Candlebox

What were your 18 faves for 2018?

/ dkaltenb / Leave a comment

So, this list was skipped at the beginning of the year but now that we’re towards the end of it, what did you do in 2018 that you can recommend?  what did you love? what do you want to do again ‘within 4 hours reach’ of the Puget Sound area?  As I’m a list maker and a scheduler, I can contribute with a list of my own…

  1. Visit The Bay area via airplane, so it counts for this particular list
  2. Check out 21 Acres in Woodinville, your sustainable living heart will love it.  http://21acres.org/
  3. Northwest Flower and Garden Show
  4. Jazz Brunch at Sorrento Hotel in Seattle
  5. Wine Tasting. Poverty Bay Wine Festival.
  6. See ‘Hamilton’ at Paramount Theatre
  7. Did you see your Market Charm or order one?  visit Pike Place Market
  8. Check out live Sumo with Sumo + Sushi
  9. Youth. Equity. Access. to the Arts – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Seattle Symphony, Ciara and Russell Wilson.  And see Candlebox rock their 25th Anniversary tour – oh yeah!
  10. Snoqualmie Falls and Salish Lodge – hike it, pic it, eat it, shop it, massage it, love it
  11. Gig Harbor – visit downtown and walk Sehmel Homestead Park
  12. Walk 18 miles with EverWalk
  13. Seahawks Training Camp. Tailgate.
  14. Notable Restaurant? Meal? Movie? Theater? Concert?  Sporting Event?  Yes, please.  Way to Go Seattle Storm!
  15. Play Croquet in the summer heat
  16. Camano Island waterfront
  17. Autumn Leaf Festival in Leavenworth
  18. Anacortes Bier on the Pier
  19. Extra: the holiday season…put out your outdoor Christmas lights early

2015 Favorites

/ dkaltenb / Leave a comment

On this last day of 2015 and you look back on the year, what was your favorite part of it?  Was it a vacation or trip?  A new person (or pet) in your life?  A chance at a new career path?  Did you run your first half marathon?  Spent more time outdoors in nature?

As I update my 2016 calendar for the new year ~ Question: what was my favorite experience of 2015?  Answer: in May… a 5-night trip to Las Vegas.  We did it up VERY well!!!

My Top 16 list of other 2015 outings (in no particular order) are:

  1. Spending the final day of the US Open at Chambers Bay golf course with my dad and husband
  2. Drinking some very fine wine
  3. Enjoying theater.  Favorite: Phantom of the Opera or Mamma Mia
  4. Enjoying concerts.  Favorite Indoor Concert: Candlebox or Muse. Favorite Outdoor Concert: Afrodisiacs at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park
  5. Taking the Victoria Clipper for a weekend to Oak Bay/Victoria BC to catch up with friends
  6. Road trip to Ocean Shores
  7. Road trip to Leavenworth
  8. Flight to Dallas, TX for the Seahawks/Cowboys game and to meet up with my brother/family.  AT&T Stadium is amazing. Pecan Lodge. Iron Cactus.
  9. A dinner boat cruise on the waters of the Anacortes/San Juan Islands area via Mystic Sea Charters and Hellam’s Vineyard
  10. Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square … finding new shops (like Watson Kennedy, Clementines, Fleurt, Timothy De Clue) and restaurants (like London Plane) nearby
  11. Snoqualmie Falls #optoutside adventure
  12. Visiting Chihuly Garden and Glass along with dinner at Sky City and taking in the Puget Sound views via the Space Needle
  13. Tailgating and attending Seattle Seahawks games.  Go Hawks!
  14. Attending a day full of action of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament at Key Arena
  15. Road trip in a Mercedes-Benz convertible to get a pedicure at Tip Top Nails in North Bend
  16. Taste ~ Road trip to visit a friend and check out Dirty Oscar’s Annex and Corina in Tacoma. Honorable mention: Vista Lago Restaurant in Kirkland

And being thankful for other places and people not mentioned here.

What is on your list for 2016?

Snoqualmie Casino and more

/ dkaltenb / Leave a comment

Snoqualmie Casino on a Saturday…hopping with activity!  Snoqualmie, WA is a great location for this getaway as it is east I-90 towards the hills of the lower Cascades.  http://snocasino.com/   It offers a number of dining options (Kindai sushi and noodle bar, cafe/deli, Falls Buffet, and fine dining in Terra Vista) but here, I would say entertainment is what it is all about.  Those who come here to gamble and those who come for the music, sports or comedy that entertain us.  Snoqualmie Casino has a lounge (which has a dress code), the Snoqualmie Ballroom, and Mountain View Plaza (outdoor) for your entertainment viewing pleasure.  A sampling of the summer lineup is: Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Ranchers, Ronnie Dunn, The Beach Boys, Blake Shelton, and the MMA Rumble on the Ridge 19 – check out their website for more!  We celebrated the beginning of summer here in the Northwest by joining in the KJAQ-Vodka Rocks concert series featuring Candlebox, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Verve Pipe.  Vodka Rocks celebrated different vodkas from around the world.  I have to give a shout out to Peabody Jones Vodka, a local here from Woodinville, WA.  http://www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/products/peabody-jones-vodka/  They had the best drink hands down!  And as far as the bands go –  Candlebox rocked!  http://candleboxrocks.com/  I will expand on Candlebox here, as this year, 2011 is their 20-year anniversary of rockin’ stages in Seattle and across the country.  I am an original follower and fan, as I was an occasional visitor in the old days to the Off Ramp, RCKCNDY, Crocodile Cafe, and others.  I still have that special tape of their first album.  Toad the Wet Sprocket was great too…especially in this intimate outdoor setting.  I especially appreciated the rapport that the lead singer Glen Phillips had with the crowd.  I have an album or two, and these make for anytime listening fun!  http://www.toadthewetsprocket.com/

We happened to miss Verve Pipe as we stopped in for wine tasting at both Cadence Winery and O-S Winery, part of the South Seattle Artisan Wineries (SSAW).   O-S Winery always does a nice job on their Riesling.  http://www.oswinery.com/  Cadence Winery produces quality wine that is blended using a Bourdeaux style…Rose, Coda, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard selection, Tapteil Vineyard selection, Camerata and Bel Canto.  Cadence uses exclusively Red Mountain fruit emphasizing Cab Franc, Cab, and Merlot with a bit of Petit Verdot mixed in.  http://cadencewinery.com/

Rock Out!