A Lot of Miles

Encouraged to get a pedometer last month when we joined the walking club through the Fairhaven Fitness and Bellingham Tennis Club last month, I wore it each day during the month of July.

Certain that I walked a lot of miles, I was curious just how many miles I would log in one month. I logged 186.84 miles for the month of July. With an average of 6.03 miles per day, that really is a lot of miles!

My Daily Walking Log

July 1, 2008 - 8.01 miles
July 2, 2008 - 10.31 miles
July 3, 2008 - 3.86 miles
July 4, 2008 - 3.73 miles
July 5, 2008 - 7.21 miles
July 6, 2008 - 5.16 miles
July 7, 2008 - 6.58 miles
July 8, 2008 - 16.00 miles
July 9, 2008 - 3.80 miles
July 10, 2008 - 6.10 miles
July 11, 2008 - 6.07 miles
July 12, 2008 - 13.54 miles
July 13, 2008 - 5.67 miles
July 14, 2008 - 4.31 miles
July 15, 2008 - 5.96 miles
July 16, 2008 - 6.78 miles
July 17, 2008 - 3.92 miles
July 18, 2008 - 4.28 miles
July 19, 2008 - 4.97 miles
July 20, 2008 - 5.67 miles
July 21, 2008 - 3.99 miles
July 22, 2008 - 5.54 miles
July 23, 2008 - 6.56 miles
July 24, 2008 - 3.40 miles
July 25, 2008 - 3.14 miles
July 26, 2008 - 10.12 miles
July 27, 2008 - 4.83 miles
July 28, 2008 - 3.64 miles
July 29, 2008 - 4.49 miles
July 30, 2008 - 4.38 miles
July 31, 2008 - 4.82 miles

Total for July - 186.84 miles

Average per day - 6.03 miles
~~~~~

Special, Like Christmas in July

Thank you for all the dances and wonderful conversation that night in the barn.

It was special, like Christmas in July.

CSA - Week 7 - What Color is Your Carrot?

Always anxious to peek in to see what special organic vegetables have been packed inside the CSA bin for me, this week it was a bunch of carrots in an assortment of colors that first caught my eye. Not just orange ones, but yellow and white carrots too! I had noticed these colorful carrots showing up at our local farmers market this season and am very pleased to receive some in my harvest bin this week. These different colored carrots are really not new, but they have been re-discovered. Research shows that they have really been around for a long time. The purple and yellow carrots were grown as long as 1,000 years ago in Asia and Western Europe.Today, a more scientific and selective breeding program is practiced in order to produce these colors for commercial purposes. Scientists say there is added nutritional benefit to choosing these colorful vegetables over more conventional ones. Red carrots have extra lycopene, which is also found in tomatoes and believed to lower blood pressure and help reduce the risk of some cancers. Yellow carrots promote eye health with beta-carotene-like pigments, and the purple carrots contain powerful antioxidants.

~~~~~

Oh, the power of produce! Plant foods contain natural disease fighting compounds called phytochemicals and antioxidants. These disease fighting compounds enhance our immune systems. We should eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day, but seven to nine servings are even better. The weekly CSA harvest bin is a convenient way for me to get these necessary fresh fruits and vegetables - plus the produce is organic and grown by our local farmers!

Also in this week's harvest bin, lots of onions. Assorted zucchinis and summer squash.
Fresh basil and tomatoes.
Garlic.
Juicy red ripe raspberries.
Enough broccoli for soup.
Farm fresh organic brown eggs.
~~~~~

So, what color are your carrots?

Pioneer Days

After an evening spent touring the authentic old buildings and antique displays during the annual Pioneer Days celebrations hosted by the Whatcom Old Setters Association at Pioneer Park in Ferndale, Washington, it all ended with a great, foot-stomping dance to the music of the Replacements in the barn and under the big tops. What a great turnout and what fun we had dancing to all those old rock-n-roll tunes on that barn floor! The grand entrance to Pioneer Park, home to the old settlers.

A kitchen display.It must be laundry day.Kitchen shelves.The parlor.Through the garden arch. Carnival midway games.
Carnival house of mirrors.
Carnival garbage can clown top.
Carnival Merry-Go-Round.

Lots more photos from the Pioneer Days celebrations in Pioneer Park.

