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Wet and Wonderful Water

“Do you want to know what’s in your poop?” my daughter called to me from an interactive display at the WET Science Center in Olympia. “It’s very interesting.”

My daughter, three-year-old granddaughter Kita and I were all mesmerized by the wealth of exhibits, games and information dispensed at WET.

Even dragons need their teeth brushed.

Kita liked brushing the stuffed dragon’s teeth so much, she did it several times, and then she bathed the stuffed dog. I flushed the toilet so I could see what fact would come up in the bottom. How do they do that anyway?

My daughter reveled in what she learned about “sinkers” and “floaters.”

We all liked using the gigantic calculator to determine how much water we used in a day. Plastic gallon bottles, next to the calculator, filled when you pushed the “equals” button so you got a visual picture of just exactly how much water you used and wasted. That’s a real wake up call.

An interactive display lets you select a water treatment job and solve a problem that job handler might encounter. I did really well there so maybe I’ve missed my calling.

You can also participate in a water conservation scavenger hunt, which I know from past experience kids really love.

Besides the permanent exhibits and displays, WET also frequently hosts specific activities like making a nature journal, learning about aquatic insects in a pond life safari and playing a giant floor game titled “The Drip Stops Here.”

Entrance to WET Science Center

WET is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The very best part is that it is totally Free.

Port Ludlow’s Fireside Restaurant Does the Kid’s Menu Right

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What do you do when the kid’s menu at your restaurant just isn’t cutting it with the children you’re serving?

You could change the offerings to what you think kids would like, but how accurate will that be? Or you could create an event where children actually choose what they want on the menu. That’s precisely what happened at The Fireside at The Resort at Port Ludlow in Port Ludlow, Wash.

A plea was sent out to find children interested in taking part in a “Tasting Event” just for them. The judging panel was made up of five children representing ages 5-10. Each judge donned an authentic chef jacket, which they were allowed to keep, before embarking on their tastings.

Rose Peterson showing off the new kid's menu she helped create.

Rose Peterson, who was seven years old when she participated, and the other judges tasted and critiqued a variety of menu items and voted for their favorites. Each child then selected one menu item that would be named after him or her.

Liza’s house noodles with garlic bread, Taylor’s tenderloin steak, Journey’s banana split, Megan’s chocolate mousse and Rose’s sliders became permanent menu items. But the judge’s responsibilities didn’t end there. They also had a week to create art that illustrated their chosen menu item.

Now when a child receives their own menu at The Fireside, it is illustrated with authentic children’s art and the items listed have a real kid’s seal of approval.

Rose enjoyed her judging and never orders anything but her sliders when dining at The Fireside. She also helps out by watering the herbs whenever she’s in the neighborhood.

Fran’s Chocolates, So Tasty

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Some astonishing flavors have originated here in Washington and chocolates made by Fran are one of my all-time favorites. She sold salted caramels before anyone else here and possibly in the nation. Hers remain the best overall with sea salt sprinkled on the top of the chocolate by hand.

Fran's Bellevue store

I’m not the only one who prefers Fran’s salted caramels. In 2003 her Gray Salt Caramels won the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) Outstanding Confection Award.

In 2005 her Smoked Salt Caramels won the same award.

Fran’s Chocolates have won numerous awards over the years.

On Food Network, Iron Chef Bobby Flay claimed the creamy Coconut Gold Bar his favorite confection on the show, “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” The list goes on.

Fran’s Chocolates have been featured on the History Channel’s “Modern Marvels,” in People Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Savvy Magazine Japan, Martha Stewart and many more publications.

What makes these confections so newsworthy?

Fran Bigelow, herself. She is dedicated to preserving the pure, clean flavor of chocolate. By building layers of flavor, she teases out the depth and complexity of chocolate. She uses small batch production and selects all natural and when possible organic ingredients, including sugar and almonds. Many ingredients she uses come from local Washington and Oregon farms including organic cream and butter. Only the finest cacao available from Venezuela, Madagascar and Ecuador is used in her chocolates.

Fran also makes truffles, chocolate-dipped fruits and a few flavors of chocolate bars. The coconut gold bar is her rendition of an Almond Joy candy bar. Boy did she hit that one out of the ballpark, but the sweet, buttery flavors of chocolate and caramel enhanced with a pop of salt will always be my first choice at Fran’s.

Stores are located in downtown Seattle, University Village and Bellevue.

2012 Easter display in Bellevue store

Bellevue’s KidsQuest Children’s Museum Fun for Adults

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When I visited KidsQuest, I had to wear a sticker that said, “Unaccompanied Adult…and wishing I were a kid again!

How true. I just wanted to dig right in and play alongside the kids.

Kids Quest Children's Museum

The first area you come to contains “Waterways.” Our guide reminded us, “There is no wrong way to play with water.” The kids there at the time seemed to agree as they splashed and guided boats through the channels. Then I was distracted by a staff member playing with green slime.

