Course 1: House coffee

Course 2: Mt Si sport climbing This was my first day of lead climbing outside! We found a great newer route just 20 minutes down the Mt Si hiking trail that ascends a recently de-mossed large boulder the size of a really big rock.

Evan's Notes:

Canopy crag is great! Specifically, we were climbing at Family Wall. Although recently de-mossed, it seems like the forest has been working hard all winter to reclaim the boulder as it's own. Come summer the routes should be clean and clear, but as of late April there is a light peach fuzz covering all the routes at this spot. We climbed three routes, boodles 5.7, toot 5.8, and sprinkles 5.9, all as family-friendly as the name would imply.

Course 3: Sunshine nap on the porch

(see cover photo)

Course 4: Ravenna dinner party This course was inspired by a conversation on Friday night with a friend about Indian flavors that prompted Evan and I to agree to cook Indian food more often. A last-minute invite to a dinner party seemed like a great opportunity to immediately honor this pact. We decided to serve baked cauliflower with a cooling curried yogurt dip and a cilantro mint chutney. “Darker” spices were reserved for the cauliflower (cumin, garam masala, and paprika) to complement the “brighter” dips (coriander, turmeric, and curry powder). The sauces were best when eaten together and the cauliflower went fast. Dinner guests have Evan to thank for rescuing the mint chutney, which was shockingly spicy after I blithely tossed in a whole serrano pepper. Evan added yogurt to the chutney and it turned out much more party-appropriate and round in flavor. Future iterations of this dish could incorporate a tamarind sweet chutney and battering cauliflower for more of a pakora experience.

The party itself was impressive and intimidating in scale. We had great representation of the Seattle crowd: Birkenstocks, botanical tattoos, little colorful hipster beanies, people who biked too far to get there, and the tardy skiers who had just arrived from the mountain. Everyone showed up and out with their dishes and the dining table overflowed. Conversations included clamming on the beaches, the new science of predicting the locations of harmful red tides, and spring backcountry skiing. We left tastefully early thanks to our advanced age.

Course 5: Black mirror with a side of ice cream You’ll have to ask Evan for his review of this dish– I passed out hard on the couch during the movie.