January 2019 ~ the month in pictures and words

The holiday run is over. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years is behind us. I’m fatter, I have less money and I definitely need to drink less. Ahhh, the dark days of winter are upon us. January 2019.

Although I say the dark days of winter are upon us I really don’t mean it. Actually the light stays withs us longer each day and has since the 21st of December (not by much but it’s reassuring to know). Because we live here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, we’re not held captive to big snow storms and sub freezing temperatures. It rains. It’s cold, to us (typically in the low 40’s) but it’s always stunningly beautiful. Towering green trees, large bodies of water and mountains everywhere you look. There are plenty of ways to recreate.

So far this January we’ve been to the Olalla Polar Bear Plunge, a ferry ride to Seattle for a day of shopping in Chinatown and Pike place market, socialized with friends, gone to a couple of movies, learned to play Backgammon and photographed a Blood Moon during a lunar eclipse. A short day trip to the always wonderful Port Townsend with my good friend Mike for a day of photography and two photo shoots for KNKX; a company staff meeting and an All Things Considered show in Mount Vernon for a KNKX Connects event. Oh, and I got a Sushi Bazooka. See below.

Not a bad start to the ‘Dark Days of Winter’.

The Olalla Polar Bear Club ~ January 1, 2019

Friends and supporters of the Olalla Polar Bear Club

Jeff and Yai on a day trip to Seattle. Yai’s first time up close and personal with Centurylink Field.

Highway 99 aka The Alaskan Way Viaduct. Now closed forever and only weeks away from being torn down. This is likely the last photo I’ll take of it.

My dear sweet girl on the ferry ride home from Seattle.

The lunar eclipse and beginning of the blood moon. January 20, 2019 approximately 8:30pm.

Good friends Joe and Logan Martin. Logan is home from University for a few days.

Then there was this fun addition to the kitchen, thanks to my oldest daughter Erika, who is always sharing great new fun ideas for food. Enter The Sushi Bazooka. I love sushi. I can’t make it. I’ve tried and I know I’ve done everything right but it just always comes out a mess. No More. Not with the Sushi Bazooka. This amazingly cheap (it’s made really cheap too) devise cranks out the perfect roll every time. All you need are the ingredients and a few minutes. My favorite new kitchen appliance.

The Sushi Bazooka, Seaweed, Bamboo rolling mat

The finished product. Sushi, ginger, soy sauce, wasabi and the new Backgammon board.

Port Townsend, Washington has managed to maintain its century old look, both outside and inside. It’s such a wonderful place to visit for shopping, food, site-seeing and history.

A room on main street Port Townsend, Wa in The Palace Hotel

The month wrapped up with a couple of KNKX Events. A Staff party at the new Tacoma, Washington building and a KNKX Connects event in Mt. Vernon. The “Connects” events held around western Washington are a wonderful way of connecting local communities in the Puget Sound Region and to bring a history of the origin of these towns and their current situations.

The KNKX Staff Party

KNKX Connects ~ The All Things Considered show in Mt. Vernon, Washington

And my friend Mike Alberts. Painter, Photographer, Veterinarian. Mike has only picked up painting in the last couple of years. The work he’s turning out is amazing and a reflection of the honesty and passion he puts in to it. More of his work can be seen here Mike on Flickr and  here Mike Alberts Art

Mike Alberts

So that was January 2019. Busy enough for the Dark Days of Winter. Now lets see how February stacks up.