A Lovely Fall Weekend

We had a beautiful weekend, after a week of intermittent rain showers heralded the end of summer.

Gregg and I took a drive up to one of our favorite towns and visited their farmers' market. It was the perfect day to do so.

The flowers and vegetables were radiant with color, especially brilliant in the early autumn light.

We bought organic vegetables for our dinner, and a couple of freshly-baked snacks to eat then and there. We sat down to enjoy some live music while we ate. A farmer's market can be a great place for local people-watching.

I am having a lot of fun playing with photos on Instagram. It is an easy-to-use application which brings out the best in simple digital photos which have been taken on a phone.

After listening to a few songs, we walked through town, admiring gardens, cottages, and grand houses adorned with Victorian ornamental details. We took in the view of the sea from uptown, then walked down to the docks to enjoy the variety of boats afloat on crystal-clear water. We breathed in the fresh air, window-shopped, and bought locally-made gifts, then stopped for a cup of freshly-brewed coffee and a slice of homemade pie.

On our way home, we stopped by another small harbor town and walked along the shoreline, soaking up the late-afternoon sunshine and admiring the variety of boats in the marina. It was a perfect date.

I'm glad that after more than 23 years of marriage (including a lot of life's ups and downs), we still love to go on dates together. I don't take Gregg's excellent company for granted. He is quite entertaining, in addition to being solid, intelligent, interesting, loving and true.

Last night, we joined my parents in their home for dinner with friends.

 We had some great laughs together.

 I love that photograph - my mom is out of control with hilarity!

Persephone Farm CSA

Since we are not great gardeners, yet we love to eat healthy food, Gregg and I decided to try something new this year: we are joining Persephone Farm's CSA (community supported agriculture) program. The best description of the CSA is in their own words (from the Persephone Farm website):

"From the first week of June through the end of October, subscribers receive an armload of fresh-picked seasonal vegetables, herbs and flowers from our farm. In addition, subscribers can choose to receive eggs from our happy hens as well as fruit, fresh–baked bread, cheese, wine, salmon and berries from other local producers. We aim to foster a deeper connection with all the foods we offer, through recipe sharing, seasonal celebrations and lots of neighborly conversation at our weekly pick-ups."

Persephone is a farm on 13 acres in the nearby town of Indianola. Of that, two acres are under cultivation, and they have an orchard, berries, free-ranging poultry and beautiful open fields, punctuated by grand maples and surrounded by tall trees.

We visited tonight for the opening of the CSA program, and an orientation for first-time members. This included a tour of the gardens, a light buffet of delicious hors d'oeuvres, artisanal cheeses, bread, local wine, beer and talks from the owner, an intern, a local beekeeper and the provider of cheese and bread.

It felt like the best kind of school - hands-on, outdoors, in the sunshine, right in the midst of what they were teaching us. I felt happy and blessed, listening to joyful, passionate people discussing their love of nature, good food sources, healthy agricultural practices and their daily work.

We bought a half-share of produce, and a weekly share of artisanal cheese, which is going to be plenty for the three of us. The cheese-maker (and bread-maker) is locally renowned chef and cookbook author Judith Weinstock, so you know it is going to be good. Every other week, we will also receive a bouquet of fresh flowers! Persephone grows flowers to encourage the bee population to pollinate their plants. Tonight, they gave us the gift of two tomato plants and a basil plant. The tomatoes are going into my parents' garden this weekend, because Gregg and I do not have "green thumbs."

Persephone's website states that biodiversity is the key to their success. They use crop rotation and homemade compost, avoiding pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The farm is not "certified organic," but their standards are higher than national "organic" standards. We are going to benefit from their practices by picking up our produce right from the farm each week. It will be fresh, local, varied and grown with love and care.

We are blessed to have Persephone Farm so close to our home. It is a leader in the field (pun intended), and has a respected internship program, with as many as 100 applicants for its four annual positions. Martha Stewart has even visited the farm; you can read about that event here.

There are still a few openings left in this year's CSA program, so if you are interested (and live in Kitsap County), follow this link to find out how to join!

Victoria

I love Canada. I feel so "at home" in British Columbia that, every time we visit, I have fantasies of living there.

Victoria is one of my favorite cities. It has an international feeling, a historic sense, and yet it has a manageable size - not too big and not too small. It is truly charming - not phony charm, but the real kind, based upon innate good qualities.

When we visit, we walk as much as possible, and do not rent a car. We average 8-12 miles walking each day, and we love seeing the neighborhoods and different areas from ground-level, at pedestrian speed. We love to be near the water, and Victoria has plenty of that. We love to eat and drink well, and restaurants, cafes and pubs abound. There are plenty of interesting shops for browsing, as well as farmer's markets, yard sales, antique stores and coffee shops. We love boats, so the Swiftsure sailboat race weekend is a natural attraction for us - plus, it coincides with our wedding anniversary (or should that be the other way around?).

