The Perfect 20th Anniversary

What an inspiring weekend!

My friend, Zen ~ boy genius architect, and I attended the 20th anniversary of one of his projects (for which, I played a very, very, very small part in the design.)

The building is a mixed use structure overlooking Lake Union. It's on an amazing but difficult site, and, wow! what a view.

As I've mentioned before, Zen is a damn genius. Couple that with clients with exquisite taste, fascinating worldview, deep artistic sensibilities and you get brilliance.

Robby is an artist and Janet is a writer. When you talk about people in history you'd like to have dinner with, I say why go back in time? These are people you'd certainly drag a chair to the table for and maybe even bump Napoleon to the kiddie table.

 

The design of the building was inspired by their love of the Coast Salish people: their traditions, customs and language. As we all gathered around for greetings and a toast, Robby spoke in the Lushootseed dialect and Janet translated the welcome. Utterly cool! And, completely dear.

From the lintel over the garage to the shape of the building, everything was fully realized in support of the vision developed by the client and the architect. And, twenty years on, immaculately kept. Sublime!

The day was gorgeous; the project exquisite; the light fare toothsome and beautifully presented; the guests convivial and interesting; the hosts generous. Lovely.

   

Day 45 Everyday Grateful ~

Beautiful weekend

Out and about to Lake Union

Nice!

http://www.mcmanigal-architecture.com/McManigal_Architecture/Home.html
for more pictures of Whaac All All see Portfolio/Residential, Whaac All All Eastlake Mixed Use

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lushootseed_language

Not Quite 1 Corinthians 13

Ah, the island life!

This morning, three of us took the ferry to Whidbey Island for lunch with a friend.

Susan, our island-dwelling friend, is an exuberant powerhouse.

Every gesture is lavish. She has an infectious laugh and a bright, ready smile. She is bold. She is passionate. She is generous. She is confident. And, her house is a complete reflection of everything about her. Did I mention she's funny?

Just to give you an idea of what we are dealing with:

So, hanging from a hook on the ceiling in her living room is an actual ruby slipper. A deeply red, high heeled, covered with dazzling red sequins, ruby slipper. Only Susan could put it so perfectly ~ "sometimes, the other shoe doesn't drop."

Art is everywhere. Sculpture. Paintings. Collage. On the walls. Inlaid in the floor. All on a backdrop of rich jewel-toned walls, large light-filled windows, acid-etched concrete floors, and comfy, overstuffed furniture. There really is something hilarious in stating the obvious. The large cream pillow on the purple sofa ~ "Sit Here." The small marble plaque under the light switch to the back yard ~ "omnia vincit Amor." The plastic joke cup of spilled coffee on the immaculate kitchen counter.

This is a home that says happiness and a free spirit abides here.

As we got ready to go, I asked to use her powder room.

S*M*A*L*L and completely darling. Oh, rats and double rats. Why did I leave my camera at home? So, using the camera on Susan's phone. Let me tell you about this space. Deep intense colour with amazing tangerine accent pieces. And, behind the matching blind? The shower. A perfect solution to disguise a difficult element.

And, on the back of the powder room door. A very updated 1Corinthians13. I'm sure God doesn't mind, because, He knows the truth of "and, a time to pee and poop!!!!" and, would really appreciate that it's handwritten under the artful Biblical reminder.















Driving up the Susan's house, you'd just know a fascinating person lives there.

The exterior is just as remarkable and personal as the interior. From the rich, dusty French Blue picket fence to the crystal balls on the corner posts of the fence. A clematis to die for. Lush. Covering the gate from the side yard.

The front porch sports two round blue rugs plus a red-centered bull's-eye rug at the front door with an arrow ~ "you are here." Cheeky.

Guarding the front door is a sculpture of her beloved, late Dalmatian, "Spot," with his food bowl full of primroses.

For me, this is a capital "T" truth about design: the best design is personal.

It really does reflect the  hopes, vision, dreams, aspirations, and character of the person who lives there. It is never achieved by buying a suite of furniture (no matter how expensive) at the store, having it delivered, propping your feet up on the coffee table, and thinking, "there, I'm done." Boring! Not to mention, slightly depressing.

Great design is risky. Exciting. Thrilling. It takes courage and most of all ~ vitality. When you go into a room and think "a real person lives here," it is nearly always because it is original. That "one-of-a-kind"ness is exactly why it is special!

Our field trip to Susan's Whidbey Island home was the cherry on the top of our excursion sundae. A ferry crossing on a beautiful clear sunny day with a destination full of whimsy!  

  

Day 15 Everyday Grateful ~ a rainy Seattle morning,

a ferry ride on completely calm water

and a sunny afternoon coming home.

Food of the Gods ~ Breakfast!

OK, OK, it has taken me three days, but, I finally have a supply of my wild smoked salmon for breakfast again. I get kindah anxious when my stash gets low. (You will recall ~ I am a repeat eater.)