Water play is fun at any age

The museum staff makes their own slime, which takes on some very elastic properties.

So many play areas, so little time. I ventured into the Hard Hats Area without a hard hat, where I became mesmerized by this special green sand called Moon Sand that stuck together so you could make balls out of it. On to fiddling with nuts and bolts.

Unfortunately I couldn’t drive the semi-truck in the Large Science area as the driver’s seat was occupied. But I heard the driver turn the key and the sound the truck made.

When you go, don’t forget to try the scarf shooter. The scarf wends its way through all kinds of tubes and comes back to you, usually behind where you’re standing.

Currently the museum is located in the Factoria Square Mall, but it has outgrown the space and will soon be moving to downtown Bellevue.

KidsQuest is free the first Friday of the month between 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

I can’t wait to take my granddaughter there so I don’t have to wear the “unaccompanied adult” sticker and can play to my heart’s content.

Bellevue Hilton Highly Recommended

Travel and Words: An Excellent Conference

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I’ve gone to the Travel & Words Conference for the past two years. Not only is it set in an appealing Northwest location every time, but the opportunities to speak with local Convention & Visitor Bureau representatives, other writers and editors makes it so worthwhile. Writers need to leave their desks once in awhile and socialize. If you’re already a travel writer or would like to dip your toe into this genre, I urge you to consider attending.

Here are the details: Pacific Northwest Travel Writers Conference runs from April 29-30, at Fort Worden State Park Conference Center in historic Port Townsend, Washington. This year’s theme is “Go! Pitch. Write. Publish.” Some of my colleagues will be speaking on topics that will help all of us with our travel writing.

JASON BRICK, of Portland, Oregon, will share his strategies for writing full time as well as being a house-dad and using his experience from the business world as a springboard for gaining paying gigs online and in print

MICHAEL FAGIN, from Redmond, Wash., writes, blogs and forecast the weather. He will disclose tips on how to cast a wider net with your freelancing endeavors.

SUE FRAUSE, who lives on Whidbey Island, writes, blogs, posts on Facebook and Twitter, hosts a culinary theatre show and also is on the road constantly. You must ask her what her time management secrets are. She reveals what the travel writing lifestyle entails.

KAREN GILB, of Vancouver, Wash., writes fiction as well as travel and blogs. She’ll share her new strategy for expanding her Northwest writer’s brand in 2012-13.

MARTY WINGATE, from Seattle, writes mysteries (“The Garden Plot” and the “Potting Shed Mystery” series) and about gardens plus develops garden tours. Her topic for the conference will be how she’s marketing her writing and traveling interests.

CARRIE UFFINDELL, who lives in Portland, blogs, writes fiction and specializes in writing about family travel in the Northwest and in the country of Wales.

See the Event Schedule, Travel and Tourism Exhibitors, and Registration details. I hope to see you April 29-30 in Port Townsend!

The Tree Bike: Fact or Fiction

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There’s currently a story circulating on Facebook about the bicycle in the tree on Vashon Island. It’s a made-up story of a boy who left his bike by the tree, went off to war in 1914 and never came back.

I intend to set the record straight. In actuality there is a bicycle that a tree grew around on Vashon Island. But the true story of how it got there is quite different.

In 1954 Helen Puz (who is now 99 years old) moved to Center with her five children. At that time she had been recently widowed.

“People were very sympathetic and generous,” writes Puz in a document on display at the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Museum. “We were given a girl’s bike and my 8-year-old son, Don, seemed the natural one to ride it.”

Don was none too happy having a girls bike, said Puz, but it was better than none.

The neighborhood boys, including Don, liked to play behind a local restaurant called, “The Den.” (This restaurant is now called Sound Food.)

One day Don told his mother that he had lost his bike and he wasn’t sure where he’d left it. They both let it go because Don was a little embarrassed to be riding a girl’s bike anyway.

Forty years later Puz read in the Beachcomber, Vashon’s newspaper, that someone had discovered a bike up in a tree near Sound Food. The bike was five feet off the ground and the tree had grown around it. News of the tree bike even carried to Japan where they made a film about it.

The mystery of where Don Puz left his bike had finally been solved.

If you’d like to see the bike in the tree, directions on how to get there can be found at roadsideamerica.com.

Snow White and a Milk Flight

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As a child I always wanted to be a ballerina and dance on my toes. Instead my parents signed me up for accordion lessons. If I’d known how hard toe dancing was then, I probably wouldn’t have minded the accordion. The special pointe shoes help keep your toes together, but the dancers still have to have tremendous strength in their feet and legs.

Courtesy of Pacific Northwest Ballet

While watching the Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s production of “Snow White” in Seattle this past weekend, I marveled at how many of the dancers spent prolonged periods of time on their toes. What a feat.

