I hope everyone has been enjoying my travel blogs about the Big Island, Hawaii. I had a really hard time trying to condense our trip in to one or two blogs so that’s why we ended up with six!

This is the final blog on Hawaii.

Time for a teaser! The next few blogs are going to be 2 different gluten free bread machine recipes, dairy free coconut pudding, squash-apple soup and cabbage rolls. What recipe would you prefer first? 

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Back to the Big Island! Our 2 weeks visiting the island were wonderful and I highly recommend a visit. We did a lot the last week, while still managing down time.

I booked the four of us with Fairwind Ocean Cruise on the Hula Kai for a snorkelling adventure. The cruise included breakfast and lunch. When I inquired about being gluten free, I was informed that there would be things I could eat but that I should bring my own snacks too- just in case.

Breakfast was croissants, fresh fruit, yogurt, and crustless mini quiches. Of course, I didn’t have croissants but everything else was fine. Then for lunch, they barbequed all beef burgers, buns, salad, pasta salad, and chips. I was able to have salad, a no-bun burger, and a bag of chips. Was it a 5 course meal? No. But I wasn’t left hungry which was nice.

Our cruise took us down the South Kona coast and we loved seeing the island from the water. We’ve taken snorkeling cruises before and it has always ended up being a great day.

We stopped at 2 different spots, one of them being Captain Cook’s memorial.

The Hula Kai is equipped with sea rockets which propels the snorkelling through the water. Of course, the guys had to try them out.

Once we returned to land, we drove to the Kona Brewing Company to sample some local beer. Bruce and Kevin had a favorite flavor or two, however they didn’t have any gluten-free beer for me to try.

One of the things I was very impressed with was the local grocery stores. In Waimea the Foodland carries a large selection of gluten free products, as well as the smaller store in Mauna Loa. Even the tiny Puako Beach grocery store carried gluten free supplies. Our flight leaving Kona was a red-eye, so after making a huge gluten free barbequed breakfast, we cleaned and packed up the villa and headed to Puako Beach.

Carol had read that a Hawaiian custom was to release your lei into the ocean once it had dried up. Both Carol and I had lei’s and wanted to follow Hawaiian tradition.

While we were walking around Puako Beach, we found sea turtles, both swimming in the tide pools and sunning themselves on the lava rocks.

What a site that was! Many photos were taken of these graceful creatures. The only disappointing thing was that we were unable to swim with them. We had our luggage in the rental car, and didn’t have a place to shower before we left the island.

Another gluten free discovery on the island was the large variety of KIND Bars. All gluten free travellers are familiar with these bars that are often sold at Starbuck locations around North America, especially at airports.

What I found in Hawaii was flavors such as: Peanut Butter and Strawberry, Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio, Peanut butter Chocolate + Protein, and Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew. Wow, they were delicious! They also came in handy for the beach or anytime a snack was needed during our 2 weeks. Wish I could find these flavors in Calgary!

Another yummy gluten free snack found on the island was a Bora Bora Bar with the flavor of, “Exotic Coconut Almond.”

*Gluten Free Warning: The Kona airport is extremely small and doesn’t really have much to eat. I suffered with french fries, and a small Yoplait yogurt for my supper. Make sure you stop at a grocery store to load up on fruit, veggies and crackers to take on the plane. It can be a grueling flight when you are hungry and there is nothing for you to eat. There is also no Starbucks at this airport. We didn’t stop at a grocery store before our flight, assuming I could find some snacks.

We loved our trip and I hope I’ve made your next trip to the Big Island easier if you are gluten free. It was a shock on our system when we arrived in Calgary at 10:30am. When we left Hawaii it was +27 degrees Celsius, a cold snap had hit Calgary and it was -27 degrees Celsius when we landed. A difference of 54 degrees! Nothing like -30 below to welcome you home!

Brrrr!

