A late summer weekend

　How much longer is the nice weather going to last for? That is the question you ask yourself when you live in "Rain City". Summer came late and is now going quickly. To spend the afternoon we headed for Volunteer Park, passing through the tall roadside trees lining the streets with large American houses. We stopped by a cafe nearby which we visited when we moved to Seattle. Having lived here for a year in the city where there is a coffee shop every two blocks I am still unable to distinguish good coffees from bad ones. Hence I have nothing to say about my cafe latte.

Then we strolled to the Asian Art Museum in the park. There happened to be a wedding going on and there were limousines in front of the art deco building. It's simply pleasant being here - the grass, the blue sky, the museum and the people who enjoy them. Seattle is full of parks and greenery and is enjoyable. On the other hand it's true that I miss what big cities have to offer from time to time. It seems like I have checked out most neighbourhoods in the city and there is a fear I might be completely bored in the near future. I would not know what to do if we are to live here for another five years. We should consider exploring beyond the city, visiting national parks and other cities like Portland or even Canada.

A Very Japanese Garden

My husband and I went back to the Japanese garden in Washington Park Arboretum. The last time we were in January the surrounding area was dead and sad looking. Today the sense of spring has brighten up the area in the warm gentle air. The garden designed by a Japanese is authentic with tranquility and landscape modeled on nature and it makes you feel as if in Japan. There are many familiar plants including mosses. Later I learned it was part of the designers' effort to represent scenes found in Japan.

Magnolias - still blooming after cherry blossoms.

It seems like a wild type of azalea. I've seen similar ones in mountains.

Here are interesting animal activities taking place in a peaceful Sunday afternoon. Synchronized swimming performance by ducks. 

Sun bathing turtles!

Some ferns sprouting. The swirls fascinates me.

A gnarled tree with branches looking like delicate fireworks. It turned out it was planted by then crown princess Michiko. It's still small after some fifty years.

Moss Blog

A friend of mine Naoko is a great cook and food lover. She is always exploring new flavours and parings and has also taken food coordination classes. I'm one of her fans and love her creative cooking with unexpected combinations which pleasantly surprise me. The wedding gift from her and her husband was a bag of le sel de Guérande and a bottle of Mancino olive oil along with her original recipes. It was really like her and has her personal touch. And of course I tried the recipes too. Here is her blog on her life around food: http://ameblo.jp/sanonao/


I cooked roast beef using this delicate salt. You can even see square crystallization in it. It brought out the full flavour of beef and the vegetable giving the depth and made the dish a success. I could serve it when we have the family or friends over. Salt is essential to food obviously. I couldn't agree more with the princess from a fairy tale I used to read as a child. I often recall this even now especially with a piece of salted butter in my mouth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_and_Salt

Olympic Sculpture Park

Another sunny afternoon was spent in Olympic Sculpture Park. It's a park looking down the waterfront. Seattle is not a big city but has many parks and the surrounding area has a few beautiful parks as well. It's a good balance between nature and city, which makes living here pleasant. I like the idea of parks - it's just public space outdoors and you. And this one comes with sculptures by modern artists and it adds some industrial touch. 
Here is a sculpture by Alexander Calder, one of my foavourite artists. You can also see a futuristic tower, Space Needle. 

Yet again something red. The mountain range across the sea is part of Olympic National Park. I hope to go there before I leave Seattle.

Catch up

It's been a long while since my last update!
I feel bad about taking so long to come back but I'm lucky enough to have some of my friends who have checked out my blog during the break. Now it's the time to catch up.


About a month ago was the best time for cherry blossoms in Seattle. I had never imagined I would see such big clusters of them outside Japan except for D.C.. University of Washington seemed to be a local (and possibly even tourists) destination for the weekend. We rented a Zipcar(a car sharing service) for the trip, a Mini cooper for fun. Actually it's not as cool since the car has a big logo of Zipcar on the other side ...

