Happy vernal or spring equinox! Definitely not spring in Juneau yet but these pictures are from my 16 hour layover in Seattle a few weekends ago. 
Just one week ago I was en-route home from DC (more on that later). The flight schedule is such that it takes two days to get to Juneau, via an over-night-stop in Seattle. I was a little tired at this point after spending a day running around DC looking at the sights and then a 5 hour plane flight. 
For the past four years I have celebrated the holiday season with two families: TEB's family in Seattle, WA, and my family in Alaska. Here is a glimpse of our Seattle holiday festivities complete with mulled wine or glogg, lefse, and twinkly lights in downtown Seattle. I'll be back after the weekend with a peek into the Alaska version.
Cydwoq desk boot, pictures from Ped Shoes, 440$. I normally wear European size 39 but sized way down to 37.5 in these American-made shoes. The tailoring was near perfect and good for people with slim calves.
2. Aquatalia by Marvin K, Spunky boot in chocolate brown, 400$. I owned these for about a week before I took them back due to the price. To date they have been the most comfortable boots that I have put on. They have a cushioned foot bed and a narrower calf, though you can see from the photos that the calf area was still a bit big on me. The lug sole is great for slippery sidewalks and all the reviews I read said the suede holds up in rainy weather (Seattle-based reviewers). I am waiting for these to show up on Sierra Trading Post next year. 
I think the Aquatalia Kerry Suede Waterproof boot is a beauty too.
Wouldn't all these boots look lovely with the Lole plaid Stylish jacket, 190$ (polyester, not wool!).
A small Velkommen sign welcomed us to this mountain top retreat. On the left you can see the outline of a wood dragon that protects the main house. I think this is a traditional wood-style that is found on Norwegian churches. 
This handmade viking ship sits atop the stone mantle in the main house (there are 3 other small buildings: a guest house + sauna, a cache, and a studio). TEB's grandfather in Norway hand carved this replica.
When sitting and joying the hot tub, super nice when it is foggy and the wind it blustering, Mr. Turnip-head (Orcas Island Pottery) is reminding you to keep those pine needles out of that toasty warm water. From one of the main house windows you will find Saint Francis of Assisi looking in. As the patron saint of animals he keeps the squirrels and deer safe.
Plop crab directly into large pot of boiling water. 
When bright pink/orange - it is done - move into bowl.
Dig in and enjoy with an ice cold beer!
photo credit: Cayenne 04.26.09
I am spending the weekend with TEB, before he departs for Singapore early Sunday morning. Things have been insanely busy around our house and he has not even had time to plan the trip, much less think about packing. He is going to read Southeast Asia on a Shoestring by Lonely Planet on the plane and have Knopf Mapguides Singapore handy for when he lands.
Blogland also had some good tips; I sent him over to check out Bloesem's World Tour of Singapore and Fashion is Spinach's shopping guides for Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
We are having beautiful rainy day here in Southern California. This weekend I am off on another practice hike with my 30 pound pack. Only one week left until I leave for Patagonia!
We were checking out the area around Seattle University when we ran across a Stumptown Coffee Cafe. I don't remember where I first heard of Stumptown but as a coffee roaster that is only in Oregon and Washington, I had to buy one of there darker roasts to try in our Italian stovetop espresso maker. It is delicious!
In Seattle we spent a few hours driving around and checking out neighborhoods. On our way through the Capitol Hill area we stopped at Top Pot Doughnuts. Yum! I had the plain glazed doughnut with a hot chocolate. The floor to ceiling bookcase filled with books reminded me that I would like to have a library room someday. I think of it as the ultimate luxury - a whole room of books. I sat, read, ate my doughnut and wished that I lived in Seattle, WA.
This holiday season we are spending 1 week in Seattle, WA and 1 week in Fairbanks, AK. Both trips are to spend time with our families. We did get away for 2 days to the Sleeping Lady Lodge in Levenworth, WA. Sleeping Lady is just about 10 minutes from Levenworth's main drag - a Bavarian village with small shops, wine tasting rooms, and eateries. There was at least a foot of snow up there and the drive thru Stevens' pass was impressively snowy. I was most excited about the warm temperatures, ~30 degrees F, that allowed us to go cross-country skiing without getting frostbite (not all that uncommon for me in Fairbanks). 
The lodge was beautiful and we stayed in a cabin called Eryie. They serve buffet style dinner and breakfast that we took advantage of despite the 7:30 am breakfast call. We arrived in the later afternoon, visited the shops for some wine, played 21 Bakerstreet in the library cabin and took a late night dip in the outdoor hot tub. Breakfast was darn early but the view out of the dining hall was of Dale Chihuly's only outdoor installation called Icicles. Back at the cabin I stoked up a huge fire and jumped on the bed in my argyle knee socks. It was cozy and a great start to a whole day of classical skiing. We skied 13 kilometers before starting the drive back to Seattle. 
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