Teaneuring Bonus -- #8

Saturday, November 14, 2015

There was a cold and rainy forecast for the day, but my early morning eye out the window showed a calm and dry roadway. I could most likely squeeze in a bike ride!

Susan had a taste for breakfast sandwich and we were out of eggs. Next best thing -- an errand run to McDonald's where I could also get my bonus teaneuring trip in ;'-)

 

Teaneuring at McDs??? As I always say, these trips are not all about the tea ;'-)

 

Yep, we are at McDonald's

I bundled up quite heavily and started my ride by about 8:45 to cheat the rain that was coming by late morning or early afternoon (they said).

 

Our rain gauge out our front window. A dry spell!

 

Put on my stormsocks against the cold but my toes ended up a bit chilled anyway

 

Red on red

I feel so fortunate that I can start riding from my door and have a decent 15-25 mile ride (depending on my choice dictated by weather, time and energy level). The neighborhood roads I ride are very light in automobile traffic, and this morning I see a few joggers and many walkers -- most with the exercise inducing dog at their side. I stop for several photos but don't want to linger too long as I am trying to beat that rain.

 

Some fall color lingers

 

At first look I thought there were more than one tree here. I walked around it to confirm -- it is a multicolored single tree

 

Beyond the rainclouds, the sun shines onto the Olympic Mountains

I had a fine time meandering the neighborhoods and made my way to the highway to cross over to McDonalds. I rolled my bike inside without asking and no one bothered to notice or say anything. The customer count was low and I tucked my bike into an inconspicuous out of the way spot, got my goods and sat with my tea. I normally use my own mug (to be a little green), but needed some evidence that I was here ;'-).

 

I often ride this route (minus the McD stop) and try to vary it a bit which I did today. I ride through a couple of school grounds, but today I took a path I have not taken before. It led me behind the buildings and showed me a piece of artwork I would not have seen.

 

The butterfly emerges

 

The climbing wall at the front of the school

With only minor meandering, my return trip home is basically the same route I took to get here, but has a different viewpoint. As I ride along the road, I don't know how, but I spotted some graffiti art in a very hard to spot place.

 

This view is looking back on the road from where I was riding. In essence, one cannot see this art from that perspective.

 

There is a ravine here that the bridge I rode over crosses. I don't know how the artists did it, but they got the bridge side decorated.

The photo of the graffiti is deceptive in that it looks like one could simply stand by the wall and art away. Not so. The bridge is up high and the ravine is below it. This is as close as I can get to it for a photo, so some is left out of the picture.

All too soon it was time to get home -- not too soon for Susan who was awaitng her breakfast sandwich deliviery. And guess what -- the sun was out and accompanied me for my final few miles ---- and stayed out the remainder of the day! So much for weather forecasts around here. I may have been just slightly over-bundeled, but the morning 39 degrees did hit my toes a bit! It was quite nice to get out early in the morning however, and I had a grand time for my self.

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Touristing in Seattle

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Being a tourist in your own town can be such fun!

When Sheri and I first moved to Seattle in 1979 we did just about all the tourist attractions there were to do. That list included a tour of the Underground of Seattle. Though we were not sorry we took the tour, we were not terribly impressed with it. My friend Lynne said she had read that the tour has been tremendously improved and has a lot more to it. So -- we put this on our list for something we wanted to do in Seattle.

Though we were not sorry we took the tour, we were not terribly impressed with it. Wait -- did I already say that? No -- that was 35 years ago, this is now, but with the same semtiment!

 

Tour starts at Doc Maynard's bar. There is a lot of history here about the bar itself. We recall hearing (something) about that in the years past, this year there was no mention.

 

Our animated and entertaining guide, Dean.

Some of the lectures about all the history of Seattle were interesting, but were long and rather repetitive.

 

Debris decades past

 

Nothing is planted here - old tools and implement left long ago

 

Wooden water pipes -- everything was made of wood which contributed to the great "glue" fire that destroyed Seattle in 1889.

We were not really "underground", just under the sidewalks of Seattle. And much of the display we remembered from the past were no longer there -- bay windows set authentically as they would have looked or a hotel, a bar, a house of ill repute. Now there was simply a long boardwalk along the walls of a basement.

 

Decorative...

 

Functional...

 

Many sidewalks in town have these glass "bricks" that we all walk across.

 

These are those glass bricks viewed from underneath -- they allowed light into the areas below.

After our hour and a half tour, we were ready for lunch and our next adventure. We had a delightful sandwich and Borscht soup at Delicatus, a place that Lynne had on her list of places to try. A very popular, busy place with great food.

