Hours this weekend: 4-6 pm Friday only

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Honey, Wheat, Lemon & Poppy seeds – Made with a poolish that ferments some of the flour, yeast and water, but none of the salt, overnight. This results in a very active pre-ferment which is mixed the next day with the final ingredients which includes a nice mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Some honey, poppy seeds and freshly grated lemon peel round out the flavors in this loaf. – $5/loaf.

Flax Seed Currant Ciabatta – Made with a poolish that ferments some of the flour and water overnight before being mixed with the final ingredients which includes a nice mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye flours. Loaded up with flax seeds and dried currants for a delicious bread. This bread is mixed with a lot of water that makes for a very slack dough so it can’t be weighed out and shaped like other bread, it is just cut into pieces. A really flavorful artisan loaf – $5/piece

and pastry this week…

Rum Raisin Brioche: A delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Filled with golden raisins and chunks of almond paste and (wait there’s more!) topped with a chocolate glaze before baking!- 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

 Wine of the Week: Toso Reserve Malbec ’19      Argentina       $21

Notes: Elegant and balanced with good concentration and ripeness;focused, clean notes of blackberry, plum, and ripe, dark cherries; a plush, elegant mouthfeel, easy tannins, and lingering notes of leather and Spring soil..

Pascual Toso winery is named for its original founder, who emigrated from Italy to Argentina in 1880 (OMD, that’s 140 years ago!). Sr. Toso settled in Mendoza, and with a family history in wine making, and intrigued by the exceptional quality of the vineyards in the region, opened his first winery in San Jose in 1890.

In subsequent years he (among others!) was a pioneer in proving the exceptional terroir of the Maipu Valley, where he bought land and developed vineyards.  These days the winery has planted additional Bordeaux varietals cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, which, not surprisingly, also do very well in Mendoza.

All these many decades later, the winery has changed hands over time and is now, like an increasing proportion of wineries globally, owned by a global corporation, which often leads to declining quality. In this particular case, though, the proof is in the tasting– this wine delivers a lot of flavor for its moderate price point!

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting:

Maryhill Winemaker’s White  ’20    Washington     $
 Sauv Blanc, Viognier, Semillon, Albarino and Pinot Gris blend makes for a flavorful Bordeaux-style white blend; a slow, gentle press cycle ensures optimum fruit character, and  each varietal partially fermented separately before blending.

Townshend Cellars T3 Red   Washington    $18
Bordeaux style blend of cab, merlot and cab franc; fruit forward with hints of black currant and vanilla, with layers of complexity and depth through extensive oak aging in French and American barrels.

Toso Reserve Malbec ’19     Argentina       $21
Elegant and balanced with good concentration and ripeness; focused, clean notes of blackberry, plum, and ripe, dark cherries; a plush, elegant mouthfeel, easy tannins, and lingering notes of leather and Spring soil..

Economics of the Heart: The Coming Scarcity of Everything

The recently released UN report on climate change has documented a very long list of ways that we humans could theoretically slow and reverse the catastrophic effects of the climate changes that we have brought forth on our Mother planet. The report analyzes numerous scenarios of atmospheric carbon reduction in detail, and concludes that yes, is still barely possible, if we act immediately, with deep, global, and unified commitment, that we could theoretically keep global average temperature increase under 1.5°C, and, you know, save the Planet. The report then goes into great detail analyzing how we got to this critical point and the possible outcomes of various global response scenarios.

In just the last two decades climate change has already caused substantial damages and irreversible losses to terrestrial, freshwater, cryospheric (permanent ice cover), coastal, and open ocean ecosystems. Hundreds of species have already migrated or perished from heat, drought, flooding, desertification, food scarcity, or increased predation, and human communities across the world are now regularly experiencing the worst storms, flooding, winds, and heat waves on record. And they are getting worse each year. It’s Here, it’s Happening, and it Getting Worse every day.

Even the tiny increase in average sea level rise of several inches in recent years has been enough to show us that coastlines are rapidly becoming economically uninhabitable already; it only takes one super-storm during a king tide to wipe out an entire community; how many times can one afford to rebuild?

Human populations across the world are now all experiencing the destructive manifestations of their own geography. Many places, particularly in lower latititudes, face increasing scarcity of both food and water as conditions grow hotter and drier. The UN report estimates that some 3.5 billion people are trapped in these failing “geomes” (just-coined term for “geographically bounded  habitats”…?) where declining rainfall and falling food production pose grim prospects for the foreseeable future.

Roughly half the world’s population currently experiences severe water scarcity for at least part of the year due to a combination of climatic and non-climatic drivers. At the same time, ocean warming and acidification are adversely affecting food production from fisheries and shellfish aquaculture in some oceanic regions. The growing geographic– and hence also ethnic, racial, and cultural–redistribution of resource availability is combining with growing scarcities of food and water, failing governance, and increasing mass mortality from thirst and hunger to condemn entire populations to struggle for basic necessities.

It would be both wonderful and very surprising if the world were able to pull together into an “all for one and one for all” commitment. The Good News is that it is our best shot at an appealing global future, and it is “possible.”

Still…given what we know about human nature from history, leading up to and including the deliberate efforts of the energy industry to deny the dangers of climate change though they had sponsored the very studies — one of which I worked on 40 years ago– that predicted it with considerable accuracy. They spent many $millions over these forty years convincing people that global warming was nothing to worry about. All of this suffering, all of this anguish, and this existential threat to all life on our beautiful Planet Earth is because some greedy guys in suits were only concerned about their bottom line.

