In early July, Kingsley and I did a two night guided kayaking adventure with
Outdoor odyssey
With our competent guide Nikkin, we spent two glorious days sea kayaking on Haro Strait which is the body of water that separates San Juan Island from Vancouver Island. This area is considered one of the world’s best orca whale watching sites. Resident orca's in this area are organized into stable, highly social matrilineal family groups called “pods” and labeled alphabetically as the J, K, and L pod. Known collectively as the “Southern Residents” they return regularly to the west side of San Juan Island during the summer months to take advantage of strong currents and optimal fishing for their favorite food source the Chinook salmon.
We were a bit nervous about our odds of seeing the orcas as our guide explained that no orcas had been spotted yet that summer which was highly unusual as this is typically the peak time to see them. The theory is that the salmon levels are very low this year which could be why the orcas haven't been around. I was also a bit nervous when our guide Nikkin informed me that my husband had chosen the "divorce" kayak as our kayak for the weekend! Evidently, the kayak he chose always tends to carry couples who fight with each other the ENTIRE time. Our last kayaking trip was a disaster in Vietnam where the rudder was "not broken, just not working" which led to- not our finest hour- as a married couple. So I was a bit concerned as we began this adventure, however, thankfully we managed to break the divorce boat curse and had a lovely time together in the San Juans without a single marital mishap.
Nikkin was such an excellent guide for the weekend trip. We saw lots of seals and seal pups, bald eagles and tons of other sea life. Through Nikkin we learned all about the San Juans and the biodiversity in its waters. We also were fortunate to see orcas whales both days of our trip. The highlight being the second day when we had a close encounter with one of the pods. Such a magical experience. Nikki also made the most AMAZING meals in our campsite dutch oven and even creatively catered to our fussy gluten free palettes.
San Juans 2016 from
Lynn Wood on
Vimeo.
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Seattle
Kingsley had a lovely tandem flight with Bakhtovar at Tiger Mountain in Seattle. I put together a little video to document the adventure.
Bakhtovar's Flight from
Kingsley Wood on
Vimeo.
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Seattle
Another year older, another year wiser!
This year I was again in Seattle to celebrate my big day with lifelong friends and family. Cynthia and I shared a birthday/going away party together which was wonderful because so many people came out to celebrate. But also a bittersweet evening knowing that this was the last time I would see my dear friend before she moves to Las Vegas.
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Seattle
A very quick visit home to visit family over Chinese New Year. The jet lag never really gets any easier but spending time with friends and family make it all worth while.
Super Bowl Sunday at the Novak's house
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Seattle
In early December I made a quick trip to Seattle, as my mom went through a fairly major surgery. It was a week and a half of high stress and very little sleep. However, the surgery went exactly as expected and my mom is now, thankfully, recovering very well. Despite a very limited social agenda, I will still able to squeeze in a visit with a few friends AND to sneak in a quick visit to Santa with my friend Jen.
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Seattle
From mid-October to mid-November I was in Seattle for work and to visit my family and friends.
I got to spend some quality time with my gorgeous Nephews
Mini-Wood family reunion in Seattle
When I wasn't working or sleeping I felt like I spent the majority of my day sitting in traffic. I have a unique perspective coming back to Seattle at different intervals over the last 6 years and I can say without a doubt the traffic has gotten significantly worse. It makes me thankful for the efficient and fast public transportation available in Singapore.
Goetsch family celebrating (a gluten free) Thanksgiving
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Seattle
The highlights of our trips back to Seattle are always spending time with family and friends. One special evening was the Singapore gang in Seattle dinner. Two more sets of friends from Singapore have moved to Seattle in the last few months. The fact that people from Singapore would end up Seattle of all places makes the world feel not quite as big to me. It was special to catch up with them and see our hometown through their eyes. They are LOVING it in Seattle so far.
Another special night out was with a group of ladies from Calidora. Some have moved on to other jobs over the years but our friendships have continued to grow.
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Seattle
In our June visit to Seattle as usual we had a very full schedule. But one of my top goals for the trip was to make sure we had a baby shower for our friends John and Christine. We have a very special group of friends in Seattle who have been playing poker together with us for the last 9 plus years.
The poker rules are simple, $20 buy-in and whoever is the big winner for the evening is required to host the next game. Combining a co-ed baby shower into the poker evening turned out to be a super fun evening.
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Seattle
Kingsley and I flew from Singapore to Seattle on April 11th which is Kingsley's bday and meant that, thanks to the international date line crossing, someone had an extra special two day long birthday. I was able to surprise him with a few fun birthday cards mid-flight but he refused to let me make any announcements to the flight attendants about his special day. After we landed we spent a few hours resting at his parents house and then went out for a Birthday dinner to Cactus (our favorite Mexican restaurant) with Kingsley's parents. Later that night we drove out to the Kickin Boot Whiskey Bar in Ballard to wish my friend Shelley a Happy 30th bday. It was the longest April 11th I have ever experienced and a happy day(s) for so many reasons which made it even more special.
