Ghosts

It is full-on fall in Seattle with leaves rapidly meeting the ground, being helped by the rain that has been falling all day. It's the beginning of our longest season. Fall blends into winter, winter into spring.

It's not all that bleak, at least not yet. Fall sparks nostalgia in me; the ghosts of my past emerge in subtle ways. Last night I dreamed of my childhood. Specifically filling the wood box in our kitchen, which was one of my daily jobs. At the time I hated it. Today, the slightest smell of wood burning in the crisp fall air takes me back thirty years to the ranch in Montana.

Nostalgia, like fall, is good and bad. I like the chill that permeates air, the angled light from a sun that doesn't ever quite make it all the way into the sky. Ranch work was hardest in the fall and winter. Bone-chilling wind and temperatures and all the work done outside. Today, I avoid that kind of work if possible... and its simple jobs when I do it; just the ritual cleaning up of the yard. Today, I spent the afternoon prowling fruit stands and markets looking for fall goodies. Delecata squash, pears, apples and yams all made it into my basket at Carpenito Brothers in Kent.

I went to Kent because I thought it might be my best chance to find crab apples. As a child, one of my favorite treats was my grandmother's pickled spiced crab apples. The aroma of her preparing them is a central memory for me; another haunting from a time that I cannot escape and that I often want to revisit. I decided that I would make them myself from her recipe; it will be the first time in at least twenty years that anyone has made these apples.

Turns out, crab apples are difficult to find. From the produce people at three different markets: "Crab apples? Really? You may need to find a tree..." Undeterred, I went home and logged onto the world's biggest market: Google. There, in about twenty-five seconds I found my crab apples. $50 for 10 pounds including shipping. It kind of defeats the purpose. Back in the day crab apples were free. That's why they were canning and pickling fruit. Today, they are exotic.

The crab apples are a symbol of a simpler time; I'll make them and probably find out that they aren't what I have built them up to be. For me, it's the apples. For someone else, it's some other symbol. Last month I was looking on Gilt.com and found brand-new vintage Star Wars action figures from the 1970s. They were selling in the range of $75 - $200 each. The people who are buying them? Middle-aged people desperately trying to revisit their youth. Just like the Boomers before them. And the Millenials after. Every generation does this; ghosts drive every generation and everyone wants to exorcise them. 

Today fall is ushered in for me by the rain, the smell of wet wood smoke and the longing for my pickled spiced crab apples. The older I get, the more I am removed from my youth, and the ghosts emerge more frequently. It's not that you can ever stop the them; it's how you manage the visits.

South of Broad

Broad Street was historically the widest street in Charleston, SC. It was also a social dividing line. The neighborhood south of Broad Street is made up of an amazing collection of beautiful, historic homes in Georgian, Adams, Romanesque, Classical and even Victorian styles. Famous Americans such as Washington, Teddy Roosevelt and more stayed in these homes. Ghosts are prevalent.

North of Broad, home to the French Quarter, is still a nice neighborhood but more commercial and less glamorous. Certainly, it is far less prestigious. Today, a collection of some of the South's best restaurants are north of Broad Street. But all in all, the folks living south of the dividing line socialize in a different sphere than those who live north of Broad.

It's impossible to live in Charleston without making peace with the dead. Cemeteries, grave yards, ancient headstones along the walls of buildings are everywhere. Homes are haunted; most of the homes in the historic district have been occupied since the 1700s. Some before that. It's easy to walk the brick and cobblestone streets and imagine the life of the city 200 plus years ago.

Everywhere you go you see the color black. Or at least what you think is black. Homes have shutters and doors painted this color. Long rocking-benches are prevalent and painted the same color. The color, extremely dark, is actually called "Charleston Green". Legends say that the color was provided to the city by the occupying northern forces after the Civil War. It was the only color available so they made the most of it. There are other explanations but regardless, it is now  synonymous with the city.

There are many museums and historical in and around the city. You can visit the Hunley, a Confederate submarine that sunk in 1864 and you can visit Fort Sumpter; the flash point of the Civil War. You can also visit Fort Moultrie, a significant battleground of the Revolutionary War. History in Charleston is complex and spans centuries.

This week, parents are visiting The Citadel and there are uniformed cadets all over town. The Citadel is a military college but not of the military. Its cadets played a significant role in the firing on Fort Sumpter. Today the presence of uniformed military students downtown is an extension of the close relationship between the city and its uniformed soldiers. In the 1700s, it was Cornwallis' British soldiers in town. Then it was South Carolina's soldiers (The first president of South Carolina lived here). Then, federal soldiers followed by the grey coats of the Confederacy. Then a significant U.S. Naval presence and now its home to Joint Base Charleston and one of the largest fleets of C-17s in the United States.

