My Oyster

Coffee Break in Hallowell...

Hallowell is a small town next door to Augusta.  It is a funky little town.  With a cute main street along the river and with old (for the US) brick buildings, it has good restaurants, is an antique center and is very gay friendly.

Today Ma and I headed there for a coffee break - me from my work and her from her scrapbooking.  We went to Slates.

Slates has long been a favorite restaurant of mine.  They offer a great brunch in an early 19th century building.  Funky art and performers.  It's a good time.

A little less than a year ago there was a tragic fire at Slates restaurant.  The building was gutted.  But the community rallied around the restaurant and they are coming back.  Now they even have a bakery and coffee shop open while they keep rebuilding the restaurant.

Here are some snaps from our coffee break.

Pea Soup for the Soul...

Dinner for two tonight. 

Tut was out bowling.  It is Monday, afterall.

Ma made pea soup for dinner.  Yum.  Warm and with chunks of ham. I baked up some brussels sprouts and asparagus.

Of course, she refused to pose with me for a pic - see above. But I finally coerced her into making an appearance in our dinner victory portrait.  Though clearly, she was not enjoying it.  :-P

We followed up dinner with some brownie ice cream sundaes and some Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Network.  He is a favorite of Betty's and I like him too.  Today he was in New Zealand.

Road Trip to Wiscasset...

With our new travel-mate...she needs a name.

I picked her up FOR FREE at Big Al's in Wiscasset. Big Al's is a store that seems to sell...umm...merchandise (?) for dirt cheap - making me think of that old saying, you get what you pay for. 

It is an adventure though and there some interesting things for a good price - usually ending in .88 for some reason.  $1.88, $2.88.  Not quite sure what that was all about.  There are certainly some bahgins (that's bargains for non-mainers), though Al's is no Reny's.

But who cares - Big Al's lets EVERYONE who comes into the store pick a FREE item from a table chock full of ... free items.  This doll head spoke to me.

After Al's, with nameless doll head in tow, we headed to a favorite coastal spot for dinner - Sarah's.  Good soup and bread.  Here are some snaps from dinner.

It was a nice way to spend a cold, Maine afternoon.

There is a lot of snow in Maine...

little_snow_1.jpg, originally uploaded by dcjay64.

I think my parents must have seen at least 4-5 feet of snow fall already this year - and they live in the lowlands.

While it is still nice to look at, I don't think I really enjoy it as much as I used to do - as a child growing up here.

The pic above is me in maybe kindergarten or first grade.  I guess it is in the early 70s.  We lived in the Mountains of western Maine at the time.  Rangeley.   

I am the one in front.  My best friend, Melissa, is in the passenger seat.  We weren't actually riding the thing.  Just sitting on it and making vroom vroom noises. 

I actually remember that day and that corduroy jacket.  Being a kid in Maine in the winter was fun.

Airline Movie Review...

Airline:  United

Flight:  Seattle to Washington Dulles

Seating:  First Class

Movie:  December Boys

I saw this one today on a cross-country flight.  I loved it. 

I got all weepy and the flight attendant even asked me after if it was a sad movie.  But then, I almost always get emotional on airplanes and I was weepy during the next movie too - Evan Almighty with Steve Carell.

I told the flight attendant - in what I guess was my inflight movie review - that the movie wasn't really sad - but it was very emotional.

It's about 4 boys from an orphanage in Australia.  They are different but have become very close - out of necessity.  They have only each other. 

One summer the boys get to go stay with an older couple in a small, remote village on the coast for a holiday.  The movie has a few complementary stories about what makes a family, about generations and growing old, and about separation from loved ones. 

It is a very spiritual movie.  Very catholic too.  It reminded me of the movie Millions - which I also loved.  Both movies presented a LOT of religion but neither did it in a way that was negative or overpowering.  Both actually give quite positive portrayals of religion and spirituality.  I think it is noteworthy that neither is an American movie.

Plus this movie has Daniel Radcliffe in it.  Nuff said on that one.  Book a flight to Seattle or rent it.

Strolling Down Memory Lane in Seattle...

I spent most of today showing Jean some of my old haunts here in Seattle.

The pic above is me on the University of Washington Campus this morning.  I am in front of Denny Hall - where I had many classes.  It is the original U-Dub building - the oldest on campus.  I think I convinced Jean that the U of W is one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. 

The pic below is the graduate library - where I spent many, many hours researching, writing, and studying.

The pics below are from our stroll through Fremont. I lived in this neighborhood for a year or so - including with Suz. It is considered the artsy "left bank" neighborhood of Seattle. Lots of cool shops and public art.

