Phenomenal Northern Lights in Seattle

 

This is a view East toward the Cascade Mountain range 

Much of the country experienced Northern Lights last night, but only Seattle had the lead singer of the band Death Cab for Cutie watching it with them. I'm sure their famous song Northern Lights was sung by thousands last night as we witnessed something extraordinary. 

Below is a link if you'd like to listen to this dreamy song from 2018. Lead singer and songwriter Ben Gibbard grew up in Western Washington and currently lives in Seattle where he too, no doubt, saw these dramatic northern lights.

Looking up

Incredibly, this is the roof of my house with the northern lights streaming over it. I purposefully framed the photo to include the house to add some perspective. It looked like the sky had cracked open and let the color stream into our dimension.  

#northernlights #seattle #deathcabforcutie #springnights #celestial #summersky

Beyond the Build: Habitat for Humanity Seattle Annual Luncheon

I spent a wonderful afternoon learning all about the programs and partnerships that make Habitat for Humanity in Seattle - King & Kittitas Counties so strong. The annual event started with a Pre-Luncheon Community Showcase, where guests and supporters could visit tables and learn about the many aspects of Habitat's programs and outreach. I loved hearing directly with staff members and volunteers about the work impacting the community. 

I believe around 1,500 people attended this beautiful event in downtown Seattle.

The program included honoring Habitat's Volunteers in the categories of Advocacy, Resource Development, Home Repairs and Volunteer Service. The stories of their individual contributions were inspiring. We heard from Roxana Amaral, a member of a thriving Habitat Partner Family, about her life before and after her family was blessed with the chance to contribute to their own Habitat house. It was a reflection on the power of home and hard work and the difference both can make on generations. 

The luncheon was emceed by KIRO 7 Consumer Investigative Reporter Jesse Jones and he did a wonderful job. Seahawks Game Day Host & radio personality Gee Scott crafted a fascinating sit down interview/reflection with NFL Linebacker, Entrepreneur, Investor and Philanthropist Bobby Wagner. The friends talked about life, our beloved Seattle Seahawks and making a difference. 

It was a terrific program that held all of our attention. Bobby loves Seattle and is a huge supporter of Habitat for Humanity. It was clear that he has a big heart and he will continue to do all he can to support Seattle in many different ways. We will miss Bobby wearing green & blue but we wish him well on this next NFL adventure.

I really enjoyed how this entire event was structured. It was informative, surprising (did I mention that part of a live drumline from the Seahawks ratter-tat-tat announced the start of the luncheon/take your seats - so fun!). It was a great event and I hope everyone felt just as generous to support this important organization. 

#habitatforhumanityskc #beyondthebuild #bobbywagner

 

2024 Northwest Flower & Garden Show: Tremendous Tree Trunk Anchors a Mystical Show Garden

"The Secret Garden" Nature Perfect Landscape

In 2020, Better Homes & Gardens recognized Seattle's Northwest Flower & Garden show as the best flower and garden show in the country. It is truly on a grand scale with 20 show gardens, a collection of City Living gardens designed for apartment or condo living with balcony or patio growing spaces. The show has educational programming and lectures included in your ticket price - the wealth of knowledge available is staggering. The show includes a large retail area where plant specialists of all types create stores to cater to your botanical whims - houseplants, citrus trees, camellias about to bloom, orchids, dahlia bulbs, tiny terrarium plants. The selection is far and wide and you will not know what to do. It's okay. Experts are on hand to talk you through it.

No matter what, you will be inspired. You thoughts will ping pong between  your patio, your kitchen windowsill, your front porch. You may find yourself sketching on a napkin while you're having lunch. Embrace it. And see what your brain does with all of this madness. Plus the shopping for garden-related tools, seeds, fertilizers, art, furniture, pots etc. is staggering. I am going to do my best to give you a glimpse at the magnificent show gardens and a variety of photos to give you a sense of the event over a series of posts. Please do try to attend next year with a garden friend; I know that you will love it. 

The Secret Garden by Nature Perfect Landscaping (also shown in top photo) won the 2024 Founder's Cup award as Best In Show for it's incredible use of a real 15 foot wide and 8 foot tall stump, including a flowing stream and the charming use of fairies and fairy doors throughout the installation. This enormous beautiful natural garden will find a permanent home at Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma. 

