Mendenhall glacier

Saturday, July 23, 2016, we checked out of the hotel and boarded buses to tour Mendenhall glacier. The Park and also Forest Service have done a fine job. We watched the explanatory movie, (great chance to sit down and get out of the drizzle) and walked around Photo Point Trail looking at the glacier, waterfall, and Mendenhall lake.

Our bus driver, Peggy, was a delight, she was both informative and funny. Then on to the boat. I used the last Internet connectivity I would have for a while to tie up some loose ends.

Then we went out on the town, they have a sense of humor.

Juneau

We got to the Seattle airport, SEATAC, early. And ate at Anthony's. We shared a bottle of Cougar Crest Syrah it was excellent. We will keep an eye out for a future trip to Total Wines.

We arrived early yesterday on a non-eventful flight on American Airlines. The Westmark Baranof Hotel did not have a room ready for us, (not surprising for a 7 AM arrival), but they took our bags which was perfect.

It was standard South East Alaska drizzle, but we had rain gear and slowly worked our way through town towards the tram stopping for breakfast at the bakery. There was no line at the tram and we listened to the Alaska String Band show and wandered around before riding back down.  There is an injured eagle, closest I have ever been.

We worked our way back towards the hotel and stopped at Saffron for a wonderful, wonderful lunch. We shared a plate and the ground lamb was as good as I have ever had. Lunch was less than $20.00, wow!

Our room was ready and we scored a corner room, a full suite on the 8th floor with water views on both sides. Thank you Lord! We hit the gym in the hotel and that energized us enough to go out. As we walked, we got a bit hungry and closed out at El Sombrero. The Halibut taco was excellent, we both had it.

Lowes - Kobalt tools

I am trying to move away from gas powered tools.  I started the switch with the Rybalt series. There were a series of battery failures. I tried to buy new batteries. It wasn't pretty. I was close to giving up on the concept when I walked into Lowes two years ago. Kobalt? 40 V. batteries? A warranty? I decided to give it a try and bought the leaf blower, hedge trimmer and string trimmer.

When we got back from Kauai, one of the batteries was dead. Today I took it back to Lowes. No receipt, no hope. They were so nice. They said go get a battery so i did. They cut open the packaging, put the old battery in it and gave me the new one.

Wow! You can bet that when it comes to Home Depot vs. Lowes, which way I am going to be going for a while. Too bad they do not have one on Kauai.

9th Island Bar and Grill

We are getting ready to fly. Time to leave Beautiful Kauai and head for Washington. We rode our tandem trike to the Safeway shopping center. I expected to dine in a Chinese oriented restaurant that features Peking Duck, but it has been replaced.

I am not big on sports bars. But we went in anyway and immediately saw Steve and Cheryl Bundy from Calvary Chapel North Shore. The place was packed with locals. And, a bunch of locals were coming in for carryout. That is a good sign that the food is good.

As I was coming in I saw a sign with the specials. All it said was "smoked meat", I ordered it and it was great. Kathy had Guacamole and chips. Good fun. When we get back, I think we will try it again.

Hanai - new upscale organic store in Kapaa

Kathy and visited the new store. A bit pricey, but some really fun items. Hey, this is why we work, true?

Nextdoor.com Seis de Mayo Paina

Before we left for Belize I signed up our neighborhood, Waipoli, for nextdoor.com. It is a pretty neat way to stay in touch with your neighbors. Tonight we are throwing a party for the neighborhood. And, someone is trying to start a Kapaa neighborhood. I am anchoring the party with some Latino food and music since that is our theme, (Seis de Mayo). I documented a few of the recipes. After refreshing beverages, chips and many dips, this is the playlist:

Patata Tocino Clara de Huevo Tarta
Jamon y Queso Quesadillas
Chile Verde Lagana

Flan
Chocolate Flan
Almond Vaneera Flan Pudding
Kumquat Jalapeno Bread Pudding

Passion Fruit Mango ginger tea

It will be great to meet some new neighbors.

Passion fruit and Kumquat Jalapeno Bread Pudding

4 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
(leftovers from previous dishes in the blender, maybe a touch some chocolate)
1/2 can coconut milk
1/4 cup dried cherries, (Washington state if possible)
1/4 cup pistachios shelled
Nutmeg to taste, a little sugar if you must
Scrape one vanilla bean and add.
3 slices of Costco Gluten free bread, cut into chunks.

Blend everything but the bread. Pour over the bread. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, that bread does not absorb liquid.

Cook at 300 degrees for one hour. Pull it out to cool.

Topping:
3 Tablespoons Kumquat Jalapeno Jelly
1/4 cup condensed Passion Fruit juice.

Pour over the bread chunks that have risen in the mix.