Fujimoto Potpourri

Hi.

Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. Hope you have a nice stay!

Fatal accident in Wedgwood

Mar 29

Mar 29 Fatal accident in Wedgwood

Earlier this week two people were killed and two others are at Harborview (still in comas from what I gather) after being hit by a vehicle at the intersection of NE 75th and 33rd NE. When I first saw the SPD and SFD tweets, I could visualize what had happened, as well as the probable direction of the vehicle. I used to live about a half block to the north, and very often crossed the same way as the victims. It's quite a dicey intersection. The story has been covered pretty thoroughly by the Seattle Times, including an update describing the event in detail.

Seattle Times Pictures of the Year, 2012

Feb 11

Feb 11 Seattle Times Pictures of the Year, 2012

Photography, What's Up

Every year the Seattle Times gathers what they think were the best pictures they published. The 2012 Pictures of the Year collection covers a wide array of topics, but was just a launching point for the discussion held at the Downtown Branch of the Seattle Library where the Times talked about a couple of the year's big stories.

Tom Douglas and the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

Dec 24

Dec 24 Tom Douglas and the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

Food, What's Up

Melody and I went to see Tom Douglas speak at the University Bookstore the other night. Most of his dozen properties are restaurants, but one is the Dahlia Bakery; he was at the bookstore to promote the new Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. As can be expected he was very personable and entertaining. He recently won the James Beard Award as Best Restauranteur, and that day had found out he was the Puget Sound Business Journal's Executive of the Year. Tom started with some remarks and then took questions from the audience. It was the latter part where he really showed his people skills, and was interesting because was able to circle back and touch on the topics in his remarks.

Dec 7
Dec 7 Remembering Aunt Ida

Family, Oral History

It's been a year of passages for my family. This past weekend we said goodbye to my Aunt Ida, who was healthy for almost all but the last couple weeks of her 95 years. Uncle Mas, Aunt Ida, Norman, and Kay lived not too far from us in Downey (my Uncle Easy's place was on the way). Because of the proximity, I ended up visiting them pretty often. Auntie was always very welcoming.

Shooting ultra-wide

Nov 30

Nov 30 Shooting ultra-wide

A couple years ago I rented an ultra-wide lens and had a great time seeing Seattle Center in a new way. I saw a used one go up for sale at a very good price, so I bit the bullet and got it, just in time for us to go to Vancouver. I ended using the lens well over 95% of the time.

Vancouver, BC 26, 27-Nov-2012

Nov 27

Nov 27 Vancouver, BC 26, 27-Nov-2012

Our last full day in Vancouver picked up where we left off on the previous day's walking tour, then we worked our way towards Granville Island for lunch, followed by exploring the shoreline.

Vancouver, BC 25-Nov-2012

Nov 26

Nov 26 Vancouver, BC 25-Nov-2012

Our second full day of playing tourist consisted of going to the botanical garden and walking around the west end, including hitting the beach.

Vancouver, BC 24-Nov-2012

Nov 25

Nov 25 Vancouver, BC 24-Nov-2012

We both got a good night's sleep, and after grabbing breakfast, we were ready to start our day. The only thing we had planned for was doing a walking tour of Gastown and Chinatown, but we ended up also going to the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Vancouver Christmas Market.

Nov 23
Nov 23 Vancouver, BC, 23-Sep-2012

We had the opportunity to purchase two-for-one Amtrak tickets, so Melody and I decided to make another trip to BC, Canada, this time to Vancouver. This makes the third vacation trip we've taken this fall, each for three or four nights. After having done long vacations the last few years, we chose to break it into smaller chunks.

The piano cover

Oct 21

Oct 21 The piano cover

We were doing a bit of spring cleaning yesterday (well, I guess it’s spring in the southern hemisphere) and I bundled up the piano cover to wash. That simple action reminded me about the cover’s history.

Oct 7
Oct 7 Remembering Uncle Bob

Family, Oral History

When I spoke with my cousin earlier this year and she told me that my Uncle Bob had cancer, I felt, in quick succession, surprise, sadness, confidence, and respect. It's easy to understand the first two emotions, but the latter two underscore how I saw Uncle.

Olympic Peninsula, 20-Sep-2012

Sep 21

Sep 21 Olympic Peninsula, 20-Sep-2012

Our last day had us driving from Port Townsend, along Hood Canal, then through Olympia with an impromptu visit to the State Capitol building.

Olympic Peninsula, 19-Sep-2013

Sep 20

Sep 20 Olympic Peninsula, 19-Sep-2013

Having seen many of the sites on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula, we set off towards Port Townsend to explore the north side.

Olympic Peninsula, 18-Sep-2013

Sep 19

Sep 19 Olympic Peninsula, 18-Sep-2013

After a tiring hike the day before, we did less strenuous hikes on our second full day, all around the La Push area.

Olympic Peninsula, 17-Sep-2012

Sep 18

Sep 18 Olympic Peninsula, 17-Sep-2012

Our first full day on the Olympic was dedicated to hiking along the Hoh River Trail.

Olympic Peninsula 16-Sep-2012

Sep 17

Sep 17 Olympic Peninsula 16-Sep-2012

Our second mini-vacation of the month is to the Olympic Peninsula, on the other side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Victoria.

Victoria, BC, 12 and 13 September 2012

Sep 14

Sep 14 Victoria, BC, 12 and 13 September 2012

Our last full day in Victoria included the Royal BC Museum in the morning and a walking tour of Old Town and Chinatown in the afternoon.

Victoria, BC, 11 September 2012

Sep 12

Sep 12 Victoria, BC, 11 September 2012

Our second day in Victoria centered around Butchart Gardens. We got up early enough to shower, eat breakfast, and head out to the bus stop. We decided to take the bus since the tours give you a couple hours at the gardens, and we figured we would want to stay longer than that.

Victoria BC, 10 September 2012

Sep 11

Sep 11 Victoria BC, 10 September 2012

Melody and I are on a quick trip to Victoria, BC. It's been about 25 years since I've been here, and longer for Melody.

Jun 19
Jun 19 Remembering Aunt Toshi

Family, Heritage, Oral History

Whenever my family gathers is special, but this past week has been more so as we fondly remembered my Aunt Toshi, who passed away earlier in the month. To say Auntie was a force of nature wouldn't come close to the impact she's had on family, friends, and community.