That night we had dinner at a new restaurant for us called Luc in Madison Valley. We’ve had some not so lucky restaurant experiences here in Seattle where you really drop a dime and leave totally disappointed. This was clearly not the case with Luc! Everything was absolutely delicious in this cozy and obviously very neighboryhoody bistro.

Luc was running around the restaurant (Provencal hat and all) chatting with many of the locals. As our table was not quite ready Marc and I found a seat at the bar and had a glass of wine to accompany our toasted bread with 5 different house crafted sauces, Luc’s aioli, tomato jam, lemon confit, ginger vinaigrette. Wow, this was perfect and I will soon be trying to make Luc’s Harissa ailoi – it was soooo delicious!
We shared probably the best onion soup I’ve ever had and then I was in the mood for a steak and Marc had the pork chop. We switched mid way so we both could enjoy both. A really good bottle of red wine from Gigondas and we shared a creme brulee for dessert (yes, they did put a candle in it but thankfully no singing!).

But the fun wasn’t over yet. Off we were to have one last drink at the Trib with Gavin who we hung out with along with always charming Colleen and bartender Polo. Thanks for the vino Gavin and for staying out on a “school night”. Ugh, we know you had to be up early….

There was still one booth remaining when we left past midnight – what a great day! And we do it again this Friday when we celebrate Marc’s birthday! Our gifts to each other is a long weekend at Orcas Island with pals Elizabeth and Ryan. Marc gave me a great new guidebook from Moon about Orcas which will definitely come in handy and a really terrific book called Essential Wines and Wineries of the Pacific Northwest. You know what that means, wine country here we come! But one thing at a time and right now I just want to enjoy the memories of a really great birthday!

If fields of blooming color are what you want to see then this is the place to be! So many colors and so many varieties of tulips! Definitely worth the admission price of $5! Most in full glorious bloom, a few about to bloom any day now and a smattering of those, like this one below, that even though already dropping petals were still quite beautiful to look at.

And for those of you who don’t know my brother, the day would not have been complete without his interpretation of Tiny Tim’s infamous Tiptoe Through the Tulips. John did a great albeit embarrassing job and I think he knows he really does have to work on those high notes. This is a still shot from his performance, I will only post the video if you demand it!

And for a tiptoe down memory lane…really, do yourself a favor an listen to this, even weirder than you probably remember!

Tiny Tim aside, how lucky were we to have this glorious blue sky? Especially since when we left the house that morning the sky was gray and drizzly and we actually went through quite a downpour on the 5 North. Our perseverance through the rain paid off and seemed to pave the way for just the kind of day we had wished for!

And for this little girl, the rain left just enough puddles to splash in with her younger brother and splash they did – run! it’s a mud bath!!

For anyone who hasn’t made it to Skagit Valley I highly recommend the trip! I don’t know how long the blooms last but prime time seems to be now! From Seattle it only took us about an hour tops and the whole area is super easy to navigate.

The Tulip Festival website will give you lots of tips but we decided to go for lunch at the nearby town of La Conner. We waited about 15 minutes for a table at the Calico Cupboard Cafe (delicious!!!) and killed our wait time by looking at their amazing baked goods and by wandering across the street to the Next Chapter bookstore (great card selection too!).

(it seems grape hyacinths are a great accessory to tulips and we agree!)

With a little additional research I think you could find plenty of other things to see and do out in this neck of the woods. I do know that there are daffodil and iris fields (look for the pale daffodils and even the ones with a pale lilac color in them!). We had to head back to the city for our evening plan (when I said whirlwind I wasn’t kidding!).

There seem to be lots of festivals coming up in the Seattle area – a wild strawberry festival in June, apple blossoms in May etc etc. I don’t want to miss them! Cozy note – heck your own area to see what’s happening!

At first you fashionistas out there (and I know there are plenty of you!) might think this is a close up of a new Missoni print and that is a good guess but very very wrong!. This is in fact an aerial view of a tulip field in the Netherlands!!!! Pretty incredible right?

Thank you Lori Dunbar for sending me this awesome email inspiring me to check the info on the Skagit Valley tulip festival right in my own back yard! Who needs to travel to Holland? (well, actually I would LOVE to do that – old farm houses, windmills….)

According to the email this is what the Dutch landscape looks like in May as the tulips burst into life. The bulbs are planted in late October and early November. More than three billion tulips are grown each year and two-thirds of the vibrant blooms are exported, mostly to the U.S. and Germany . I guess that still leaves a lot of tulips for people to walk around and enjoy views like this!

Although I don’t think we have any windmills in the Skagit Valley I’d be happy just to see rows and rows of color and according to the website this cool (and by that they mean COLD!) and rainy Spring has been brought about “a spectacular tulip bloom”! I have family coming into town and this on this list of things to do!

I love tulips! There are actually so many varieties I have even noticed just walking around Queen Anne. I will keep you posted on the festival which I will hopefully make it out to! Don’t have a tulip festival in your area? I say go out and buy a bunch! There are so many gorgeous flowers out right now!

Happy Spring everyone!

How lucky am I? No sooner do I write a post about Jello Mold Farm asking the burning question, why did they name their farm Jello Mold? then do I meet the proprietors Diane and Dennis at the Queen Anne Farmer’s Market just this past Thursday evening!

It was the “dinner plate Dahlia” that first caught my eye and apparently Dennis told me I wasn’t the only one who was drawn into their booth by this fantastic flower!

