner & family for a visit in Prague. Her grandmother’s work was exhibited at Prague Castle and this was a cool lifetime experience. I’m honored we were invited to take part. While we were at it, we journeyed to Berlin. It’s 8 months later and I still haven’t finished uploading those pics though I love that city.

May: I celebrated a birthday, then the next day visited Woodinville Whiskey Distillery. I participated in a company offsite at Salish Lodge. We spent a weekend on Lummi Island for Willows Inn. I travelled with Mr. T to NYC for work and while we were there, celebrated his birthday. I can’t get enough of that city.

June: We took sailing lessons and quickly learned the weather was not our friend, this Summer. I attended a marvelous ice cream social. I helped a friend move remotely (she lives in Geneva), from a place on Whidbey to a storage unit. We spent overnight on the island. On the heels of that, we had an office move to Pioneer Square. No more West Seattle commute!

July: I went camping with friends at Lake Cle Elum.

Mr. T and I spent the 4th at Camano Island at his Aunt’s home. There was a special session of a Sweet Valley High book club. Cookbook Club had a picnic session. DimSumCouver 7 happened. I ran the See Jane Run Half Marathon, and book club held its annual Summer Golden Gardens gathering.

We all slow down at Carey’s house on Bainbridge.
August: I took my favorite picture of the Gastrognome, yet. I spent a weekend at Carey’s on Bainbridge, again. Otherwise, it was a very quiet month, and I didn’t do much on the weekends, socially.

September: We celebrated Mr. T’s grandfather’s 90th birthday. We checked out a Swedish crawfish boil. We went to Ireland for two weeks, spending most of our time in Dublin. During the visit in the evenings, I went to Dublin Fringe, Oktoberfest, and the Dublin Theatre Festival. The pictures aren’t all up yet. We fit in a visit to The West over our weekend. We saw the Connemara, bogs, the Cliffs of Moher (aka Cliffs of Insanity), and got to stay in a castle. I remember that castle stay as the best sleep of the year. Possibly related: I’d left my laptop in Dublin. Some pictures are still forthcoming of the whole trip, but I’ve blogged some of it over here.

October: Alpacahaus weekend! A group of us spent the weekend at an alpaca farm on Whidbey Island. It was remarkably refreshing.

Pic borrowed from Mr. T.
November: We flew to Singapore, then onto Bali and later Cambodia. I am way behind on these pictures, and only processed up to day 5 of 16. I’ve got our stay in Sanur on the beach done, though. I believe our visit to Cambodia changed my life.

When we returned, we mourned the loss of my friends’ mama with malasadas. We spent Thanksgiving near Arlington with the extended family of Mr. T. I wrapped up my work at my job, for good. Retire early and often, I say.

December: I perfected my lounging skills. I avoided uploading a number of pictures and posts, I now see. We saw Jay-Z and Kanye’s Watch the Throne tour. I baked a lot, participating in this cookie exchange with the Cookbook Club ladies. The Gastrognome and I went with Cameo to Canada for DimSumCouver 8 of the not-fulltime-employed, and brought along an Australian participant who recently moved here. I took a lot of walks around Greenlake and geared up for Xmas. My mom and brother came to visit, and despite the furnace going out and The Baron’s brush with death, it was fun overall. It was the right way to end the year.

Even with its low points, we were overwhelmed by highlights.

Onward to 2012!