Restaurants are amazing here. S.N.O.B., High Cotton, Muse and Magnolia's all specialize in Low Country cooking; fresh seafood and meats cooked with southern ingredients and more than a hint of French influences. FIG (Food Is Good) is a local-ingredient restaurant owned by James Beard awarding-winning chef Mike Lata. Check out the current menu here: http://www.eatatfig.com/menus/  Charleston is also home to Husk. Named Bon Appetit's best new restaurant in America this year, it is mobbed with food tourists most every night. The earliest reservation I could get was at 10:15 on a Tuesday night. Sean Brock, its chef, is also a James Beard award winner and a regular on the Food Network. His restaurant is supplied by his own heirloom vegetables; grown on his farm outside the city. Among restaurant cities in America, Charleston has more must-eat places than most. Napa included. It's incredibly easy to eat local in Charleston. Wine lists are excellent but focused on European labels. Northwest wines are hard to find here.

I'm writing this while sitting at the bar in Squeeze. The narrowest bar I have ever seen, it is billed as Charleston's tightest bar. Its sits on East Bay street near many of the best restaurants. It's known for its handcrafted cocktails. Bowls piled high with fresh blueberries, raspberries, ginger and mint are sitting on the bar along with traditional ingredients like olives and limes. The bourbon menu is extensive. You can get Basil Hayden, Woodford Reserve and less common brands like Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle and Russell's Rye.

Beer has a place in the culture here too. Local brew Palmetto is served in most bars and restaurants and can be had as a lager, a pale ale, amber and porter. All are sold in bottles; all are excellent!

While there are a lot of great bars here, if you try to stick to Gay bars you'll be disappointed. The two bars in downtown Charleston, Dudley's and Club Pantheon are unremarkable. Unless you want to talk about the drag show that I saw on Friday night. That was pretty good... The two other bars, Deja Vu II and Patrick's are out of town.

To visit Charleston is to visit history. It's nearly the epicenter of American struggle, power, high-culture, racial division, wealth and glamour. It's a city that knows who it is, that has played on its strengths and struggled through the devastating tragedy of war and economic disaster and has come through...tested and strong. It's a city worth visiting but make sure you come hungry!

Five perfect days (eating) in Maui

 I know the title sounds like a cliche and I'll do my best to not have this sound like a travel guide but I had such a great time in Maui this week that I want to share my activities.

I'm back in Seattle now. Winter has hit; rainy and I had to turn my heat up when I got to the house. My phone hadn't updated yet and the weather on it said: Paia, Sunny and 85 degrees. Reality is a cold splash of water in the face ...

I landed at Kahului airport and was getting my rental car by 11:30 a.m. on Thursday. I'm not a morning person and would rather do just about anything to avoid getting up before the sun. But ariving in Hawaii before lunch time makes a little suffering worthwhile.

By 1:00 p.m. I had met my friends and we were enjoying lunch at Hail'imaile, an wonderful restaurant surrounded by pineapple fields out in the countryside near Makawao. Bev Gannon, the owner and chef is a James Beard award winner and she has an excellent menu. I had the oyster and rock shrimp po-boy sandwich. Learn more about the restaurant here: http://bevgannonrestaurants.com/haliimaile/

After lunch we drove across the island to Kaanapali and I settled in to Tony and Kelly's new home overlooking the beach. We all changed into swim suits and headed to the beach to watch the sunset and drink some Kona Longboards. Later that night we had dinner at home; Poke, grilled Opah and caesar salad.

On Friday I gave most of my attention to the pool and the beach. Oh, and had some fish and chips and mai tais at Castaways. Late in the afternoon I had to snap back to reality and help get ready prepare for a dinner party at the house.

Saturday, I ran a 10K run in Lahaina. First time I did any running since Vancouver and my knee injury. Afterward, we all went to Whaler's Village and shopped. Saturday night we took a sunset cruise on a 65' long catamaran. Beautiful views, sunset and a supper of  coconut marinated prawns and stuffed new york steaks.

Sunday we drove the island and ended up at Maui's only winery at Ulupalakua Ranch. We sampled their wines and ate elk burgers at the ranch store across the street. Maui has several cattle ranches on the slopes of Haleakala and at least one that raises elk along with the cattle!.On Sunday night we went to our friends Bud and Daryl's impossibly beautiful home in the hills above Kaanapali. We had cocktails and dinner poolside and then drank several bottles of wine from their cellar.

Today I got up early and drove the 30 miles back to the airport. The views along the way were great; the tide was up and the surf was spraying over the highway. The flight back to Seattle took 5 hours but it seems like a world away.

I've always wondered what the attraction to Hawaii was all about. This was my second visit to Maui this year and I think I get it now.