One of my favorite fruits are Morellos, a very tart cherry species that are used in compotes, in red wine gravies, for juices, and in Black Forest cakes. In my childhood, the arrival of tart, dark cherries marked the arrival of summer. Sitting in the top branches of a cherry tree with a book, while […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: The real remote deal
The sun doesn’t have to be out, and it doesn’t even have to be really warm; the only prerequisite is calm air. That’s when my husband packs one of his planes into the trunk of the car and drives out to a venue for other model airplane aficionados, an airfield somewhere in the very scenic […]
Across the Fence: Building Character
The other day, while I was just finishing my first lap of power walking around Waughop Lake, I was chatted up by a gentleman who I had encountered about ten minutes earlier. After another lap in lively discussion, I came away with some huge inspiration and signed copies of three mind-blowing books. The gentleman I […]
Across the Fence: Tiny Sound Islands
When it’s getting warmer, my husband and I sometimes set out in our little boat to explore. And what’s better to explore than places you usually cannot reach on foot or by car?! Because they are so very small and out of the way. Our South Puget Sound tiny islands. One of these islands you […]
Across the Fence: Creation of Many a Nation
Strawberries marked the beginning of summer in my childhood days. They were only available during their season. Well, maybe there were already hothouse grown ones from Holland that you could get in winter. If so, my mother never bought them because they were probably quite expensive and way less flavorful than those harvested in their […]
Across the Fence: A Maharaja in England
It must have been a TV show about famous precious stones that made me look up the giant diamond in the British royal crown, the Mountain of Light, better known as Koh-i-Noor. You know how it is to look up something on Wikipedia? You start getting diverted to other topics, and that is how my […]
Across the Fence: Opening Nights
Are you into art? Then I bet you have been to one or the other museum. Maybe you have been passing by galleries and been window shopping. Maybe you even have one or the other real artwork at home. But have you ever been to a gallery opening night? If not, you are missing out […]
Across the Fence: Swimming Pools
The other day, a German friend living here in Western Washington said she was missing the German swimming pool culture. I started musing when was the last time I swam over here in the US – and it is true: hardly ever. Not that I did so much more often back in my mother country. […]
Across the Fence: An Island Far Out
Have you ever heard of the Dry Tortugas? It’s one of the US National Parks, and most of it is underwater! A visit to Garden Key had been high up on my husband’s and my bucket list for the past years, and last March we actually were able to realize this dream. We travelled to […]