Eating and Drinking in the Northwest.

I spent the last 10 days in the northwest. Seattle to start with, and then out to Orcas Island. The alleged purpose of this trip was to do a meditation retreat, but it turned into a celebration of foodie paradise. Seriously. No, I mean seriously.

I went with a friend who had been going to Camp Indralaya for years and years. We stayed in a cabin and participated in the beginning of the retreat, but after a while it became obvious to us that our real need was for exploration of the island and the incredible food available. So for 5 days we walked and explored the lush gardens and orchards of Indralaya as well as the surrounding area.

















What I didn't get a shot of was the deer. They were everywhere. Totally unafraid of us. You could practically feed them out of your hand. In fact, I'm sure with a little patience it could have been done. There were also bunny rabbits which hopped up to you if you walked out of the kitchen. They were jonesing for some leftovers, and they made no bones about it.

At the end of this idyllic stay, we drove back to Seattle and I had another day to explore. So where did I go? To Pike St. Market, of course! It's the best free show on earth - from the flying fish....




to the flying crabs....















to the produce and honey........















to the fresh flowers and the street performers.......































So much to see and do......So much to eat! But no cooking this past week. None at all. On the one hand, that suited me just fine. On the other, with so many fresh ingredients, it was foodie hell not to be able to cook! But I'm back now. I went to the farmer's market here today and realized how limited it is. Better than nothing, of course, but so very, very limited compared to the northwest.

But at least I don't have mold growing on me, and that's a delight!