When it’s time to go out for a special occasion celebration, some really good options are easily accessible from Leschi. As a fan of farm to table dining, where meals are built around locally-sourced, in-season foods, I gravitate to restaurants that have perfected this concept. I especially like it when they prepare a meal around a theme, offering three, four, or five courses for a set price. When impressed by what a chef can do, I’ll go back another time and order from the à la carte menu. 

What kind of traveler are you? Do you like to know what you’re doing, where you’re eating, and plan things down to the last detail? I prefer building a loose outline and filling in the rest as we go. Spontaneous travel without advanced hotel reservations can result in a “no room at the inn” situation, so for a recent Southwestern road trip, I booked refundable lodging.

For years, my home was full of pets: two cats and two dogs, all “rescues.” Over time, one by one, our animal companions died. First, Nile the cat, at age 19 or so. Then his sidekick, Sid. Next, we said a tearful goodbye to Mondo, our Jack Russell Terrier. Two years later, Poco, a Cairn Terrier, reached the end of his road.