Nothing says “HAPPY HOLIDAYS!” like a flight of whiskey to savor and compare. Forget bargain shopping. Nobody really needs all that crap anyway. Belly up to the bar with the family and toast having the good sense to avoid the crazy crowds at the mall. Cheers!
Red, white and whiskey
My sis and I!
Just up the road from South Bend, Indiana, you can experience the lovely small town vibe of Three Oaks, Michigan AND visit Journeyman Distillery. Over 100 years ago, E. K. Warren offered corsets and buggy whips in this factory in lower Michigan. Journeyman Distillery opened in 2010 in the beautifully renovated factory space as a family-run business that not only turns out craft spirits but tasty food as well. The lunch crowd packed in to eat pizza, burgers and more on the day after Thanksgiving but the star of the show was no doubt the homemade hooch. A whiskey flight with their five shots was only $4. That’s right-handcrafted spirits that went down like silk for a couple of bucks. Got to love the Midwest!
The cocktail ingredients ranged from shrubs to reductions combined with their own small-batch spirits. No beer, no wine-just a wide variety of homemade gin, vodka, limoncello, and whiskey. My kind of place! Cocktails were inventive like the Beetlejuice cocktail with red arrow vodka/simple syrup/house beet-basil reduction or the Fall Classic with whiskey/navy strength road’s end rum/simple syrup/ lime juice/McClary Bros. lemon ginger shrub/house amaretto. WOW. I could go there every night for weeks and sip unique drinks. Probably good for my liver that I go home Monday to Seattle.
After trying all five whiskeys, my tongue and lips were numb but happy. I loved the W. R. White Whiskey that had notes of banana, mango and ripened fruit as well as white pepper and spices. The only thing stopping me from buying LOTS of bottles of different spirits was the damn TSA liquid restrictions. A return trip on our next visit will no doubt be a priority. Tired from shopping or dealing with crazy relatives? Try a whiskey flight (or two) and have a happy holiday!
Taking a road trip on the dreaded day before Thanksgiving, declared the WORST travel day of the year by the media and anyone who has ever been silly enough to travel on this day, I keep reminding myself why this journey must take place.The rainbow at the end of the trip.Mom.She’s worth it.She’s our pot of gold.
Living in Seattle, far away from my family, I haven’t spent a holiday with my Mom and Sister in ages, perhaps 20 years or so.This is the year to break that spell.While spending Thanksgiving away from my kids for the first time will be tough, off to Indiana we will go.Planes, trains and automobiles lay ahead of us today and I’m not just quoting a fav holiday movie title.LITERALLY, we will Uber, fly, hop on the local C line from Midway to downtown Chicago, drag our asses and luggage through the streets of Chicago to the South Shore Line and tonight at 9 p.m. arrive at South Bend airport where my sister will pick us up, if and when we arrive alive. Our travel day will take as long to go from Seattle to South Bend as what we experienced travelling back and forth from Seattle to China, which was an easy 14-hour day at most, spent in Business Class being wined and dined with a nap in between and some movies throughout to keep me entertained.Ahhh…I miss those travel days for sure.
But, I surely don’t have it as bad as the fellow traveler observed this morning at 7:30 AM at the wine bar at SEATAC sipping a champagne tasting flight while waiting for her journey.How bad do your relatives have to be in order to do that?I walked by, did a double take and told Thom to sneak a picture.WTF!Not a wee nip to get you going or a gentle hair of the dog to get over a bad night but 3 full glasses of the bubbly for breakfast.Wow.
Reading news articles about the apprehension many people face over the possibility of interactions with dysfunctional family members, not often seen or heard from but present at the holiday dinner table, always makes me appreciate our family more.We don’t fight over who cooks the meal or what is included in the menu. Thom and I will both be very happy to just show up and enjoy what is beautifully presented to us by my sis and her husband, both very good cooks.We will let them have it and instead go see my Mom and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade the morning of Thanksgiving before the big meal.It will bring back great memories of our time spent in NYC during the holidays, wandering the parade route in 2012, seeing the ginormous balloons up close and personal.Everyone should do that one time in their lives.It was special.
