Oregon Coast Surfing

John and Jackie put together a weekend trip to the Oregon coast, because they have become big fans of the area and the surfing.  They were nice enough to invite Tina and I to join them, but Tina couldn't make it.  Tina was busy at work all weekend, so I figured my time may be better spent checking out a new place.  It was a decision well-made.  A few other of John and Jackie's friends went, and it made for a good trip.

This was a beach near Gearhart, a town near Seaside, Oregon.  The beach was very close to the house we rented, and you could drive your car on the beach.  I had never driven in a car on the beach, so that was a neat experience for me.  One of John's friends who had a Land Rover let us all take his car for a ride.  It was pretty cool.

We spent the first evening out here watching the sun set.

The sun setting.

The second day was spent surfing in the frigid waters of Oregon.  It was so hot that day (90+ degrees), but the water was still freezing.  I had to wear a wet suit, but they didn't give us gloves, so my hands were numb after about 15 seconds.  I guess I got used to it after a while, but it was a huge contrast from NC beaches.  Our surf spot was at Oswald West State Park in Smuggler Cove, also known as Short Sands (I think?).  It was a cove, so there were rock cliffs on both sides of the beach, which provided excellent scenery while sitting out in the water waiting to catch a wave.  The waves weren't huge, but that was probably better, since I'm still no expert at surfing.  It was tiring and freezing, but a lot of fun.

We also stopped by Cannon Beach, with the somewhat-famous haystack rocks.  We only stopped for a few photos, though.  We were surfed out from earlier.

Mount Rainier

For our 3-year anniversary, Tina and I had some time over the weekend to visit Mt. Rainier National Park.  It was about a 2.5 hour drive, and we stayed in Packwood, WA, a nearby town.  We started our day of hiking from Paradise, which I believe is one of the more popular areas of the park because of the Paradise Inn.  We did the ~6 mile Skyline Trail Loop hike, and it was definitely worth it.  It was July, and much of the trail was still covered in snow.  However, the sun was out, which made it warm enough for us to comfortably wear t-shirts.

This photo was taken as we were climbing up towards the mountain.  A lot of the trail was covered in snow, which we weren't prepared for, but we still survived.  It made for a funner hike, especially on the way down.  Also, there were some clouds in morning, so occasionally the mountain was covered.  Luckily, there were times when the clouds would move away, so we had to take advantage of those instances for photo-taking.

We hiked up to Panorama Point, which was the highest point of the Skyline Trail.  It had some nice views, so we stopped here for lunch.

Tina wanted to take a jumping picture near the area we ate lunch.  I tried taking a couple of floating pictures, but hers turned out better.

On our way down, we found ourselves sliding down the trail, because it was hard to walk down the steeper parts.  I managed to do most of the sliding on my feet, as if I were skiing without skis.  That was probably the funnest part of the hike.   But Tina opted to sit and slide, which made her pants wet, and I don't think she had as much fun.  But I think she still had fun.

This was a nice little creek and bridge along the path.

I think this was the Reflection Lake, which provided a nice backdrop for the mountain, and was accessible along the Stevens Canyon Road.

We then went to the Grove of the Patriarchs Trail, near the Stevens Canyon Entrance.  We encountered many large trees, as seen above.  Tina wanted to nap against one.

Along the Grove of the Patriarchs Trail was Silver Falls.  The lighting was strange, so the waterfall looks super bright, sorry.  After this, we called it a day and went back to our hotel.  We were planning on hiking more the next day, but Tina got pretty sick, so we decided to head home and get rest instead.  We will definitely be back, though - the park (and mountain) is incredibly beautiful and a few days doesn't do it justice at all.

Jen & Trudy Visit (Part 2)

On July 5th, we decided to do some grilling out on our rooftop deck.  Luckily, it was not crowded at all, and enjoyed some chicken legs, grilled veggies, corn, and spam (Trudy's choice) from the top of our apartment complex.

There was fire pit, too.  But we weren't prepared well enough to make s'mores.

The next day was spent at Fremont.  Most importantly, we had lunch at Paseo.  I've said this before, but this is by far my favorite place to eat in Seattle.  It is just SO GOOD.  You wouldn't fully appreciate it until you try it.  There's no over-hyping it.  It's just that good.  We also went to Theo Chocolate, which is always fun because of all their chocolate samples.

Then we visited the Fremont Troll.  There was some zombie festival going on that day, so there were some interesting characters walking around Fremont.  If you look hard enough, you'll see one right behind me.  Jen was clearly freaked out by them.

After Fremont, we headed over to Kerry Park in Queen Anne for a nice view of the city.  And to check out some nice houses.

After Jen headed back home, we took Trudy to try (another) banh mi place - New Saigon Deli - in the International District.  I think she enjoyed it.  At least better than Seattle Deli, since her experience with their gasoline-smelling paper wasn't too pleasant.

