When talking Washington wines, most minds wander east to Yakima, Walla Walla and the Rattlesnake Hills. However much closer to home lies a small but special scene of its own: the Whidbey Island Wine Trail. Here on a rural island in the Puget Sound, a handful of wineries are producing innovative, delicious and award winning […]
Culture
Why I prefer off season travel

“You guys should come back in summer. There’s a tonne more people and the weather is awesome”. Tom and I had just spent the last hour sampling botanic-style beers in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village, sheltering from the cold November rain that waited outside. We’d been chatting to the bartender about our travels while he explained the […]
My favourite Seattle Museums: because it’s Seattle Museum Month!

It will surprise absolutely no-one that I am a museum fiend. I’ve been to some weird, wonderful and wacky museums in my time – from the classic Louvre to more risqué Musee de l’Erotisme in Paris, the world-renowned British Museum, the slightly-bizarre Surgical Science Museum in Chicago or the incredibly delicious Délices Érable & Cie […]
A year of adventure: 2016 in review

2016, what a year. What a blast! Tom and I travelled much more than I initially thought was possible with our workloads and busy schedules: to the Final Frontier, SoCal, The Windy City, Bourbon Country and the Big Apple. We celebrated our anniversary of living in the USA. I climbed more mountains than ever before, camped […]
Last time I was in London

I remember the details of the last time I was in London like it was just yesterday. It was Christmas 2009 – only my second trip abroad. Tom and I were spending the holidays with his extended family, and I was meeting them all for the very first time. I distinctly remember feeling so pleasantly at home when […]
Expat Escapades November 2016

It’s 6am and I’m sitting bright eyed at my laptop with a hot cup of coffee. It’s unusual for me to be excited about anything this early on a Monday, but today is special: we’re expecting the first snow of the season! Snow is quite a rarity in Anacortes as the town is so close […]