On this trip, our 23rd anniversary, we arrived in a drizzling rain, so we checked our bags at the hotel and borrowed an umbrella. As Puget Sound natives, we view an umbrella as simply an insurance policy: if we carry one, the rain will stop. True to our expectation, after about an hour of carrying the umbrella as we walked up to the Cook Street Village for a cup of coffee and some people-watching, the sun came out.

We found a fabulous delicatessen that was new to us. Its cheese selection made our mouths water, but we were saving our appetites for dinner at Cafe Brio. We were not disappointed; we never have been, at Cafe Brio.

Part of the fun of our hotel's location is walking through Laurel Point Park, looking at the city from various angles, reading the dedications on the park benches, and people-watching. We walked to dinner as the light softened from day to dusk.

Gregg started his meal with a salad and a beer; I had a glass of wine. We chose to share a fish entree, and Gregg had a half-serving of pork shoulder to himself. Then we shared a dessert which is in a class of its own: the Sticky Date Toffee Pudding with vanilla bean ice cream, swimming in toffee-rum sauce. Oh.my.good.heavens. I don't have words to describe it.

With dessert, Gregg had coffee, but I indulged in something new: fortified blackberry dessert wine from the Venturi-Schulze Winery on Vancouver Island. We are planning a visit to that winery on our next trip to the island.

On Saturday morning, we awoke for an early breakfast so that we could watch the sailboats heading out to begin the race. One reason that I love this modest hotel is its location on the inner harbour. The parade of boats is an exciting spectacle, and we are able to enjoy it from our breakfast table.

The harbour looks quite different without the boat parade. It is always busy, with ferries, pleasure boats, float planes, passenger ferries and commercial shipping, but I caught it during a quiet moment here:

After breakfast, we walked up past Ogden Point, onto the breakwater, out to the lighthouse and back. Then we continued up Dallas Road to Beacon Hill Park, and joined the crowds watching the boats depart. The winds were brisk, and there were were para-sailors riding the updrafts.

It was exciting to watch them flying so close over head, floating on the wind. Gregg was totally captivated. I thought he was going to try it, but he didn't.

We went from the Swiftsure race to the Moss Street Farmer's Market, another favorite place. They have beautiful crafts, vegetables, baked goods, toys, face-painting for children and live music. Along the way, we admired the many charming cottages, some made into duplex and four-plexes, with glorious gardens. Victoria enjoys a drier climate than ours, and it shows in the cottage gardens.

After walking about 10 miles, it was time for a nap, and after our nap, time for happy hour: oysters on the half-shell, beer and cider, outdoors near the harbour.

From there, it was on to the Irish Times restaurant, where there are dozens of beers on tap, pub food and excellent live music. They featured Irish folk tunes on Saturday night (fiddle, guitar, bass and vocals) - really well done, and in such a fun atmosphere.

The Irish Times' menu contains this page:

This is not my view of alcohol, but I thought it was pretty funny. I like the very last sentence best.

 Walking back to the hotel, this was our view along the quai (the Empress Hotel, above)

and the government buildings. Do you see what I mean about the charm of the city? It has captured my heart

I'm thankful that Gregg and I agree on the gift of time spent together as an anniversary present. It's my favorite kind of gift.

Nourishment from the Inside Out

This map shows the 32 acres of gardens, sculpture, casitas, pools, gyms and sacred spaces which comprise the ranch. The entire property is about 3,000 acres.

After settling into our casita, it was time for our first lunch at the ranch. What a revelation! The food is provided by the ranch's organic farm, Tres Estrellas, which is a two-mile hike away. The diet is vegetarian, with fish and eggs included. The kitchen can accomodate gluten-free, dairy-free and kosher diets. Everything is done with a smile and a spirit of hospitality.

To take a week off from shopping, meal-planning, cooking and cleaning up was a true vacation. I don't mind doing any of those tasks in my daily life, but to be able to savor locally grown, organic food, freshly sourced, thoughtfully prepared and artfully presented, three times a day was a luxury I deeply appreciated.

Meals are taken in the beautiful Spanish Colonial-style dining room, or on one of its lovely terraces. 

The white stucco walls with carved doorways and windows, glazed floor tiles, carved wood beams, and the round fireplace with spiral staircase encircling its chimney all add to the feeling of warmth and light.

A typical dinner. This would be preceded by a soup course, salad, and followed by dessert.

After lunch, we attended a first-time guests' orientation. It was conducted by two docents who were always available to help us find our way around or answer questions. They shared tips for making the most of our time at the ranch, and their suggestions were very useful.

In the evening after dinner, we had our choice of a movie or an educational talk, but we decided to return to our casita and plan for our first full day, using the schedule of class offerings provided. I lit the fire which had been laid by our housekeeper (she refreshed it every day so we could enjoy a fire each night).

