Almost Packed Up and Ready to Go

3 lawn chairs $5 ... 3 ladies...priceless! Especially Mardelle and Susan who spent all day Saturday helping me with the garage sale. I couldn't have done it without them.

It's a long haul... clearing out the house completely; finding a home for my kitty boys; garage sale; tenant... It's difficult to keep foucused on the prize - South Africa for Christmas and Belize in March - with so much upheaval around. And my To Do list doesn't seem to get any shorter!

But it feels like it is all coming together now, with a lot packed up and more stuff gone, either sold through Facebook marketplace or the garage sale on Saturday (with another this coming Saturday).

Sad Echoes

The house echoes and footsteps are extra loud with it being almost completely empty now. Of course, I still have the kitty corners and their special sleeping areas. The sad thing is, they will be going to their new home this coming weekend and they know something is up! Such intuitive little creatures. I've tried to keep their routines consistent but when they see "their" furniture and stuff going out the door... well, they look at me in dismay! But they will be fine, I keep telling myself. They will probably adjust better than I do!

This week is more cleanup, trash runs, hazardous waste disposal, for sale signs for my car. And then I will move myself to Mardelle's for the last few days here, while the house is cleaned and prepared for the tenant.

The few days up in Port Townsend will give me the time I need for two articles I need to get done and which I am already late on! And Susan and I will probably go over to Ballard as I am not happy with the photos I took while I was there. Maybe by then, I will have my new camera!

Cute cafe in Port Gamble

Sanity Break

Susan whisked me out of here yesterday for a break from the mayhem and we went to a little cafe across the bridge called Butcher and Baker Provisions. Very cute place with good food, good coffee and good service. Then we strolled around Port Gamble and took in the dahlia garden which is spectacular and reminded me of Mum's passion for them. Growing up, there were always rows of dahlias leading down to the cottage. The Port Gamble ones are brilliantly colored and all with different shapes and styles and really brightened up a very dull day (weather-wise).

The Belize article in All at Sea just went online and I am very happy with it. They did a good job posting it and it's always a vailidation for what I do! I'm really looking forward to doing a lot more writing once all this stuff is done and dusted!

Keep on Trucking

This is Really Hard

Rainbows in my future

When I tell people what I am doing, I hear over and over, "That is so exciting," "You are so brave." And yes, that is probably true, but it is also very, very scary!

I left home as a very young woman, still in my teens, into a world I didn't have a clue about. Leaving from South Africa during the apartheid era, I had lived a life closeted behind protectionist walls, so I left there with absolutely no fear and no idea about what life was about. And that lack of fear and complete trust stayed with me for years. But now, here I am on the leading edge of the baby boomer wave, and it's not easy to head out into the world again on my own. I go around thinking, "I should be so excited about this," but in reality I am scared to death!

It's not just the age factor but the way the world has changed in the almost 50 years since I climbed aboard the first plane, heading to England, the first of many flights and destinations in my life. I got on that plane with one small suitcase and the equivalent of fifty bucks in my pocket and not a single hesitation, just a sadness leaving my family and the very first love of my life!

Packing Up

A favorite photo and appropriate for this time of year

I never wanted to be in this house this long! The last few years, I have made a concerted effort to not buy "stuff," because I knew I would be leaving soon. Frugality wasn't difficult as finances have been very slim. But even so, as I pack and discard, pack and discard, it's apparent how much I accumulated. I am determined to leave here with just one suitcase, my (new) laptop, camera and (new) iPhone 7 Plus, the tools of my trade. The mementos and stuff I just can't part with, like the photos and slides that are so dear to me; the Zulu beads I have collected over the years; the boys drawings and cards they made for me when they were little, are in seven plastic storage bins that are going to a friend's garage where they will stay until who knows when.

The rest of the stuff, the furniture, the small appliances, dishes, pots and pans, are all being sold. And every one of those inanimate "things" hold memories. All those tomatoes I grew in the sunroom being processed for sauce in the food processor that has gone to a friend of a friend. The big bed, (some memories there!) going to someone who works for a friend of mine. I think this is one of the blessings of living in a small community; I know where my stuff will be living!

I think that once the garage sale is done, everything cleaned out and all the paperwork done to close accounts etc., I will feel more enthusiastic about this new adventure. It's difficult to look beyond all the incidental stuff and see the adventures that lie ahead. Because, really, how many people, regardless of their age, can drop everything and go to South Africa for four months and then to Belize for an indeterminate time? All with the prospect of writing about and photographing craft distilleries around the world. Not too shabby!

