admin - Food-Wine-Travel

What…SUP?

I love the water. It may be partly because I spent many hours of my childhood years on a boat in Puget Sound – being on water brings back fond memories. It calms me. And this effect is backed by science. For this reason, I am drawn to just about every kind of water sport there is. Swimming, Kayaking, scuba diving. But I had never tried Stand Up Paddle boarding (SUP) until recently. Something about trying to balance on a board, on the water, just seemed intimidating. But I finally got my courage up to rent a board and give it a try, and I am so glad I did. Surprisingly it is not as hard as it looks. And I must say, I was relieved to find out I could start by kneeling first and work my way up from there!

The Columbia River runs through the heart of Tri-Cities, Washington and provides the perfect course for paddle boarding. If you live here, or are visiting, then Northwest Paddle Boarding, located in Howard Amon Park, is your go-to spot whether this is your first time trying SUP or you are a seasoned expert. They offer rentals, classes, tours, even SUP Yoga – which I have decided I must try soon!

The rentals are reasonably priced and located right at the park for a quick and convenient way to enjoy an hour or two of that calming happiness that water brings. Even little ones can quickly get the hang of this. And when you are done – wander over to the outdoor eatery and pick up an ice cream or snow cone!

If you have already tried SUP a few times then I recommend you sign up for one of their tours. I recently did the tour from Leslie Groves to Columbia Point.

This is a great way to spend an afternoon with your friends, make some new friends, and enjoy time out in the sun and water. You may even get a chance to see some wildlife close up.

Everything you need is provided, and the tour guides do a great job at pacing the tour to match everyone’s comfort level. The tour ends at Lulu’s followed by a complimentary drink. I can’t think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon!

Kayaking Nelson Island

If you love nature, water, and sunshine, then I highly recommend that you try Kayaking in Tri-Cities, WA. With an average 300 days of sunshine combined by three large rivers converging in the heart of the cities, this place provides numerous opportunities to enjoy this sport.

For those that want something appropriate for beginner level and a chance for some up close wildlife viewing, I recommend Nelson Island in the Columbia River. This island is directly across from Leslie Groves park in Richland, WA. A trip around the island will take approximately one hour at a leisurely pace.

There are several places along the park where you can easily launch a kayak. Once you do, head north to the tip of the island – the current here can be strong so you will need to put some muscle in your paddle – but it is shallow around the tip and only takes a few minutes to pass across it to the downstream East side. You will definitely want to follow this navigational path so that you can slow down and drift the East side of the island where you are most likely to see wildlife. The river is shallow here which keeps boats at bay providing a great route for kayaks, as well as providing an environment that local wildlife find attractive.

About half way down the East side of the island you will find a small cove – watch closely as you are likely to see deer!

When you are finished with your Kayaking trip, head South down George Washington Way to Lulu’s Craft Bar & Kitchen to enjoy food sourced from local farms. They have a great deck overlooking the Columbia River from which you can enjoy some of their unique craft cocktails – I recommend the Lulu Lady, it is one of my favorites!

Finding Joy at the Farmer’s Market

Happiness, or rather the pursuit of it, is at the height of popularity for topics of books, documentaries, and research. And for good reason. According to the World Happiness Report of 2019 the United States of America is nowhere close to the top of the list. In fact, we continue to decline in happiness ranking – landing in 19th place.

The reasons for this are many, and complicated. But there are small things that you can do every day to bring joy back into your life. One way is by reconnecting with nature. Research confirms that even short interactions with nature can boost your mood. And with summer in full swing, your local Farmer’s Market provides a great opportunity to do exactly that.

Research also supports that changing your routine contributes to the boost in happiness. I decided to combine these both into an exercise that you could try this week.

Take a break and visit your local Farmer’s Market – pick up a few Roma and Heirloom tomatoes to try using the bruschetta recipe below. While you are there, savor the moments – enjoy the bright colors and the smell of the fresh fruits and vegetables. This is your chance to connect with nature and change up your routine a bit.

I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on this. Did you give it a try? Did you find a boost in your happiness?