And of course, documenting Trudy and Jen's trip to Seattle wouldn't be complete without paying respect to Molly Moon's Ice Cream.  Trudy decided that the earl grey ice cream was the best ice cream she had ever had.  In her whole life.  I was surprised by that assertion, but she liked it enough to buy a whole pint and finish it within the week she was with us.  Granted, Jen, Tina, and I helped her a little with finishing the ice cream, but still.

Unfortunately, I was not able to capture all of our food and travel escapades through our photos.  But for completeness's sake, here is a list of other highlights Trudy and Jen got to experience (by neighborhood / area).  I hope I remembered them all..

Capitol Hill:

-Volunteer Park, Capitol Hill

-Watching Bike Polo at Cal Anderson Park, Capitol Hill

-Frozen Yogurt at Yogurtland, Capitol Hill - This is Tina and I's favorite place to get dessert in Capitol Hill.  It's self-serve frozen yogurt, and their flavors are spot-on.

-Donuts at Top Pot Donuts, Capitol Hill - If you go here, try their old-fashioned donuts.  The other donuts aren't really worth trying.

-Crepes at Saley, Capitol Hill

-Korean Tacos at Marination Station, Capitol Hill

Downtown / Belltown:

-Chowder at Pike Place Chowder, Downtown (Pike Place Market) - It has pretty good chowder, and has won awards for it.

-Gum Wall at Pike Place Market

-Olympic Sculpture Park, Belltown

International District:

-Banh Mi at Seattle Deli, International District - This is Tina and I's favorite place to get banh mi (out of the.. 4 places we've tried so far in the ID).

-Garlic Chicken Wings at Hue Ky Mi Gia, International District - Unbelievably good garlic chicken wings.

Queen Anne:

-Discovery Park, Queen Anne

Lake Union / University District:

-Kayaking in Lake Union

-Biking along the Burke-Gilman Trail, University District

Ballard:

-Ballard Locks, Ballard

-Salmon Wraps and Salads at Trident Seafoods, Ballard - Surprisingly good food for a reasonable price.  Right next to the Ballard Locks.

West Seattle:

-Ice Cream at Full Tilt, West Seattle - Interesting flavors.

-Tacos at Taqueria La Fondita #2, West Seattle

Coffee:

We tried the black coffee at each of the following places, and this was (roughly) the ranking I would give them.  I think Trudy and Jen generally agreed to these rankings, with slight variations.  Note that I am no coffee connoisseur, so take it with a grain of salt.

-Caffe Vita, Capitol Hill - This ended up being a consensus favorite of all the coffee shops we tried.

-Kaladi Brothers Coffee, Capitol Hill

-Bauhaus Books & Coffee, Capitol Hill

-Espresso Vivace Roasteria, Capitol Hill

-Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Capitol Hill

-Victrola Coffee Roasters, Capitol Hill

Jen & Trudy Visit (Part 1)

The day Tina found out we were going to Seattle for her residency, Trudy and Jen started planning a trip to Seattle.  They were excited about our move, but mostly because they could come visit us.  So they made their way out here in July, and we attempted to show them around and keep them entertained during their week here.  I actually discovered more places in that week than any other time traveling / showing people around in Seattle, so that was nice.

During their first evening here, we took them to Mike's Noodle House in the International District.  This was one of the places Tina and I had never been to, but Josh had gone with a friend and liked it, so we tried it.  We enjoyed it.

The following day, I took Trudy and Jen to Pike Place Market.  Our first stop was The Crumpet Shop.  We only tried a crumpet with hazelnut spread and ricotta cheese.  In retrospect, we should have tried the ricotta cheese with a more fruity topping, like lemon curd or orange marmalade.  While it was tasty, I don't think the hazelnut spread and ricotta cheese went that well together.

Then, we went to Piroshky Piroshky.  This seems to be the place we take everyone in Pike Place Market.  For good reason, too.  The smoked salmon piroshky is now my new favorite.  :)

That night, we went to Facing East for dinner with some friends from NC.  It's a Taiwanese restaurant in Bellevue with pretty good food.  The place was packed, but thankfully Jackie reserved a table for us so we didn't even have to wait.

Their shaved ice was decent.  Nothing compares to Taiwan, but even here, I kind of wish the ice was shaved a bit thinner.

The following day, we went hiking at the Rattlesnake Ledge Trail.  It's a nice day-trip from Seattle - only a 45 minute drive from the city, and the hike is about 4 miles round-trip.  It was super crowded because it was July 4th, but it was still worth the hike.  Here are the ladies with their respective forms of hydration - water, water, and coconut water.  Jen is already fitting in to the Seattle lifestyle.

The view of the lake and mountains from the top.

We found a somewhat hidden spot to enjoy our lunches.  :)

My Birthday!