When we got there the lawn  was full of people enjoying the flowers and the sun, and taking pictures.
It seems taking photos is becoming less stereotypical of Japanese recently. I see lots of people doing that with not just touristic attractions but seemingly ordinary things. My guess is that the popularity of Facebook which helps and encourages picture sharing, is one of the reasons. The guy with a SLR like a telescope must be Japanese.
We found some space and sat down for a while just like hundreds of other people there. This is how we experienced cherry blossoms viewing a month earlier than in Japan.

Mémorandum de Français

Today's brunch was at a popular Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. I had a Pho Ga, chicken noodle soup with bean sprouts, mint, lime, etc. The food was better than the last time, but something was missing - it must be the spices that gives depth to the broth.
I learned about the spices when I was in Ho Chi Minh City on holiday back in 2003. I visited a friend of mine living there, Shio-san, who is now teaching French in Tokyo. Since I met her at university, it has always been inspiring and encouraging to see how she lives true to herself. I often check out her blog with her thoughts, topics on French language and culture and yummy photos. Here is the website. Enjoy!
http://shiofrancais.blogspot.com/

Costco

This is my first trip to Costco, a membership warehouse club that was founded in Kirkland, Washington. 
I hadn't heard of it until I came to America, but there are nine locations in Japan as well.
This time a friend who has a membership drove me there for the American experience.
You can find from fresh produce to home electronics in bulk for lower prices than in ordinary retail stores. I ended up with quite a heavy bag with pasta, canned tomatoes, baking soda (not for baking but for cleaning!) etc.
The interior is just a warehouse itself, but brighter than Ikea storage.

Even "Special occasion dress for kids" available for $16. It doesn't look nice though.

My purchase included a bouquet - It's time to fill the vase again.

Fremont shopping

Fremont is thought to be a hippie neighbourhood, apparently famous for its nude solstice cyclists.
When I saw some in downtown last summer, I was just taken aback and wondered if the police were going to catch them.
Anyhow, on Saturday afternoon I went to Fremont to find a gift for a girlfriend on my own since I knew shopping is better done without my husband.
Having browsed the shops I usually go to, I finally decided to get a beeswax candle in a pretty jar for her. Mission completed!


Below are the pictures of the shops I checked out.

I was happy to find some cherry blossoms. They are probably the most beloved flower in Japan for its transient beauty.

Korean Grocery

I met up with two of my Korean friends for lunch and then we headed to a Korean supermarket for groceries.
I can't agree more with what one of them said - deciding on what to cook for dinner is like homework.
This time I got a big jar of kimchi and a packet of salted seaweed along with others.

I like the seaweed which is surprisingly tender! I have the feeling that it's going to be my favourite wakame.

Art in Seattle

On the first Thursday of every month in Seattle, the admission is free for museums and many art galleries in the Pioneer Square neighborhood.
I really like the idea of promoting art so that everybody in the community can enjoy freely. 
Yesterday I went to Seattle Art Museum to see Alexander Calder's art.

It was nice to encounter his work again because I couldn't remember his name from when I first saw his mobile years ago in Guggenheim Bilbao. I like the hanging mobiles especially since they change the way they look every moment with the moves of air.
They actually seem like breathing as if they are creatures. I was also fascinated by the shadows created by the mobiles. I couldn't take pictures there but if you are interested you can see his work on the website below.


http://calder.org/work.html

Happy New Year

The new year came with fireworks in Seattle.
Since it is the biggest celebration typically spent with family in Japan, I prepared some traditional food but I could not get much spirit of the season I usually have.
Probably because I stayed up for the fire works the night before,
and I did not get the refreshing feel of the new beginning. 
I started thinking about resolution for the year ahead, and eventually ended up with a long list
full of basic things that sound too familiar. Let's see how long I can keep them...


Here are some things we enjoyed for the new year. 
The view from my apartment : I like Seattle for the beautiful mountains like this as well as the city.

The sushi that we shared with friends at our favourite restaurant "Shiro's".
(Shiro-san, the owner, has been making sushi in Seattle since 1967!)
I'm glad they liked both sushi and cooked dishes there.

The cheese cake of Jamie Oliver's recipe as always.

I have an assistant, my husband, who did most of the job.

Good pairing with the fresh black berry sauce.