We are really loving Hawaii. The sun, heat, waves, and humidity are absolutely lovely. We live in Calgary, Alberta and it’s winter there, which means cold temperatures, snow, no-humidity, and mega dryness. When we left Calgary my hands were cracking and bleeding. So you can understand all the enthusiasm.

I would highly recommend the Hilton Waikoloa if you are looking for a large resort hotel with a lot of ammendities. Our ocean view room had us sleeping peacefully and waking up to glorious palm trees and blue sky every day. The property was well maintained, beautifully landscaped and had a lot of pools and restaurants. It was a great way to start our vacation.

We are now at Wai’ula’ula Villa near the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. It’s actually only 10 minutes north of the Hilton. We booked the villa through www.luxuryretreats.com since my sister and brother-in-law were joining us for the last week. I wanted a house for all of us to share.

And wow, what a place!

We have a wall of glass panels that open up to our own pool and hot tub. A high end kitchen with wolf appliances, even a Wolf barbeque and outdoor fridge on the veranda. Yep, not exactly roughing it up out here.

I love to cook (obviously) and couldn’t wait to go grocery shopping and pick up fresh fruits and vegetables.

My suggestion for everyone wanting to visit as well as for myself would be: to do the grocery shopping more inland in Waimea. Waimea is away from the hotels and tourists so the groceries would have been cheaper. Our grocery trips were to Safeway in Kailea-Kona and even though it’s in a major city centre- it’s still full of tourists.

Kevin and I were quite shocked at the prices. $7.00 for a loaf of bread, $7.00 for a bag of chips, $7.00 for a small bag of potatoes, $7.00 for strawberries. $7.00 seemed to be the price number for everything. What do you think the price for a single large navel orange would be?

$4.00.

Yes, you read that correct. $4.00 for a single orange- Yikes! These prices seem a little high huh? Well if you are living on an island in the middle of the Pacific, that would explain the inflated prices for groceries. Near Safeway was a Natural Market and I was able to find some gluten free goodies, even Kinnikinnick frozen products were available. At Target we were able to pick up a boogie board, suntan lotion, bottled water and a small cooler for our beach adventures.

The first day that Carol and Bruce arrived we enjoyed the pool, the property and a barbeque. Of course a lot of pina coloda’s were blended and drank. The following day we woke up early to make the 2 1/2 hour drive south to the volcano. It took us longer than 2 1/2 hours to  get there since we stopped to see Kona coffee, a roadside stand for a mandarin orange, and then a detour to the southernmost point in the US on our way there.

Kilauea Volcano was a must visit on this trip for my husband. We aren’t exactly familiar with volcanoes in Canada, so we weren’t sure on what to expect.

Our original plans was to rent bikes and bike down the volcano, however when we got to the visitor center we were informed that most of the National Park was closed due to toxic gases. What’s a tourist to do when that happens? You see what you can see, and know that you’ll just have to come back again for a visit- darn.

As someone who’s never seen a volcano, let alone been close to an active one, the site of the crater leaves you silent. You are in complete awe.

This volcano has been active for 20 years, and while it can be a spectacular live show of molten lava, a person has to realize it has also destroyed entire towns and subdivisions. One of the things we will do next time when we visit the island is to do a crater walk. You really need to be prepared with hiking boots, flashlights, sunscreen, bottles of water, rain gear and sunglasses. We didn’t have these things, so we didn’t get the opportunity to go down there.

We did go on all the hikes we could and walked along the old highway that parts fell into the crater when the volcano erupted. That was pretty freaky.

All of us were getting fairly hungry by lunchtime and being that I am gluten free I can’t just eat a hot dog, so we drove to Volcano Village and found a Thai restaurant. It was called ThaiThai and the food was really good. Nothing better than some hot Tom Yum Soup and Red Curry rice noodles when you’re feeling a bit chilly.

After our tummies were full and warm, we headed back to the National Park and walked through the lava tube. Then we walked along the crater edge to see the steam vents.