When you think about it, there seems to be something about our species that just doesn’t get the “system interdependence” thing…not the most promising species survival characteristic.

Winter Hours: 4-6 pm Fridays only

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Pear Buckwheat – Begins with an overnight poolish preferment mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled buckwheat; the preferment allows the dough to begin to develop before the addition of toasted walnuts and dried pears soaked in white wine. – $5/loaf

French Country Bread  – A a rustic country loaf made with bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat, and and a bit of toasted wheat germ. After building the levain with a sourdough culture and mixing the final dough it gets a long cool overnight ferment in the refrigerator. This really allows the flavor to develop in this bread.   – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Chocolate Babka Rolls – A sweet pastry dough full of eggs, butter and sugar, rolled and spread with a chocolate filling, rolled up and cut into individual rolls that are placed in baking forms for baking and then brushed with sugar syrup after baking. – 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting:

Charles Krug Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ’20     Napa      $15
Cold-soaked before pressing and cold-fermented on the skins to develop rich and nuanced aromas and flavors of grassy lime, tropical fruits, and lychee, with a crisp, lingering finish.

Bodega Garzon Tannat Reserve ’18        Uruguay        $15
Opaque deep, dark red; opens with enticing, delicious aromas of very ripe, dark fruit and berries stewed in their own liqueur, with lingering notes of spice, herb, and licorice on the seamless finish.

Pomum Red ’16     Washington    $18
Carefully made Bordeaux blend of cab, cab franc, malbec, petite verdot, and merlot; aromas of red fruit-leather and exotic spices; flavors of black cherry, cranberry, and garrigue.

Economics of the Heart: Lies, Damned lies, and ‘Regular and Routine’

photo courtesy beardoholic.com

The classic phrase was made famous by Mark Twain, though for which he credited Disraeli; but the actual coining of the phrase is lost in the mists and myths of history. Mr. Twain’s version was ‘There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics.‘ (link). This story is told at some point in just about every statistics class everywhere for its suggestion that one can “massage” any statistical analysis to make it “prove” anything you want. Nowadays Fox News hosts don’t even bother with analysis, they just make it up as they go along. But politics aside, statistical analysis provides extremely useful information about groups of observations of any sort.

On our island front burner for some weeks now has been the recent ferry fare increase proposal unveiled at the January County Council Meeting by Public Works, and which is being rushed into law as quickly as possible with limited opportunity for input or reflective discussion. A central bone of contention between County officials and Island residents is that a primary reason for the fare increase is that Public Works has charged 55% of the $800,000 cost of a major infrastructure repair to ferry fare receipts as “regular and routine maintenance.” This practice is blatantly contrary to several elements of State and County law.

A few of us have been challenging this illegal assignment of $.8 million to the fare burden on the grounds that said repairs  should properly be considered capital expenses because they add value and years of service  to the structures in question. Indeed, the County has an annual contract with the State Dept of Transportation which specifically excludes such expenses from being classified as “ordinary maintenance.”

Many public and private entities have rules of thumb such as dollar limits to easily decide whether to account for a specific expense as capital improvement (adds value and service life) or as operations/maintenance expenses. The limit may vary depending on the size of the firm or agency, but around $10k is a common boundary.  Under this standard definition, the $400k being charged to the fare box as “ordinary maintenance” is way, way, way out of line with convention.

Whatcom County has specific rules for ferry accounting laid out in County Code Chapter 10.34  In particular, 10.34.005B states:

B. “Operating cost” means all actual daily running expenses and all actual regular and routine maintenance and administrative expenses associated with the use and operation of all physical elements of the ferry system”

Curiously, this definition makes no mention of capital costs. Rather the central focus of the statute is on the intent of the words “regular and routine” to qualify an expense as a valid “operating cost.” So let’s take a look at common synonyms and antonyms of these words to get a bead on the main intention of this carefully chosen wording.

•  synonyms of REGULAR: customary, periodic, recurrent
•  synonyms of ROUTINE: everyday, normal, familiar

The feeling here is of calm waters, constancy, and predictability.

In contrast, here are the common antonyms/opposites of each word:

• antonyms of REGULAR: infrequent, occasional, unexpected
  
• antonyms of ROUTINE: exceptional, extraordinary, uncommon

The feeling here is of choppy waters, tension, and stress.

The takeaway is that great care was taken in the wording of the statute to ensure stability and predictability. Think about it: You want to be able to set fares that will likely stay the same for some years at a time. You want both the expenses and the revenue to be predictable and consistent from year to year. The goal of this wording is to ensure system stability, with fares covering the day to day expenses of the system, and for out of the ordinary expenses to be absorbed the same way as road washouts, bridge failures, and fires: from general taxation.

Let’s be clear: the statute as currently written limits the annual fare burden to paying “regular and routine” administrative and operating costs to maintain the same transportation options here as everywhere else in the County. If the new Public Works Director is successful in changing the rules to allow charging the fare box for major capital upgrades  — a clear violation of both State and County laws– rising fares will continue to push frequent commuters to the mainland to be replaced by retirees and telecommuters. Not a pretty picture, and not a sustainable model because it forces its best customers to move away. So there’s a lot at stake for our community.

Along those lines, for those of you who have not seen Janice’s very thorough posting to the County Council on these challenges, it is highly recommended reading for all Islanders, and you can read it here.