~~~~~

~~~~~
Thanks for all those dances!

Downtown Summer Saturdays

Downtown summer Saturdays in Bellingham boast a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. With someone always set up to play in front of the Bagelry, this was the day for entertainment by David Weiss as he entertained the Bagelry patrons and passersby with his talented acoustic skills on the guitar.

David's bass playing friend joined in for an afternoon of more great jamming and singing.

The Saturday Bellingham Farmers Market.

Cooperativa Jacal at the Saturday market. Crowds of people milling about the market.
Namaste Gardens.

Broadleaf Farm with organic produce from Everson, Washington.
Behind the scenes food prep for Greek dining at its best.
Other food vendor prep area.

A splash color under the pretty plants.

The Saturday Bellingham Farmers Market runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. through December 20th this year at the Depot Market Square on the corner of Railroad Avenue and East Maple Street (1200 Railroad Avenue) in downtown Bellingham, Washington. Come join us next time!

Lucas at Elizabeth Park

From the stage at Elizabeth Park, Whatcom County's only klezmer band, What the Chelm, performed their traditional Yiddish songs, as well as some music of Israel, favorites from the Yiddish theater of the 1920’s, Ladino (Spanish/Hebrew) songs from the Jewish communities of Spanish, Balkan, and Middle Eastern countries, and the occasional classic show tune with a tinge of the Jewish music idiom.

~~~~~

Meanwhile, Lucas enjoyed popcorn.

He was decorated by a body-paint artist.He sat in his chair and enjoyed the concert.
And could not seem to resist the urge to smile.
~~~~~

As the What the Chelm band played their tunes, other members from the community led people from the audience in traditional Yiddish folk dances. This video provides a good example of the type of dancing performed in the park tonight.

~~~~~

The Elizabeth Park neighborhood contains a number of the older, original houses of the early Bellingham area, many of which are listed on the National Registry of Historical Places. Drawn first to the round window on the third floor and then to its cozy front porch, I noticed that this house has such a placard next to its front door indicating that it, too, is listed in that registry.

~~~~~

Perhaps next time, Lucas, I will see that dinosaur costume.

Music, Market and More Music

Friends and music, markets, more music, dancers and even more music - what an absolutely fun day it was!

First up at the Performing Arts Center Plaza at Western Washington University was singer/songwriter Jenni Potts performing titles from her latest album. (Album cover photo from her website at http://jennipotts.com/).

Then we set off to Fairhaven for their afternoon Farmers Market and a walk along Taylor dock, to Boulevard Park and back again.

Fresh vegetable market stands and stage performers fill the Village Green in Fairhaven.
Flowers and vegetables from local farms line the perimeter of the Village Green.
Clear skies and calm waters along Taylor Dock made for a very pleasant walk.
Canadian geese paddled around Tin Island, a tiny island located between Taylor Dock and the beach that was created by deposits from the early industry along Bellingham Bay and Fairhaven during an early 1900s industrial era that bustled along our waterfront.Later, at the Downtown Renaissance Network sponsored Downtown Sounds alley concert between the Wild Buffalo House of Music and the Mindport Gallery, we enjoyed the opening tunes of Round Mountain. Brothers Char and Robby Rothschild, whose background ranges from Balkan and West African styles to traditional Appalachian music, performed their traditional, classical and funk music on the main stage set up at the end of the alley. (Photo from their Internet press kit available at their sonicbids.com website).
Blond Ambition, a local belly dance troupe led by Nancy Sarna, entertained the crowd with dances in the alley between main-stage performances.
Sally, Fred and I enjoy the performance from the tables next to the main stage.
When Tilly's Folly took the main stage, they captivated the audience with their dynamic vocals and driving acoustic guitar with their Celtic rock tunes. The classic songwriting of Bruce Coughlan, multi-instrumentalist, Nolan Murray, and bassist and vocalist, Laurence Knight, Tiller's Folly filled the alley with their high-energy acoustic roots music.

The party in the alley.

After the concert in the alley, the party moved inside the Wild Buffalo as Hoss, one of Bellingham's great classic country and western groups, performed tunes from the 1930s to the present day. You can catch Hoss again on July 27 at Depot Market Square - Brewers by the Bay in downtown Bellingham and again on August 9th at 9:00 p.m. at the Wild Buffalo. Put on your boots and get ready for some great country two-step dancing!

~~~~~

More photos from the day's events.

~~~~~

Thanks for the pizza, Fred!

Thanks, Sally!

It is always fun!