Inspiring Photos from the 2014 Northwest Flower & Garden Show

February 17, 2014

Garden show 2014 purple shed northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

Any of you who read my Northwest Notes blog with any regularity know how much I enjoy using the Hipstamatic app with my iPhone4.

Every year I look forward to the Northwest Flower & Garden Show with the proverbial bated breath, as much for a much-needed reminder of spring and the rebirth it promises, as the opportunity to experiment with my Hipstamatic app.

Above is a photo of a well-tricked-out greenhouse photographed using one (random) Hipstamatic lens combination. . below the very same shot with another randomly chosen option!

Garden show 2014 purple shed northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

Held at the Washington State Convention Center, this year’s show featured 23 display gardens, more than 120 seminars by gardening luminaries, and a Marketplace with more than 350 exhibitors. After several very pleasurable hours of walking around all the display gardens and shops, we were both starved and pooped!Garden show 2014 red asian bridge northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

The theme of this year’s Flower & Garden Show was “Art in Bloom,” and the large and impressive garden displays never failed to deliver.

Asian was a big theme throughout, as evidenced by the vibrant red Asian bridge above. . .and gorgeous Asian entry gate below.

Garden show 2014 asian door northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

Garden show 2014 massive asian display northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

Another Asian-inspired garden display replete with oodles of glass art. The scale was massive!

Garden show 2014 zombies northwest wining and dining downtowns seattle website link

A bit of humor with an “In Case of Zombies” display.

Garden show 2014 green white art glass northwest wining and dining downtowns seattle website link

Stunning art glass designed for the garden by Jesse Kelly, glass artist and designer.

Garden show 2014 green round art glass northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

Another vibrant display from Jesse Kelly.

Garden show 2014 glass gecko two northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

More glass art, but a bit less apparent. Can you spot the gecko amidst the rocks in the stream?

Garden show 2014 temple bell northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

One of the display gardens that particularly caught my eye, an “Asian contemporary meditation garden” used “flowing space, natural elements, and sculptural structures to create an environmental-art experience,” according to the F&G Show program. It was designed by Mian Iftikhar Ahmed of Treeline Designz and featured an array of prayer wheels created by Chris Moench of Axis of Hope. . .

Garden show 2014 buddha statute northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

centered by a giant buddha handcrafted from a single stone! This garden really was “an oasis of solitude allowing you to focus on the journey, not the destination.”

Garden show 2014 you & i sign northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

And while the grammar might be wrong (it should read “You & Me,” not “You & I”), the sentiment could not be lost just a week before Valentine’s Day.

Garden show 2014 asparagus northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

There were playful asparagus spears peering above the soil. . .

Garden show 2014 yellow flowers northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

More beautiful flowers of every possible type than you could believe. . .

Garden show 2014 Phalaenopsis orchids northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

Including lascivious live orchids in the “50 Shades of Orchids” display. . .

Garden show 2014 glass art spheres northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

And glass globes in a gurgling basin.

Garden show 2014 exotic bird northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

An exotic bird guarded a geometric pile of eggs (note the bird feeder on the pole in the background!). . .

Garden show 2014 giant metal chickens northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

While a flock of metal chickens clamored for a new home.

Garden show 2014 seahawks diorama northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

Even our very own Seattle Seahawks were represented in an adorable living miniature garden by Two Green Thumbs.

Garden show 2014 pussy willows northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

I loved the interplay of textures and colors captured in this shot of some of the live flowers that were for sale. . .

Garden show 2014 sunflowers in round basin northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

And the country-French feel of seven simple sunflowers in a terra-cotta basin.

Garden show 2014 cabinets northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

A cabinet full of gardening books and supplies. . .

Garden show 2014 art supplies northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

A table top designed for nature enthusiasts and sketch artists. . .

Garden show 2014 art supplies two northwest wining and dining downtown seattle website link

And finally full circle with inspiration from the “Art in Bloom” theme just waiting to be captured.

My Summer Vacation, Part II: Favorite Market Shots

July 1, 2013

One of the joys of my life is visiting and taking food shots at farmers markets when we are traveling.

Below are the best of the best from our recent Seabourn cruise from Lisbon, Portugal, to London.

Look at the shots and read the captions and relive some of my favorite moments vicariously!