Current Hours: Open 4-6 pm Fridays

OOPS! Recent Billing Snafu…

A couple of weeks ago we noticed our checking account seemed to be standing still. Some inquiries revealed that none of the credit card sales in the shop since mid-October were showing up in our bank account. Inquiry revealed that our credit card machine (the one we have been at war with for about two years) had not been sending the charges to the various stakeholders as it is supposed to do every day. Thus we learned how to make that “batch closing” happen manually, and they now appear in your account.

The good news is that yes, we really did have some sales (see 5 ft printout at left); the bad news is that a bunch of you just got billed for purchases that happened weeks or even months ago, and are justifiably puzzled. Well, that’s the story, and yes, you really did make that purchase!

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Multi Grain Levain – – Made with a sourdough culture and a flavorful mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A nice mixture of flax, sesame sunflower and pumpkin seeds and some polenta add great flavor and crunch. And just a little honey for some sweetness. A great all around bread that is full of flavor – $5/loaf

Polenta Levain –– Also made with a levain, aka sourdough, from a starter fed and built up over several days, then mixed with bread flour and polenta in the final dough mix. This bread is a nice rustic loaf with great corn flavor. – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Pain aux Raisin– Uses the same laminated dough as croissants. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with a mix of golden raisins and dried cranberries soaked in sugar syrup. Rolled up and sliced before baking. – 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting: Small Vineyards Pre-Order Sampler

You wine shop old-timers know that once or twice a year we bring in a shipment of mostly Italian wines from a Seattle importer called Small Vineyards. Our orders usually follow a sit-down tasting at a local restaurant where we hear a story about each of the family wineries, wine makers, and the particular wines as we taste them, munch, chat. Yes, we think to ourselves... this is how wine tasting should be…relaxed, convivial, good wine, good food, good company!

As it turns out, the weather this year did not allow us to attend the Bellingham tasting. However, we hope to snag a bunch of bottles on Friday (if any are left) from earlier tastings in Skagit County. So if all goes well, we will have a selection to share with you  on Friday afternoon!  (see list)

Economics of the Heart: A Place to Call Home

Every living thing needs a home, a place where survival is at least possible. For most living creatures the conditions are quite narrowly defined for a habitat where they/we can at least survive long enough to reproduce, at best to thrive. As we mentioned last week, there have been numerous major extinction events in the fossil record, each one eradicating over 75% of existing species and turning the evolutionary clock back almost to zero numerous times. But life has managed to keep on ticking; pretty magical.

The species that currently exist here on our dear Planet Earth have continually been able to find the sometimes very particular places which met their needs for food, water, air, temperature, light, darkness, and shelter as conditions slowly changed over eons. Obviously, and to our great good fortune, the conditions here on planet Earth have been life-friendly for an unimaginably long time. But as we mentioned last week, many of the mass extinctions on the planet were caused not by cataclysmic events like massive asteroid collisions, but by the slowly changing background conditions on the planet, including atmospheric composition, ocean temperatures and salinity, humidity, rainfall, habitat, climate, food, predation…you know, everything.

The slow and ever-evolving conditions at every point on Earth’s surface  have ever moved niches around, causing some species to perish, others to gradually migrate or adapt. But this world we live in now is in a very different situation than any we have seen in the fossil record. The habitability of this world is changing because of what our own species has done to it in the lifetimes of us current elders. Barely an eye-blink in evolutionary time, it has been long enough for us to multiply from  2 billion to 8 billion and cause catastrophic damage to the balance of Nature that created us.

Every geographic point on the planet has an historical set of naturally changing conditions that determined what kinds of life it was able to support, how well, and for how long. Every place has a story of how it has fared so far in this new world and what it is doing. So our current fantasy is to look at particular places at random and see what we can learn.

to be continued…

Open 4-6 pm Fridays

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting:

Ryan Patrick Rock Island Chardonnay ’20        Washington       $16
Aromas and flavors of wildflowers, crisp apples, honey, and cinnamon roll with a round, crisp,  body and a graceful finish of sumac-spiced croutons.

Rubino Oltreme Susamaniello  ’19     Italy    $15
Fresh, fragrant notes of cherries, pomegranate, raspberries and ripe plum; fruity, round and minerally, with soft tannins and rich flavors; a versatile pairing with richer dishes.

Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet  ’20   WA     $32
Aromas of red cherries, black raspberry, and black tea, with hints of fresh herbs, cedar box, and earth; flavors of cherry, raspberry, dark chocolate, baking spice, and vanilla; medium bodied with plush texture, firm tannins, and balanced acidity.

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Kamut Levain – Kamut, aka khorasan wheat, is an ancient, protein-rich grain discovered in a cave in Iran in the 70’s that many people who can’t tolerate wheat find more digestible. This bread is made with a levain that is fermented overnight before being mixed with with bread flour and fresh milled whole kamut flour. It has a nutty, rich flavor and makes a golden color loaf.  – $5/loaf

Le Pave d’autrefois – which translates roughly as old paving stones. This is a ciabatta like bread with a lot of hydration so is simply divided into approximate squares – hence the paving stones name. Made with a mix of bread flour as well as fresh milled whole wheat, rye and buckwheat flours for a lot of hearty whole grain goodness. A great artisan bread -$5/loaf

…and pastry this week…

Gibassiers – A traditional french pastry from the south of France. Made with a delicious sweet dough full of milk, butter, eggs and olive oil. The addition of orange flower water, candied orange peel and anise seed bring great flavor to these pastries. After baking they are brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with more sugar. – 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

 Wine of the Week: Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet  ’20   WA     $25

Seven Hills winery founder and 4th generation regional farmer Casey McClellan began planting grape vines in Walla Walla in the early 80’s, making it one of the  the first few wineries in the area, and setting the stage for the rapid development of the Washington State wine industry over the forty years since.

