What Plays In Vegas .....

In our case there was nothing we were glad was staying in Vegas - except the unbelievable heat.  108 on the day we arrived, exactly double what it was in Port Townsend when we left.  Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a dry heat.  But it's 108 and who the heck cares what kind of heat it is - it's bloody hot.

And into this inferno we willingly went to attend the World Tea Expo again. When I added up the amount of time I actually spent outdoors over the course of 4 days it was probably less than an hour in total, thanks to the personal valet I brought along.  He dropped me off at the door and then went to park.  He fetched the car from the melting asphalt parking lot and pulled up out front with the a/c blasting at the end of the day.  I could get used to this sort of treatment.

We managed to have one dinner out at Mesa Grill in Caesar's Palace on the first night but after that we were too tired at the end of each long day to do anything other than pick up dinner at Whole Foods (they will grill your fish or steak right there for you - so handy) and eat in our room with the a/c cranked up high.

                                           This way to the men's room.

Pretending to play the slots.  This year I didn't even bother to put a quarter in. I tried that last year and didn't win a thing!

The Expo was wonderful.  The keynote speaker was an expert in Generational Marketing.  For the first time we now have five generations of Americans living - the G.I. generation (1901 - 1926),  the Silents (1927 - 1945), the Boomers (1946 - 1964), Gen. X (1965 - 1981) and the Millennials (1982 - present.)  Dan was so taken with this concept that I have had to limit his usage of the term Generational Marketing to no more than once a month.

My favorite seminar was the one on creating your own blends which I can't wait to start doing in the store.  I confess I've had a prejudice against flavored teas but I have seen the light.  They can be wonderful (and so much fun to play with!)

I also enjoyed the  '$20 or $200 per Pound - Can You Tell The Difference?' seminar.  I am pleased to report that I could, but in some cases I actually preferred the cheaper tea (okay, it was $85 a pound versus $250) but for the most part you get what you pay for.

Having said that, I did come across some fabulous Indian and Ceylon teas that I can buy direct from the plantation for around $20 a pound.  And I also met a berry farmer from right here in Washington state who is experimenting with growing tea.  I promptly invited myself to his farm and he generously gave me some samples.  How cool would it be if we could stock local tea?

We came home with a suitcase full of tea samples and catalogs and pots and cups to test drive, and I'm all fired up and raring to go.  Now all I need is a space.  Aaargh!

So Las Vegas.  What can I say?  I've only ever been when it's been blistering.  Perhaps it's truly lovely in January - sort of like Florida, you know?  You get the point of it then.  And then there's the sad fact that Las Vegas is the foreclosure capital of the U.S. where a used double wide is considered a second chance.

 

 Yes I could have taken all the usual pictures of the glitz and schmaltz, but for me Las Vegas is all about the billboards.

You have to wonder what the used car salesmen look like in this town.

The other highlight of the month was when our neighbor Jim knocked on the door one afternoon.  He'd just come back from the first fishing trip of the season and had a cooler full of King salmon.  I thought I was way down on his list of buyers and was thinking of ways to bribe my way up it so I was thrilled to bits to score a beautiful 12 pounder which he even filleted for me right there on the back of his pick up truck.  Dan was supposed to watch how it's done as this is a first time only offer. 

I was reluctant to put it on the barbie- it seemed too good for smoking - but Jim convinced me try it.  That salmon was so unbelievably delicious I wanted to just stick my whole face in it.  Jim doesn't really have a fishing schedule.  I try not to check on his whereabouts too often and I can't really see if his truck's at home unless I make a special detour on my walk, so I guess I'll just have to wait for the doorbell to ring again and hope he likes blueberry muffins.  Maybe blueberry pie?







 Daisy is continuing to grow at an alarming rate.  This is the puppy that's supposed to be a mini, 14 -16 pound, non-shedding Labradoodle, remember?  She's bigger than Poppy now, has shed all her puppy coat and is starting to shed her adult coat, weighs 12 pounds and is not 4 months old yet (when you can double their weight to get an idea of their adult size) and looks more like a Golden Retriever every day.  But we love her  and she provides hours of amusement to everyone except Poppy.  Here she is with Tess and a squeaky toy and that's Poppy voicing her opinion of their antics in the background.

When The Mercury Hits 60 in Port Townsend

Celebrate!  Because that means it's summer.  Shorts, sandals, swimming in the sea.  Yes, we finally made it to the nice weather - and anything above 60 counts as nice here.  Sure, there have only been two days since October when the heat hasn't come on in the morning, but hey, we're getting there.  Actually, it feels a lot warmer than 60, especially if you're out of the wind and sitting on the deck with a glass of something, watching the late afternoon sailing races.  Finally, we're getting what we signed up for.

 Our new sculpture - the Salish Sea Circle - installed in the new public park on Water Street.

And of course I do my very best to not feel smug when I hear about record breaking heat back east because I know that would put me in the same category as the New Yorkers who move to Florida and then spend the entire winter praying for blizzards and ice storms up north and we all hate those people, right?

