Port Townsend Library; The Commander's Beach House; and Nash Huber's Farm Store

For anyone who missed this great dessert auction at the Port Townsend Library, mark your calendars for next year. This annual auction is a great fund raiser for the library and you can check their Web site for more details about future events and fundraisers.

Tables were laden with cookies, cakes and even more amazing pies than my grandmother made. One of the best things about this event was every dessert could be frozen then thawed for Thanksgiving. Low bids started at $25.00, every dessert looked perfect, and every one sold, even this old-fashioned cherry pie that caught my eye. I envy the person who won that delicious bid.
Though it was the usual grey Northwest day with rain on and off, the library event was so festive, I didn't even think about the soggy weather outside. And as soon as I set up my table, I couldn't help perusing the old and new Nancy Drew titles just a few feet away. Just seeing these books made me recall all the different libraries from the many towns I lived in as a child.

After the event I stayed the night at the Commander's Beach House. I have to admit that since we usually travel with dogs, this was my first stay at a B & B and I totally loved it. I won't tell my Cooking Assistant but I didn't miss the dog hair one bit.

When I returned from the dessert auction, I flopped down on a sofa in front of the fireplace and a couple from Fairbanks immediately introduced themselves. I filled my glass with wine and after talking for awhile, Jan mentioned that they were lucky to get a weekly CSA from Full Circle Farm in Carnation. "The fresh food in Alaska really isn't very good," she'd said. "We look forward to our weekly vegetable boxes from the farm." Full Circle Farm is the only farm in Washington that offers this unique CSA for Alaska residents.

I got the lighthouse suite and when Jim showed me my room he said, "Sleep with the window open and listen to the ocean." So that's exactly what I did and the gentle ocean sounds and cool breeze made the night seem magical.

In the morning I gave Jim and Gail a copy of my book, so if you stay there, you can read about local farms and get inspired by our Northwest produce.
The coffee was hot and strong, just the way I like it, and Gail made a gourmet breakfast composed of pear slices with walnuts (not pictured), a tiny souffle, a winter squash round topped with cheese and an old-fashioned oat muffin. As soon as I bit into the muffin, I started talking about Nash's flour--one of my favorite baking ingredients these days and I feel compelled to share this secret with everyone.

I discovered a few bags of dog biscuits for sale on a table before I left--just the thing for my Cooking Assistant stuck at home. As soon as I walked out the door I was dreaming about when I could return to this little piece of paradise. I'm marking my calendar for this event next year for sure.

I made a detour to Nash's Farm Store on the way home and was so excited when I discovered the "bargain" section. Peppers were only 20 cents each, lettuce was $1.25 and celery was $1.50. Sure the celery wasn't quite as crisp as #1 stalks, but I'm not always so picky about texture, especially if it's going into soup, plus I got an entire bag of produce for only $12.00. Who said local isn't affordable?

Even my Cooking Assistant was impressed with my local food finds from Nash's Organic Produce. He keeping his eye on Nash's sweet carrots--in fact he chose the carrot over the beef-flavored dog biscuit I bought when I gave him a choice.