Dosewallips Pacific oysters on the half shell

There’s no better food than food that you eat seconds after you harvest it. The other day, I took some friends to Dosewallips State Park for a day of clamming and oyster shucking. After a quick lesson in oyster shucking, we able to fill a plate full of fresh Pacific oysters. A little cocktail sauce and lime juice were all that were needed to render our oysters irresistible. Under a warm sky, we slurped our oysters looking out over the vast Hood Canal. A quintessential Northwest moment!

If you go harvest oysters, don’t forget you need to shuck the oysters on the beach and leave the shells behind for the young oysters to latch onto for the next generation.

Dosewallips oyster ready to be slurped

Beaver Lake rainbows on the fly

A few days ago, I took advantage of the recent nice sunny weather in Seattle to do some lake fishing on Beaver Lake near Issaquah. The lake, recently stocked with larger than normal rainbows, provided some nice action and a welcomed break from work. With only a few others on the lake that day, it was nice to be able to pick and choose my fishing spots. I had the most action while slowly trolling a small green woolly bugger on a floating line.

Broiled rainbow trout with carrots and onions

I later invited the fish I caught to dinner. They were broiled and accompanied by strips of carrot and onions. These hatchery rainbows were super tasty!

Mt. Rainier view from U of Washington

It was an amazing 70 degree sunny day in the Seattle area yesterday so I took in the sites at the University of Washington campus after a business meeting. The “U-Dub” campus was chock full of students enjoying the sunshine and impressive views while shuttling between classes.

Suzzallo Library at UW

I was especially impressed by the views of both mountain ranges–the Cascades and the Olympics–from the UW campus.

Cascade mountain view from UW

Flowering trees at UW

View of downtown Seattle from Bainbridge Island ferry

A view of downtown Seattle waterfront from the ferry returning from Bainbridge Island.

Seattle skyline from the Bainbridge Island ferry

Fly rods at the Sage factory on Bainbridge Island

Last week, I was on Bainbridge Island for business when I had some unexpected free time to kill before boarding the ferry back to Seattle. I suddenly recalled that a fishing buddy told me about the factory tour at Sage Manufacturing on Bainbridge. Sage is a highly respected manufacturer of fly fishing equipment, especially fly rods, among Northwest fly fishermen. So, on a whim, I decided to drop by the factory and see if a tour was possible.

The pleasant receptionist explained that they prefer visitors to call first before showing up. However, she would see if someone was available to show me around. In a few minutes, David, presumably a floor manager, greeted me and welcomed me onto the factory floor.

Worker putting final touches on a Sage fly rod

The first area he showed me was where the rod blanks are created from sheets of carbon fiber. The sheets are wrapped around steel rods shaped like fly rod blanks and then baked in a special oven. After baking they are removed from the steel rods, cut, and coated. This is where the rod blanks start looking familiar to a fisherman. The blanks for a particular rod and weight class are put together and tested to make sure the entire rod feels right. The rod blanks are then sent to another area where the guides, reel seats, and cork handles are added. Throughout this process, they have QA personnel inspect and test each rod. When the rod has passed the final QA, it is sent to the shipping department where they put each rod into a rod sock and tube.

I was amazed and pleasantly surprised that all Sage rods are manufactured on Bainbridge Island. Even the rod socks are sewn on site! It is reassuring that some skilled manufacturing is still happening in Washington State.

Founded in 1980, Sage has become the top brand of fly rods among fly fishermen in the Northwest. It was rewarding to see how fishing equipment I use is made. It’s even more meaningful to actually meet and talk to some of the people who work there. I’ve been a satisfied Sage customer and, after this factory tour, I’ve become even more enthusiastic about the Sage brand and equipment.

I highly recommend the Sage factory tour–but please try to call first to make sure someone is available to show you around.

Amaluna, Cirque du Soleil at Marymoor Park, Redmond

I went with my family to the Amaluna Cirque du Soleil show at Marymoor Park in Redmond last night. Being our  first Cirque du Soleil show, we didn’t know what to expect. We weren’t disappointed as it turn out to be a great family show. The venue was small and intimate and all the seats seemed to have nice close-up views.

Super Bowl potluck

We hosted an excellent, delicious Super Bowl potluck at our house yesterday. Five other families came over to indulge in football, food and friendship. Watching the Super Bowl with friends and family is one of the quintessential American traditions.

In the end, the food turned out to be more exciting than the game in my mind. (Unless, of course, the 49ers actually managed to score the last-minute touchdown.)

Our potluck menu included:

• Smoked coho salmon with crackers and lime cream sauce
• Gravlax with mini-bagels and cream cheese
• Sausage balls with mustard sauce
• Sushi platter
• Cheese pastry puffs
• Fresh veggie platter
• Pork chili
• Teriyaki chicken skewers
• Fresh fruit salad
• Brownies
• Apple turnovers
• Vanilla and chocolate ice cream

“Sitting Woman” by Phillip Levine

While on my Sunday run along the Sammamish River Trail today, I did a double-take when I glanced over at a sculpture next to the trail. Some prankster had placed an office chair underneath the “Sitting Woman” sculpture by Phillip Levine. I imagined that the bronze “Sitting Woman” must have felt some relief sitting on a chair after more than 30 years in that position.

Wolfe Property State Park beach, Mt. Baker in distance

During the first week of the new year, I took my daughters for an overnight trip to the Kitsap Peninsula just to get away for a couple of days. Every so often, it’s nice for them to spend some time together without their brother. We had some good weather and favorable tides during our trip so we crossed the Hood Canal Bridge to do our first clam dig of the year.

Wolfe Property State Park is a small but fertile beach where you’ll find some decent populations of Manila and other clams. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife seeds the Manila clam population on this beach which explains their abundance.

Wolfe Property State Park Manila clams

The clams on this beach tend to be somewhat smaller than at other Puget Sound beaches but we easily got our limits that day. Using a hand trowel, we found our clams within an inch or two of the surface in the tidal zone where the sand and small gravel mix.

Besides the good shellfish harvesting, Wolfe Property State Park is also a nice kids’ beach for running around. And with an awesome view of Mt. Baker in the distance, it’s a scenic, quiet place for adults too.  When we got back home, we rewarded our efforts with a big pot of steamed clams with garlic butter sauce.

Seahawks logo

After the painful first half of the Seahawks – Falcons game on Sunday, I thought this exciting season for the Seahawks was going to end on a big thud. Down by 20 points, their offense was futile and their defense probably couldn’t stop a high school running back. But with every touchdown they scored in the fourth quarter, I started wondering if I was watching the greatest comeback in NFL playoff history.

When the Seahawks took a one point lead with 31 seconds left, I was convinced that Atlanta’s winless streak in the playoffs was safe. But, the highs of Seahawks fans were quickly dashed by a couple of excellent passes by Matt Ryan (and poor pass coverage by the Seahawks) followed by a game-winning field goal by Matt Bryant. What a painful finish.

As depressing as the game was on Sunday, many Seahawks fans realize that this team’s future is extremely bright. With the second youngest roster in the NFL, the Seahawks have almost all the talent needed to be an elite team for years. The biggest factor for this surprising season is undoubtedly our rookie QB Russell Wilson who broke several NFL and franchise records. It is so refreshing to see an athlete with physical skills, intelligence, humility, and an extreme work ethic.

It’s been many years since Seahawks fans have fielded a team that is competitive with any other NFL team. A team that will always compete and never give up. By addressing just a couple of missing pieces in the draft or free agency, most notably some  decent pass-rushers, the Seahawks can be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.  I’m already looking forward to the 2013 season.