The Boys

My boys who need a safe haven

The hardest part of all this is finding a home for Hinckley and Buddy. But I still have time, four weeks and I know and trust the right person and place will be there for them. They are the reason I have stayed here too long, as I knew finding a home for them would be heart wrenching and I didn't know if I could survive it. Now I don't have a choice, so I just have to trust it will work out. They are such intuitive little creatures, they know something is up, which doesn't make it any easier.

So today, I will once again make a list, put one foot in front of the other, take on one task at a time, cross it off the list-of-the-day and keep moving. Like they used to say in the 70s, I will "Keep on Trucking."

Mini Day Trip to Ballard

Old Ballard front

It was a beautiful, brisk fall day and as I drove through Port Gamble, with its avenue of maple trees, I made a note to myself (which I had better write down today) to go back in a week when the trees will be "in full color." As they are already turning, I know I only have a few days to capture it.

As usual the ferry ride over from Kingston to Edmonds was lovely; one of the things I will miss about living up here. But not enough to make me stay! And Waze took me the back way, through residential areas, avoiding the freeway, down to Ballard, a throwback Scandinavian area that unfortunately is losing its identity as it becomes more gentrified.

But I wasn't there to site see, but to visit two tiny (in physical aspect, not in character) distilleries for a couple of articles for American Distilling Institure.

Traditional Aquavit

Old Ballard Distilling

The first one, Old Ballard Liquor Company, is located right down in the industrial area near on the docks. It's a tiny 750 square foot, industrial-looking place that produces a variety of authentic Scandinavian-style aquavit (AH-kwa-veet or AH-ka-veet). The owner, Lexi (just Lexi, like Adele or Beyonce) is a livewire! Full of information and spirit - the personal kind, not the kind she makes! I learned a huge amount from here about the state of the Washington State distilleries and the battles they have to fight with an obstinate, un-moving, OWM-run bureaucracy. And how difficult it is to survive and actually make a go of it. While I was there, she got a text from one of the other local distillers saying another distillery was closing its doors and one, Seattle Distillery is for sale! It's very sad when government is so rigid and prevents new endeavors from succeeding.

Lexi is passionate about her products, which I tasted and the flavors are surprising! Nothing like any aquavit I have tasted before, but then I think I have only had it a couple of times! Apparently, Sweden, Norway and Denmark all have their signature flavors and Lexi manages to cover them all. I think my favorite was the Älskar, "citron flavored aquavit, nuanced with notes of caraway, coriander, grains of paradise and other spices." And I also tried her Cherry Bounce, which has a long history in this country. It's made with sour cherries to create a delicious liqueur and reminded me on the blackberry brandy I made last year.

For locals, you can get there by boat, with free moorage at 14th Ave NW boat launch.

Big Gin

lrm_0232

Second stop was at Captive Spirits Distilling, where they produce Big Gin. They are tucked away in a residential area and like most of Seattle, apparently, parking is at a premium! I drove around the block a couple of times before realizing I could park in the no parking zone in front of the building. As Ben and Holly are not open to the public, except by appointment, they don't have to deal with visitor parking. But they are moving to a bigger facility soon down on the Ballard docks. The cement floors were just poured and they are, justifiably excited!

I was greeted by Holly and Rosie, the very sweet distillery dog! Then spent a fascinating 90 minutes with Ben, a third generation distiller (his dad and grandfather made moonshine), hearing about how they got started, his partners, their philosophy of producing just one product - GIN! And about their recent partnership with Hood River Distllers, which will help take Captive to the next level through their extensive distribution channels.

Leaving Captive, Waze once again routed me through the residential area, but even there, the traffic was horrendous and living up to its reputation of the 2nd worst in the country! And I dreamed of that gin and tonic waiting for me at home!

Old Ballard Liquor Company
4421 Shilshole Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
info@oldballardliquorco.com
206.858.8010

Captive Spirits Distilling
1518 NW 52nd St
Seattle, WA 98107
ben@captivespiritsdistilling.com
206.852.4794

Another Big Adventure

It's amazing how fast the time is swishing by!

Port Ludlow Marina Fall

Last week I took the plunge and bought my ticket to South Africa. I have been watching airfares on google flights and they had dropped so I grabbed it. First I fly to Burbank for a few days with Ryan, then on November 20, fly out of LAX to Johannesburg via Heathrow, on Virgin Atlantic. It's a 30 hour trek and then a short hop to either Durban on Pietermaritzburg, depending on where Mick can pick me up.

