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

Pasta Pretty Please: Salty Seattle Shares Her Colorful Pasta Process at Book Larder

Have I told you about the book store in Seattle that is only cookbooks? Can you think of anything more perfect for me? The store is called the Book Larder and it is a dream. Many cookbook authors that come into town, stop at the Book Larder to sign their inventory and if we're lucky, they do a demonstration. 

I attended one of their author nights in November and heard Linda of Salty Seattle talk about her success dyeing pasta with natural items like vegetables, herbs and flowers and the Instagram sensation that is rainbow pasta. 

When she does a demonstrations, she brings a variety of solid colored pasta dough balls with her so that she is ready to layer them together into stripes. She uses a small amount of vegetables pulverized with the eggs in a Vita-mix to incorporate the color into the dough. Have you ever heard of butterfly pea flowers? That is how Linda makes her dynamite shade of blue.

Linda sends the dough through a pasta sheeter to get each shade of pasta a uniform thickness. Then she cuts and lays down stripes of colors in a row and sends it through the sheeter again to create the pasta sheet itself. It is a relaxing process to watch and if you are interested in trying this yourself, be sure to buy her book, Pasta Pretty Please.

Cutting with a fluted pastry cutter creates the zigzag edge on each pasta square.

Practice makes perfect for making the perfect pinch in the center of each pasta square! This bow tie pasta is so cute and would charm any of your guests. The thinner you sheet the pasta (thin pasta cooks faster) and the sooner you cook it after making the dough, the brighter the colors will appear after cooking. 

If you're at all intrigued, you should try it! Thanks, Salty Seattle for the inspiration and thank you Book Larder for hosting this great evening. 

And remember, when you are browsing the incredible selection of cookbooks, be sure to check inside the cover. Your heart might just skip a beat when you see a famous signature.

#saltyseattle #pastaparty #pastaprettyplease #homemadepasta #naturaldyes #booklarder #cookbookcollector #cookbooks #seattle #seattleblogger

Seattle: Amazon Books in 3D

It was a happy accident that I was able to shop in the one and only brick & mortar AMAZON bookstore. Yes, you read that right, online giant Amazon is going old school and testing their model for a bookstore near the campus of University of Washington. 

It is a smaller footprint than the big box bookstores of yesterday, but that's okay. It is geared toward today's reader by displaying reviews and ratings from amazon.com.  Who better to curate the list of what is being read and how readers are responding to it. 

Have you made your own Goodreads reader profile? Goodreads is a reader community (owned by Amazon) that allows you to store the titles of books you have read, are reading and want to read on a virtual bookshelf. It has saved me many times when I want to recommend a book to a friend but I can't remember the author or title. You have days like that too, eh? Goodreads is also loaded with reviews, reading recommendations, as well as a friend component, which allows members to connect and see what their friends are reading. It is a wonderful tool.

It appears to me that Amazon is harnessing their online sales information and their Goodreads book reviews to offer customers a selection of books that are currently being enjoyed. The categories and layout felt like I was looking at a "Best of" list by category and I liked it. Picking up a book, reading the back cover, flipping through it and glancing at the reviews. Book buying in 3D. All over again.

The Detroit News spotlights my book, Moments of Delight by Anne Reeves

Columnist Nancy Szerlag wrote a lovely review of my book, Moments of Delight, today in the Detroit News. I am proud to share it with you here:

"“Moments of Delight,” a photo journal celebrating the beauty of everyday life through the eyes of Michigan author and photographer Anne Reeves, might well be called “Moments of Sunshine.” While not a gardening book, its pages are filled with sumptuous flowers — especially David Austin roses and Peonies.

The dead of winter is a perfect time to collect and even test a recipe or two made of vegetables or fruits you are thinking of growing. Knowing how you plan to use them makes choosing and growing edibles easier and a lot more fun anticipating the harvest. Anne includes several mouthwatering recipes, such as blueberry chutney, along with tempting photos.

“Have you been to the library lately?” asks Anne. If you need to get out of Dodge, but can’t afford the price a stagecoach ride, you can travel anywhere for free in a library.

Available on Amazon for $35, “Moments of Delight” would make a fabulous valentine gift for that special love or bud in your life. You can see more of Anne’s “moments” at www.anadesigns.blogspot.com."

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140207/LIFESTYLE01/302070016#ixzz2sguA3zwL

Book Sculpture

For years I have been interested in the art of turning old books into sculpture by making exact repetitive folds in the pages. The examples I have seen are truly spectacular - little works of art. Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion had an article full of beautiful examples of book sculpture along with some basic instructions.  If there was a link, I'd share it, but no such luck!

 Someday when my library has a book sale, I will try to find an old copy of Nancy Drew and make one for myself. Yesterday, for the first time, I saw some of these sculptures for sale...price tag $500 each.