Then it was a walk up to Capital Hill for a visit the Starbucks Roastery where we would have our tea and (decadent) crumpet.

 

Lots of copper in this place

 

Lots of people in this place

 

Lots of bags of coffee beans in this place

 

Lots of good crumpet choices in this place, and tea served elegantly (for a coffee place)

This is the one and only Starbucks Roaster in the ... world actually ... and will remain the only one as I understand. It is a beautiful place and nice ambiance as well as good tea, coffee and food choices. Lynne and I sat by the fireplace on this somewhat blustery and chilly afternoon and had a grand time.

Ending our tour for the day we walked to our respective bus stops -- Lynne would get to her home in about 10 minutes, I would get to mine in about an hour and a half.

 

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2015 Teaneuring Wrap-up

#1 Without Walls -- Village Center, Mukilteo WA

• Thursday 10/8/2015
• 18 miles
• Sencha Tea

 

 

#2 Without Walls -- Elementary School Garden, Mukilteo WA

• Saturday 10/10/2015
• 7.5 miles
• Kukicha Tea

 

 

#3 Legendary Grind Cafe, Middlebury, Indiana

• Wednesday 10/14/2015
• 35 miles
• Earl Grey Tea

 

 

#4 Riverdale Tavern, Riverdale, Michigan

• Monday 10/19/2015
• 40 miles
• Lipton Tea

 

 

#5 Without Walls -- Lake Serene, Mukilteo WA

• Sunday 10/25/2015
• 20.5 miles
• Kukicha Tea

 

 

#6 Biacha Tea Room -- Edmonds, WA

• Thursday 10/29/2015
• 30 miles
• Refreshing Tea and Pouchang Tea

 

 

#7 Gere-A-Deli -- Anacortes, WA

• Wednesday 11/4/2015
• 30 miles
• Dragonwell Tea

 

 

 

I am a bit sad to see the end of the challenge as I so enjoy doing the riding, stopping for the tea, and reading about everyone's adventures. For a little more info about my tea stops -- there is some detail within the blog. A big Thank You to Mary, Queen of Coffeeneuring!

 

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Teaneuring #7

Number 7

• Gere-A-Deli, Anacortes WA
• Wednesday, November 4, 2015
• 29.5 miles
• Dragonwell green tea

On our Woman Tours bike tour, my friend Bette-Ann and I formed a nice friendship with Jeanie. Jeanie lives in Colorado and has a daughter who lives in Seattle that she visits. For this trip to Seattle the three of us were able to coordinate a day to ride together. We did one of our favorites -- the Anacortes loop. We were fortunate with weather (one never know around here) and even had a few sunbreaks. Lunch (and tea) at the Deli was great as usual and we had some nice views and sights along our route.

 

mmmmm, yes, lunch was great

 

Some interesting signs in the Deli

 

I watched "Hoppy" (along with The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry) on t.v all the time as a kid

 

Great Blue Heron held a pose for us

 

Old train car has character

We said our goodbyes to Jeanie with hopes that we will do this again when her visits with her daughter bring her back. Thanks for joining us Jeanie.

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Teaneuring #6

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Number 6

• Biach Tea Room, Edmonds WA
• Occtober 29, 2015
• 30 miles
• Shared "refreshing" and Jasmine Pouchang tea (a new tea for me that I like a lot -- another to put on my list of favorites!)

 

Tea and tea sandwich party!

I beat the rain (again) that was forecasted for the afternoon. Riding from home it was looking "iffy" as to whether the weather would catch me or not! Five of us enjoyed a little tea party at Biacha -- a very favorite place of mine. It is a little far from home to get there often, but when I do, I load up on the delightful tea choices to take home with me.

It is a small place with lots of ambiance and a delightful young woman who is so welcoming and accomodating (Ann or Anna, I can't recall). There is no actual bike parking, but plenty of room in front of the windows to put a bike and be able to watch it if you don't want to lock it.

 

Seating outside in good weather, bike parking in bad ;'-)

 

Behind the counter where Ann usually is...

 

Look at all the choices of tea we have!

 

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Cemetery ride for "Halloween"

Friday October 23, 2015

The ride started and ended on the Centennial Trail. Our leader, Astrid, took us off the trail a few times and onto some quiet neighborhood roads. In the "spirit" of Halloween, we visited a cemetery.

 

1896

 

Babies

 

Very Halloween-looking

 

They died young back then

 

Unlike some, I have not thought of, or felt that, cemeteries and graveyards are spooky. They are a quiet and calm place to spend a time of reflection, and visit the site where there may be the memory of a loved one.

This was a great ride on a cold and cloudy day that warmed up just as we pulled into the restaurant at the end!

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