My colleague, Ramses, is happy as well. We have an agreement. He gets the salmon skin and the last bite of each half. A nice way to start the day ~ everyone happy.

Day 9 Everyday Grateful ~ a lovely warm sunny morning, my favourite breakfast with my favourite hound. Heaven!

Food of the Gods ~ Wild Salmon Part Deux

The wild salmon has marinated covered in my refrigerator for about 36 hours. In preparation to the next step, I covered my maple butcher block counter with cut-up kraft grocery bags.

Then, I put the grates from my smoker on the counter just before I took the large enameled roaster out of the refrigerator. It's a good idea to spray the grates with oil (I don't always remember which is one of the reasons I smoke my wild salmon with the skins on.)

Once I have the marinated pieces placed on the grates, I turn on the fan.

There are several keys to successful smoked fish. First is fish worth smoking ~ fresh, fresh, fresh and wild, wild, wild. Next is your marinade. I've posted a link below for a site I used at the beginning of my wild smoked salmon journey. The final next step before putting the fish in the smoker ~ form the pellicle. This glaze or film helps the smoke adhere to the fish.

Don't make the rookie mistake and smoke your fish without this step. There are several ways to form the pellicle. I usually put the salmon pieces on the racks and turn the fan on them for at least 2 hours. You can go longer. Don't worry, the salt protects the fish. Doing it in the house means fewer opportunities for flying insects. But, I must remain vigilant. Ramses can surf the counters without even raising his head.

You can also allow them to dry outside on a breezy day. When I do that, I cover the fish on the grates with cheese cloth from my giant cheese cloth roll I have that I have no idea when or why it arrived in my studio. Now, I use it when I smoke my fish.

While the pellicle is forming, I start soaking the wood chips.

Now, into the smoker. I have three racks. I've rigged two additional smaller racks to hang under the top two racks. I really had a lot of fish this time. I was a little worried about adding the extra racks so I called Byron. He assured me the smoke would get to all the fish and I could make use of the space between the factory installed grates. I'll let you know.

The key is to put the thinner pieces on the top rack. In about an hour, I'll start checking the fish on the remaining racks for doneness (is that a word?) It's OK to remove fish from the top rack if it is done and leave the lower racks which have thicker fish on them. Do keep checking them often. It's easy to overcook. They will still be delicious, just not as moist as you might want them.



Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

My client called to ask about some handmade tile. I asked her to come by for dinner since she was coming from so far. Let's mange, OK. With that decided, it's off to the store for fresh romaine and other salady things. Mmmm, maybe some risotto to go with the Smoked Salmon Caesar. Back on a flash!

OMG ~ almost done.

Oh, yeah! We have lift-off! Meet you in the kitchen.

The dinner party that started out with one, ended up with six! The picture is less than to be hoped for but the Smoked Salmon Caesar salad? Divine! You know it is good when people offer to help empty the smoker. Then, they crowd around as you bring out each layer and take a piece to munch on as they go back to the kitchen. Oh, that makes me feel so good!

Wild Salmon is a clean and elegant food. Smoked Wild Salmon really is the food of the Gods.

Here is another capital "T" truth ~

If you care about the future, protect wild salmon. Everything our children need, wild salmon need ~ clean air, clean water, abundant food and a healthy place to live.

For more information ~ www.greatwildsalmonrun.org

Hank Shaw has excellent step-by-step instructions. Between he and my friend, Byron, I  gained the confidence to try this amazing process. The truth is ~ it really is easy. Sure, it's time consuming, but . . . oh, the results! Heavenly

http://fishcooking.about.com/od/smokebrine/ss/smokingfish.htm

Day 8+ Everyday Grateful ~ friends over for dinner and eating freshly smoked wild salmon. Oh, dear ~ how wonderful is that!

Food of the Gods ~ Wild Smoked Salmon

For about fifteen years, I've been a vegetarian. Well, there is the whole "I do eat fish" thing, but, meat? Not so much. In fact, almost never. In the olden days, I really, really craved steak. Steers feared me. When I stopped eating beef, chicken, and pork, etc., I thought I would really miss it, but, I didn't. Quite the little surprise.

Several years ago, my friend, Barb the gourmand, called me to say she had read an article about the four or five types of eaters. Going over the list together, it was clear ~ I'm a repeat eater. I like knowing what my breakfast is, what it's going to taste like. It feels like a calm start to the day. Over time, I found I prefer savory to sweet and because I live in Seattle (I suppose) ~ fresh ground dark roast coffee prepared using a French press with whole milk. I like it best when the resulting colour matches, say, the "Moroccan Sand" paint chip I might have hanging around. Delicious and no surprises.

I started having smoked salmon with my fresh bagel, sliced tomato, capers and cream cheese many, many years ago. I used to buy Jensen's smoked salmon literally by the case at my local market. Their smoked wild salmon was delicious, well-priced and I liked supporting a local company. Then, they had a falling out with my market and I was left fending for myself.