And that is just the start of the next big adventure. The planning is coming together, bit by bit and with the distillery visits to include, it is going to be a busy time. Roughly, very roughly! these are the plans, subject to major change, of course.

On arrival, it will be recover from jet lag for a few days, rent a tiny car, then I want to go to a couple of distilleries in Zululand that make rum! Pure, Natal sugar cane into something delectable. Zoze arrives from New Zealand at the end of the month and we are hoping to go to Umzumbe, a beach with hundreds of memories for both of us. We will stay at Jenny B's (Zoze's school friend) beach house for a few days. I am hoping to plan some time with Rosemary, my dearest school friend and mother of my god daughter at the cottage at Clansthal beach.

Then comes the trip down to the Cape, where we will stay part of the time with Biff and Julie at their new home in Villiersdorp, and some of the time at a self-catering cottage right near them. From here, I want to visit as many distilleries as I can, and as we will be almost in the wine country, there are numerous ones, with brandy being at the forefront. Then, at some point after January 6, I want to take the Light Blue Train from Cape Town to Jo'burg, where I am going to do a basic distilling course and visit more distilleries!

Then it's back to Maritzburg, more distilleries, more visiting and then I am scheduled to leave at the end of February, when I fly back to Los Angeles before heading to Belize, which is a completely different adventure!

If you are wondering about all the distillery action, I am working with the American Distilling Institute, doing some writing for them. And while in South Africa, getting assistance and introductions to the South African craft distillery scene through Hendre Barnard of Distillique, who heads up the new South African Craft Distilling Institute. This is a steep learning curve for me, but a lot of fun! I've really not been much of a "hard liquor" drinker, except for gin! But I am discovering a whole new world out there. Once you get away from the mass produced products, the craft spirits open up brand new tastes, flavors and aromas and I'm finding that spirits I never liked or didn't even try, are amazing! And each distillery has it's own unique flavor. So you can just imagine how much fun it is!

And of course, the visual delights in the facilities - huge, shiny copper stills, enormous stainless vats, rows and rows of aging barrels, bottles filled with all colors of liquids! Every distillery seems to try to outdo the others with creative names for their spirits and labels, some of which are just gorgeous.

So there it is, my rough plan.

In the meantime, I have three articles to write; find a perfect home for Hinckley and Buddy; take care of this house in some way; sell my car; sell or donate everything in the house and reduce my belongings down to one suitcase.

Wish me luck!

Picking Up Speed

Falling into Place

It's pretty exciting the way things are starting to really pick up speed leading to my "get the hell out of here" moment!

My plans are solidifying - a bit - as I set my sights on a mid-November departure. It looks like (at least at the moment) that I will initially go to Mick in KZN (KwaZulu Natal) where I will meet up with Zoze who flies in from New Zealand towards the end of the month. Then we will head down to the Cape mid-December and stay with Biff and at a self-catering cottage while Julie's Susan is with them over Christmas. We are hoping Mick will be able to come down then as well.

While in the Cape, I will be visiting a lot of distilleries with the blessing of the South African Craft Distilling Institute who is busy opening doors for me! The articles will be mainly for ADI but I have also pitched South African Country Life , which I used to write for, but haven't had a response yet.

SACDI has offered to put me up and introduce me at other distilleries up around Johannesburg and Pretoria, and I will also be doing one of the their distilling classes, which is very exciting. What I would like to be able to do is to take the Light Blue Train from Cape Town to Jo'burg and then back from there to Maritzburg. I have wanted to do a train trip like that for ages, and with the exchange rate in my favor at the moment, it seems like a great opportunity.

Once back in KZN, we want to do a couple of game reserves in Zululand where there is a also a new rum distillery! And of course, I will be spending time with my oldest best friend Rosemary and my god daughter Catherine at "the cottage" at Clansthal.

Then at some stage, probably February or March, I will fly back to LAX, see the boys then head south to Belize for the duration, however long that is.

In the meantime, I have three articles to do for American Distilling Magazine. I need another interview with Keith at Bainbridge Organic Distillery which I hope to do tomorrow and then will go over to Ballard, across the Sound for two more, hopefully next week.

This distillery biz is all a huge learning curve for me but I am thoroughly enjoying it and loving the people who are involved in this industry. They all seem so passionate about what they do, which is so very refreshing!

I realized that I have not posted anything about my trip to Coeur d'Alene with Ryan to see Cody and the little boys, so that is the next one; a bit out of order but oh well...