Portage Bay and Hopes of Hiking

As soon as we arrived in Seattle, possibly shortly thereafter, Momo started telling us about her favorite restaurant - Portage Bay.  So, one Sunday morning we loaded into the car and took off for Portage Bay.  Their whole things is farm to table.  The food was amazing.  Momo got a sampler breakfast of sorts with pancakes and a trip to the fruit bar.  The fruit bar had all sorts of fruits, some nuts, whipped cream, and lots of goodies.  And her fresh ham was unlike any ham I'd ever eaten.  It melted in my mouth.  It was amazing.  Joel and I both got the Migas - 3 eggs scrambled with chipotle & cumin, tillamook medium & sharp cheddar, fresh basil, homemade salsa & sour cream, folded into a large flour tortilla with an avocado salsa garnish, and a side of roasted organic potatoes.  Very flavorful and a bit on the spicy side.  Rebecca decided to go with the Farmer's Hash - 3 scrambled eggs, a variety of local, organic, sustainably grown vegetables, roasted onions, fingerling potatoes, fresh herbs, served with house-made toast.  (You can check out the website here - Portage Bay)  

After a fulfilling breakfast we headed out into the country for a quick 4 mile hike up Rattlesnake Mountain Trail.  Things didn't go exactly as planned and our hike was cut a bit short.  However, the weather was nice enough we could hang out by the water and enjoy the sunshine.  So, we did.  Here are a few of the photos for the day.

 (Inside of Portage Bay)

(Open kitchen so you can see everything that's happening back of the house)

 (Me and one happy me.  The photos on the wall behind me were the farms where the ingredients for our meal came from.  So, that was interesting to see.)

 (Menu)

(Rebecca's Farmer's Hash)

 (Momo's sampler - a little bit of everything.  The ham is closest to the bottom of the photo.)

(Me a Miga)

(The journey begins as we eye our conquest for the day)

(This was the outcropping where we were headed)

(A little sign to point us in the right direction)

(Some tall tall trees - usually a sign of a good hike)

 (The sun was poking through)

(And it is lake time)

(There was talk of Rebecca swimming across.  However, after standing in the water for about 30 seconds our legs went numb and so that idea was nixed.)

(MOMO!!!)

(Throwing rocks, but not at the duck)

(And a duck in all its splendid colors.  Possibly a mallard.  I don't know the difference.)

The Gang Heads to Gas Works

The one day Momo had a previous engagement so Joel rounded up the gang and we did a little more exploring.  We headed to another place close to the water called Gas Works.  Gas Works is a Park in Seattle on the site of a former gas plant.  There are definitely remnants of the plant but thankfully no odor.  It is a great little park and there are plenty of areas for kids to play.  Also, we saw slack liners (tight rope walkers) and L.A.R.P.ers (Live Action Role Players).  This particular group was dressed in armor and looked medieval.  And so another journey in Seattle was a success.   

(The area as we entered the park)

 (A tunnel of sorts)

 (Tubes and turbines, turbines and tubes)

 (Some more metal works at Gas Works)

 (Lots of graffiti and a few squatters, although no photos of them)

(More metal)

(If you look closely you'll find Rebecca and the Space Needle)

 (Here was the slackline)

 (Portion of the old abandoned gas plant)

(Here you can see more of the abandoned plant)

(Rebecca and myself)

(Seattle's finest)

 (Joel took another great photo of us)

 (I think Rebecca just made a funny)

 (L.A.R.P.er alert - here just talking things over)

 (The battle has begun.  Although we didn't see any battles, mainly just 2 people fighting at a time.)

 (Not sure who won)

(Seattle's amphibious Duck Taxi)

(And on our ride home we got to see Mt. Rainer)

Alki Beach with the Friedrick Clan

One of my favorite things about finding a job in South East Asia is the opportunity to experience a new culture.  Another thing I enjoy is the food.  It also means I'll be making my way westward.  And when I head west there's always one place I have to stop - Seattle.  There are a lot of great things about Seattle but the best part, at least for me, is Joel and Momo.  Great people and great friends!  There was a period of time where I had spent more Thanksgivings with Joel and his family than with my own.  Rebecca and I were fortunate enough to spend 3 weeks in Seattle and I'm glad she got a chance to meet my second family.  No gyoza challenges this time although there was talk of a spice challenge (it never happened).  

Anyway, the one day we went to Alki beach.  We went for a nice walk along the water, saw a different view of the city, played in the sand a bit, and took some photos...

 (Rebecca and I with the city in the background)

(Oh hey, look!!!)

(Holding up the Space Needle)

 

(Another view of the city)

(A sweet house we passed on our walk)

 (A view of the beach)

(3 wild and crazy dudes hanging out on the beach)

(Momo taking some photos)

 (Everybody hanging out by the water)

 (I think this photo was staged, but I am not 100 percent sure)

 (The Friedricks living the dream)

(Another artsy photo, probably taken by Ms. Rebecca)

Final Philly Photos

There are just those times when I get to an end of a trip and I'm making a post and there are just a whole bunch of random photos.  Well, this is one of those times.  I'll try to write under each photo more so than a blog post.  And, for those of you who do not know, both Rebecca and I are writing on this blog.  My posts have the writing under the pictures, hers do not.  Anyway, enjoy the final photos from Philly.  

(Advent is over now)

(I believe this photo was taken for the color)

(Never safe to lock your bike)

 (Ghosts exists, at least according to this decal)

 (Again, taken for the color)

 (Passed this cool piece as we were headed downtown)

 ('Breaking Free'  Not sure if that's the name, but that's what I'd call it)

 (LOVE of my life)

 (And here we got as we get ready for our jump shot)

 (And we're off, or at least one of us was)

 (You could buy little hearts or big hearts and write your wish on them)

 (Mr., this one was for you - 'Eagles go to the Superbowl!!'

(Oh, hey, it's Santa stopping by JFK Plaza)

(Passed City Hall on our way from the LOVE sculpture to the Reading Terminal Market)

(Lots of delicious food to be had at the Reading Terminal Market)

(And here's Ms. Rebecca and she gets ready to make her way into the market)

(There were probably 7 or 8 aisles with anywhere from 8 to 10 vendors)

 (Oh hey, here's Ms. Rebecca as she makes her way up one of the isles)

(Rebecca's favorite food - Cajun Creole!  It was so good we even had to go back and get some to take home before we left!)

 (Rebecca with the Liberty Bell)

(Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed)

(We passed this park on our way to Date Night)

 

(We started at the Sidecar Bar and Grille)

 (There was a special guest that joined us by candlelight)

 (There was a decent selection of craft beer)

 (And we had some amazing pork nachos)

 (Then we passed City Hall at night.  We passed City Hall quite a bit)

 (This was outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art at the Fairmount Water Works)

 (A view of Schuylkill River)

 (One night we went on a cheesesteak taste testing binge.  We ordered one each from Pat's, Gino's and Tony Luke's.  Myself, I'm a fan of Tony Luke's.  Rebecca on the other hand enjoyed certain aspects from each restaurant.)

(This pretty much sums up her thoughts on Tony Luke's)