nerd’s eye view

Gear I Love: Merino Wool Clothes by Ibex

Disclaimer: Ibex sent me some stuff. It’s not the first time - I test drove some wool gear a few years back when I was still writing for Snowshoe Magazine.

I’m going to sound like a shill and for that, I’m sorry, but I hope you trust I won’t steer you wrong. The truth is, I love the clothing Ibex makes - it’s warm, super lightweight, feels great against your skin, and holds up for a good long time. I have a set of their merino wool long underwear that I always pack when I’m traveling (unless, like a dork, I forget, subsequently freezing my ass off in Hanoi) - though sometimes, I wear that stuff on the plane, even. That should answer any questions about how their fabric feels next to your skin - if I can stand to wear it for a long haul flight, well, that nails it.

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No Comments | Posted in » Playing Outside

From the archives:
Sweet

In answer to your questions, (a) he’s okay, arrived “home” safely and all that and (b) okay, though it is very quiet here.

Instead of sitting around feeling glum, I walked the two miles to the Farmer’s Market. I needed honey and I love to buy it from the people who harvest it. Today, the grandson of beekeeper Roy Nettlebeck of Tahuya River Apiaries told me that their bees are fine, thank you very much, but they don’t farm them out to pollination projects. The blackberry honey is delicious, a very rich flavor, though he tells me they’ll have a darker, wildflower honey later in the summer. I’m curious about beekeeping and honey and feel a funny affection towards bees, perhaps that’s a hangover from reading the Bee-Man of Orn too many times as a child. The barrista at our local Verite has a smashing bee tattoo on his calf and every time I see a bumblebee I think, “He doesn’t know he can’t fly.” Words to live by.

Audio sweetness at the Farmer’s Market was provided by the always delightful Canote Brothers. It was a real treat to find them there accompanied by a handsome man on the stand-up bass. It was surprisingly sunny, so I bought a raspberry lemonade and a savory bread pudding. I stowed the honey in my backpack, and sat on the steps of the bank to eat lunch. The brothers played swelled old timey toons, babies bounced and rocked, hipster parents wandered about, earnest green types bundled produce in to their bike bags, a very sweet Sunday afternoon.

If you’re curious about the vanishing bees - so long and thanks for all the pollen - read this. What, you didn’t know bees were vanishing? They are and it’s kind of a big deal. We need pollination for, you know, food and stuff. And there’s a free, downloadable version of the Beeman of Orn here, though it doesn’t have the fabulous Maurice Sendak illustrations.

honey, West Seattle Farmer’s Market

1 Comment | Posted in » Seattle

The Perfect Northwest Wedding

I confess, I don’t much care for weddings. Given the opportunity, I will try to talk just about anyone out of it. I don’t think much of the bridal industrial complex, a pantheon of evil designed to get you to spend gajillion dollars on “your big day” just as you’re starting your lives together. I think you should spend that money on a spectacularly long honeymoon or something related to your home or oh, just about anything else besides a one day extravaganza.

I’m a heartless Grinch.

Our friends K+V got married this yesterday (they’re the handsome gents in the not-quite-matching gray suits) in the company of 60 or so of their adoring friends. It was a perfect event, possibly the nicest wedding I’ve ever had the honor to attend.

The weather was less than cooperative, deciding to rain for a little bit right as the ceremony began, but being hardy dwellers of the Pacific Northwest, the happy couple just carried on, while numerous prepared guests whipped out their umbrellas. The ukulele player only made a few minor mistakes, but played right through them, until the ending where she biffed it just a little, but we’ll give her a pass because hey, that was her friend getting married up there. The food was delicious, the wine excellent, and dessert, plentiful. The location was truly spectacular - at our friend Bs place on Vashon Island, and everyone was delighted, just delighted to be there.

In case you’re wondering, no, Washington State doesn’t have gay marriage, though when you attend an event like this with beaming parents, effusive siblings, and others who are just bursting with delight at the sight of their friends finding love, you wonder who could possibly object.

We know marriage is no cakewalk - or , in this case, pie walk - but we wish the happy couple the very best future possible. And plenty of excellent pie.

Oh! You want to know what I played? Death Cab for Cutie. I’ll Follow You into the Dark. And a surprisingly workable cover duet (with the talented violin player) of Madonna’s Like a Prayer for the outward procession.