We loved our bright, spacious bedroom

and the built-in window seats

 artistic touches were everywhere

the little "kitchen" alcove with specially-filtered water tap

yarn painting

 embroidery

more yarn painting

Even the bathroom had artistic flair

Being surrounded by so much color and art refreshed our souls each day. Living in a lovely, cozy, clean and well-furnished casita was a comfort. 

We were nourished at the ranch from the inside out.

Vacation, The 16th and a New Website

We've just come home from vacation. We were in Canada with my brother, sister-in-law, my nephew and his girlfriend. It was heavenly (apart from the weather - and I'm not complaining).

I look forward to this trip all year long, because I LOVE British Columbia - and Canadians. Whenever we go across the border, I think, "I could live here." It just feels like home. We spent one night in Victoria, four nights up-island in Tofino and our last night back in Victoria. Tofino is a five-hour drive from Victoria, which is about 3 hours from our home, and we've found that it's a good idea to break up the trip. In addition, we never get tired of exploring Victoria, so any time we spend there is a pleasure. The flowers in town were gorgeous.

We took a hike in East Sooke Regional Park on the first day. We like to hike the coastal trail from Aylard Farm up to Beechey Head, and back through the woods. After the hike, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and change for dinner.

Looking toward the Olympic Mountains across the Strait of Juan de Fuca

I love this image of the two iPhone photographers, back-to-back, taking panoramas

My parents are so thoughtful; every time we make this trip, they give us the gift of a dinner out. We took their gift to Cafe Brio, and decided to have the Family Meal - six dishes chosen by the chef, served family style. What a delicious feast - everyone was thrilled with every dish!

David, me, Gregg, Caroline, Jim, Phil & Rachel

The next day, we took a walk and then headed north through beautiful countryside to the wild west coast of Vancouver Island and Pacific Rim National Park. We saw two bears by the side of the road as we drove along the coast.

Gathering before dinner on our first night up north

David, Phil & Rachel

A long beach hike on the day it didn't rain INCHES. Some of those tiny figures on top of the rock are Jim, Phil & David.

Hungry? It's time for a "little darlin' " (a snack, packed from the lodge)

A game of frisbee is always welcome

A little rest after lunch

Dinner at the Wild Side

More of the group at the Wild Side - the best fish and chips ANYwhere!

We planned the dates of this trip so that we would be in Canada on August 16th. We have always been at home on the anniversary of Katie's passing, but this year, I thought it would be a good idea to be away. Tofino is the place to which we retreated after Katie's memorial service six years ago, and it was a place we had enjoyed as a family, before she got sick. It is a place where I feel at peace and at home. It was the right place to be.

Before we left home, my friend Robin gave each of us in the Sh*tty First Draft Writing Group the gift of a yarzheit candle. August and September hold the dates when three of our children passed away (the other two are in January and June), as well as some of our group's birthdays, so we are entering a tender time. The Jewish tradition is to light this candle at sundown on the night before the anniversary of a loved one's death. I packed the candle in my bag and lit it on the evening of the 15th. There are prayers and Bible verses which you can say when you light it, but it is not required.

It burned for nearly 24 hours, and brought warmth and light into the darkest day of the year. Thank you, Robin! I want to do this every year from now on. It was a real comfort.

We drank a toast to Katie before dinner on the 16th, ate my favorite food (fresh Dungeness crab) and talked a bit about her.

I'm not a food blogger, but please! This meal was incredible. Roasted asparagus, tomato and avocado salad, Caesar salad, homemade focaccia, risotto with peas, all the crab you could eat (with drawn butter and a finger bowl) AND dessert.

It was a gentle day - thoughtful, but not mournful. I did not spend it reviewing and re-living the day of Katie's death, hour by hour, as I have tended to do in the past. Being with family who knew and loved Katie provided solace and community. Hearing from friends and family online provided comfort and a warmth that I had not expected. Thanks to each one who wrote to us; I never expect people to remember the date, but when they do, it is very sweet.

When we went to our cabin to get ready for bed that night, the candle had burned all the way down. It was somehow just the right timing.

We explored many of our favorite beaches and trails, did a lot of walking in the rain, read, played games, talked, read more, sat by the fire, slept and ate well. One day it rained three inches - IN ONE DAY, in August. I'm not griping- we knew that were next to a rain forest - but this has never happened to us before, in any of the seven years we have made this trip. It did not in any way ruin the vacation, but it was a surprise.

Back in Victoria, in a Scottish pub which had live music and a couple of dozen beers on tap

A toast to a wonderful vacation

Lastly, I have an announcement: I have created a new website. The address is: www.karengerstenberger.com
It is still "under construction," and was launched today. Please stop by, take a look around, and leave any constructive comments you have about it here. I'm just learning how to build it, and want it to be the best it can be.