Around 5:30pm we then drove to the Jaggar Museum to get ready for sunset. When the sun is setting the cloud at the craters opening turns pink and red.

Tourist Tip: Make sure you bring a sweater or jacket! You don’t realize the altitude but it was very cold when the sun set.

Well worth it though, wouldn’t you say?

Today was a great day!

After lounging at the Hotel for 3 days, enjoying the sun and water, we got in to our rental car and went exploring.

First we loaded up a beach bag and headed to Puako Beach. It’s a public beach, quite small, and has a lot of trees covering the sand, thus making it quite shady. After laying down our towels, Kevin decided to go for a swim. The ocean temperature during the winter season in Hawaii is definitely colder than the Caribbean water in Mexico.

The one thing Kevin and I can’t get enough of is the sound of waves crashing in to the sand and rocks. We get a lot of that here.

Both Kevin and I had our cameras out and couldn’t get enough of the colors. With winter in full force in Calgary- the color beige and white is everywhere. Seeing so many hues of blue in the ocean, the silkiness of the sand, greens of the jade and palm trees, and the blackness of the lava rocks… who wouldn’t take photos!?

Later we ventured down the road and found Hapuna Beach. Wow!

It’s a public beach but much bigger than most. There’s also 2 lifeguard stations here. One of the first things I saw when we got there was this sign…

I couldn’t help but start laughing as a native Canadian, we do not have a lot of coconut trees. Do a lot of people get hit with falling coconuts? Is a warning sign necessary? It’s hard for me to write about this beach. What words do I say to describe it?

Mile of soft warm sand with high waves crashing in to the beach. Boogie boarders in the water. Sun, sun, and more sun. Kids playing in the sand creating make-shift castles and animals. Paperbacks being read in the shade, Cameras being focused, the click of shudders, laughter, and the sound of writing in the sand.

We were still really pale and didn’t want to get a sunburn so we kept our time on the beach to a couple of hours. This is definitely a spot we are going to come back to again and again in the future.

After getting cleaned up back at the hotel, a drive south into Kailea for some Mai Tai’s and a sunset were on the schedule.

Huggo’s on the Rocks is a beach bar that served up a mighty fine Mai Tai, but there menu was not gluten-free friendly. We enjoyed the sunset, then went next door to Huggo’s restaurant for supper.

I would definitely recommend Huggo’s for those who are gluten free and those who are not. The waiter was very informative and quite versed in the ingredients. My hubby had the fish special, which he thought was incredible and I had the Island Fresh Catch.

Spicy sichimi tagarashi, sweet potato puree, frische and lemongrass coconut sauce. Yum!

Spam, Spam, Spam.

Why on earth would a gluten free blog have a story about Spam? Well, it seems to me that a travel diary about Hawaii has to include the subject. Why?

Well, I knew I was going to have to write a blog about Spam while here in Hawaii when I went to Target and they had Spam flavored Macadamia nuts. Spam FLAVORED nuts.

Really?

Then I found a whole section in Target dedicated to Spam paraphernalia. We’re talking about oven mitts, cookbooks, magnets, mugs, t-shirts, etc.

It seemed that everywhere we turned on the Big Island- Spam was there. You can find it in all grocery and convenience stores, even restaurants and most homes in Hawaii.

Why is Spam so important here? I did a little research.

Spam was first introduced to the Hawaiians by Americans in WWII. It was a staple for the American soldiers and Hawaiians loved it. Spam is a portable, durable meat that doesn’t require refrigeration. Spam is made of pork shoulder, ham, sugar and salt.

Do I eat Spam? Absolutely not. I actually had Spam as a kid and never liked it. In fact, mention Spam and I tend to cringe. If you’re a fan of Spam, that is fine. But you will never catch this gluten-free girl eating it!

I do understand why Spam became so popular in Hawaii. Being a tropical climate, having a meat product that doesn’t need refrigeration and stored for emergencies is desirable in a product. Hawaiians eat alot of Spam, the average Hawaiian eats up to 12 cans of Spam per year, more than any other place in the world.