You can see the fairies leaping among the real Pearl Oyster mushrooms. Congratulations to Nature Perfect on winning this year's Founder's Cup award.

#nwfgs #natureperfect #founderscup2024 #treetrunkdisplay #gardendesign #fairies

 

Boys in the Boat: Cherished Artifacts on Display at Seattle's MOHAI Museum of History & Industry

 

I spent an evening at Seattle's MOHAI (Museum of History & Industry) last month and was thrilled to see artifacts from the University of Washington men's rowing team that won gold in the 1936 Olympics. 

Their triumphant story was told in the novel Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown and then on the big screen in a major motion picture directed by George Clooney. I loved the movie and I am anxious to read the book, which my husband Dan said is far more captivating because when reading there is more space and mental bandwidth to go in depth. He loved it.

 

Bob Moch's blazer from the 1936 Oympics

Bob Moch's megaphone from the 1936 Olympics

American Flag (made in Germany) from the 1936 Olympics

Shirt betting is a tradition in rowing where the losing team gives the winning team their shirt after the race. This British shirt is included in the display because an American crew member received it after beating England in one of the races in the Olympics.

This display window is brimming with memorabilia from University of Washington's rich rowing history, including a 1936 crew sweater.

If you zoom in, you can see that this crew shell says "Husky" on the side and I learned from the website that in October 2023, "the UW men’s rowing team rowed the Challenger across Lake Union to MOHAI, where it now serves as the focal point of the exhibit." Isn't that wonderful? That the current team could honor their predecessors by bringing the shell to the place of honor, by water no less? I just love it. 

Please click this link if you'd like to learn more about the MOHAI museum & exhibit, right on Lake Union in Seattle. 

#boysintheboat #mohai #seattle #greatstory #rowing #universityofwashington

Homemade LIVE: An Afternoon with Joel Gamoran on TV

What an awesome experience! You know that I love to cook and I find anything related to food to be entertaining. Because of this, my friend connected me with an opportunity to watch a LIVE taping of a new PBS television show called HOMEMADE Live with Chef Joel Gamoran filmed in Seattle. 

My friend Carol was in town and suddenly we were sitting at the kitchen island of a famous chef while he cooked. We were there for the filming of Episode 6 and while I want you to set your DVR to watch it on PBS, you can also watch it at that hyperlink above.

Carol and I both were wearing shade of pink and you can see us throughout the episode as they pan to the audience. We were front and center at the island for the cooking. It was fantastic. Nick DiGiovanni was the special guest chef and he shared stories and cooked a simple scalloped halibut. I can't promise all of my houseguests that we'll end up on national television, but this day sure worked out. And thank you, Chef Joel. It was delightful. 

Take a chance, head downtown and if someone asks if you want to sit at the counter, say yes.

#joelgamoran #homemadelive #seattle #seattlefoodscene #pbs #thecookbookcollection #findingdelight

Erin French of The Lost Kitchen: Book Tour in Seattle

When I moved to the Seattle area, I moved to the right place. Did you know that we have a cookbook bookstore? That's right. The Book Larder in Fremont sells solely cookbooks (swoon) and is known for filling the calendar with book signings and cooking demonstrations. Its really something. 

As long as you are quick to sign up, you can do a lot of really cool things, like meet Erin French of The Lost Kitchen. 

The event was held at the Fremont Abbey and Erin was there with her husband Michael, who gave a warm and loving introduction and then played a video that showcased The Lost Kitchen restaurant and world that Erin now shares on Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Network. She tipped her hand and said the the next season of the show, The Lost Kitchen would likely feature her and Michael taking their airstream on the road throughout America. I can't wait to see how it unfolds. 

Her television show The Lost Kitchen is a quiet and beautiful glimpse at a women-run restaurant where the customer fan-base, having been selected from a postcard drawing, already feels lucky to dine with her and therefore is primed to be enjoy whatever she whips up. I feel the same way as a viewer. I want to see a beautiful table with delicate wildflowers, clean wineglasses and beautiful soup being poured into stoneware bowls. A dollop of creme fraiche and a pansy floating on top and I'm happy to see it. It's beautiful and it feel like I'm reading Victoria magazine. This genre of television is soothing me in a new way and I like it. 