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Seattle
In early March our third Nephew was added to the family. Kingsley and I were so excited to meet him and I was especially excited to teach him who is favorite Auntie was!
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Seattle
This Autumn was a special time for me to be in Seattle. And one of the most important reasons was getting to meet Carmen's little girl who may just be the cutest thing I have ever seen!
We also had a chance to spend some time with Amy and our Nephew to whom we gave a wrapped Christmas gift to be opened only on Christmas of course...(it is an air powered nerf rocket launcher so we may no longer be invited over once that one gets unwrapped! :)
Brisk Autumn sunsets
Girl time at Cactus, my favorite girls and my favorite Mexican restaurant which I may or may not have eaten at 6 times in a two week period.
High tech Kingsley and Frosty checking their email while I a little Christmas shopping.
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Seattle
This years Thanksgiving was extra special as it was the first time my immediate family had all been together at Thanksgiving for probably six or seven years...maybe longer. My parents did most of the cooking but I took on making the stuffing using a recipe that my friend Bonnie shared with me. She had used this special family recipe the previous year when I hosted Thanksgiving at our place for 20 of our friends and I totally fell in love with it. The cornbread stuffing recipe is seriously so amazing I kindly going to share the details with you so next Thanksgiving you can all enjoy it too!
Corn Bread Stuffing
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup celery
1 1/2 cups onion
4 cups Fuji apple
3 Tbsp flat leaf parsley
1 Tbsp sage
1 Tbsp thyme
2 tsp rosemary
10 cups cornbread
2 cups chestnuts
2 cups cooked crumbles Italian sausage
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 eggs
3 1/4 cups chicken broth
4 Tbsp butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Coat 9x13 dish with olive oil. Heat remaining 1 tsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over med heat. Add celery, onion. Sauté 5 min. Add apple, parsley, sage ,thyme, rose merry, sauté 3 min. Combine apple mixture, bread, chestnuts, sausage, egg, hot chicken broth in a large bowl. Mixture should be moist but not soaked. Spoon into baking dish. Dot with butter cove tight foil, bake 350 for 30 min. Uncover bake for 25 min until top is golden brown. Let sit for 15-20 min. Serve. |
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The meal was delicious and the corn bread stuffing was a hit. Even my gluten-free disparaging brothers had second helpings!
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Seattle
This past summer my brother spent some time working as a tour guide for Argosy cruises in Seattle. Though it was near the end of the season he invited me and a friend to "do the tour" on a brisk beautiful Sunday in November.
The trip got off to a rocky start with a series of misadventures on our way to the boat. These included: getting lost, not being able to find the Argosy ticket booth, and the limited parking avaliblility in downtown Seattle. We literally arrived at the boat with not even a second to spare before it departed from the pier. I might add that we ONLY made it to the boat in time because I got lucky with a parking spot...and because I am just crazy enough to do whatever it took to get on that boat! I sent my friend Jen to pick up the tickets while I found a lucky parking spot. Feeling pretty good about myself my heart sank when I glanced down at my watch and it dawned on me that there was only one way I was going to make that boat and it would involve sprinting. Without a second thought I yanked off my high fashion high heeled winter boots and RAN in my mismatched socks like a mad woman through the muddy streets of downtown to make it to the pier in time. I can only imagine what must have gone through people's minds as they saw a crazy blond girl RUNNING her heart out with winter boots and dignity flapping behind her in the wind. I also wonder what must have gone through my brother's co-worker's minds as they saw me running up to the boat. My brother seemed completely unfazed which now that I think about it could be a little alarming...But never-the-less, I made it!
A few minutes after cast off, once I had hung my muddy socks on the railing to dry in the sun, I began to listen to the amazing guided tour that my brother had prepared. I am not just saying this because he is my brother but he is really good at engaging the audience, I was super proud. I also learned so many new facts about Seattle that made me so excited and proud to call myself a Seattleite.
Later, as the VIP guests on the boat, we got to go up to the bridge and meet the Captain. The whole experience was just awesome made that much better by it being one of those truly spectacular days in Seattle. We did the Argosy "Locks tour" which takes about 4 hours, I would highly recommend spending an afternoon doing this if you are ever in Seattle. Lake Union was the final stop at the end of the tour and we arrived there just in time for an amazing Seattle sunset. Oh and yes I thoroughly cleaned my feet after the tour!
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Seattle