Hawaiians use it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is also popular in Asian cuisine. Hawaiian’s favorite dish with Spam is called ‘MUSUBI.’ Musubi is a fried slice of ham on rice pressed together to form a block, then wrapped with a strip of seaweed.

Spam is so popular that in Waikiki and Oahu they have a Spam Jam street festival. It celebrates the people of Hawaii that love of Spam.

So if you are in Hawaii and wonder why you see canned Spam everywhere, now you know why!

At the hotel I picked up the “Big Island of Hawaii Dining” in Paradise magazine. I was so excited when I saw one of the cover stories on Island Farmers Markets. Being in tropical paradise with heat and endless sunshine I couldn’t  imagine the abundance of fruit and veggies.

I could hardly contain my excitement. When I opened up to page 6 there was a full color photo of mangos, then a page of pineapples, green beans, sunflowers, herbs, and a vegetables I didn’t even recognize.

Hawaii is a special place and almost everything grows here. If you have a kitchen when you travel here, you’ll be able to partake in the variety of meats and vegetables grown by farmers and ranchers.

Can you imagine the smile I had while reading all of this? Can you guess what we did after breakfast?

We jumped in to the car and headed northwest to Waimea. Our first stop was the Waimea Town Market, where parts of the proceeds of the market go to fund a local school. I could hardly contain myself. We parked, walked around the corner, and stop.

There was maybe 10 stalls with barely any fruit or vegetables. Mainly artisans selling their wares. No pineapples, no mangos, no abundance of vegetables. I was disappointed, but we meandered through and chatted with a few of the folks. With only an hour left for the other market, I asked Kevin if we could just head to it, and we did.

When we were on our way to the Market we drove by a massive barbecue on a street corner. I hoped we could go back and check it out. We arrived at the Waimea Homestead Farmers Market and again, I had high hopes to be overwhelmed- Not so much.

It was bigger, but the only produce this one had was avocados, some papayas, and a lot of fresh lettuce. Hmmmm.

Maybe I was naive for since I have always had plenty to choose from in Calgary, but I was surprised in the little produce I saw. Even in Hawaii January is winter. We did end up going back to the barbecue on the corner, and ordered a plate of barbecue pork ribs to share. $7.95 was a great price and definitely fed us.

If you are in Waimea on a Saturday, I recommend stopping at this Philipino barbecue.

After our lunch, we headed east towards the coast and Akada Falls. We had heard it was a must see and it was worth the drive. You also get the chance to see the different vegetation’s, climates and cultures. The Big Island has a huge Japanese influence and it is evident in the landscape.

Akada Falls is a 45 min hike through thick vegetation, large bamboo, and warm moist air.

Here are some photos of our hike.

On our way back through Waimea, we stopped at Daniels Organic Cuisine. I ate scallops and gluten free risotto. They were quite good. The restaurant uses local, fresh and sustainable ingredients.

We departed Calgary on January 3rd for the Big Island in Hawaii. Kevin and I haven’t been to Hawaii since our honeymoon 26 years ago. On our honeymoon we visited Oahu and Kauai, so we were excited to see a new island. My hubby was also really excited about seeing the Volcano.

Our flight was to leave Calgary, change and go through customs in Vancouver, then on to another aircraft for the ocean trek to Kona. Being gluten free I always bring food with me, especially in delayed departures and rerouted flights. I brought toasted Kinnikinnick, English muffins, some Brie cheese, gluten free crackers and granola bars. It would seem this flight would be no different than others. Our flight leaving Calgary was 45 minutes late which meant when we arrived in Vancouver we would have to hustle to get through customs and get on the plane. Thank goodness I paid $7.00 for some veggies at the Calgary airport because there was no time to grab anything in Vancouver.

We did make our flight, barely, and we were excited to be on the final leg to paradise.