Seven Hills pioneered the planting of primary Bordeaux varietals merlot and cabernet sauvignon in the area, demonstrating that the soil and climate of the area were ideally suited for vineyards in general and these varietals in particular. The winery has forged long-standing relationships with many of the most prestigious vineyards in the region, including Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun at Red Mountain and McClellan and Summit View in Walla Walla. The wines have an established reputation for a quiet, reliable quality. You will like it!

Tasting notes: Aromas of red cherries, black raspberry, and black tea, with hints of fresh herbs, cedar box, and earth; flavors of cherry, raspberry, dark chocolate, baking spice, and vanilla; medium bodied with plush texture, firm tannins, and balanced acidity.

Economics of the Heart: Looming Scarcities

In a recent book (2020), David Wallace-Wells (see video ) effectively lays out the stakes in humanity’s coy little dance around the profound existential threat posed by climate change. As we have discussed in this blog many times over the years, the world has clearly seen this coming for nearly fifty years and has done precious little to change its ways.

However, Wallace provides a pretty effective wake-up call that puts the problem into clear perspective with several compelling facts we now know for certain:

1.  There have been at least five mass extinctions on our dear Planet Earth:

• 450 million yrs ago– 86% of species gone
• 380 million yrs ago– 75 % of species gone
• 280 million yrs ago– 96% of species gone!
• 230 million yrs ago– 75% of species gone
•  70 million yrs ago– 75% of species gone (dinosaurs)

These numbers are sobering and scary. What makes them even more scary is that:

2. All but the last extinction were the result of climate change.

The worst one was produced by a two-step greenhouse gas buildup that first raised global temperature by 5 deg C. ( 9 deg. F.) which warming in turn triggered massive releases of methane from the ground which made it even worse, and which very few species survived. A similar scenario could happen again if the icecaps melt completely and the tundra starts off-gassing methane from entombed remains of long-ago frozen animals.

3. More than half the carbon added to our atmosphere since the dawn of civilization has been emitted just since 1990, even though we have known the risks for nearly fifty years. We are speeding blithely along to more than four degrees C. of warming by the end of THIS Century! According to some estimates, that would render vast regions of the  world uninhabitable because of direct heat, desertification, and, paradoxically, catastrophic flooding and landslides.

To this point climate change has already brought enough record-breaking forest fires, hurricanes, floods, landslides, and tornadoes to have left few outright climate change deniers getting much traction with their arguments, and we have seen some signs of progress in the development and deployment of carbon-neutral energy production. But a lot of lives depend on how soon we can start bringing CO2 levels back down. Right this very moment millions of people across the world are already suffering from lack of food, water, shelter, and work.

As resources dwindle and more and more places become economically uninhabitable, competition for basic necessities is intersecting with increased numbers of failed and failing states with collapsing economies and infrastructure, powerless or lawless governments, and runaway inflation. And it only takes one climate disaster in an area to make it economically uninhabitable for more than a handful of people.

Millions of people across the planet will be seeking new locations as the number of habitable areas decreases and the moats protecting the habitable ones get increasingly impossible to cross.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

NOTE: Next week we will go back to our usual Friday hours of 4-6pm!  And since it is still wintry (below freezing this week), and since we have been enjoying having the day off on Saturdays for while, we are not planning to open on Saturday for at least mid-February. 

Covid (and a bunch of other winter bugs) are still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated, masks are welcome but optional. These days we each get to manage the space around us in our own way. Please stay mindful of the risks, thanks.

Friday Bread This Week

Whole Wheat Levain – Made with a sourdough starter built up over several days before a levain is made and fermented overnight to start fermentation and gluten development. The bread is made with levain and bread flour and about 25% fresh milled whole wheat for a ‘toothy’ crumb, great texture and flavor and a nice crisp crust.  – $5/loaf

Semolina w/ Fennel & Raisins – A levain bread made with bread flour, semolina and some fresh milled whole wheat. A little butter for a tender crumb and fennel seeds and golden raisins round out the flavors. These flavors go really well with meats and cheese, but it also makes pretty darn good toast – $5/loaf

…and pastry this week…

Brioche Suisse- A rich brioche dough made with plenty of butter, eggs and sugar, rolled out and spread with pastry cream before sprinkling with dark chocolate. The dough is folded over all that delicious filling and cut into individual pieces. 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: Eola Hills Barrel Select Reserve Pinot Noir ’19    Oregon    $27

Eola Hills winery was something of a pioneer in the Oregon pinot noir explosion. Founded in the mid-80’s, the new owners did much of the grunt work themselves, becoming both grape farmers and winemakers. Now, forty years later the company farms over 300 acres and makes 80,000 cases of wine a year…you know, another American “success” story: what begins as a creative dream rooted in land, family, nature, nurture, art and culture can go in all kinds of directions.

It’s hard to say if or when a growing wine operation transitions from being an artisan, hands-on winery that fulfills someone’s artistic dream into a major commercial player, or what, if anything, is lost or gained in the process. But that kind of success does suggest they have been doing something right…right?!

This “barrel select” reserve pinot is a blend of the best barrels (yes, there is barrel variation in each vintage) from several different vineyards, taking a shot at “the best of the best.”

Last week we tasted pinot gris from Ponzi, another Oregon pioneer winery that has done very well over the years. So both have played significant roles in the evolution of Oregon viniculture that put Oregon pinot noir on the global map.