And five days with temperatures in the 60s does not a summer make, but it is a rather nice way to ease into it.  Last Sunday's 32nd Annual Chili Cookoff was held out at the fairgrounds under sunny skies.

The "fire pit" for keeping those chilis hot.  It was mostly men who competed.  I guess chili is one of those macho cooking things they feel they do best, like barbecue.

Here's Dan and Larry, from Dos Okies Barbecue.  I cried foul when I heard he had entered, even more so when he told me he entered in all four categories, but he didn't win either.










My entry in the Family Style category (with beans) was definitely the prettiest, but "Pretty don't count when it comes to chili, honey."

That's mine up front with the sour cream, cilantro, smoked cheddar and red onions on top. I am going to have to seriously step up my game next year.  We're talking serious chili here.

The long awaited Rhody (Rhododendron) Festival Parade was not so lucky with the weather - it was still May after all.  At least it didn't rain.  Lawn chairs started appearing on the sidewalks a few days before the parade.  I even saw a piece of string tied across a public bench and was assured that this "reservation" system would be honored.

The parade was wonderful.  We'd been reading about it in the Leader for years but seeing it was something else.  The warm up act was the Harley Drill Team.  I wonder if this is what Hells Angels do when they retire?  They were terrific.

Then came a moment of regret as the fire truck went by with some dumb kid riding shotgun instead of me.  I'd bid on this prize at a silent auction but neglected to pay attention and was beaten out by an over-indulgent parent.

 (We do actually have a slightly more modern fire fighting engine in town.)

I particularly loved the Salmon Coalition float - and the whole salmons they threw into the crowd along the way. Just missed this one.

And the Charlie Chaplin Precision Lawn Chair Drill Team.

Even the Midwives marched.

Not to mention the local political parties.  Check out the Republicans' float.

Now see what the Democrats managed to come up with.

A sign wheeled along on skates and a Lucille Ball impersonator.  (Sigh)

The Rhody Queen and Princesses

I've no idea.

 The Raging Grannies were out in force.

Our local bakery and the obligatory Port Townsend tag along dogs.

 God, I love this town!

Our local Mad Max fan club?

No idea but cute princess dog.

The Road Warrioirs garage band on their much loved garage float.

In the weeks leading up to the Grand Parade there were several notable events, including the Annual Bed Race downtown, the Pet Parade and the Kiddies Parade. We love parades in this town.

Sadly Hilary left before the Rhody festivities but we did celebrate her 19th birthday.

and she spent plenty of time cuddling the new puppy who she insisted on calling Simba (from her favorite Disney movie The Lion King.)

And speaking of the puppy, Daisy Mae is keeping us on our toes.  She's nearly doubled in weight in the five weeks we've had her

Guess she's doubled in size too.  Note Poppy in the background giving the evil eye.  She's still pretty much disgusted by all things puppy - except of course the puppy's toys which she insists on having and destroying.  Hmmm.  But Daisy and Tess are best pals and spend hours chasing each other.

And then she collapses in a puppy heap and usually ends up sleeping like this

Or this

                                                                                                                                        Or this. (Poppy still with the evil eye)

We're almost at the summer equinox and the sun now rises directly in front of our bed.  Most mornings it's overcast but the few clear dawns we've had have been quite startling.  Thankfully Miss Daisy sees to it we're up well in advance of the 5 am sunrise.  And we can't quite bring ourselves to go to bed at our usual time of 9.30 pm as it's still light out then and we feel slightly ridiculous.  Being this far north takes some getting used to.

That's a bald eagle looking for breakfast yesterday.  We decided not to parade it past him.  Saw a story on the news recently about a mini poodle that was dropped in a Vancouver resident's back yard by a "bird of prey".

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/05/16/bc-poodle-eagle.html

The other highlight of the month was going to the Seattle Mariners/Yankees game.  The only other time I'd been to a baseball game was back in 1986, my first year in NY.  It was bloody hot, the beer was Bud, the game was incomprehensible, the fans loud and obnoxious.  Hey, it was the Yankees at home.  Never wanted to go to another one.  But I kind of got into the World Series a couple of years ago and when I heard the Yankees were coming I persuaded Dan to take me out to the ball game.

What a blast.  Taking the ferry to the game sure beats taking the subway.  And the stadium was fabulous, the beer was India Pale Ale on tap (okay, it was $9 a pop but really good), the seats were 14 rows behind the Yankee dugout, the fans were friendly even to the stranger sitting next to me in the Yankees hat and even when the Yankees went on to win 7 -1, and the food was amazing.  Thai food, barbecue, real fish and chips, gourmet pizzas.  Only in Seattle, I think, do you find a vendor going up and down the aisles offering chocolate covered strawberries as a stadium snack.

On a very sad note we lost our sister-in-law Bunny a few weeks ago.  Her laugh will stay with us forever.  And just yesterday our neighbor Erica.  Both vibrant, strong women gone way too soon.  When the shock wears off you try to remember just how precious every day is and not get bogged down with the petty stuff.

I'm thinking of hanging a big sign up in the Tea Room:  Life's Too Short.  Eat The Cake.