After getting into our seats, I noticed no TV’s on the back of the seats but thought they were the shared ones that pop down- nope! An announcement came from the steward that we were on a brand new 2 week old plane that had not been fitted with TV’s yet.

“Really, in a 7 hour flight?” I thought.

Do we get a discount/rebate off our flight?

Well we survived the  flight, and thank goodness I had my veggies from Calgary with me. The complimentary bits &bites or cookie does not work for this gluten free girl.

We woke up the next morning to the most beautiful blue sky, palm trees, and ocean.

Our hotel was the Hilton Waikoloa Village, located 20-25 minutes north of the Kona Airport. Kevin and I had the breakfast buffet, and I was very pleased to be offered gluten free pancakes. They were quite good. I also enjoyed an omelette, and fresh tropical fruit.

One of thing we found here in Hawaii is that the food is expensive, whether you are eating out in a restaurant or buying groceries at Safeway.

When we travel, we will usually eat one meal in a restaurant, then the rest of the day we will snack on groceries. However, even groceries are extremely pricey here.

For the first 3 days, Kevin and I enjoyed relaxing under a cabana, feeling the sunshine on our Canadian white skin while watching and listening to the waves crashing into the lava rocks.

We had some Mexican food down in Kailua-Kona that was very good,

a wonderful fish dinner at Huggo’s in Kailua Bay,

and fresh catch fish at Bite Me Fish Market located at Kona Marina.

My only complaint was my meal at Roy’s in Waikoloa. My fish, potatoes and asparagus were cold, and there was no flavor at all, so very plain. I think chef’s get nervous around gluten free meals that they take out everything, even the taste of the food, just to make it safe. I’m not okay with that though. I want great tasting food like everyone else.

My husband really enjoyed his meal though, so if you are not gluten free, you will probably be happy.

 I will continue part 2 of this diary with our road trip to see some farmers markets.

Aloha!

This summer, my husband and I were invited to a conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Neither of us had ever been there, but I was so excited to experience the flavours of this area. I knew that I was attending 2 cooking classes and could not wait.

We stayed at the Eldorado Hotel and Spa which was within walking distance to all the sites of historic Santa Fe. After a long day of travelling we were quite hungry and tired, so did not want to venture to far from the hotel, but were unsure where to eat. The hotel staff told us to go to Tia Sophias, which was close but also is only open for breakfast and lunch. It was great! I had my first plate of huevo ranchero and for someone like me who is gluten free, wow!

After getting a good nights sleep, we then went for a long walk to check out Canyon Road and all the great art galleries. Again, as someone who went to art school a long time ago, it warmed my heart to see a community embrace the arts fully. Everywhere you turn you see metal, glass, oil, watercolor, sculptures, it is definitely worth the walk.

Plan on spending the day just walking to and from Canyon Road. I warn you though, Santa Fe is at 7000 ft above sea level, which means you can get altitude sickness there. Even living at over 3000 ft here in Calgary, both Kevin and I experienced some altitude sickness. Drink plenty of water, and I mean plenty plus if you are there in the summer like we were you need to wear a lot of sunscreen and watch your alcohol consumption. With so many different kinds of tequilas and margaritas there it is hard, but again, with the altitude the alcohol can really affect you a lot more.

Supper for us was at Ore House, where we indulged in a fine margarita and then dined on great tex-mex cuisine.

We spent a lot of time walking in Santa Fe for downtown it is easy to navigate but also the history of this place is incredible. Especially coming from a place like Calgary, Santa Fe dates back to the 1600’s and is the oldest capital in North America. Visit San Miguel Mission, which is the oldest church in the US, see Loretta Chapel and St. Francis Cathedral.

We spent an evening at Museum Hill and discovered four world class museums featuring folk art and native art.

I have to say we ate really really well in Santa Fe. I had no trouble at all finding gluten free food to eat. Tex-Mex naturally is a gluten free meal, with the staple of corn tortillas always offered.

