The Weekly Newsletter
Menus and Stories for August 6 - 10, 2007
Summer Color

I spent a few luscious hours wandering around the Pike Place market in Seattle last week. I was supposed to be flying home that day but the plane had a problem (this happens all too frequently these days I find) so I got to spend one more day out there and this is where I ended up. Not such a bad thing, all in all.

Aren't these beauties something?

And how!!!

The Hmong women grow incredible Zinnias like these. Also lilies and daisies and oh so much more. They are blindingly huge and bright. Often, when I look at my pictures after a trip, I want to do color correcting to make them look brighter. On these I wanted to make them a bit less so. Each bloom, by the way, is about 5" wide. Amazing.

Making Breakfast

Chris and I went on a kayak trip over the weekend. I got to be egg breaker for the morning's fritattas that then got baked over coals. We saw seals and porpoises and eagles and many herons. No orcas. maybe another time.

Dinners to go

Dinners, as you know, come with a freshly-made green salad, salad dressing of the day, and made-right-here bread of the day. We take reservations until noon or so. Please order by phone (252-1500), by FAX (252-02002) or stop in to speak to one of us in person.

As a reminder, every time you order a dinner to go you are eligible to enter our drawing. Just drop a card in our drawing jar (a business card works or fill out one of the cards that we have right here) and, at the end of the month, we'll pull one card which will be good for two free dinners-to-go.

Maybe you'll win next month.

Order a lot? Enter a lot!
Good luck!!


Monday August 6 Sesame Chicken with Szechuan Noodles 9.95
Tuesday August 7 Mexican-style Vegetable Roast with Quesadillas 9.95
Wednesday August 8 Italian Sausages with Garlic Mashed Potatoes 11.25
Thursday August 9 Pork Marengo 10.25
Friday August 10 Elsie’s Shrimp Steamed in Beer 15.25

Our website
Special casserole of the week

We make a special casserole each week. Order before noon on Wednesday and we'll have yours ready to pick up between 4:30 and 6:00 that very afternoon. (Yes, you can order in advance too.) Order a full for 9 portions or, if your gang is smaller, opt for the half-sized one, which serves 4 or so.

Say, we'll happily make a salad and provide bread for you if you like, just let us know when you call and we'll get you all set up.


Wednesday, August 8
Shrimp and Grits
Full 48.25
Half 24.25

Kayaking in the San Juans

Here we are. I think that is Jones Island behind us. Or maybe it was Yellow Island or Orcas or, well, who really knows. All of them are lovely. The water kept things cool and the tides kept things smelling pungent and sweet. Way too soon the trip was done and we were on our way back to the ferry and then to Seattle and then to the airport and then to the car and then back home (which is a very nice place to land, by the way.)

The baby

Little Spike is a bit bigger than he was three weeks ago. He's quite a character, acting like a big boss of things. He's figuring out life and is a fun addition to Chris's life. He'll come back here in the fall, collecting frequent flier miles like an expert. For now he's living a fine life out there.

Joy on a pipe

Isn't this fun? The Museum of Glass in Tacoma sits right next to a marina and this is one of their sculptures - an abandoned pipe, made to look new now with fresh paint. Joy, it seems, is the name of the pump company. Nice.

A Note From Laurey


August 4, 2007

Hi and good morning to you.

My morning started early today, serenaded by the muffled cry of Skipper the cat, calling outside the door that leads to the deck. He usually paws on the door to come in but the morning’s incessant cries got me out of bed. Tye the dog hopped to it also, excited by the early morning calls. There, out on the deck, stood Skipper, proud bearer of a gift for me, a full bird. Ak! I did not let him in, nor did I let Tye out for she has a tendency to grab whatever Skipper has away from him and bring it to me herself which really annoys Skipper. And sometimes that thing is still alive and then I have to deal with an injured something that is INSIDE. Nope. Not this morning.

I went to do some morning things, and, after a time, checked back and found that Skipper had enjoyed his find as the day’s breakfast appetizer. Yuk!! He then pranced in and made his way to his food dish which was filled with the usual breakfast, provided by me from a small can. Tye was still wild with all of the activity and grabbed her new stuffed salmon, a gift from Chris, and went roaring around the house, inside and out, toy squeaking and bobbing.

So I was happy to get dressed and leave the house to the two of them. They’re probably both asleep now and will do so until I get home when they will be ready for another romp. Sigh.

As you see from the accompanying photos, I had a nice time in Seattle last week. Chris needs to be there more right now which means I get to go there a bit more. Summer in Seattle is a fine thing. Long light, late afternoons, slower times. We ate late dinners, slept in (well, not really with the puppy calling for attention once the light of the new day poured in), and had a good week, all in all. Seattle is a place where lots of people study glassblowing so there is always some new place to watch and study this fine art form. I dream of doing more of it and can hardly wait for cooler temperatures around here so I can get back into the studio. For the moment I dream and imagine new forms and colors, but must be content with that. Soon, I remind myself, soon I will get my hands back on the tools.

And with that, I will stop this note of the morning and head into the kitchen to arrange the shop vases with the new globe amaranth flowers that I just picked up from our tailgate market, right across the street from here. They’re bright and lovely and are grown right here. And right here, no matter where that happens to be, is the best place indeed.

I’ll be in touch next week.


Spike - helping me pack

Can you beat this? It was all I could do to let him jump out and stay in Seattle. But Chris is taking good care of him so...

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