See notes below

Economics of the Heart: When The Lines Stop Crossing

Economists are fond of graphs. Everyone has encountered the standard blackboard sketch of a “Demand Curve.” It has price on the vertical axis, and quantity sold at each price on the horizontal axis. With a little manipulation, it is a versatile tool to describe a lot of human behavior. The primary takeaway, of course, is that when the price of something rises,  less of it will be bought/sold, and that will have cascading effects throughout an economy.

On the supply side, it is broadly true that in the short term, producers have a very limited ability to increase production when demand increases. This was clearly seen as global demand for all kinds of stuff started climbing as Covid vaccines became available and commerce began ratcheting up after a long quarantine. Our little demand and supply curves were quite handy at explaining how that led to worldwide inflation as suppliers of key resources in short supply (like international shipping) made astronomical profits, not because their costs went up, but because the sudden increase in demand for shipping far exceeded short-term supply– the classic path to coveted “windfall” profits. 

Covid was just one warning signal about how the interdependence of the global economy makes everyone vulnerable to social, environmental, geologic, and political instability. All of these things are getting worse at an increasing rate, driven by two powerful forces that we humans have caused and continue to make worse: global warming and overpopulation.

Over forty years ago I worked on a research project exploring the economic impacts of global warming on world fisheries. My main takeaway from that project was that all living systems are deeply interconnected to each other through the global environment: sun, wind, rain, plants, animals, seasons. It is deeply sobering that we ‘Boomers’ were born into a world of some 2 billion people. In just our own short lifetimes we have now seen the  recent birth of the eight billionth living human being on our planet. Our population has increased four-fold; we are everywhere, and we have not been kind to our planet.

Broadly speaking, there are two pathways to saving our planet and its life-giving web of interdependence over the long term: massive cooperation or massive conflict. Democracies lean toward the first, through cooperation and shared values. Autocracies lean toward the second, through exclusion and hierarchy. That really means that democracies have a cooperative chance for survival. But it’s hard to see how autocracy is compatible with an effective sense of interdependence…

to be continued…

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Marques de Caceres Rioja Red Blend Organica ’21         Spain       $18
75% Tempranillo, 25% Graciano; we all loved this wine when Judy poured samples of it three weeks ago, and found it a bit disappointing when we poured it at our tasting. So third time is the charm, right? How do we really feel about it?!

Eola Hills ‘Patriot Red’     Oregon     $22
Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Merlot, & Pinot Noir from Oregon, Washington, & California. Intense aromas of fruitiness lead to a soft, smooth palate with flavors of red berry jam. All you need to know is it’s pretty tasty!

Eola Hills Barrel Select Reserve Pinot Noir  ’19    Oregon    $27
From best barrels from the 2019 harvest; classic, Burgundian-style pinot, with nose of fresh raspberries, earth, wet autumn leaves, and a silky palate of cherry and strawberry with a lingering cranberry tartness on the finish. 

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

Our current plan is to be open Fridays only through February. We have been enjoying the familiar company of friends and neighbors at recent tastings, and have to admit we have also been enjoying having the day off on Saturdays for awhile..!

Covid (and a bunch of other winter bugs) is still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated.

We all have our own comfort zones; these days we all have to manage the space around us in our own way. Just be mindful of the risks, thanks.

Friday Bread This Week

Dried Cherry and Pecan – A levain is made the night before final mixing of the dough using a sourdough starter. This allows the fermentation process to start and the gluten to start developing. The final dough is made with the levain, bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and then loaded up with dried cherries and toasted pecans. A nice rustic loaf that goes well with meats and cheese – $5/loaf

Pan de Cioccolate – Also made with a levain, this bread is a delicious chocolate artisan bread not an enriched sweet pastry dough with lots of eggs, butter and sugar. Rather it is a rich chocolate bread made with a levain, bread flour and fresh milled rye flour, honey for sweetness, vanilla and plenty of dark chocolate. Makes fabulous toast, even better french toast – $5/loaf.

…and pastry this week…

Black Sesame & Candied Lemon Brioche – A delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Filled with fresh lemon zest and candied lemon and as if that wasn’t enough, topped with a black sesame streusel before baking. Ooh la la, what’s not to like? – 2/$5.

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: Vall Llach Embruix Priorat ’17       Spain      $26

click image to watch video

Just about ten years ago we spent a week at the annual Priorat Wine Festival in Falset, Spain, which lies at the southern end of the steep and austere landscape that defines the soil, the people, the vineyards, and the wines from this amazing wine region. It is rugged and dry, with rocky limestone soil called licorella between the vines and the water they need to grow. It may take years for vines to develop any fruit. This struggle for water gives Priorat wines a unique and nuanced intensity as you can see by watching the video or checking out their website. The extreme aridity and unique soil of the region produce wines of great depth, structure, and nuance.

This particular wine is made using grapes from young vines that are 30 years old or less. The grape varieties used are: Carignan, Grenache, Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. The vineyards are located over broad geographical settings with varying altitudes and terrains where exposure to sunlight comes from every point of the compass. Some original carignan and grenache vines used for the best wines are over 100 years old. All of these varying factors combine to make Embruix well-structured, complex, intense, and age-worthy, and a great example of what this magical region can deliver.

As you will see in the video, the terrain is challenging, the vines are stunted, and every grape requires a lot of hand labor and physical effort. 