One of the spectacular meals for me was at La Casa Sena. Yes, the corn tamales I had were great, but to tell the truth it was the dessert that sent me over the edge. Literally, ask our friends, my reaction was over the top. I had lavender crème brulee with habanero sugar. Strange you say, would that be good. It was unbelievably good, probably one of the best desserts I have ever had. The richness and creaminess of the crème brulee with the combo of lavender and the heat of habanero. Is there a picture of this dessert you ask? No, there is not for I was so over the moon for it that I forgot to take a photo.

Part of my week included 2 cooking classes by the Santa Fe Cooking School. Both my husband and I took a tamale cooking class. Now truthfully I had never had a tamale and did not know what they were but was thrilled to find out they were gluten free.

We were taught how to make a variety of tamales with masa harina (ground corn flour), using cornhusks and banana leaves to steam them in. I especially liked the dessert tamale that had a filling of sweet apricots but was topped with a sauce of peanut and Chipotle Chile Salsa .

The other class I attended was an outdoor cooking class which I tasted local New Mexico wines and learned how to use the wonderful varieties of chilis.

I enjoyed fish tacos from Bumblebee’s Baja Grill but was mildly disappointed I could not try there famous sauce. Bumblebees is very aware of gluten issues and have signs letting customers know what they can and cannot have and one of the cannots is the sauce.

Because one of the things I love most is to collect spices, Santa Fe was a mecca of chili spices for me. In fact I brought back a duffle bag full of spices. My only warning is be careful at the airport. Even though I had all spices in clear bags for the security to see, I was still pulled over and searched. In fact, even after going through the whole body scan process, my bag of spices, after being “wanded” set off an alarm, that included a full pat down of me. I was not impressed with the process, but have also learned not to say anything to security for I wanted those spices to come home with me. Ahhh the joys of flying!
Have you encountered any issues with bringing spices or foods on flights?

Our last night in Santa Fe we decided not to do tex mex and went barbeque. We walked to Whole Hog Café and had some local barbeque treats. I enjoyed the pulled pork and brisket, while my hubby had ribs. Both were excellent and we had fun trying out the multitude of sauces as well as checking out all the barbeque trophies in the café.

I would highly recommend adding Santa Fe, New Mexico to your travels. We spent a week in Santa Fe but there are so many places around Santa Fe that I would still like to see. The height of chili season is the end of August and would love to go there then. Supposedly on every street corner there is someone with a propane torch scorching chilis and the smell of chilis is in the air-that would be something to see.

Also the sunsets alone are worth it.

This weekend my husband and I spent the weekend in Invermere, BC with our dear friends, the Bowies. We had an amazing time with our friends hiking, eating, shopping and especially visiting. They also took us for a great tour of the area, which included a walk down main street.

As always when I travel I was scouting out anything for people like me who are gluten free. Was I ever pleasantly surprised!

On main street is the Quality Bakery. You cannot miss it for it has a giant pretzel over the sign. I had heard that it was the local gathering spot for coffee and great baked goods, so we ventured in for a tea and snack.

I was thrilled to find quite a few gluten free baked goodies, as well as gluten free boxed products. I was informed that they make gluten free bread and supply that bread to the Blue Dog Café located down the street (which makes sandwiches and such), they also make the gluten free pizza dough that Peppi’s Italian Fuel uses.

At Quality bakery I tried their jam filled cookie. Oh My Oh My! Delicious!

It was chewy and not at all dry. I was sold. I purchased all the rest of their goodies to try.

Later, for supper we decided to try the gluten free pizza at Peppi’s.

We ordered 2 regular wheat crust pizzas and a gluten free one for me. Their pizza menu is vast and it actually took me quite awhile to decide from all the 30+options.

What I decided upon was “The Schultz”, it had pesto tomato sauce, spicy bbq chicken, peppers, pineapple, jalapeno and banana peppers.

Again, I was very pleased with the gluten free options.

We also had the Peppi House salad, which had spinach, cucumber, tomato, roasted almonds, dried cranberries, feta cheese and thai dressing.

