Olympia and Tumwater

Breakfast in the hotel was much less desirable than our usual free breakfast at HIE.  Of course, the hotel was a third of the price, and we were thankful for a dry place to sleep for a change.  Everything on the buffet table came in a package, well, nearly everything.  Waffle mix came in a styrofoam cup, muffins came in plastic wrappers, butter and cream cheese, and cream for coffee in plastic and aluminum.  I opted for an English muffin, which was the only food that didn’t come all wrapped up except for the bulk sugary and colorful cereal.  Still, I used a butter and a honey packet.  Why do we insist on individually wrapped lifestyles?  Are we afraid of someone else’s germs?  I pulled a plastic spoon from the trash and washed it to use for my yogurt because Andre was still sleeping in the room and I didn’t bring either the room or car key.  Did I question my decision… yes.  Of course.  What if the person who used that spoon had some infectious disease?  I pulled out a clean one when my washing failed to remove the previous user’s breakfast leftovers.  After my breakfast, I washed the spoon I used carefully and placed it back in the bin.  Walking the line, I know.

Needing to escape the confines of our room we headed out to the Tumwater Farmers Market and hit the jackpot on trades.  For just 2 pounds of chanterelles, we got red cabbage, kale, parsley, cilantro, several onions, 4 pounds of carrots, a bunch of beets, and a few heirloom tomatoes.  It’s been a while since we’ve had this much fresh produce.  We chatted up the farmers for a while, learned how to press apples at a demo, and hopped back into the car in hopes of finding more chanties to trade.

It’s Halloween.  I watched children walk the streets of a tiny seaside town holding plastic bags that would soon be filled with individually wrapped corporate candies filled with artificial colors and flavors.  I relived my childhood memories of Halloween with Andre.  How our pillowcases would be so full of candy that dad would have to carry them for us.  How my sisters and I would empty our bags onto the kitchen table and sit there with mom ogling all our loot, each taking a turn to select their favorite.  That candy would last us almost a year.

We spent most of the evening cooking over the fire, which we felt lucky to have given the constant rain.  I baked bread and we whipped up the most delicious meal we’ve had on the trip so far – a huge pot of chanterelle and leek soup with potatoes and some of our pumpkin.  It was spiced with garlic, the garlic scapes I dried over the summer, thyme, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper.  We made a béchamel from flour, coconut oil, and fresh milk and cream, and added it at the end.  It was quite an elaborate meal, but we have enough leftovers for a second night, which means we can spend an evening working, learning, writing, or making things rather than cooking.  What a feast.  What a life.