Erin French was very relaxed and very real with the audience. It was not lost on her that she was able to run her restaurant as she had for years and her new found fame was won simply by allowing cameras to capture the magic of it. Her attention to detail. The friendships and camaraderie of women. Her mother as sommelier. A normal bumpy life full of very real complications turned out well. She has told her story in her autobiography Finding Freedom and was very clear that she has no secret sauce. I found her to be charming and I am so glad that I was able to hear her speak and support her in this small way.

#bigheartsmallstove #booktour #erinfrench #thelostkitchen #lostkitchen #findingfreedom #seattle #beautyofeverydaylife #cookbook

Perfect Puzzle & Considering A Clock: El Mercado Latino

Knowing how much I love packaging, you know I had to take a photograph of this impeccable shop. This is El Mercado Latino in Pike Place Market in Seattle and I was struck by their beautiful shelves. Their attention to detail is spectacular.

I asked the shop keeper if I could take a photograph, praising her display and it was all I could do to keep myself from telling her that it would make a great puzzle. A high compliment. Frankly, I also think this image could be turned into a beautiful pattern for fabric. I was mesmerized. Do you see it too?

She was thinking: ingredients, recipes, inventory. 

My friends were rushing up the street so I didn't linger, but boy oh boy. 

I love to cook, but I think I love design and packaging more. I stared at the shelves wondering if I could make one of those boxes into a clock. Have you seen my kitchen clocks? I hope she didn't think I was searching for something she didn't have. I was simply admiring her work.

#latinmarket #seattle #visualvitamins #smallbusiness 

2023 Seattle Northwest Flower and Garden Festival Show Garden Spotlight

I want to shine a spotlight on a few exceptional show gardens at this year's Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in Seattle. I loved these 2 gardens for their inspirational qualities that urged the viewer to feel transported.

Show Garden: "Evoke Your Inner Yellowstone"

*photo above by Erica Brown Grivas

Show Garden: "Evoke Your Inner Yellowstone" was inspired by the idea of a Yellowstone campsite combined with the luxury of the Snoqualmie Lodge by Method Hardscapes. I loved their interpretation of Montana chic, from the the large canvas tent with a full bedroom outfit made cozy with a Pendleton prints to the soft glow of light coming from the natural antler chandelier. Pour my coffee in a tin cup, I'm staying.

The entertaining area was grounded by a massive pergola and featured cowhide chairs pulled up to a dinner table perfect for a family dinner under the stars. A pot simmered over a "smoking" wood fire and the atmosphere really made me believe that Method Hardscapes understood the Pacific Northwest aesthetic.  
 

Show Garden: Afterglow by Redwood Builders Landscaping and Bonsai Northwest wants viewers to "step into the afterglow of disaster and appreciate the light and life that comes next." The show garden includes charred wood reminiscent of forest fires and the honors the resilience of nature. The square drop water screen was visually dramatic, yet gentle on the ear, which was an interesting juxtaposition. Sculptural bonsai and dramatic rock placement kept attendees standing transfixed. 

The scale and drama of these two gardens made me want to highlight them first. I promise there is more to come! I'll show you more of the show gardens in another post. 

#nwfgs #seattle #gardenshow #finddelight 

My Mom & Seattle Northwest Flower and Garden Festival

It's taking me longer to write blog posts these days. In my mind they burst like firecrackers, but getting them past the keyboard seems to take longer these days.

So I want to stop and tell you that this year, for me, the best part about the Northwest Flower and Garden Show was that my mom could attend. She had a frightening fall last year at this time and I wasn't sure about anything. But here she is, happy and enjoying it all and I am amazed. And thankful.

Dan took the day off work to enjoy the show with us and help with with logistics and we had a really great day.

Can you see us in the mirror? This show garden by Hello Garden and we loved all of her sweet entertaining touches - silverware, plates and platters mixed around her display garden. It was darling. 

Hello Garden added grow lights to this vintage cabinet to create a gardener's dream set up. We could all take a page from her book and do this! Isn't it awesome?

Aren't the plantings beautiful? I must plant coral tulips and white crocus.

My mom insisted I zoom in and photograph just the coral primulas (photo above)

Anyhoo, 11 months ago I was scared to death, yet here we are walking among the flowers and buying seeds to plant this spring. This is the beauty of every day life.

