So yesterday, I thought we were having an earthquake. Having experienced one in Portugal in December, I was positive Seattle was having one. There was a huge bang. The floor shook. The ceiling moved up and down. It only lasted for about 10 seconds or so, but I was terrified. Once I thought we were done with quake, I immediately went online, looking for an explanation. No quakes. Anywhere close, anyways. I really thought I had hallucinated or something. Time to cut back on the caffeine.

At the end of the day, I finally got an explanation... it was a sonic boom. Our president was in town and apparently, a seaplane got too close to Air Force One and two fighter jets FROM PORTLAND (three hours away by car) had to scramble to Seattle as a security measure.

Know what they are calling this event in these parts? Wait for it....wait....

"Obooma"

Culinary Adventure at Canlis

My brother and his fiancee came to Seattle over the weekend. Whenever Mark is in Seattle, it is all about the food. I love the fact that Mark and Kristin, the ultimate foodies, who are spoiled by NYC, think the food scene in my town is awesome. I really enjoy trying to find the "best of" or things that I believe they will just swoon over. I guess it is my way of showing off Seattle as well as letting my little brother know that there are parts of him that have rubbed off on me. Having Mark as my brother has made me a bit of a foodie and I love that.

So the culmination of our gluttonous weekend was dinner at Canlis, which is considered to be, THE most special place to eat within Seattle's city limits. It was quite an experience. Every detail was totally exquisite, fun and an adventure.

Disclaimer: SERIOUS food porn below.

The drinks at Canlis definitely set the stage... in a curious twist, Mark's drink was pink with a flower in it. I ordered the beer.

First course was a caprese salad. Needless to say, I've never seen one like this before. The seeds you see all over the plate are "rehydrated basil seeds." VERY "top chef" if you ask me.

Second course was a procuitto/melon/fig plate.

In between courses, it is hard not to have your eyes wander around to other tables.. if only to see what beautiful plates other people are eating. Being such a fancy place, I did expect to see some "sugar daddies." (notice the stealthy camera positioning).

What was a surprise, however, was watching the staff iron the tablecloths right on the table.

 

Third course was a chicken dish with seriously fancy mushrooms, followed by a prawn dish that was simply stunning to look at, as well as the best thing I ate all night, in my estimation.

The lamb course, I will admit, looks a little "suspect" the way I photographed it, but it was just as yummy as everything else.

The most unusual dish was the "ginger beer" course. Probably THE most fancy pants ginger ale I'll ever have in my life.

The dessert course was made special because of Mark's birthday. I think this is one of the "happiest" desserts I've ever seen:

Friday Night Lights

For Seattle, this means "The Show" at the Velodrome. For those of you who may not be familiar with velodromes, they are a race tracks for bike sprinters. Bikes used for this kind of racing are incredibly light, and not just because they have only one gear and no brakes. Friday nights at the velodrome provides an opportunity to get really up close and personal with this kind of bike racing. It is very exciting and fun to shoot. Every other friday, they have a "kiddie kilo".. which is a kid's race. ANY kid over the age of two, riding ANY wheeled, self propelled vehicle can get a race number and a shot at racing on the track. So clever, and so hilarious.

                                                                                                                                                          

       

                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                  

                              

Two years ago, I went to Mt. St. Helens for the for the first time. At the time, I thought there was only one place to view the volcano, so that is where I went.. the Johnston Observatory. This is a worthwhile trip - no question.. there is a LOT of education you get there about the blast and the aftermath that is really exceptional. But this weekend, I went to Windy Ridge... which is where you go to get a whole lot closer to the crater. I have to be honest, I don't think I need to do any hiking in this area. I was glad to have my car handy. I realize that the chances of it blowing up while I was standing there are unlikely at best, but still... it is a little spooky when you realize that you are so close to something that caused so much devastation so quickly!