Produce of the Pacific North West

So this week the Tacoma Farmers' Market started. It is a wonderful collection of fruit and veg, dairy, fish and meet produce as well as flowers and crafts. www.tacomafarmersmarket.com The produce comes directly from the surrounding area and relflects very heavily the local seasons and trades.

There are lots of Tulip fields which are generally farmed by Vietnamese farmers. Their bouquets are a great mix of cultured and wild flowers.

There wasn't much fruit this week, but that's because it's not fruit season here. There was so much to taste, I was in heaven! Here's a small selction of what I thought was the best:

Terry's Berrys www.terrysberries.com/
Rolf's Choice http://www.kpfarmersmarket.org/110708%20TGiving13.pdf - the most gorgeous deep orange colour, smoked to perfection
Blue Rose Dairy www.bluerosedairy.com Goats cheese heaven :)
Happy Mountain Farm www.minicattle.com for beef of the colour and texture I have never seen before.

Oh, and there was a lady doing Henna tattoos so I had to get one!

Some other cool/interesting/useful things from this week:

Bodum insulated tumblers http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=15&GID=87&LID=638&CHK=&SLT=&mscssid=TR7PX1HTPKVU8GSE88E69916VCMC99F6
World Market www.worldmarket.com where we bought heinz beans
REI garage sale www.rei.com where the returns policy is so good, they have used stuff that someone just didnt want or was bored of, or wore for 2 years and the sole started to wear (?!) and they can return it. Then it's sold off at knock-down prices. I got a $60 watch for $8!

Some interesting signs

'Children left unattended will be given an espresso and a small puppy/drum to play with.'

'Do not curb your pets on property.'

'Honey bucket' (name of the portaloos!)

And something everyone should try, so long as they're not opposed to doing silly things in public http://www.zumba.com/us/

My first Baseball Game

Talon and Dean, our kind hosts for the evening, looking like they stepped out of the Oakley catalogue.

The Tacoma Rainiers throw the balls, whilst the Memphis Redbirds try to hit them.

The sun sets on the pitch

The money shot! posing with Tacoma Rainiers mascot, Rainiers Reindeer! He was soo pumped about the game his hoof nearly broke my hand when we high fived!

Like watching criket without knowing the rules......people throw balls and hit them with sticks and use words like 'innings' and 'runs'. The rest is a mystery - patiently explained by Dean and Tallon over beer and popcorn. This was a lower leaque pro game where you get to sit really close to the action and risk getting injured by a wayward ball. Exiting! Gill says its just like rounders.

Sunday Evening 16thMay W-S-M revisited

CLICK THE PICS TO VIEW THEM LARGER!

After riding 90 miles with me in the Cascade foothills, Eric drove us to Alki beach to see the sunset. Alki overlooks the City of Seattle and is where all the chavs go to show off thier modified GM Novas.

Last Sundays 90miles

We rode into hicksville USA, where people in pickups shouted random phrases out of thier windows at the sight of grown men cycling in leotards. Go figure!

The roads are so quiet out here though, just awesome, riding into the middle of nowhere...

Happy Belly

5 Months after the first taste; With happiness in her heart and The Worlds Best Wheat Free Cookies in her belly, Gill contemplates the good life..... 15mins before the sugar crash!

House Waring

The Americans love fighting.

This was clearly demonstrated at our all English Gentlemens (and ladies) House warming soire.

No sooner had we finnished serving the arrousing menu of Pimms, G&T, Cider and Boddingtons than we found this group of americans wrestling in the corner of our house.