#nwfgs #seattle #gardenshow #plantlovers #springvibesonly

Arit Anderson: Seattle's Northwest Flower & Garden Show Judge & Speaker

                                        Anne Reeves & Arit Anderson

How luck am I? I adore BBC's Gardeners World and watch it like some kind of  meditative gift to myself.  British gardening, especially when we are in Seattle rainy season is the mental lift I need  The bird song, the garden paths, I can smell the dirt and hear the crunch of the gravel underfoot. I love it all.

Arit Anderson is a presenter on Gardeners World and I was thrilled when I learned that she was the special guest judge for this year's Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, sponsored by the Northwest Horticulture Society. What a perfect guest! Everyone was excited.

Arit has had a very interesting professional life working in fashion and retail, event planning and as a therapist teaching holistic therapies. Her path eventually led her to study gardening at Capel Manor College and made a name for herself when she and 2 other students won the Fresh Talent category for a student design collaboration at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea in 2013. Bravo! 

She is a passionate and talented garden designer who also "won a Gold Medal for her own design at Royal Horticultural Society Hampton Court in 2016 in the conceptual category." She's known for for an "ethos (that) includes simplicity and environmental sensitivity." She is an excellent communicator and I found myself spellbound as she told of one particularly grand evening with famed broadcaster biologist and natural historian Sir David Attenborough. Arit along with Adam White and Jane Findlay were honored to present Sir David Attenborough with the 2019 Landscape Institute Lifetime Achievement Award. What an experience! 

A huge point Arit made was that our gardens (our little patch of earth) are literally how we can play a part in caring for the planet. That being responsible with water usage, planting native species, using organic products,  

She was a very engaging speaker and I intend to start listening to her podcast, Sustainable Gardening. Podcasting is such a gift because we can hear directly from so many inspirational figures around the world on a regular basis. If you have not had the chance to get acquainted with Arit Anderson and her marvelous effect on the world, please let this be your invitation to learn more. She's fantastic.

#gardenersworld #sustainabilityspeaker #aritanderson

Northwest Flower and Garden Festival: A Gardener's Delight

As I slowly get my bearings in the Pacific Northwest, I still have a lot of questions when it comes to the garden. It was exciting to move to a more temperate zone (from 6a to 8b) but my new-construction house means my blank slate garden has gotten softer edges and a bit of texture, but not really changed all that much in 5 years. I now know that roses love it in pots here, so I can take advantage of the sun at the front of the house and have enormous healthy rose bushes.  

Where do I flush out ideas for our future? The Northwest Flower & Garden festival. My experience with the GWA (Garden Writers of America, now known as GardenComm) began in the show’s press room. As a blogger since 2007 and a flower enthusiast, I was thrilled to cover this famous show. I have self-published 3 books that highlight my love of flower arranging, gardening, edible flowers and floral portraits.  My mission as a writer and photographer is to dissolve the barrier between busy American women who get their information and inspiration through their phones and the intimidating “you-need-to-know-a-lot” world of flowers.

I was carrying one of my DELIGHT magazine bags (the Rose issue) and it caught the eye of Marianne Binetti and Mary-Kate Mackey. We all started talking and the next thing I knew, they were introducing me to everyone in the press room (loads of GWA members, of course) and encouraging me to come to the GWA Connect Meeting the next night. I met a whirl of members who echoed a message of “I’m so glad you joined!” They were supportive of my work and how I fit into the new definition of garden communicating.

It’s been 7 years later now and I feel like I’ve found long-lost cousins. We speak the same language and love the same things. I walk into the Washington Convention, and I am back at a botanical family reunion, hugging those I’ve gotten to know better through Facebook and introducing myself to names I only know on-screen. It is fantastic.

I want you to buy two tickets to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show (early bird pricing is available thru 2/15) call a friend and attend the show. You will be inspired and delighted. I promise. Continue reading to see just what the show is like.

From my perspective, the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival covers the intersections of all the things I love. Cakes that look like birch trees; air plants arranged like wallpaper and blown glass vegetables that add visual vitamins to any kitchen. It is impossible not to be inspired. Attend free lectures. Watch experts compete in “Container Wars” over the best way to make a showstopping planted container.

At the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, I start my week with the media tour hosted by Marianne Binetti.  Trying to absorb and photograph each of 18 grand show gardens in a manner of minutes is difficult. We all appreciate Marianne’s insight and coaching to keep our lenses focused on the important elements and story-telling details. This year’s theme is “Spring Vibes Only,” and I can’t wait to see the gardens. Built by some of the region’s best designers and landscape professionals, these show gardens are a breath of fresh air.  The outside is brought indoors. Green grass, blooming trees, water flowing, camellias flowering and a carpet of bulbs in bloom – it is the reassurance of spring that we all need in February.

