Friday, January 25, 2013

Duck Press

Duck press at Le Picher, the best place in Seattle.

We had a little adventure over the weekened. We decided to bite the bullet and make our first trip to Seattle, which is not a bad drive at all. It's taken us almost 3 years to make the trip to see more of the city than the airport! Crazy. So, we booked a discount room at a crazy hotel and drove down after classes on Friday.

Saturday was a great day. It began with a trip to Le Picher for wonderful French food and atmosphere, then off to exploring Pike's Market, where we bought lots of old used books and saw a fish being thrown, which is the thing to do. We went to the original Starbucks, which was suspiciously exactly like going to any other Starbucks, only with a billion people crushed into the space and nowhere to sit down. I was glad to leave it. We ate at an amazing restaurant with one of D's oldest friends, and then because a good thing twice is great, back to Le Picher for a lovely nightcap.

Now, the duck press up there sits proudly on Le Picher's counter, with an engraving that says it was presented to some great chef. They're rare to see, and I only know what it is because of Julia Child's memoirs. For those of you not in the know, a plucked and ready duck is taken and the breast and legs are removed and cooked partially. Then, everything else is crammed into this device, bones and all, and crushed mightily, while all the good stuff (blood, juices, marrow) runs out of the little spigot at the bottom. Then, you cook the parts of the duck you did not obliterate in the delicious duck juice and serve it up. I am told it is the height of elegance.

And now I know how that duck feels, I think. Unfortunately, all plans of Pioneer Square and clearance boots at REI for Sunday were squandered, when I woke up at 6 am sick as a dog. Somehow I picked up a super nasty stomach flu and spent the rest of the day in a semi-coherent miserable state all the way back home. It was AWFUL. I still haven't recovered completely. I forgot how terrible the flu can be! I'm almost back on my feet. Maybe not as sturdy as those feet up there, but I'll take it.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

2012 + 1


Another year is here.

We stayed home for the holidays, opting to catch up on work and play instead of traveling. The shot above is from Grouse Mountain, where we took our new snowshoes out for a spin. I like a sport that has a very low learning curve and ends with beers. We made it back to the lodge as the sun set and the views were worth the cold and exertion.

It's been a long vacation, and now we are going back to school next week. Next week! I can't believe it. I'm ready to get back into the rhythm of regular life. With no other obligations, we've been going to bed at ridiculous hours and getting up at even more ridiculous times. At one point we were nearly nocturnal. I'm ready to see more of the sun.