Fresh seafood display in Rouen, France

Fresh seafood display in Rouen, France

 

Pheasant salami and other charcuterie at Bordeaux, France farmers market

Pheasant salami and other charcuterie at Bordeaux, France farmers market

Tomatoes at farmers market in Bordeaux, France

Tomatoes at farmers market in Bordeaux, France

Giant artichokes at farmers market in Bordeaux, France

Giant artichokes at farmers market in Bordeaux, France

Fresh seafood display in Rouen, France

Fresh seafood display in Rouen, France

Fresh seafood display in Rouen, france

Fresh seafood display in Rouen, france

White asparagus at the farmers market in Bordeaux, France

White asparagus at the farmers market in Bordeaux, France

My Summer Vacation: Best Dishes Lisbon to London

June 24, 2013

 

Shrimp cocktail on the seabourn quest

In May, we enjoyed 18 days out of the office taking a Lisbon to London cruise aboard the Seabourn Sojourn. Here are a few of my favorite dishes we discovered along the way, beginning with this Shrimp Cocktail from the Sojourn’s Restaurant 1 (main) dining room. Gorgeous presentation on Rosenthal china.

Fried soft-shelled crabs on the seabourn quest

Also aboard the Sojourn, Soft-shelled Crab, better than my mother used to make (sorry, Mom!).

Tofu chow mein on the seabourn quest

A vegetarian entrée aboard the Sojourn–Tofu with Chow Mein–light and full of interesting Asian spices.

Asturian bean and meat stew

During our first port call, in Gijon, Spain, we tried the traditional Asturian bean and meat stew offered to us for lunch at a traditional Sidre (hard- cider) factory.

Raw oysters on the half shell in bordeaux

Fresh oysters at Le Noailles, a restaurant we chose for our one dinner in Bordeaux (a beautiful city where we enjoyed an overnight port call).

Sole meuniere in bordeaux

Sole Meuniére at Le Noailles, our dinner restaurant in Bordeaux. One of the best (if not THE BEST) version of this dish we’ve ever had.

Steamed artichoke in bordeaux

The giant “artichoke salad” I ordered at Le Noailles in Bordeaux. Big as your head! Served with traditional aïoli sauce.

Bouillabaisse aboard seabourn quest ship

Back aboard the Sojourn, I dove into this beautiful Bouillabaisse, made from the local fish we bought during our Market Tour with Seabourn chef Martin.

Three-minute boiled egg aboard seabourn quest ship

A gorgeous three-minute egg I enjoyed aboard the Sojourn during a sunny morning in Bordeaux. Look at that gorgeous saffron-colored yolk!

Fruit plate aboard seabourn quest ship

My fruit salad made a colorful photographic study when taken with my favorite Hipstamatic iPhone4 app.

Giant meringues in St. Malo

 

Giant meringues in a bakery window in St. Malo, France–the “Buccaneer City!”

Fresh seafood display in St. Malo

Gorgeous seafood displays at a restaurant in St. Malo.

Fresh lobster in Guernsey

Grilled lobster and boiled potatoes (local specialties) in Guernsey, England.

Macaron ice-cream sandwiches in Rouen, France

Macaron “ice-cream sandwiches” in Rouen, France.

French fries in Bruges, Belgium

Frites with mayonnaise, our well-deserved lunch after a busy day of sightseeing in Bruges, Belgium.

Steamed mussels in London, England

Back on shore during our three days in London post-cruise, we enjoyed steamed mussels at Wright Brothers, a well-known seafood restaurant in London.

Spinach soufflé at Langans Brasserie, London, England

The beautiful Spinach Soufflé I enjoyed during our last dinner of the 18-day trip. . .at Langan’s Brasserie, partly owned by actor Michael Caine, in the Mayfair section of London.

 

Northwest Wining and Dining Visits the Northwest Flower & Garden Show

March 1, 2013

Attending the Northwest Flower & Garden Show has become a beloved annual tradition in our family. This year, it took place during the last weekend in February, and we scheduled our late-afternoon Saturday visit around a lecture my dear friend and gardening and home-design expert Debra Prinzing was presenting.

Entitled, Channel Your Inner Floral Designer: Four Seasons of Beautiful Bouquets, Debra spent her alloted hour showing us inspired and inspiring floral arrangements she had photographed for her latest book, “Slow Flowers: Four Seasons of Locally Grown Bouquets from the Garden, Meadow, and Farm.”