Notes: A blend of grenache, merlot, syrah, carignan, and cab sauv from 7 to 30-yr-old vines on steep slopes, Embruix (pronounced Embroosh– “bewitching” in Catalan) is made and bottled using biodynamic methods. It is cherry red in color with soft aromas of black plums, cherry liqueur, freshly milled spices and earthy mineral note. It is intense and concentrated, with well-integrated acidity, round tannins, great age-worthy structure, and alluring aromas of ripe plums, fresh black pepper and clove.

Economics of the Heart: Every Game Needs a Referee

Nearly sixty years ago, when I was a midshipman at the Naval Academy, one winter sports season I was a referee in a strange game called fieldball. The myth of the game’s origin is that it was once played by prisoners at Alcatraz, and somehow long ago wound up as an intramural sport at the Academy. It is played on a lacrosse field with a soccer ball held with both hands. The opposing goals are lacrosse creases and there is a midfield line that separates each team’s 4-man offense and defense. The object of the game is to get the ball into the opponent’s goal. A winter sport, it typically draws lots of football (fall sport) and lacrosse (spring sport) players.

We referees went through some training and were then assigned randomly to games that didn’t involve our familiars. So there I was, definitely not a jock, refereeing a game with a lot of action. So I had lots of misgivings going in.

Like any game it has a unique set of rules, like keeping two hands on the ball and not raising it above your shoulders except when shooting or passing. The interesting thing and the point of this story is that fairly soon I often found myself blowing the whistle before I could consciously name the infraction, which would come split seconds later. There was no need for thinking, almost as if the whistle blew by itself. And you learn to trust– and enjoy–your instincts; all in all a very valuable experience.

In all the years since then I have had great respect for referees and umpires, and generally believe that the practice of doing their work is so immediate and in the moment that there is no time to make bogus calls. So while it is always possible that someone might see a play differently from another angle and get a call wrong, the spontaneity of the calls guarantees a strong element of guileless truth.

Metaphorically, it occurs to me lately that whistle-blowing of all kinds has many of these same elements. People disagree about all kinds of things, but since the beginning of language and civilization people have generally signed on to some broadly accepted set of rules to sort out differences of opinion. That’s why we have rules, regulations, laws, codes, contracts, and courts: to create and maintain order from the chaos of human needs, desires, emotions, experiences, and values… not to mention deception, lying, ignorance, or convenience.

Off the field of play, in real life, the rules are more ambiguous, and “whistle-blowers” can take life-destroying heat for raising “inconvenient truths” to the powerful when they see that important rules are not being followed. Well, we all have whistles around our necks, some amount of desire to play by the rules, and opposing instincts to blow them for the sake of justice, and to refrain from blowing them to avoid attention and push-back. But deep down we all know where our greater duty lies.

https://youtu.be/8PnEzMacrC8?t=495

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Ponzi Pinot Gris ’21    Oregon     $16

MAN Vintners Pinotage ’20   South Africa    $12
Aromas of dark coffee beans, red berries, nutmeg, and vanilla spice turning to dark berries and smoky plum; rustic yet silky and juicy, with smooth tannins, balanced acidity, and comforting intensity.

Vall Llach Embruix Priorat ’17       Spain      $26
Blend of grenache, merlot, syrah, carignan, and cab from 7 to 30-yr-old vines vines on medium and steep slopes; alluring aromas of ripe plums, fresh black pepper and clove. Intense and naturally concentrated, lush, and round on the mid-palate with notes of chocolate-covered cherries and soft black licorice on the finish.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

Our current plan is to be open Fridays only through February.

Covid (and a bunch of other winter bugs) is still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated.

We all have our own comfort zones; these days we all have to manage the space around us in our own way. Just be mindful of the risks, thanks.

Friday Bread This Week

Breton Bread– Made with pre-fermented dough in which a portion of the flour, water, salt & yeast are mixed and fermented overnight before preparing the final dough, which incorporates the flavors of the French Breton region by using  buckwheat and rye flour and sel gris -the grey sea salt from the region that brings more mineral flavors to this bread. Goes great with meats and cheeses – $5/loaf

Spelt Levain — Chocolate Croissants – a traditional laminated french pastry made with a bit of sourdough flavor and another pre-ferment to help strengthen the dough to create the traditional honeycomb interior. Rolled out and shaped with delicious dark chocolate in the center. Quantities are limited so get your order in early so you don’t miss out – 2/$5 – $5/loaf

…and pastry this week…

Chocolate Croissants – a traditional laminated french pastry made with a bit of sourdough flavor and another pre-ferment to help strengthen the dough and create the traditional honeycomb interior. Rolled out and shaped with delicious dark chocolate in the center. – 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: Marques de Caceres Rioja Red Blend Organica ’20         Spain       $18

Marques de Caceres is a long-established winery in Rioja, and their wines have been marketed all over the US for a long time. Their basic reds are decent and inexpensive, and it is likely you have tasted them many times over the years.

This one is a little different, farmed and produced organically. Many of us got to taste it two weeks ago when Judy was here with her sample bag. We all found it delicious, intriguing, and affordable, with a array of subtle aromas and flavors (and everyone wanted some! The good news is it’s here; the bad news is we only got six bottles (which many producers consider a “case.” Oops!

 So come by and try it again (or for the first time) this weekend. Sorry, limit one per household while they last, but definitely taking orders for more that should be here next weekend!

Economics of the Heart: The County Strikes Back

courtesy cnbc

Well, our little moment of ferry fare euphoria two weeks ago got a couple of rude slaps in the face at this week’s LIFAC meeting. At the moment there is a mixed bag of goings-on that is something of a challenge to sort out.

