Seattle getaway

A weekend trip to Seattle provided an opportunity to browse book shops and the stalls of the Pike Place market. One vendor of the market vendors was cutting slices off a Fuji apple showing signs of slight watercore. He considered watercore a great thing because of the concentration of sugars in the glassy sections. Though watercore is a drawback for apples in terms of appearance and storage potential, it’s a treat when you find it in apples fresh off the tree. A pound of elephant garlic from Oregon won out over his Fujis when the time came to buy, however.

A visit to Lamplight Books (across the alley from the venerable Three Girls luncheonette) yielded two books of essays by poet Sam Hamill of Copper Canyon Press, among other items. Sam’s belief in the importance of poetry, his achievement at Copper Canyon and his ability to write eloquently about the poet’s work (among many other things) makes him an important and inspiring figure. I look forward to the reading the essays will offer.

Rounding out last Friday with friends in Belltown over salad and agnolotti, a bottle of Owen Roe Abbot’s Table (2004) paired wonderfully with the fare. Rich fruit, hints of vanilla and even streak of creamy coffee (induced by the greens we had for a salad) made it a comforting quaff. A blend of nine grape varieties in the bottle make it suitable for just about any occasion or so the winery says. I'd agree.