I’ve always wanted to see a mushroom farm and I was delighted when Ostrom’s Mushrooms at 8322 Steilacoom Road SE, Olympia, WA 98513 offered tours as part of the Pacific Northwest Mushroom Festival. The tour began with the plant manager (I think it was the plant manager) showing up how they create the soil out of mostly straw and then how they add the mushroom spores attached to millet. He walked us through each step of the multi-day process. The mushrooms grow in large beds which are stacked one on top of another about seven deep with about a foot clearance between each one. The pickers climb moveable steps and go from the top bed to the bottom. It sounds like very hard work.
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The Taste of Summer
Driving back from an estate sale, dear husband and I stopped at the seasonal produce stand at the northwest corner of South 72nd and Waller Road where Pipeline Road East cuts through at a diagonal. They had a bunch of fresh, local fruits and vegetables and some that they brought in like pineapples. Oh, and flowers, those too. We came away with wonderful raspberries and tomatoes and green beans and walla walla sweet onions. We also treated ourselves to old fashioned sodas (black cherry for him, blood orange for me).
Anthem Coffee & Tea
Originally uploaded by Gexydaf
Anthem Coffee & Tea at 1911 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, in front of the Washington State History Museum has been open since November 2011. Dear daughter and I visited today to purchase delicious drink treats and to share a tasty sandwich, which came from Joseppi’s. Anthem has a nice vibe to it, stylish and comfortable. And the folks behind the counter were super nice!
Sequim Lavender Festival
I’ve been wanting to go to the Sequim Lavender Festival for years, but it seems like I always have had a conflict. But this year was looking good. Except that we left rather late and traffic into Sequim was awful and I we ran out of time. The festival downtown was great with more lavender stuff then I’ve seen for a long time. Next year I’ll go earlier in the day and right to the farms. Live and learn.
http://lavenderfestival.com/component/content/article/45-15thfestival
Last Day in Ireland, Killarney
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park in Killarney, Ireland was my idea of a perfect way to explore history. The castle was built in 1425 and restored in 1954. Visitors get to explore most of the castle, using tight, twisting steps. Folk Park consist of village buildings from the 19th century including farm buildings, a mill, church, homes, school and stores. We had a chance to visit with the mill worker and other members of our group were scolded by the school master.
http://www.shannonheritage.com/Attractions/BunrattyCastleandFolkPark/
Croke Stadium
I wasn’t excited about going to a sports stadium, but it turns out that Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland was one of my favorite things to do! We had time to do interactive sports and then a wonderful tour guide showed us around. We went way up in the bleachers to take this picture.
This park is the site of the 1920 Bloody Sunday in which 14 civilians (fans and players) were killed when authorities stormed a Gaelic football match. This was done in retaliation against 14 assassinations early in the day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_%281920%29
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Penrhyn Castle in Wales
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and its second largest city in the United Kingdom. Our time in Edinburgh was short, but we had a chance to walk part of the Royal Mile (the main street through town) and see the castle.
That night we stayed at the Scottish Youth Hostel New Lanark, which is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. http://www.syha.org.uk/hostels-in-scotland/lowlands/new-lanark.aspx




