We spent this past weekend cooking up an early Thanksgiving feast so that our son and his girlfriend could partake in our family favorites of stuffing, corn casserole, green bean casserole, yeast rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes and, of course, turkey.A carbolicious buffet that sent me straight into a coma after watching the new Ghostbusters movie with the kids.Not the best movie I’ve seen lately but at least it didn’t have any embarrassing scenes that weren’t family friendly.Even at 23, my son is very protective of me and filters what he considers “appropriate” material to watch with his mother.When I expressed that Sausage Party looked like a fun film, he shuddered and declared that there was NO WAY we should watch that together.What could be so bad about a film featuring a party where you cook and serve sausages?In speaking with a co-worker who experienced the film, she had to agree with my son. Apparently,I was spared an embarrassing and tragic movie-watching experience.
During and after our hectic travel day, I am concentrating on being calm, relaxed and tolerant.Here’s hoping the Trump supporters and neo-Nazi confederate flag-waving Midwesterners stay out of our paths.I grew up in Indiana amidst the KKK so I’m just being realistic of that demographic being real, not that I’m saying that of all Hoosiers, though they are a conservative bunch in general.Blinders on and diligent to avoid politics at all costs this weekend, Thom and I both need at least a brief respite from the despair and terror we experience daily reading Twitter or watching the news.Now, it’s all about family and love and kindness.Happy Thanksgiving all!
It was a dark and stormy afternoon with sheets of torrential rain coming down. In other words, a typical Seattle day-perfect for a stroll through the fantastic fashion exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum featuring Yves Saint Laurent in all his glory. YSL truly experienced an amazing journey from teen fashion prodigy to world famous designer and this exhibit running through 1/8/17 invites you into his world of fashion through a behind-the-scenes look at the designer’s life.
The exhibit is so much more than the 100+ gorgeous outfits that YSL created. You can see his early sketches and paper dolls that he created as a teen fashion prodigy, the swatches and drawings that he used to create his collection, personal photos and much more.
YSL was born to create unique and original works of art that spanned a long and turbulent career. Like most artists, YSL fought childhood bullying first and then, later in adulthood, depression and addictions while somehow creating masterpieces that you can now view at the Seattle Art Museum. I loved seeing not only the final product but the genius behind the creations.
Optimism followed by shock then sadness morphing into pure terror to my core and now a call to action. He Who Will Never Represent My Values is our nation’s new leader, elected by less than a majority of our citizens. Why? How? WTF!
Spending the first Presidential election apart since we met, Thom suffered in Idaho, the most red of red states while I will forever be bonded with Whitney and Cat as we experienced the heartache together in Seattle. At one point after it became obvious Cheeto Jesus was in control, Cat pulled out the smokes and we drowned our sorrows first in tobacco quickly followed by strong alcohol at a bar across the street from The Westin where the Dems had gathered to celebrate and ultimately cry together. Normal behavior for me? Nope-haven’t had a cigarette in years and probably won’t ever again but desperate times and all.
Leaving my friends around 9 p.m., I made the cold walk home alone to walk the dogs. I went to bed amidst a self-imposed media blackout, not wanting to face the awful final decision confirming that the American people had gone crazy. Up early to take care of the pups, I caught the newspaper headlines out of the corner of my eye in the street box around the corner that verified the awful truth. Oh. Hell. No.
Spending the following weekend in Boise with our lovely granddaughter, Mia finally made us smile and forget. Sadly, Mia would not see a woman elected to our highest office. Yet. Damn.
This week we looked forward to David Sedaris sharing his wisdom and wit during his appearance at Benroya Hall. Surely David, the funniest writer and humorist around, would make us feel better, perhaps even laugh. Paul Constant, co-founder of Seattle Review of Books, introduced David. “Fuuuuuuccccckkkkk” followed by “Shhhhhiiiiiittttt”. Paul shared his election reaction that we could all relate to. Election eve, Paul shared that he got terribly high as he dealt with the anxiety. Paul, you and everyone in the place could relate as we are all in this together, struggling mightily to make sense of it all while multi-tasking to explore the Canadian real estate market as we drink LOTS of hard alcohol. Crazy times.
Avoiding the topic for most of the night and sporting bold culottes cut from curtain-like fabric, David finally had to address the orange elephant in the room when one gal asked him during the Q & A, “What can you say to make us feel better?”
At that point, he called to the stage a local Seattle friend of his, Suze. He must have anticipated this type of question because she was ready to encourage the audience with a passionate call to action: spread love (kissing booths perhaps?), offer sanctuary to all who are targeted by this administration and be subversive. Really, really subversive. I like her.