I would highly recommend the Quality Bakery, and Peppi’s Italian Fuel for gluten free food while in the Invermere area. It is worth the drive from Radium or Fairmont to Invermere for these goodies.

Make sure you bring some back to Calgary too.

This year for my husbands Christmas party we were lucky enough to stay at the Chateau Lake Louise, in Lake Louise Alberta. The Chateau for many years has been voted one of the worlds top ten hotels. For us it is a 2 hour drive from Calgary.

I was nervous about spending the weekend without first inquiring about gluten free options. But working a lot right now, I just didn’t have the time to call. So off we went.

The evening that we arrived we headed to their German Restaurant so check out the menu. Before we even sat down, we were asked about any dietary issues. I explained celiacs and they assured me that I would have no trouble with the food. A basket of warm gluten free bread arrived for myself, and the rest of our meal was superb. Both my husband and I had the tenderloin and it melted in our mouths.

Everywhere in the hotel they accommodated me. I was very impressed.

Here are some photos of our stay. Of course a lot of them are of the food!

A few of us got together and had the high tea on Saturday afternoon. I received my own platter of gluten free goodies.

Friday night we took a snowy sleigh ride

Skating on the lake

At the café I picked up a flourless orange cake-yum!

Sunday brunch with gluten free grainy toast

Kevin and myself outside enjoying the day.

Last week 4 of us went on a holiday to Vancouver and Seattle. Vancouver to visit a dear friend and then on to Seattle to do some US shopping. As Canadians, we have for the last 5 years headed to the west coast and then down to the US. It is really only a 11 hour drive to the coast and we always have a great time there.

In Vancouver, we always head to the Granville Market to check out fresh produce and many varieties of food and flavors to try. This year was no exception and here are a few photos of the Market.

After a great weekend with our friend Gabe, the four of us then drove down to Seattle to do some shopping. One of our favorite things to do in Seattle is spend some time downtown at the Public Market.

If you love fresh produce and local food this is the place to go. Last year when we were there the temperature had risen to 104 degrees-too hot for me! I was glad that this time the temperature was in the mid 90’s-still hot, but better than a 100. Of course, one of the first things you need to do is stop at the Starbucks on the street, and grab a cold drink. For your info the birthplace of Starbucks is in Seattle.

Make sure you spend a few minutes watching the fun at Pikes Fish Market. This year, we became part of the antics and had fish thrown over our heads. Plus, you get to sample buttery smoked salmon and fresh crab legs.

Check out the store MarketSpice for jars of spices and my son Davids favorite, a couple boxes of there Earl Grey tea.

There is a long row of many vendors offering fresh produce.

One of my favorites this year were the sweet and crunchy sugar peas-everyday I bought a large bag of peas for $5.

Here is what my son David had for breakfast that day. A giant crab leg.

This year we decided to do a harbour cruise. And it is definitely something that I would highly recommend to do. Especially when the temperature is rising: the breeze off the water is wonderful. We took the 2 ½ hour cruise through Puget Sound, the locks through to Lake Washington. Before going, we popped into the Public Market and took us a picnic along. Delicious on a hot summer day. Here are a few photos of our boat cruise.

Here is the Sleepless in Seattle house. Alyssa and I were so excited to see and take pictures of it.

By the way, the house is for sale for $3 million dollars, if you are looking for a vacation home.

As a gluten free person, I found that there was a lot of very good food for me to eat.
I had gluten free Chinese food at PF Chang’s China Bistro in Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood. The manager Kory Mackenzie gave us outstanding service as well as our server Jordan. Check out there gluten free menu online with many options available.

I had my favorite, a gluten free, soft and chewy oatmeal cookie called the Monster Cookie at Cinnamon Works, which is located along the Public Market.

At the University Village shopping district, we had a fabulous lunch at Sonrisa Modern Mex restaurant. Nothing I love better than fresh Mexican food done really well.