A bunch of stuff that makes the Pacific Northwest GREAT!

Dick’s or Burgermaster… they’re interchangeable when I’m hungry!

Wallingford.  I’d say it’s the best except there’s at least 40 other neighborhoods just as cool.

Alki!  It’s one of those cool neighborhoods… with a beach!

Water and mountains most every day.  Even when the mountain’s not out I know it’s there.

Bald eagles in my neighborhood.

The San Juan Islands.  Well the ones I can get to by ferry.

Ice cream cones at IKEA.  I think it’s technically Ice Milk… but it’s tasty.

Trader Joes!  Yes, I know they’re in many cities but we have them here!

Hundreds of places to put in a Kayak without a fee!

Trees! 

Blackberries!  OK, so they’re invasive… they’re also tasty!

Archie McFees!  I love this place so much that I moved in across the street from it!

Freemont.  The statue of Lennon is weirdly wonderful.  “The revolution will be statu-ized”

The view of the Sound from hundreds of cool locations.

Whales. 

Ethnic food on 99.  It’s a cornucopia of gastronomic pleasures!

The Microsoft Campus.  Hey, I’m a Mac guy and still think their vast digs in Redmond are cool!

Marymoor Park.  See a concert or just take a walk on one of the trails.

The Mountain (103-7).  Finally I live in a place that has it’s very own soundtrack.

OK, that’s all I’ve got off the top of my head. Please feel free to comments with stuff that’s your fav so i can go check it out for myself!

Be well.

sd

I can’t be the only one who plays computer video games as a stress-reliever, right? I don’t play many different games and mostly, I don’t care about scores or winning, I just play to clear my brain or waste time. I play Around the World in 80 Days because I like the sounds it makes, especially when I unlock a locked square. I’ve always loved Asteroids and still like the computer version. I play Mind Your Marbles from Ugo games but the one I’m stuck on is Big Fish’s Bubblez! The thing is, I’m stuck at level 40.

I’ve been stuck at level 40 for over a year now, though! I play on two home computers and two work computers, all at level 40 now. My little home laptop will sometime refresh and dump cookies and I have to start over from level one. Level 34 sometimes takes a few tries to get past, but 40 has me stumped. If you play this game, you know some levels are about clearing all the falling bubbles equally, quickly. Other levels are about the angle you use to attack. I do not get Level 40. If you do, help me!!

I recently found Big Fish is in Seattle. I may have to go to the office and see these people, but I don’t think anybody wants that. Help me and you could help a  local company!

TODAY’S MT. MUSIC QUIZ Click the audio mp3 button listen to the questions and let’s see how well you know your Mountain artists.

OK, today’s quiz is a little harder than questions about REM, U2 or The Stones.  I had several Mountain interns take today’s quiz and the best they did was 1 out of 3.  See if you can do better than the interns!

Dick’s Drive-in plans to open its first new restaurant in 36 years, but they haven’t decided on the neighborhood yet.   They say it will be somewhere within 20 miles of UW.   When the first one opened in Wallingford a burger was 19 cents and fries were just 11 cents.   If you want to give your input on the new location, click here.

The board game Monopoly has introduced a special edition based on The Rolling Stones. Instead of playing with the traditional thimble or shoe, the band’s lips logo and a posse of wild horses will move along the board. Some addresses have been replaced by album names. Instead of houses and hotels, there are gold and platinum records. No more water works or electric company — drums and guitars take their place. And the train stations have been renamed for some of the Stones’ most famous tours.

I bet this is the only blog published today featuring Crowded House, Tina Fey, and a a caramel peach pie. Go ahead, prove me wrong!

Crowded House At The Winery

Saturday night, Crowded House played a great set at Chateau St Michele WINERY. Why the emphasis on the booze? Keep reading. The band did something very unique. They gave out USB drives so that you could buy the new album and get a copy of that night’s show delivered right to your computer. Or maybe you had to buy the USB drive and then everything was downloaded automatically to your computer. Honestly, the details on the offer were kind of sketchy, I know there was a USB drive involved…did I mention the show was at the WINERY??

Caramel Peach Pie

Sunday I celebrated Peach O Rama by baking this super yummy caramel peach pie from Gourmet Magazine July 2009. (RIP Gourmet Magazine) And then sat down in front of the tele to eat it and watch every second of Emmy coverage. Yes, I love TV, even awards shows, but rarely have I been this invested.

Recognize These Ladies?

Yes! That is Ask The Md’s very own VP of Content, Kat Lenhart being snuggled by Tina Fey! Kat worked on the Emmy production team, wore a head set, carried a clip board, was seen on TV during those shots when they cut to the Director’s room, and blogged about her whole experience. Kat even took a moment out to call her former supervisor (me) while roaming the red carpet during a break. I am so proud of her that I didn’t mind being hung up on when she bumped into Lea Michelle from Glee. You can read Kat’s entire behind the scenes account here: http://katlenhart.com

Hope you had a great weekend!

MMQ082910 – 30  Click the audio mp3 button and let’s see how well you know your Mountain artists.

PS – Around the Mountain most people got two out of three right on this quiz.  Of course Shawn Stewart and John Fisher went 3 for 3… not a surprise there.

So, I’m doing the Mike MS Ride in less than two weeks — it’s September 11 and 12 beginning in Mount Vernon. All the details are here. I’m thinking of doing the 59-mile ride, which is longer than my typical weekend outing, so I thought I should get a long ride or two in before the actual event. As it happens, it’s a 50-mile loop around Lake Washington from my house in Madison Valley, so . . . off I went, heading south toward beautiful Renton.

Sadly, no time to poke around Seahawks HQ, because I was just getting started. On I rode, around the bottom of the lake, past this lovely little park:

and up the East Side to the shiny towers of downtown Bellevue:

I knew I was getting close to Kirkland when I passed this landmark near 520:

but my plan was to refuel at Aqua Verde, a little joint by the water’s edge just south of downtown Kirkland:

Lots of choices:

But those catfish tacos were speaking to me:

Then, adequately fueled up, up from Kirkland and along Juanita Drive — and I do mean “up.” There are some wicked hills there, which didn’t seem all that fun 35 miles into the ride, but that’s what training is for. Of course, once you go up a hill, you have to go down:

Yeah, that’s fast. Before I knew it, I was around the top of the lake and enjoying the splendor of Kenmore:

and I bet I was the only guy actually photographing the splendor of Kenmore that day. Anyway, a quick run down the Burke Gilman, where it actually felt a little bit like fall, with a warm golden glow all around:

past Sand Point heading toward UW:

And, finally, home . . . Didn’t I say it was 50 miles?

That was a good ride. And I feel great about riding for a fantastic cause on September 11. Want to join me? Those details, again, are here.

Trust me — If I can do it, you can do it!

It was truly a happening Thursday night at Easy Street Records in West Seattle as the new band Fistful Of Mercy made their public debut. (George Harrison’s son Dhani, Ben Harper, and Joseph Arthur are the well-known components of the lineup.)

For me it was more of an audio than a visual experience, because the place was stuffed to the gills with music fanatics and I couldn’t see a thing:

Luckily some attendees had a better view, and caught the magic on video:

If the full-on adoration of the crowd was any indication, there are great things in store for this band. I think I saw the back of Shawn Stewart’s head among the throngs. Check out her blog for more eyewitness action. (And special thanks to Mountain listener Louann who bought me a beer. This DJ was parched!)

TODAY’S MMQ Click the audio mp3 button and let’s see how well you know your Mountain artists.