While searching for a replacement, I found out there is some very bad smoked salmon on the market. Sheesh!

Now, here are the two capital "T" truths about smoked salmon: First, it must be wild caught. Farmed salmon is filthy and very, very bad for the environment. Second, no preservatives. The smoking process is the preservative. If the smoked salmon you buy has any of these two no-no's, don't buy it.

My own smoked wild salmon journey stated innocently enough.

Last spring, I was having a meeting with one of the members of my board at his home on Capitol Hill in Seattle. We sat at a small round table in his fully restored 100 year old kitchen and had fresh coffee and a small plate of smoked salmon. OMG ~ it was utterly delicious. When I asked him where he bought it, he said he smoked it himself. "It's not hard to do, you know."

Thus began my quest for perfect smoked salmon. Gawd, I'm such a little over-achiever! Researching ~ reading ~ talking with experts. After gathering all the information I could, I jumped in the deep end of all things wild salmon, but since, times are, in fact, tough, I started out with a used smoker on Craigslist. $40.



Four months later, a vacuum sealer from Craigslist. In the next few months, I'll get a small chest freezer for the garage. But, as I gather all my equipment, I keep smoking salmon. Batch after batch, I work on perfecting my marinade. Trial and error.

Last Christmas, I smoked eight wild salmon and gave smoked wild salmon for presents.

Today, I bought four wild Sockeye and brought them home. They averaged around 7# ~ bigger than I've been buying. So, I'm up to my eyes in marinating wild salmon. On Wednesday morning, I'll put them in the smoker. (It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.)

This year, I'm looking forward to buying directly from the tribes. My friend, Byron, buys 100# at a time, smokes it, seals it and has it for months from the freezer. He's going to take me to his special location to buy it directly. Can't wait. I'll keep you posted.

I'll post pictures of the salmon in the smoker so you can see how wonderful it is.

Day 6 Everyday Grateful ~ being confident, capable, resourceful ~ acquiring new skills, trying new things

If you care about the future, protect wild salmon. Everything our children need, wild salmon need ~ clean air, clean water, abundant food and a healthy place to live.

For more information ~ www.greatwildsalmonrun.org

Wild Salmon Matter

On Tuesday, I went to see a preview of a documentary of the restoration of an ecosystem ~ Return of the River. A film shot and directed by John Gussman and produced by Jessica Plumb, about the largest dam removal project in history.

The film chronicles the removal of the Elwha Dam in Washington state. After decades of effort and 20 years after Congress authorized its removal, the countless citizens and organizations who have worked to remove the Elwha Dam on the Olympic Peninsula saw their vision realized. Work began on the lower Elwha Dam in September with a blast of dynamite.

Why open the Elwha River? Why restore this ecosystem?

The Great Wild Salmon have run the streams of the Pacific Northwest for millions of years. Their cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth has tied us to the sea. Their remarkable journey has nourished the forest, fed its wild life and for the last 12,000 years defined the cultural heritage of our region. The Great Wild Salmon have graphically shown us the fragility of our planet and given voice to the old saying, “we all live downstream” as everything finds its way to the ocean.

Over the last 100 years, the Wild Salmon runs on the Elwha River have dwindled from over 400,000 fish to under 3000. In the Pacific Northwest, we know everything about this region we love is directly related to healthy Wild Salmon runs bringing micro-nutrients from the sea to the mountains. Over 400 species benefit from Wild Salmon's heroic migration.

On Tuesday, I heard about the fundraising efforts through Kickstarter.com for Return of the River. I was heartened to hear people from all over the world have donated to support this documentary. People know ~ Wild Salmon matter.

In the Puget Sound, we know Wild Salmon is a cultural cornerstone. The health of Wild Salmon is directly tied to clean water, healthy forests, habitat protection and species diversity. Wild Salmon are abundant when all of these are in place.

This is a time of great hope; a time of great opportunity. With the removal of the Elwha Dam and the restoration of a free flowing river, we are seeing the changing understanding of the importance of protecting clean food sources and wild rivers.

Governor John Kitzhaber of Oregon may have said it best ~

"What is at stake here goes far beyond the issue of salmon recovery. To me, it raises the question of whether we have the courage and the will to reconcile the growing contradiction between the world we say we want to leave our children and the one we are actually creating through the decisions we make today.

And, it calls into question our capacity to take explicit and intentional action to shape our own future rather than to simply react to circumstances, allowing by default our future to become a matter of chance. It's time to fight for Wild Salmon. It's time to fight for us. It's time to fight for our future."

For more information about the Elwha Dam removal ~

Elwha Dam removal illustrates growing movement - The WA Post

Elwha Dam Removal - Elwha River Restoration

For more information about groups working on wild salmon issues in the Pacific Northwest ~
www.greatwildsalmonrun.org click on links

To donate to the documentary ~
 www.kickstarter.com enter Return of the River in the search box.