In a comment to yesterday's post, Susan suggested we hit one of Seattle's many green spaces - Gasworks Park. I took her there on a visit not long after I had moved here. I have not been to the park for more than 15 years.

We almost did not have time to stop at the park today, but made a last minute effort. I am glad we did. It was Jean's favorite part of his first trip here. It really is a special spot. Pics from Gasworks below.

We ended the weekend in Pioneer Square. This is the oldest part of the city. Cool old buildings. Very Northwest feel - kinda kooky, pioneerish spirit, etc. I am not staying at this Pioneer Square hotel below.

Saturday in Seattle...

Busy day here in the Pacific Northwest. We started with breakfast at the Pike Place Market. Still the best market in the country. On the water. Real merchants.

We had a fisherman's breakfast (in my mind) of eggs and meats and pancakes and hashbrowns. We even got to watch the Ferries from our table. And the Faeries too.

From the Market, we walked a bit to the Westlake Center and hopped the Monorail to Seattle Center. I have to admit, it has been a long, long time since I paid $2 to ride the train to nowhere. It was fun.

Once we got to the Center, we went to Paul Allen's Experience Music Project. Jean is more into that music scene than me, but I enjoyed it too. The actual museum building is kinda funky itself.

More to the day in Seattle, but that is all for now. I am wiped out.

Welcome to Seattle, By Crackie...

Bhy Kracke Park, 05:50 AM, originally uploaded by Mallady.

That is the view of downtown Seattle from Bhy Kracke park on Queen Anne Hill.

Jean arrived tonight for the weekend. It's his first trip to Seattle - so I took him to this very tiny but amazing city park.

It's a special spot. Though really not much more than a patch of grass and a park bench nestled between a few private residences on hilly Queen Anne, the view of the city is clearly beautiful.

It is so secluded and small that finding it is always a bit of a scavenger hunt - at least for me. We drove and walked around for an hour before we literally stumbled on to it.

I think Bhy Kracke park is the perfect introduction to Seattle.

Going Home to the Downtown Seattle YMCA...

P1000776.JPG, originally uploaded by LongView.

This morning I did a spinning class at this YMCA in downtown Seattle.

This YMCA is kinda special to me. I spent a memorable time there 20 years ago. Today was my first return since 1988.

In 1988 I moved from Maine to Seattle to start graduate school and really to start my life as an independent adult. I showed up across the continent having never visited Seattle or the University. I had no place to live. No job. No friends or contacts. I just kinda showed up.

When I got to Seattle fresh out of college, I stored all my stuff at the airport and headed to the YMCA. I had very little money and it was the cheapest place I could find to stay until I got myself settled.

Getting settled turned out to be harder than I was expecting. I couldn't find a good living situation. I was hanging out with homeless men at the Y in a sketchy part of downtown. I was worried about finding a job to get some income. And I thought the Pacific Northwest was odd. Then someone was murdered at the YWCA just a couple blocks away.

That night I went to the pay phone in the lobby of the YMCA (no such things as cell fones then) and called my mother in Maine. I don't know if she knew, but the entire time I was crying. I wanted her to say, "why don't you just come home". She didn't. I stayed.

Years later my mother told me she knew that night when I called her from the Downtown Seattle YMCA that I was upset and ready to quit that chapter of my life, when I was really first setting out on my own, before it even started. She told me it was hard for her not to do what I wanted - to give me permission to quit and go home. But she didn't. And good for me.

Eventually I found a place to live. I got a good job. I got a world class education. I made some lifelong friends. Staying in Seattle was one of the best things I ever did. My Seattle years and the University of Washington turned out to be fantastic for me.

So this morning when I went into the YMCA - I looked down and saw the very same floor tiles that i remembered staring at while I was on the pay phone with my mother 20 years ago.

These tiles brought back a lot of memories.

Snow in Seattle...

Snow in Seattle, originally uploaded by Mark Griffith.

I guess that is what happened last night.

This pic is actually from a year ago. It's pretty.  But Seattle looks nothing like this today.

Last night there was some snow on my car when I got in it after dinner. But really, not much.

This morning I got up and walked to the gym to swim. I did not see even one flake anywhere.

And yet...it was suggested that because of the "weather" I should work from my hotel today rather than "risk" going into the office. I think a lot of people actually did stay put rather than go out on the roads.

Really - in downtown there was NO snow today.  Nada.

I found all this to be kinda funny considering that my parents received 20 inches of snow in the last 24 hours and yet they were out and about today.

I guess it's all what you are used to.