Just a Little P.S. To the Post Below !!!

I came across a few pictures from the brochures of my recent trip that I wanted to post. Interesting that they call a vacation, a "trip". Like you were on drugs or something. I don't recall taking anything of the illegal nature...but the natural nature definitely put me in another world. If Bainbridge is a drug--I'm an addict!! Send me on a daily "trip".

Oh Mamma Mia this was gooooooooood ice-cream!! You pay first for the size you want, and then they give you sample after sample after sample til you decide what you want. I think they have you pay first, because after all the sampling--you might be full and not order!! I sampled swiss chocolate, fresh coconut, rose petal, blackberry, and a half dozen others.

All the sisters in my family who have made a visit to see Shari on Bainbridge love the little town off Island called "Poulsbo". It is nicknamed "Little Norway" and has Scandinavian bakeries and shops in a charming little downtown area. The people from Norway who settled this town came via Minnesota. No wonder we love it!! Mom grew up in Minnesota and Dad in Iowa. Growing up in our home you learned a little bit of German, and plenty of Norwegian traditions. It was so fun to see lefsa in the bakeries and crumkaka irons and cones and lefsa rolling pins in the little shops. And I was loving all the stuff with the word "UFFDA" printed on it. FYI, Ellie's WONDERFUL school teacher is from Minnesota and also grew up with lefsa and she always says "UFFDA"!!!! I love it about her!! I got her a childrens book called "UFFDA", and a notepad with the word on it, while I was in Poulsbo.

Here's a snapshot of Pike's Marketplace in Seattle. What a fun place!! Flowers, fish, crabs, berries, breads, chowders, scarves, jewelry, toys, etc. I bought the kids each little whimsical mini boxes with latches that will be their "tooth fairy" boxes. I love them!!! Luckily--so do the kids. I brought home fresh baked crusty sourdough bread and homemade pesto dipping sauce. The pesto was frozen in plastic containers. Well--at the airport they TOOK it from me going through security!!! I was so ticked!! It wasn't in liquid form!!!!Sheesh!! No pesto for our yummy bread!! I also brought home blackberries. Blackberry bushes grow wild EVERYWHERE in the northwest. I remember that as a child, and from visiting over the years. They are a weed to the locals. They line every street and unkempt area of ground. They have trucks with huge blades that drive the streets and chop them down. I am excited to say that when we go back with the kids it will be right in the middle of berry season. You can bet we'll be bringing home gallons upon gallons of free blackberries to freeze for smoothies, and maybe I MIGHT even try my hand at jam or syrup. The blackberries were a deciding factor in my mind--we will have to drive that future family vacation--not fly. We can't really fly home with cooler after cooler full of berries and bucket after bucket full of seashells.

On to the next post for those of you who haven't read about my "trip".