A Visit to SOYattle

August 1-5, 2007

Seattle is Tucson's alter ego. An ocean to our desert, cool and damp to our hot and dry, wealthy, Nordic and urbane to our gritty Latin funkiness — no wonder so many of my friends bounce back and forth between these polar opposites. Just as there's a Walgreen's on every corner in Tucson, in Seattle you're never more than 50 paces from a Starbuck's. During a three-day business trip, I visited several dozen of them (or so it seems), and every one of my guests ordered a decaf latté with steamed soy milk.


That left two days to explore Kathy's home turf. My guided tour began with a visit to the gardens of West Seattle. Mark shows off the benches he's making from salvaged wood.

More proof that the right plants can make even a very simple home look spectacular.

Kathy's house is waist-high in lavender and hydrangea.

Her current household includes two bunnies, three kitty cats ... and now some very well-fed squirrels.

Kathy and Mark showing me around the Greenlake Park neighborhood.

Dinner in the cafeteria at REI, complete with its own waterfall and a killer view of downtown Seattle.

Kathy's true love isn't really Seattle, it's nearby Vashon Island. We took the morning ferry and spent a full day biking around the island.

Discarded exercycles form a makeshift sculpture garden in front of an abandoned hardware store. Somewhere between the arrival of the first espresso shop and the departure of the last hardware store, there's a great place to live ...

During our rest stop at Point Robinson Lighthouse, Kathy liberated the toe clips on her new bicycle.

We also visited Doug, who was house-sitting a home with one of the most beautiful private gardens I've ever seen.

The owners also make their own wine from a small vineyard on the site.

The return ferry ride and another memorable glimpse of Mount Rainier, which towers over Seattle like a giant snow cone.

Kathy and Mimi at the Fremont Farmers' Market.

Kathy and Marion.

Looking West: Kathy and her parents in Federal Way.