Bruschetta (4 pieces)

1 Roma tomato
1 heirloom tomato
1 tsp olive oil
salt
balsamic glaze
5 basil leaves
4 slices of sour dough baquette

Preheat oven to 415 degrees.

Core the Roma and the heirloom, then dice into small pieces. Spread the tomatoes evenly over the sour dough bread. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp olive oil.

Put aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and place pieces of bruschetta on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

While the bread is baking, thinly slice the basil leaves.

Remove bruschetta from the oven. Top with the basil leaves and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Travel Abroad – in your home town

Some of my best memories revolve around food. Family around the dinner table sharing stories of the day over fragrant dishes. Parties where I reconnected with friends over delicious wine and hand-held hors d’oeuvres. These served as the foundation for my love of cooking, which over the years has turned into my passion. If you ask me what my best day would be, it’s gathering fresh food from my garden to prepare for an outdoor dinner with my family and closest friends. Spending the evening drinking wine, laughing, and reconnecting under the stars on a warm summer night. That is my perfect day.

I would love to travel to Italy to take a cooking class, tour the wineries, and enjoy the delicious cheese and pastas. This, my friends, is one of my bucket list items! So when I heard about an Italian cooking class at a local winery I had to give it a try, and I am so glad that I did.

Hedges Winery in Benton City Washington not only has wine that is well worth the trip to the tasting room, but they also offer cooking class events for their wine club members. I signed up for an Italian cooking lesson provided by Dave Adlard, chef and owner of Candle In the Woods http://candleinthewoods.com/. There is an old Irish proverb that says “Laughter is the brightest in the place where the food is.” There is wisdom in that statement . I believe there is something very powerful, almost magical, in preparing and sharing a good dish and a bottle of wine. A room of complete strangers will quickly becomes friends when they may have never connected in any other type of setting. And having a great chef to lead the way with instruction and a few great jokes added even more to the experience.

I left with some great recipes, a terrific bottle of wine, and excitement about this opportunity to travel abroad in my home town. After all, that is what this whole blog started out as – an idea that I could enjoy the same adventure as a travel and food blogger by starting small.

A travel mindset

Writing about travel is, at its core, writing about new experiences. I have been discovered that I can investigate new places and write about these new experiences without traveling far. In fact, this week I visited a place right in my own home town that I had never been to before, a beautiful spot that I had been missing out on.

Located along the Yakima river is the Chamna Natural Preserve – a park of over 276 acres with miles of trails zig zagging their way through native plants and tunnels of trees. Walking through the River Path trail is like standing in the middle of a choir of birds. It’s a perfect way to ease into the weekend.

In the late afternoon, with the sun setting low in the sky, the beams shining through the leaves and onto the river provide the perfect backdrop – a place to rest and release all the stress of the day.

If you are ever in Richland, Washington and are looking for a short hike into nature check out this park. But there is a secret to this experience – you must follow the River Path trail – any other path will bring you through the middle of sagebrush and you’ll wonder why I ever suggested this hike! Follow the entrance closest to the river, then take a right at every fork on the trail. You won’t be disappointed!

Continue reading A travel mindset

Freedom to Write

I’m not a writer. That’s what I told myself whenever I would think about writing an article, blogging, anything like that. And then I’d push it out of my mind and go back to my tasks, because there is always some task that needs to be done – cupcakes for a bake sale, girl scout cookie booths, sports uniforms that need to be washed. But now I find myself in a season of life where the youngest child has just left home, I have time now to slow down, except I can’t. It is my personality, I’m a driver, always have been. And part of it is the fact that I’ve been running full speed ahead raising children, building a career, going to college, for 30 years – and I really don’t know how to slow down, even though I really WANT to.

Recently I came across a travel and food blog and as I browsed it I thought how amazing that life would be. Traveling to different places and experiencing different foods – and then sharing that experience with the world. And suddenly, I had an epiphany, there is no reason I could not write about my experiences now – just for me – because somehow, writing about it gives me permission to slow down and experience it. That’s it – I just needed a reason to slow down – I needed to give myself permission.

And so this blog was born. And if someone else finds benefit in reading these articles, a bonus! But if not – it’s ok, because it has already served its intended purpose – it gave me the permission I needed to savor these experiences