All the footwork looked clean and crisp. The 70+ students performing showed extreme flexibility and graceful movements at every turn. This was the opening performance of “Snow White” yet everyone seemed well-rehearsed.

I went to see this ballet with my daughter and three-year-old granddaughter, Kita. I thought Kita might fidget or even have a full-blown melt down having to sit still for awhile, but she never once took her eyes off the dancers. Upon arrival we were given a booster cushion for her to sit on so she could easily see the stage. Of course, there was a lot of movement on stage, brightly colored costumes and a King who narrated the action.

As you probably remember, in the story the Evil Queen, Snow White’s stepmother, wants to be “the fairest of all.” Every time she asks her mirror who is the fairest, it replies, “Snow White.” In order to get rid of her competition, the Queen tries to harm Snow White in a number of ways. Finally, disguised as a beggar woman, the Queen tempts the fair young maiden with a poison apple. Snow White can’t resist, takes a bite and falls into a deep slumber. It’s not long before a handsome young Prince happens by (after all it’s a fairy tale), falls in love and wakes Snow White.

When the Evil Queen discovers her nemesis is still alive, she tries to put a curse on the mirror and becomes caught in her own image for all eternity.

The entire ballet lasts an hour, which is just perfect for young children. At the end, the dancers were met with some well-deserved, thunderous applause.

There are only two performances left: Noon and 3:30 p.m. on March 25 at Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. For tickets, visit www.pnb.org or call (206) 441-2424.

Kita trying to decide which flavor of milk to try next at the Purple Cafe.

We stopped for lunch at the Purple Café and Wine Bar in downtown Seattle prior to the ballet. There Kita was served a milk flight – glasses of white, chocolate, strawberry and caramel milk, which kept her entertained until her food arrived. All in all it was a totally kid-friendly outing.

A Partnership that Worked

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Saturday I attended the 18^th Annual RAGS sale that benefits Pierce County’s YWCA domestic violence programs. Participating artists, selling wearable art, donate 33% of their sales to the cause.

Last year this same event raised $97,000, which helped the YWCA assist 2,845 women and 2,860 children.

Tables and racks full of beautiful clothing, high quality jewelry and attractive scarves were set up in every crack and crevasse of the venue. Besides being eye-pleasing, everyone was friendly and accommodating, plus they had streamlined their checkout system so there was virtually no wait.

But the reason I’m writing about this event, that won’t happen again until March 7-10 in 2013, is because of the partnership it forged.

The sale was held at our local Mercedes dealer – Larson’s Mercedes-Benz of Tacoma, which is located in Fife, just outside of Tacoma. The space looked new and shiny, it was huge with lots of maneuvering room for shoppers and you felt like you were rubbing shoulders with the rich and elegant. The dealership had their deli open for the event, so you could eat and then shop some more.

I love it when diverse businesses form partnerships or businesses support a charity in a big way by hosting their event. It’s always beneficial to both parties.

What businesses can you think of that have forged successful partnerships?

A Peak at Pacific City, Oregon

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Every so often I stray from my home state. Most recently, I visited the Oregon Coast, which I must admit has some appealing qualities that our coast does not, including more accessible beaches and gigantic rock formations in the water (you’ve probably heard of Haystack Rock). This time I stayed overnight in Pacific City, a tiny coastal town, so I’d like to share the possibilities it offers with you.

Beach at Pacific City, Oregon.

I stayed at the Inn at Cape Kiwanda, which is directly across from the beach and a few steps from a very good eatery, the award-winning Pelican Pub & Brewery. My husband and I had been to Pacific City before, but never stayed overnight because the accommodations looked expensive from the exterior. As it turns out, they are not. Rooms at the Inn start at $139. All of the guest rooms have ocean views from a private, covered balcony, gas fireplaces, microwaves, small refrigerators and high speed wireless Internet. Really, what else do you need? If you want to bring your “best friend,” dogs love the beaches on the Coast and the Inn is pet-friendly.

What to do

As the iconic single’s ad says, “you can take a long walk on the beach,” watch sunrises and sunsets, look for glass balls and watch the waves crash.

Pelican Pub & Brewery and another Haystack Rock.

If you’ve come to storm watch, you might also want to read a good book and create a scrapbook of memories.

Kids can search for agates in the sand, feed bread to the seagulls, go horseback riding and eat s’mores on the beach.

And then you can get a good night’s sleep, slumbering with ocean noises in the background and find even more activities for the next day.

A good breakfast spot is The Grateful Bread, which is a full-service restaurant and a bakery.

Cinnamon roll french toast at The Grateful Bread.

Tip: In Oregon, an employee always pumps your gas for you. There are no self-serve gas stations.

What is your favorite coast and why?

DiscoverWashingtonState.com

Discover Washington State