5 Comments | Posted in » Seattle, Uketopia

My First Guidebook Credit

Well, I’d forgotten all about that. But in yesterday’s mail, I got two copies of Travellers Vancouver & British Columbia. The cover credit still goes to the original writer but whaddaya know? That’s my name on the flyleaf. And somehow, it’s even more fun to flip through the images and say, “Hey, I took that picture!” Or, in some cases, to J, “Hey, you took that picture!”

We’ve done all of our previous work under my byline - J wasn’t physically present to sign the contracts and he shuns the spotlight, but his photos made the cut more often than mine for the Hawaii guide we have coming out under the same label. Next time, he’s signing the paperwork, too. It’s interesting to see what makes the cut - they’re not the photos I’d pick. That tells you how much I don’t know about commercial publishing.

And what do I think of the book? I have a love/leave relationship with guidebooks. I’m a big fan of them for  armchair reading and planning. And I do like to read the background sections while I’m traveling - the history and culture overviews tend to be useful if sometimes a bit shallow - they do help you get the big picture.

But it’s the big picture I like guidebooks for only. A lot of space is dedicated to restaurants, hotels, details details details, and that’s the stuff I like to get on the ground. I prefer locals, fellow travelers, and the web for advice. Guidebooks are imminently fallible and they’re out of date so quickly - the long production lead time ensures that the cafe you loved has moved or closed, the hotel rates skyrocketed, the airlines gone out of business… any number of things can change in the nine months it takes to create a guidebook.

So sure, you could go ahead and get this one if you’re off to BC. But don’t rely on it alone. Oh, and if you’re going to go, go in August or September, the best time of year on this part of the planet. And go to Nelson. And camp in Burton. And spend a day at the hot springs in Harrison. And and and… see what I mean?

Live advice. It’s got something on guidebooks.

13 Comments | Posted in » Travel Reads

Book Review: The Man Who Ate the World

Disclaimer: The folks at Holt send me review copies. I don’t always love the books, but I love getting them.

I don’t know what millefeuille is. Or veloute. Or charcroute. This tells you how much I know about fancy cooking. I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat that weird food that’s made by chemistry - foams and dry ice and vacuum sealing and the like don’t interest me, not enough to pay for them, that’s for sure. But I love to cook and, as the scale will confirm, I also love to eat. So it was with a hefty portion of envy that I digested Jay Rayner’s new book The Man Who Ate the World: In Search of the Perfect Dinner

I think I’d like Jay Rayner. Like Anthony Bourdain, he’s acutely aware of the good fortune he has in his line of work. He eats dinner and gets paid to do so. But he’s got none of Bourdain’s macho edge. There’s a funny scene in the book where Rayner and Bourdain are both at  Tokyo’s infamous fish market, and Rayner makes Bourdain’s crew out for something closely resembling a motorcycle gang. But that’s not what the book is about.

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4 Comments | Posted in » Food, Glorious Food

Travelblog Site Review: My Life of Travel

Disclaimer: The folks that run My Life of Travel paid me to review their site. I was on the fence, but an email exchange in which we agreed that payment for a review did not guarantee a good review put my hesitations at rest. For the opportunity to review their site and their purchase of an ad link, we say this: Thanks for supporting Nerd’s Eye View!

Face it, there are a zillion different travelblog host sites. I’m staggered by the sheer quantity of them and it seems that every other week a new one pops up. They all seem to be offering similar things - photo albums, journal entries, friends, and some have mapping.

Because there are so many, this isn’t a comparison. It’s just a straight review of My Life of Travel. I looked for a few specific things - how easy is it to set up, how does the content look, is the site easy to navigate, what do I think of the bells and whistles..etc. Here goes: 
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5 Comments | Posted in » Passport Travels

Friday at Alki Beach

We weren’t the only ones who decided that on this beautiful day, it was necessary - no, imperative, really - to take our lunch break down at Alki Beach. We opted for a sandwich and coffee from Pioneer, but these young ladies had a better idea: gather your people, pack a lunch and swing your feet down at the seawall.

Alki, quiet for so much of the year, is transformed into something startlingly like a California beach town once the sun comes up and we can shed the Goretex and polar fleece. Expect to find us there a lot more frequently now that - FINALLY - summer has arrived.

1 Comment | Posted in » Seattle