David mocked recent protests where people rallied and held hands peacefully around a lake. What a bucolic scene that would be but he suggested instead that we should gather around a lake and drown those who didn’t vote. I think he was kidding. Maybe.
Suze, David’s Seattle friend, encourages audience to take action
So, here we are profoundly sad, broken, pissed, fearful, and the emotional list goes on and on. We are a mess. What to do now? Get involved, make your voice heard, contribute to those in need.
I will march with the Women’s March on Washington movement right here in Seattle on 1/21, the day after the inauguration, which I will not watch. Anyone who wants to show, in a peaceful way, that women’s rights should matter to everyone is welcome to join us.
I will donate to causes who will need help now more than ever-Planned Parenthood and the ACLU among others.
I will call the House Oversight Committee (202-225-5074) to support a bipartisan review of Trump’s financials and conflicts of interest. Call early, call often.
I will call my congress person and demand they stand up against the appointment of Bannon and use this as a script: ” Hi, my name is xxxx and I am a constituent. I am calling to ask that Rep/Sen xxxx refuse to work with the Trump transition team until Bannon is removed from his staff. His history of demeaning and dangerous racist language is unacceptable. He/she needs to step up and protect American values now.”
I will encourage others to make a difference and not move to Canada or avoid the frightening news that will be coming at us daily. Stand tall and fight the good fight.
Here’s hoping that the sun will continue to rise, that people will continue to stand up for their rights and our country remains safe for ALL people. Be safe, be strong my friends.
Few celebrities would draw a crowd as large as Trevor Noah during a busy Friday lunch hour in the workplace. However, thousands of folks jammed the room for a chance to hear Trevor passionately speak about his atypical childhood living in South Africa, a time filled with challenges that few of us have experienced. Born to a black mother and a white father, who left the family quickly, his tough upbringing in a society where he didn’t quite fit anywhere shaped who he is and how he views the world. He was a fascinating and animated storyteller describing scenes from his new book, “Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood”, a memoir of the observations of his childhood in a country when apartheid was unraveling.
Drafting off the “celebrity” status of a friend of mine who scored us front row seats, I got to view the talk up close and personal with no obstructions. Thank you my friend! Being that close allowed me to really observe the facial expressions and hand gestures of a wildly entertaining comedian who not only elaborated on his book but also shared his views on the craziest election any of us have ever seen but one that he predicted. How might you ask could anyone foretell the “Coming of Trump”? Growing up in a third world country, Trevor saw first hand how leaders would prey on people’s fears and anger, championing their darkest prejudices out loud in simple-to-understand sound bites. Trevor told colleagues early on that Trump would go far in the election process given that he was a reality TV star of questionable morals who knew how to speak and connect to these uninformed voters, lying and promising them whatever they wanted, playing the “outsider” vs. the government who has forgotten about them and their economic struggles.
Similar to what Gloria Steinem told the audience when I saw her recently in Boise, Trevor also was emphatic that this segment of society that is following Trump won’t go away after the election no matter who wins and will need to be heard and their issues addressed for the country to heal and move forward. He also suggested that what the U.S. needs is more than 2 parties to allow for more choices. Should Bernie run as a Democrat? No-he’s a socialist. Should Trump run as a Republican? No-he’s a nut but also probably a nationalist or alt-right candidate. I get it but not sure this change will happen anytime soon.
Trevor elaborated on his other observations from this election cycle: watching Trump move forward in the primaries was like having a front seat row to a “charismatic car crash” and that if he were elected, it would “press pause on all progress” that Obama has made the last eight years. That people like Trump can “create” facts on the internet that people believe as gospel is flat out scary to Trevor. The public is “engaged in a bubble of misinformation” the likes of which we have never seen before in the U.S. Trevor takes his job seriously on The Daily Show because, as one attendee related during the Q & A, most millennials get ALL their news from The Daily Show. To that comment, Trevor said, “Comedy is the spoonful of sugar to make the news go down.” and “Laughter is the medication to get through it.”
While I enjoy comedy and, God knows we all need to laugh more, the stress of this election has been hard to take even when delivered by a comedian as smart and funny as Trevor. Tuesday it will all be over. Vote.
The Seattle Times review today of Trevor’s book was very flattering-read here: Book Review
Travels with Melinda 