Although this was not the first birthday I spent away from home, it was the first birthday I spent in a new home.  But I was blessed enough to have friends and family to share it with.  Thank you all for making it special.  :)

John and Jackie at Hue Ky Mi Gia in the International District for dinner.  I have no idea what the name is supposed to mean, but they have amazing Garlic Chicken Wings, which are pictured above.  I think Jackie still dreams about them on occasion.  Or at least she still talks about them.  I've noticed that John is really good at keeping his eyes open in photos as well.

Tina and I at Hue Ky Mi Gia with our soups.  Their egg noodle soups were pretty good - I got the duck and Tina got the wonton and BBQ pork (my request for her).

For dessert, Uncle Billy, Aunt Lisa, and Justine took us to Husky Deli in West Seattle for ice cream.  I was pleasantly surprised by how big their single scoops were.  It is definitely a good deal for how much ice cream you get.  It was way too much for just me, but I'm glad Tina was there to help.  It was a great way to end a great day.  :)

Seattle with the Lins & Vania

Earlier this summer, the Lins and Vania came to Seattle to visit.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to take as many photos as I would have liked to.  I only captured a few with my phone, since I left my actual camera at home.  :(  But some are better than none, right?

We started Day 1 at Coastal Kitchen in Capitol Hill for brunch.  Then we walked up to Volunteer Park, stopping at Volunteer Park Cafe & Marketplace for snacks.

A sticky bun and blueberry scone at Volunteer Park Cafe & Marketplace.

We then walked around Pike Place Market, and came across this sign:

Evidently, they were shooting some footage for Top Chef Masters at the Market.

This was the guy that they were shooting.  Does anyone know who he is?  I had no idea.  But there was a mini-crowd around the cameras trying to peek in at what was going on.

Then, of course, we had some piroshkies at Piroshky, Prioshky.  For those of you who do not know what a piroshky is, you should come to Seattle and try one.  :)  In short, it's a Russian baked bun with a variety of fillings.  I have come to like the smoked salmon piroshky, but there are many savory and sweet fillings to choose from.  The cinnamon cardamom twists are also quite tasty.

Day 2 was spent basically eating a Paseo sandwich by Green Lake.  I discovered the Chicken Thigh Sandwich, which I think is better than the Pork Sandwiches.  This place has the best sandwiches I have ever eaten, hands down.  If there is only one place in all of Seattle that you must eat at, it would have to be Paseo, in my opinion.  (That is, in my limited experiences of Seattle restaurants.)

It got a little messy, especially since we had to transport it to the lake.  But boy, was it worth it.

Geoduck Fishing + Eating

One of Tina's pre-residency social gatherings was held at an attending doctors's beach house near Gig Harbor, about a 1.5 hour drive from Seattle.  We were told that we would be fishing for geoducks (pronoucned gooey-ducks) on the beach.  I had never heard of such an animal before - it sounded like a Pokemon or something.  One of Tina's co-residents gave us a briefing of the geoduck with help from Wikipedia.  You can read more about it on that link, but what I got out of it was that it is a big clam with a long neck, and is considered a delicacy in Asian cuisine.  How we were going to catch one was still unknown to me.  Sure enough, we go out to the beach and people were already digging.  How did they know where to start digging?  By looking for a geoduck's spout popping out of the sand.

Geoduck spout.  Evidently it's how they breathe.

Once the digging began, the geoduck's spout disappeared into the sand.  We were told they start digging down very quickly to escape danger.  The way to get them was to keep digging directly down from the spout spotting. This was quite a team effort, and they (I just watched) eventually got about a foot deep, but the sand would keep collapsing into the hole.  Their solution for that problem came in the form of a large barrel with open ends.

Oil barrel in the middle of the existing geoduck pit.

The oil barrel prevented the surrounding dirt from caving in to the center of the pit, but allowed for continued digging directly downwards.  Occasionally, they would have to push down on the barrel to get it to dig deeper into the sand.  The good news was that geoducks can only dig so far down.  So it's a matter of persistence as to whether it will get caught.  This was a very involved process, and required a lot of perseverance and willingness to get wet and dirty.  However, in the end, the humans prevailed, and they caught one!

Here is Tina holding it.  Needless to say, it was a very disgusting-looking creature.

Us posing with the geoduck.  It initially was hard for me to believe this is a delicacy in Asia.  But after thinking about all the things that are considered delicacies in Asia, it became a little less hard to believe.

Now that the creature was caught, it was time to eat it.  We thankfully had one person (only one) in the party who knew how to cook it.  She explained the process to us while Tina and I watched.  

She started by slicing the meat into very thin pieces.  She then boiled them for about 20-30 seconds.  Since they were thinly sliced, they didn't require any time at all to cook.  Then she mixed the meat with soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and green onions, and..

Viola, the final product.  It was super delicious.  It had a very tender, yet slightly chewy texture.  Not as tough as squid or octopus, but still chewy.  Good sauce, too.  Who knows, I may try my luck in digging for one next time.