I always take one day of the show to walk the floor with my mom. We admire the show gardens, search for seeds, investigate a vertical aero-growing system and always buy beeswax candles. When we stop for lunch, we always end up sharing a table with other plant lovers and these native gardeners give great advice. It is the perfect way to spend a winters day and I hope I’ve enticed you to join us this year. I know you’ll find delight.

#plantlover #gardener #northwestflowerandgardenfestival #springvibesonly #seattleevents #horticulture #seattle #garden #color #planning #livingwall

What's Gaby Cooking: Meeting Gaby Dalkin

I was a wonderful to meet Gaby, author of Take It Easy: Recipes for Zero Stress Deliciousness, but the cookbook signing event itself could have been so much more fun. When you decide to go to an event, you want things to be great and this event was lacking the extras that become the talking points you tell people after a great outing. I know that they didn't plan on having Gabi cook or talk to the crowd, but I would have loved to shop a table of her favorite kitchen products. They could have had little place card markers with Gabi quotes "I've had a similar Crate & Barrel bowl set since I got married" or "I actually keep 3 sets of these measuring spoons in my kitchen to keep up with my big batch cooking." Something personal and unique to Gabi/Crate & Barrel and that we hadn't seen before.

I have followed What's Gaby Cooking for about 2 years now, ever since my cousin Carol served her oh-so delicious Avocado Peach Summer Salad. I read her Instagram posts and try her recipes all the time. It was big news when she announced Seattle's University Village as one of the few stops on her book tour. My friend Darcie and I made plans to go and then I found out that the Junior League of Seattle Sustainer group was going to attend this event as a social night. Fun! 

I knew people all over the enormous line of Gabi's fans, which was great, but why did we have to wait outside the store for 2 hours, instead of shopping as we waited (maybe with a number?) inside the store loaded with new holiday merchandise? It was puzzling to all of us.

It was great to meet Gaby. She was so kind and relaxed. My friends and I shared a few moments talking with her and she was wonderful.  

It was fine, but it could have been so much more fun if we could have had the store's new holiday product to admire and discuss while we waited. The cookbook looks great and I can't wait to try out her new recipes. 

And guess what was just announced? Gabi is going to have her own tv cooking show called My Best Friend's Kitchen! The promo was released on her social media channels, and it looks very well done. I can't wait. Good luck, Gabi!

Northwest Flower & Garden Festival: Seattle Feb 9 - 13

Pinch me! It feels like an eternity since I could announce Seattle's Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, but in truth, they really only missed 1 year holding the show in person. Isn't it weird what the mind can perceive? 

All I know is that absence makes the heart grow fonder! 

If you are comfortable attending an event again (please note the safety guidelines), this is the show for you! House plants, garden inspiration, book signings, educational classes, art vendors. 

Happy Spring! P.S. We just bought a snow blower, as I live in the foothills of the Cascades, so I'll be ready for anything! ;-)

#nwfgf #seattle #spring #springfever  

Exploring Seattle Parks: Get Some Fresh Air

A sunny Saturday in Seattle is a gift, especially in January. We've all been indoors so much lately, it felt imperative that we get out and take a walk. I told Dan that I really wanted to be near the water, so he looked on a map and chose Lincoln Park, not far from Alki Beach in West Seattle, for our afternoon jaunt. 
 

The approach to the water level walking paths is a very long steep walkway. I stopped halfway down to take this photo because the steep slope, trees, and vista felt like we were in Europe. I bet it is gorgeous in the spring when eveerything is verdent green and these trees are blooming. We must come back in March.

This park is near the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal. As we approached, I told Dan that I'd been to this little area before...this was where I took the ferry home from Vashon Island when I went to Camp Thundercraft! That little tidbit reminded me of the glory days when I first arrived in Seattle and was bounding all over the city exploring.

After a nice walk, we made our way back to some benches and sat and watched the water. It was clear and cold and just what I needed to feel like I'd blown the fog out of my brain a little bit. I could actually feel the warm of the sun on my face. Please make sure you are getting some fresh air, even if it is just opening a window for a while. 

#walkandtalk #seattleblogger #seattleparks #beautyofeverydaylife #lincolnpark