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Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills: An Adventurous #Taste of Summer

Summer in the northern hemisphere is alive and well. Family gatherings, birthdays, camping, and picnics are great ways to enjoy the bounty of summer foods. And drinks!

I am not in the habit of taking pictures of food. But if the food sparks a celebration, then it might get first billing with my lens. On our recent trip to Seattle, Washington, we celebrated with my cousins who live in Bellevue and Portland. They are of Korean descent and love their Korean food!

potstickers

“A good restaurant is like a vacation; it transports you, and it becomes a lot more than just about the food.” – Phil Rosenthal

Because we spent a few hours in Seattle’s Public Market, food and beverages were all around us.

“People will travel anywhere for good food – it’s crazy.” – Rene Redzepi

Public Market sign Seattle

Still, no compelling images of food to take the time to capture. But…

Feeling adventurous, we stopped for a break in a local pub where Hubby enjoyed a flight of various beers.

beer flight

He loves his tastes!

beer taste

“May your adventures bring you closer together, even as they take you far away from home.” – Trenton Lee Stewart

The “Taste” of Fish?

Before the crowds descended on Seattle’s Public Market, we strolled into Pike Place Fish Market.

Pike place fish market

Watching the fishmongers throw fish to be packaged and sent reminded me of my past work days. Our department purchased the FISH Philosophy Video in 2000, which we used for staff training for part-time summer recreation staff. Here is the fascinating back story…

graphic

In the short video, owner John Yokoyama explained how he motivated his staff in the 1990s to enjoy their working conditions and become “world famous.” Imagine working in the cold Seattle pre-dawn hours, hauling and preparing fish for market and sale all year round. One day, his staff jokingly grabbed a big fish a customer had picked out, threw it to the cashier at the center of the store, and shouted, “Swordfish, going to Montana…” As a prank, the other fishmongers repeated it back, and thus the world-famous fish-throwing came into being. CNN and other news outlets featured their antics, and as more tourists and locals visited the market, Yokoyama saw his vision of a happy workplace become a reality, using these concepts: “Play, Make Their Day, Be there, Choose Your Attitude.”

It truly made my day to see it all with my own eyes!

Pike Place Sign

“I realized I was serving people and making people happy. This gave me a plus in my life and made me want to do it even more.” ~ Shawn, Fishmonger at Pike Place Fish Market

While In Arizona…

Last May, while in Arizona for my father’s memorial service, we arrived in time for Mother’s Day. My brother-in-law created a fabulous brunch for my step-mom, me, and his dear friend. Yes, the mimosas were flowing.

Food at the table
Mother’s Day Spread

The canapes were amazing!

canapes

Ever seen a donut tower?

Donut Towers

Summer Hummers

Even hummingbirds enjoy the taste of summer.

hummingbird at feeder
This looks good!
hummingbird at feeder
hummingbird
Bullseye!

The Opposite of Taste

Just for fun, we spied this humongous fungus (heehee) on a hike near Bellevue, Washington. I am submitting this Red-Belted Conk for Last on the Card. Not edible, but unusual and bigger than my hand.

white mushroom
Red Belted Conk

What’s Been on My Calendar for July?

BUSY-NESS!

  • We watched illegal neighborhood fireworks from our backyard on July 4th.
  • We celebrated my Brother-in-law’s 44th wedding anniversary at our favorite German restaurant.
  • We eagerly awaited the fledging of our baby birds, which left the nest in mid-July.
  • My brother and his partner drove here from Arizona for their annual two-week stay with us.
  • We stocked up on a Christmas-in-July sale at Old World Christmas in Spokane.
  • We also took a road trip to the Seattle area, just 5 hours away from Spokane, to visit our cousins.

And blink! It’s already the first week of August. Check out Donna’s post (below).

I’m double-dipping this week for Brian’s Last on the Card (mushroom), Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday, Wednesday Quotes: Adventurous and What’s Been on My July Calendar.

graphic

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently from mine.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link to a recent one.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

If you’re participating in the photo challenge, I look forward to seeing how you interpret this week’s theme! Creativity is encouraged, so please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme.

Please visit my Sunday Stills page for the latest updates. Join me next week for the monthly color challenge, where we take a look at the colors of tan and peach.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

awesome week bitmoji

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85 comments

  7. Summer is a fantastic time for its food, especially when homegrown, Terri. We grow a lot of food and veg and have been harvesting it since June! By far, the best-tasting so far have been the blueberries, which have kept me going for the last two months. They are almost at an end now, and I did think of freezing some for the winter months, but they were just too good to freeze.

    The fish market sounds like a fun place to visit. The photo of the Korean food looks mouthwatering. Did you dip them into that dip? It looks very sweet, but I could be wrong.

    The Christmas in July idea sounds great. I’ve heard of a few people who celebrate June-mas (25th June), when last Christmas and this Christmas are equally far away, but Christmas in July is new to me. It must have been fun seeing all the Christmas decorations and lights. Was there any Christmas food available? Some people bake their Christmas cakes during the summer and feed them with brandy until they decorate them just before Christmas.

    I don’t want to wish summer away for those who enjoy it, but I am looking forward to the arrival of Autumn.

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    • How wonderful you have such a prolific garden for veggies and blueberries, Hugh! Our blueberry plant is very young, maybe a dozen this year. We have a Farmers Market just 5 miles down the highway that operates from April-October. Farm fresh everything.

