Globe Corner Blogs

36' Bavaria--photo by Creelea

May 24, 2009

Today we set sail from Anacortes–Dad, Mom, the Squirrel (my sister), and I. Our ship is a 36′ Bavaria named “Escape!”

I suppose we are escaping, as the yellow bluffs of Guemes slip back and flatten against the silhouette of Mount Baker. By 5:30 pm we are all adding layers of silk and smartwool against the wet chill that settles on limbs too long at rest. After fighting the spring tide for some hours, we’ve changed course and put in at Spencer’s Spit on Lopez Island. Mom and I served omelet, smoked salmon, and arugula for dinner. Dad poured a Champagne toast. Around us boats at anchor plash gently, drifting closer then farther.

At dusk, the shoreline is etched white in parched timber. After dark, camper’s tents glow like festive lanterns under bristling black pines.

Dancer and Mask--photo by Lisa

Last week I had the rare opportunity to leave rainy Boston and head to sunny Seattle. Thankfully the weather was perfect for my family, friends, and me to take a cruise to Blake Island State Park in Puget Sound. Our main objective was to go to Tillicum Village for a traditional Northwest Native American Potlach.  Traditional Potlachs are ceremonies practiced by Native Northwest Indigenous Peoples where the tribal leaders would gather guests for a redistribution of wealth; they usually included dances and feasts. We went to see the tourist-friendly modified show.

Potlach Dinner--photo by Lisa

Blake Island is a beautiful island that is only accessible by tour or private boat. Among the many attractions are hiking trails and a long house that was built in 1962 to help showcase Northwest Native American Culture for the Seattle World’s Fair. Today the long house still serves as a showcase and there are tours of it during the summer. Boats leave from Pier 55 and there is a narrated hour-long cruise through Elliot Bay into Puget Sound all the way to Blake Island. We were greeted with a cup of clam nectar and then led into the long house for a “smorgasbord-style” salmon dinner. After the dinner the lights dimmed and the dancers began to demonstrate different dances from the region. The masks were impressive and one even weighed more than 55 pounds.

It was a great way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon and the views of the Seattle skyline were picture perfect. I was so surprised to return from Seattle with a tan.

Sea of Glory --by Nathaniel Philbrick

I know it is not the most “sophisticated’ way to evaluate a book, but if the book is so engrossing that I miss my stop on the subway…I consider it to be really good. Sea of Glory by Nathaniel Philbrick is one of those books. I am only halfway through the book, but it caused me to do some exploring of my own this morning as I totally missed my subway stop and ended up in a part of Boston I have never been to before.

Philbrick tells the story of the voyage of the U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838 – 1842 led by Charles Wilkes; an exploration of the Pacific Ocean. Growing up on the Pacific Ocean, one would think that I would have heard of or possibly learned about this historic feat. But I really don’t recall ever hearing about Charles Wilkes, and I lived in a town where all the schools were named after Pacific Northwest explorers. (I went to McLaughlin.) In this book, Philbrick explains why the U.S. Exploring Expedition–who mapped nearly all of the Pacific Ocean, named Antarctica, and collected a sizable collection of exotic specimens that became the foundation of the Smithsonian Institution–is basically unknown. Just don’t pick it up if you have any pressing engagements.

Explorer's Guide to Washington

Whenever I bring friends back to Seattle to visit my parents with me, they are subjected to my Dad’s special tour of the city. He loves to show off his native city and talk about his three favorite things: Boeing, University of Washington Huskies and the price of gas. First, we have to go on a driving tour so that he can point out all of the landmarks that we happen to pass while he is looking for free parking. He usually throws out fascinating tidbits of information such as how the best place to be in a earthquake is on top of the Space Needle since it is anchored down so deeply and how everything has an Elvis connection as The King filmed a movie at the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962.

Then off to a restaurant where we are force fed Olympia Oysters, whichever salmon he deems worthy, asparagus and Washington wine from the Walla Walla Valley. Next we drive to West Seattle, so we can get one of the best views of the Seattle Skyline, and he can point out more sights such as the the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and the new stadiums. Continue Reading »