And how happy was I to see the beginnings of pumpkins and gords! Fall is without a doubt right around the corner! I immediately recognized Diane and Dennis from their website and told them I had just done a post on their farm having seen a picture of it at Eat Local in Queen Anne.

So how did the farm get its name? Here is the story as Diane told me and I’m sure I’ve left out bits and gotten some details wrong (forgive me Diane!) but you’ll get the general gist and it’s a COOL STORY!

Basically, picture Belltown years ago without all the cafes and restaurants – just lots of artists and punks struggling to get by. Diane lived in a big apartment building that was surrounded by other buildings that were slowly being bought out by some developer and more or less yuppified. Somehow her building managed to not get torn down but would only undergo a new paint job. And get this – at that time they actually allowed the residents to choose the colors! Or as Diane put it, they basically threw a fan deck at them and said “here, you pick”!

You don’t do this to a group of artists or all hell will break loose. I can’t remember how or who ended up picking, but the building ended up being a lovely combo of purple and green! And then the idea to cover it in Jello Molds to make it the work of art it needed to be! So they scoured the thrift stores and came up with about 500 jello molds which got hung all over the place.

Eventually the building did get torn down and the Jello Molds were salvaged but I can’t remember their fate – perhaps returned to the Thrift Stores for a new reincarnation or maybe just the recycling container!

The next time I see Dennis and Diane I will ask her to refresh my memory on how their fabulous flower farm came to be! In the meantime you can buy their flowers (or your Halloween pumpkin) at Eat Local in Queen Anne, the Ballard Market, Willow and Bloom on Fremont Ave and many other places – check it out other locations here!

oh my gord!!!

I’d love to hear the story of how they came up with this name for their farm!
At the end of Queen Anne Ave. North is a neighborhood market called Eat Local. It is fabulous and filled with mostly prepared meals hand-made in their kitchen from scratch using all local, organic products served in biodegradable or reusable glass containers.

They also sell lots of other yummy things like handmade ice cream, honey and chocolate. While buying a Stumptown latte I couldn’t help but notice a beautiful bouquet of flowers including the fresh combination of sunflowers and cherry tomatoes by the register and then on the wall the photo from above. Upon inquiry I was told that all the flowers at Eat Local are provided by the Jello Mold Farm. Their website is beautiful and lists what is growing and available for each season as well as how they grow their flowers – the true meaning of sustainable is to them.

More on Jello Mold farm (hopefully I’ll get to go there!) and Eat Local – some of their stews look insane and it is getting to be that time of year!

Cozyland loves Hydrangeas and Queen Anne seems to know that – they are everywhere and in every color, shape and size.
Driving home today from getting our cars weighed (don’t ask…) we took the scenic route through the neighborhood on Highland Drive and stopped for a minute at Marshall Park to check out the gorgeous view of the water and the islands. This house has that view 365 days a year – wow. They also have the most gigantic snowball hydrangea bush I have ever seen!

Because I can’t seem to get enough of this amazing flower I will soon post some more pics of a magnificent mop head but in a deep, dark purple that I have never seen anywhere before. For those of you who don’t know how hydrangeas work, the Ph level in the soil determines whether you get pink or blue hydrangea. White is white and cannot be altered by adding aluminum unlike it’s pink or blue cousins. Also, intensity of color cannot be altered, so why this purple is so out of control is to ask why Angelina Jolie is so beautiful!
Stay tuned for pics soon…

The sky really was almost that blue……

All you have to do is close your eyes and take a deep breath – you can smell that it’s Lilac season at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market and they are everywhere! I love seeing all the people carrying big stalks of varying shades of lavender, purple and white. You just know they are going to take them home and beautify some corner of their house! What a breath of springtime!

The picture at the very top of this post is from the Kilcoyne Lilac farm located just one hour north of Los Angeles in Acton.

Imagine what it smells like there? Sounds like a Sunday afternoon to me, VERY COZY!!!!

It seems it would be awhile before she would be able to actually see my garden so I decided to create this little visual aid and bring my garden to her!

I loved how all the petals looked and with the addition of the Mexican sage leave and mint leaves. The garden has filled in tremendously from the dirt patch it used to be. Here is what it looks like today!

Wish I had a better camera to really capture how many blooms there are! It looks much much better in person with lots and lots of flowers and maybe soon there might even be some stubborn roses! I am quite proud of it as this used to be first the dirt patch followed then by an unsuccessful tomato garden. Now it seems to be very happy and looks like it will for a very long time!

Check out the Nasturtiums in my patio garden I transplanted from around the yard. They have gone crazy and look beautiful! I love how they climb like a beautiful vine! Nasturtiums are an edible flower but I have yet to throw them into a salad. Not sure if Marc is ready for that…! Might have to wait for a special occasion but can’t wait too long, these blooms only last for so long and will be gone with the hot heat of Summer. Certainly am enjoying them now and the good news is they will be back year after year!

Cozyland author has started a new and grueling job which is currently leaving her very very little time for blogging but have no fear, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. For now, some short and sweet cozy posts to offer us all a little inspiration.

Bottom line, it’s Springtime – go out and dig in the dirt, get your hands dirty – now is the time! Plant a garden, whether its tomatoes, flowers, herbs or anything!!! The point is to just do it – you will feel better and have so much fun seeing the result!

P.S. After watching one of my heros Jamie Oliver do this I stuck some old potatoes with roots I had in the pantry into the ground and now I have 2 big potato plants!!! Not sure when to dig them up, not for a while, but what a fun project it is!