      Seattle’s Fish Market and overall Public Market was something to behold! The Korean potstickers in that image were homemade and the sauce was soy-based with a bit of spice–sweetish and spicy-ish 🙂

      Old-World Christmas is a seasonal warehouse store filled with glass ornaments, most German-inspired. They opened for 3 weeks in July (no vendors), just themed trees filled with ornaments. You would LOVE it Hugh! They reopen again around Thanksgiving for a few weeks. My SIL, and my brother’s husband (My BIL) and me stocked up. I bought some more Ginger Cottages (villages), to add to my collection, since we will be home for Christmas this year. I NEED a white Christmas in 2025!! Here is the online store link. https://oldworldchristmas.com/

      Some of the local Maple Trees’ leaves have a bit of blush to them already. I ADORE Autumn. Thursday I’m driving to Portland to see Marsha and two other bloggers there. Stay tuned for that!

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      • The farmers market sounds amazing, Terri. We also have one, but I’ve never visited it much, mainly because it’s always held on a Saturday morning, when the town is packed with people. I don’t seem to be able to cope with crowds anymore, so when I visit the town, it’s always during the week and never during school holidays (like it is now).

        Thank you for the link. I will check it out. As you know, Christmas is my favourite time of the year, and I can never resist buying new Christmas decorations. Once September arrives, it won’t be long before the Christmas stock starts being put out (once all the shop sale of summer garden furniture has finished). In fact, our local garden centre has already sent an email out saying ‘Book now for Santa’s Grotto!’ It was so popular last year, that they’ve open up more slots this year. I’m delighted to hear you’ll be spending Christmas at home this year. I hope it’s a white one!

        I shared your post over on Bluesky, and somebody left me this comment and question –

        “It’s often these little moments shared around a table or a dish that remain etched in your memory. This made me want to ask you a question: if you had to choose a taste that, for you, truly sums up summer… what would it be?’

        It didn’t take me long to respond (British Strawberries), but I’d love to know what answer you would have given.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Thank you for sharing my post on Bluesky, Hugh. What a thoughtful comment they wrote. It’s a hard question for me…it would be a meal outside on our deck, a nice salad, maybe.
        You are like my BIL, all about Christmas. I’m looking forward to decking my halls this year. I haven’t decorated much for Christmas the past 2 years due to travel. It will be nice to be home. And I love snow!

        Liked by 1 person

  10. The “flying fish” is my favorite part of Pike’s Market. I didn’t know the history, so I appreciate hearing a little about it. Great photos of beer tasting and food. Yes, those canapes… wow. A beautiful Mother’s Day photo of you, and I always enjoy your birds. A fun post Teri, and more fun to come. ❤

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  11. Terri,

    I’ve been to the Pike Place Market a couple of times, but it’s great to have the back story about fish tossing. Thanks for sharing. It appears that July has been a very busy one for you. I was jealous of Hans and his beer flight–they all looked good. Have a great August. Joe

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  19. Food was a fun topic Terri and the brunch sure got my attention, especially the donut tower. 🙂 I remember seeing onion rings stacked on what they called a spindle at a restaurant I used to go to – small, medium or large spindles. These were huge onion rings. The fish market fascinated me too. My post this week is about fresh fish, though it is not my usual fare. 🙂

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      • Terri, I once went to our local farm market and did a post, maybe just a Wordless Wednesday post, about all the fresh food – my favorite pic was the boule. I love bread, but whole-grain, sliced bread is more sensible, but no match for a nice boule, or loaf of sourdough bread. I gave up fried food for Lent years ago and have not had it since. But back in the day, those onion rings on a spindle and Awesome Blossoms and Bloomin’ Onions were a tasty treat.

        Liked by 1 person

  22. My favourite theme – food. I enjoyed your photos and stories. Your take off the fishmonger and work attitude can apply to most workplaces. As an ex-teacher I think it’s a useful analogy.

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  24. ChatGPT said:

    What a feast of summer experiences, Terri—both literal and figurative! From potstickers to donut towers, beer flights to hummingbirds, you’ve captured the delicious variety that makes this season so memorable. I loved the nostalgic nod to the FISH philosophy—such a fun and meaningful connection to your Seattle adventure. Thanks for serving up this vibrant taste of summer!

    Liked by 1 person

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  29. Great trip filled with fun and adventure! I am so glad you saw them throw the fish. It is so fun to watch. I love that Market! Your July sounds like a blast! Even with fireworks blasts!
    Your mushroom/fungus is cool looking and big! I enjoy seeingbweird things of the forest.
    Happy August my friend.

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  31. We’ve been to Seattle only twice, once when it was an origination port for an Alaskan cruise, and once when it was a stop on our road trip through Washington State. You may remember my post about Spokane.

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  34. You win! Quadro-dipping. Awesome. I showed V your pictures of your hummingbirds. My favorite is the one with a bit of wing-flapping and some right eye exposure. V needs to set up my good cameras and start shooting his pictures. He’s in love with his hummers. I think they probably will wear personalized collars by the end of summer so he can call them by name. 🙂 Isn’t the Seattle Market something else? Pictures there are some of my most colorful, and like you, I’m not a huge food photographer. I took the pictures in November several years ago when I attended a national social studies conference. Sadly they don’t work for summer, LOL. They are just as beautiful in the fall. I have a couple of days to prowl through food courts and barbeques and pick up some new photos. Lots of love. See you soon! Talk sooner! 🙂

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  37. I love Seattle and Pike’s Place Market. Living in Vancouver, we went there often. I also used the FISH philosophy when training staff and still have a copy somewhere, I think.

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    • Thank you, Darlene! How COOL you also used the Fish Philosophy for training! I was responsible for training seasonal summer recreation staff for countless years and we discovered FISH. Not sure how many times I heard the narrative, but I did an online search and it still tracks today. It was a thrill to visit Seattle–glad you’ve visited as well.

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  40. Adventurous is not the word Terri, more like action packed. I like the fish tossing idea, wonderful accidental marketing.
    That is the first Red-belted Conk for a last photo Terri 😂
    Thanks for joining in Last on the Card 😀

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