Very surprisingly (at least to me) was the positive response I got to one of my blogs from a couple of months ago showcasing my flower arrangements that I create weekly solely for Spencer’s and my enjoyment.

So, egged on by readers “reviews,” I’ve continued to create the bouquets and my darling husband has kept a visual record using his big digital camera and tricks from his photo studio and PhotoShop.

So here are the latest images for your viewing pleasure. Here is White on Black:

And here is Black on Black:

And here is A Burst of Orange:

Just for fun, here are the flower arrangements that we spotted in the main lobby at our hotel in New York City, the Jumeirah Essex House. Groupings of clear glass vases in various rectangular shapes, with stems gathered (sometimes tied) and visible, seemed to be all the rage both in NYC and Philadelphia.

Every year I rehydrate this hand for some ghoulish Halloween fun. I love the way the hand pops out of the top of the clear glass container and the fingertips are just a bit withered.

In keeping with the Halloween spirit (so to speak), here’s an interesting release from the venerable Columbia Winery in Woodinville that really pulls out all the stops.

“HalloWINE Party

Columbia Winery – Woodinville, WA

Friday, October 30^th

6:30pm-9:00pm

$30 per person / $25 Cellar Club Members and guests

RSVP online at www.columbiawinery.com or by calling 425-482-7383

We’ve added a twist to our HalloWINE Party.  Now at $30 per person ($25 Cellar Club Members), join us for a night of fright and fun.  Located in our Cellar of Terror, party amongst friends and take a stab at a blind wine tasting.  Tease your taste buds with a blind food tasting and kill at our many wine games.  Costumes encouraged.  Prizes and wine discounts will be awarded throughout the evening.  Price includes 5 blind wine tasting tokens.  Wine by the glass/bottle will also be available for purchase.”

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I must admit I’m a “sucker” for anything vampire-related, so the following press release sent my blood racing. This would be the perfect Halloween treat for the Twilight fan(s) in your house. 

“EverGreen Escapes will begin offering a full-day tour to Washington’s infamous Olympic Peninsula, inspired by the best-selling Twilight book series, in October. The tour begins with a ferry ride across Puget Sound followed by a scenic drive to the town of Forks, Washington, home to Twilight characters Edward and Bella.

“Visitors and Twilight fans are invited to traverse the old growth, moss-filled Hoh Rainforest during a guided walk through the Hall of Mosses Trail. Additional tour destinations include La Push, home of the Quileute Native American Tribe and Jacob Black, as well as First Beach, a drive-to beach known for occasional whale spotting. The tour concludes with dinner at La Bella Italia in Port Angeles where Edward and Bella had their first date.”

I love the stark elegance of calla lilies, the graceful way in which their ivory flowers curl and their stems droop slightly. Here’s an Asian-inspired arrangement I dreamed a few months back.

And here’s the same vase, radically different flowers. I love the bold vermillion color of the flowers, their vibrant green leaves, and their graceful height. So zen!

Here’s a beautiful bouquet we snapped in the lobby of the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver. It’s scale and grandeur were truly majestic, on a scale that can’t be matched on our little condo stand!

While on an excursion in Juneau last month, we visited the Mendenhall Glacier, which rears its sparkling face just a short ride outside of downtown.

As gorgeous as the glacier was, I could hardly take my eyes off the Tongass National Forest Steep Creek Fish Cam, where you can watch a live feed of salmon (pinks and sockeyes the day we visited) making their way through Steep Creek from July through November.

You know I’m a big fan of Web cams. . .click here to view my very own Puget Sound Cam.

We’re still experiencing happy flashbacks from our Alaska cruise, trying to hang onto that carefree holiday  spirit as long as possible.

One of the funniest moments was when Eric, our ship’s vivacious cruise director, shared these Top-10 Cruise Ship Questions as part of our disembarkation session.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we and the other passengers did.

Top-10 Cruise Ship Questions

10. Do these steps go up and down?

9. Will I get wet on the snorkeling tour?

8. How do I know if the photos in the photo gallery are mine?

7. What time is the midnight buffet?

6. Does this elevator go to the front of the ship?

5. A cruise passenger on the M.S. Veendam looking up at the mountain overlooking Juneau: So what elevation are we at?

4. What do you do with the ice carvings after they melt?

3. Has this ship ever sunk?

2. Is the water in the toilets fresh or salt water?

1. Does the crew sleep on board?

You just gotta see this photo of a world-record-breaking matzo ball made in (where else?) New York City.

You know we’ve blogged about our wonderful experiences at Joule restaurant in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood several times before. But during a recent visit, chef Rachel Yang sent over her newest creation. . .Black Sesame Ice Cream with Chocolate-Caramel Ganache. Though it sounded weird, it tasted divine. The cool, musky ice cream paired perfectly with the thick, creamy, not-too-sweet chocolate-caramel sauce. 

The Metropolitan Grill is featuring the Love Cocktail in honor of (what else?) Valentine’s Day. Here’s the recipe if you want to make it for your sweetheart at home.

The Love Cocktail
 

½ ounce of pineapple gomme syrup

½ ounce of Chambord Raspberry Liqueur

Dom Ruinart Brut Champagne or your favorite Sparkling Wine

One fresh raspberry

In a cocktail shaker, mix the pineapple syrup and the raspberry liqueur until well blended. Pour into a Champagne flute, then top off the glass with Champagne. Garnish with the raspberry.

The monthly e-newsletter of the venerable James Beard Foundation included the following informative food note on “eggnog.” The blurb was particularly interesting thanks to the dish–foie gras frothed with eggnog foam–that chef Pascal Chureau, of Portland’s Lucier restaurant, will serve this evening at the Beard House during his “Northwest Passage to Modern Europe” dinner. View the complete menu here.  

Lait de Poule

WHAT? Which came first: the chicken or the eggnog? Although lait de poule translates, unappetizingly, as “chicken milk,” it’s actually the French name for eggnog, that seemingly harmless beverage that has been known to lure many naïve merrymakers into making fools of themselves at office holiday parties. Though eggnog is said to owe its heritage to posset, an English drink popular among early American colonists, food writer Robert Sietsema points out that the “aggressively luxurious” egg-and-cream-filled drink is infinitely more French in character and may in fact be an American version of an 18th-century French recipe. This month at the Beard House, Pascal Chureau of Lucier in Portland, Oregon, validates this theory by serving a froth of lait de poule with the ultimate French dish, foie gras.