The contract between the County and we the people who depend on the ferry to cross that short mile between the Island and the mainland is succinctly laid out in Whatcom County Code 10.34.005. Public Works accounting staff are now doubling down on their unique blurring of any distinctions between operating costs and capital costs to the extent they propose to amend the statute to make it clear that, hey, really, when you think about it there’s no real distinction between them, right? 

Well, sorry, but we have different rules on our planet. The broadly accepted legal argument is that “regular and routine” maintenance is repetitive, cyclical, predictable, and planned, and specifically excludes repairs of such magnitude as to improve or lengthen the service life or functional performance of a capital asset (like, you know a worn-out dolphin). Those “repairs” must be accounted for as capital assets.

A second item of note regards a brief statement near the bottom of the statute:  If in any given year the actual fare box recovery rate exceeds 55 percent, the excess revenue shall be retained in the ferry system fund and applied to future operating costs.

This “ferry fund” is a sort of informal account that keeps track of the relationship between calculated operating costs in a given year and the revenue provided from the “fare box,” which is 55% of the amount paid in fares. In any year that fare revenue exceeds 55% of operating costs, a surplus is recorded and carried over to the next year. For several years until 2020, there was a surplus, and in the last two years there has been a deficit. At present the balance of this “ferry fund” is around $2.5 million.

As the statute is written, in any year that ends with a deficit, any carried-over surplus in the fund is transferred to cover or reduce the deficit. All you need to know is that the current fare increase mandate appears to make no use of this very large surplus in the ferry fund to address the current shortage as required in the statute. Why in the world do we need to increase fares when there is such a substantial reserve balance in the ferry fund and which statute requires be tapped first? No explanation has been provided.

Finally, it is true that fare revenue has fallen during Covid, and some of the revenue anxiety at the Ferry Dept. stems from the assumption that ridership will not increase as the economy opens up. One has to step back for a moment, take a deep breath, and think about that. People have been cooped up at home for three years. Our Canadian residents have only recently been able to cross the border and come “home” to Lummi very recently after a very long border closing. People are ready to pop out of their long winter cocoons.

As winter moves into spring, and as long as Covid remains as controllable as at present, then life, travel, and vacations will resume, and our traffic will build back up. This is not pie in the sky; it is a far more realistic expectation than to suppose that ridership will not bounce back. LIFAC is recommending a summer fare surcharge be instituted between Memorial Day and Labor Day (more or less) for cash travelers ( it would not apply to punch card holders!) This is a good idea that would add a new revenue source to ease the burden on our commuting neighbors.

The takeaway to think about here is this: If we have a) a big chunk of change in our ferry fund to pay our expenses, (b) make sure those expenses do not add massive and illegal capital improvement expenses to the fare box, and (c) add a new revenue stream with a summer surcharge...why in the world would we need to raise fares at all right now? 

If you are concerned about these issues, you best bet is to tell the County Council via email and post your thoughts on Nextdoor. LIFAC has little political will or traction, and Public Works seems to be marooned in some alternate reality. 

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

MAN  Chenin Blanc ’21   South Africa    $11
Using only free-run juice preservea a clean and natural character, refreshing acidity, and delicious ripe fruit flavors and aromas of quince, pear and pineapple. On the palate, fresh stonefruit and apple flavors are backed by refreshing acidity, minerality and a pleasing, rounded mouthfeel.

Marques de Caceres Rioja Red Blend Organica ’21         Spain       $18
75% Tempranillo, 25% Graciano; many of you got to taste a sample two weeks ago and we all found it delicious, intriguing, and affordable and wanted some. The good news is it’s here; the bad news is we only have six bottles (more on order), so one per household this weekend while they last, more next week!

Sineann Merlot ’19     Washington    $28
Deep and dark, with nose of red berries, a siren song of tobacco and chocolate, typical tannic structure, and  elegant balsamic notes; well-balanced and soft, pairing well with well-seasoned meats, sauces, and companions.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

Our current plan is to be open Fridays only through February.

Covid (and a bunch of other winter bugs) is still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated.

We all have our own comfort zones; these days we all have to manage the space around us in our own way. Just be mindful of the risks, thanks.

Friday Bread This Week

Black Pepper Walnut- Made with a nice mix of bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A fair amount of black pepper and toasted walnuts give this bread great flavor with a distinct peppery bite. Excellent paired with all sorts of meats and cheese…and wine, of course! – $5/loaf

Sesame Semolina –Begins with a sponge that pre-ferments some of the flour, water & yeast before mixing the final dough. Made with semolina and bread flour and a soaker of cornmeal, millet, sesame seeds, a little olive oil to round out the flavor and tenderize the crumb then rolled in more sesame seeds before baking. Lots of great flavors! – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Individual Cinnamon Rolls! –Made with a rich sweet roll dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Then rolled up and sliced into individual rolls for baking. And boy are they delicious! – 2/$5.

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: Tre Donne Roero Arneis ’20    Italy        $27

The revered Italian wine region of Piedmont (i.e., ‘foot of the mountain’) lies in the NW corner of Italy, in the foothills of the French and Swiss Alps to the west and north. The geography makes for the serendipitous combination of warm days and cool nights that make perfect conditions for wine grapes. The Roero region is just north of the iconic Barolo and Barbaresco regions, which produce some of Italy’s most prestigious wines.