Here are some of the photos I snapped as we made our way around the impressive and expansive, award-winning gardens on the main floor, as well as the numerous vendor booths and two of our personal favorites–the Ikebana and Orchid Society displays.

I love the way food is the focus in these gorgeous metal and acrylic vases. I took home a long, tall version, and can’t wait to start experimenting with new floral arrangements!

How serene and calming is this gorgeous yellow-orchid and dark-wood bonsai?!?! How does the flower get water, I wonder?

Gotta love these rose and celadon Cymbidium orchids!

This baby photographed blue, but it was really a deep purple color.

One of the main reasons I like to go to the Flower & Garden Show is to make use of one of my favorite iPhone apps, Hipstamatic. This shot above, Spiky White Orchids, seems so lace-y and dream-like, thanks to Hipstamatic.

The theme of this year’s show was Hollywood, and we were drawn to this homage to The Hobbit in one of the major gardens. This and all the remaining shots were taken with the Hipstamatic app.

I love the sheer whimsy of  Teddy Bear Tea Party.

This is Green Slippers.

As a writer, I just couldn’t resist this shot. I remember the Smith-Corona my mother gave me right before I left for college. It served me well writing many a term paper, as well as short stories and poems. Thanks for encouraging my creativity, Mom!

Oysters, Oysters, Oysters!

July 6, 2012

I know many people think it isn’t safe to eat oysters in months that don’t contain the letter “r,” but I am here to share with you some pretty compelling evidence to the contrary.

Above is a gorgeous trio of bivalves I enjoyed a few weeks ago at ART Restaurant & Lounge in the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle.

And another glorious trio from Etta’s, Tom Douglas’s seafood restaurant just north of the Pike Place Market. The oyster in the middle was particularly delicious and had a gorgeous white shell with tan zebra stripes. It was called a Malaspina and hailed from Malaspina Inlet on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, according to our very knowledgeable server that evening.

In this shot you can see the Malaspina’s beauteous shell. I saved it for my “Found Objects” bowl!

By now any of you who read my “Northwest Notes” blog know that I love to take photos with my Hipstamatic iPhone4 app. And one of my favorite subjects is “Remains,” a collection of empty dinner plates of food.

Above is a “Hip” shot of the leftover shells from Etta’s.

And here are remainders of half a dozen raw oysters enjoyed at Crow Restaurant.

My all-time favorite “Remains” shot, however, “remains” this one of an empty dish of crème brûlée, taken at my father’s 89th birthday celebration last August.

He will celebrate number 90 this year, and I’ll be there to capture another “Remains” shot to share with you.

Go, Dad!

 

The Fairest of Ferris Wheels

June 5, 2012

We have watched with bated breath as the new Seattle Great Wheel has risen from the pylons at Pier 57 directly in front of our condominium building.

And after months of concrete pouring and support-beam laying, all 21 spokes of the wheel are finally up.

All that remains is placing of the 44 enclosed air-conditoined or heated gondolas (which hold from six to eight people each) until the wheel starts spinning in earnest on June 28, according to reports in The Seattle Times.

Here are some shots I snapped over the Memorial Day weekend both on foot and when some friends of ours visiting from California took us out for a spin in their new boat.

The wheel will be between 175 and 185 feet high. Riders will descend over water at one point during the ride.

Each ride will be 12 to 15 minutes. . .and comprise three revolutions.

Here is a series of Wheel shots taken with my beloved Hipstamatic iPhone4 app.

The wheel will be open year-round. . .from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

To conclude, here’s a cool Hipstamatic double image in black and white. . .

 

Chicken Salad à la Hipstamatic iPhone4 App

March 9, 2012

Several Sundays ago, with the currently showing exhibition at Seattle’s venerable Frye Art Museum about to close, we made an afternoon journey that included a little research into the museum’s Gallery Cafe.

We both enjoyed the Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich with a Mixed Greens Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette.

I couldn’t resist shooting a couple of Hipstamatic photos, using one of my favorite iPhone4 apps.

Here are the colorful results. As I’m writing this close to lunch time, and still have to do my daily workout, I’m wishing I had one of these plates in front of me RIGHT NOW!