White wines from Roero must contain at least 95% Arneis, and reds must contain at least 95% Nebbiolo. With roots diving deep into layers of tufo clay, the 35-year-old vines at Tre Donne yield a wide array of complex aromas and flavors for a nuanced, medium-bodied Arneis with lovely notes of pear, apricot, and white blossoms.

Economics of the Heart: Groundhogs and Cross-Quarter Days

We take a time-out from serious stuff this week to pay homage to what our culture calls Groundhog Day, what some cultures call the First Day of Spring, and what calendar geeks call “cross-quarter” days. We are all familiar with the  the two equinoxes and the two solstices that mark the official transitions from one season to another as the Earth’s annual orbit and tilted axis continually move the noonday sun from being overhead at the Tropic of Cancer to being overhead at the Equator to being overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn, on and on, the richness of changing seasons.

There is also an ancient tradition of celebrating the “cross-quarter days” that fall halfway between these major events. February 2, falling midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, has historically been called Candlemas, Imbolc, Oimelc, Brigit, Brigid’s Day, Bride’s Day, Brigantia, or Gŵyl y Canhwyllau. In the picture at left it is labeled “1st” in small red letters.

Every society across the planet depended on the growing season to prepare for the winter to follow. There were deities to be invoked for good fortune, and continual preparation for planting, tending, harvesting, and storing enough for winter– lots of toiling tortoises, fewer hapless hares. Our culture usually refers to this one as “Groundhog Day,” but cross-quarter days have had both cosmic and cultural significance from prehistoric times, across continents and across cultures. In many ancient cultures the cross-quarter days marked the actual transitions between seasons (e.g., making Groundhog Day the official “First Day of Spring,” six weeks before the vernal Equinox.

Seasonal changes were key economic factors in agrarian and gathering societies, and many had “celebrations of light” on Candlemas to mark the lengthening of days and the coming of Spring. In Gaelic tradition, the goddess Cailleach teased the mortals with a sunny day when her intention was to make the next six weeks colder and wetter, and a dreary day if Spring was to come early. (Like, what is the story with these mean-spirited deities…?) Another tradition suggests that in Biblical times since mothers were not allowed in public until six weeks after delivery, Candlemas would have been Mary’s first public outing and temple visit with her baby boy.

And then there is an old song sung on Candlemas that lays out the Groundhog’s mission:

“If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.”

Of course, as we all know, whether the Groundhog sees its shadow or not, there are STILL six weeks until Spring Equinox. Until the last couple of years, here in the PNW Groundhog Day has indeed marked the appearance of buds and flowers, longer days, and milder temperatures, sudden hailstorms followed by warming sunlight and gusty winds. We already see some buds on the Indian plum, pussy willows, and other shrubs. But like all the seasons now, underlying conditions have changed, and we have seen more frequent mid-February snowstorms, unheard of until recently.

And either way, officially there are six more weeks of “Winter” regardless of Groundhog shadows!

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Tre Donne Roero Arneis ’20    Italy        $20
Pale golden yellow; soft aromas of orange blossom, honeysuckle, nectarine, and lemon verbena; flavors of pear, peach, quince, and green apple; enduring minerality and balanced acidity.

Bieler Cote du Rhone ‘la Jassine’   ’20      $15
Brooding aromas of raspberry, black cherry, garrigue, chocolate and tobacco which build and concentrate on the palate; hilltop fruit delivers a rich mouthfeel with soft, round tannins on the finish.

Marchetti Villa Bonomi Conero Riserva    ’19      Italy       $27
100% Sangiovese from Montepulciano, aged 16 mos. in barriques and 12 mos. in bottle; shows intense floral bouquet, intense, nuanced flavors; ripe, pleasing tannins, and satisfying finish.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

Our current plan is to be open Fridays only through February.

Covid (and a bunch of other winter bugs) is still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated.

We all have our own comfort zones; these days we all have to manage the space around us in our own way. Just be mindful of the risks, thanks.

Friday Bread This Week

Pain Meunier -Aka Miller’s Bread to honor the miller who mills the wheat. Made with pre-fermented dough it contains all portions of the wheat berry: flour, fresh milled whole wheat, cracked wheat and wheat germ. Always a favorite and a great all around bread. It makes the best toast! – $5/loaf

Sonnenblumenbrot – Aka Sunflower Seed Bread, made with a pre-ferment that takes a portion of the flour, water, salt and yeast that ferments overnight before mixing the final dough with bread flour and freshly milled rye, then loaded up with toasted sunflower seeds and some barley malt syrup for sweetness. – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Traditional Croissants – Made with both a sourdough levain and a prefermented dough – aka “old dough” where a portion of the flour, water, salt and yeast is fermented overnight. The final dough is then made with more flour, butter, milk and sugar, laminated with more butter before being cut and shaped into traditional french croissants.  –2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week:  Wolftrap Syrah Mourvèdre Viognier ’18     South Africa     $12

Boekenhoutskloof farm was established in 1776 in the furthest corner of the beautiful Franschhoek Wine Valley of South Africa, about 50 km east of the Cape of Good Hope.

The farm’s name means “ravine of the Boekenhout” (pronounced Book-n-Howed), which is an indigenous Cape Beech tree greatly prized for furniture making. In 1993 the farm and homestead were bought and restored and new vineyards planted for Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Semillon and Viognier.

When the farm was founded, the Franschhoek valley was far wilder than it is today. Though the mountains are still alive with indigenous animals, including the majestic leopard, the only evidence that wolves once roamed here is an ancient wolf trap found long ago. This wine was named in homage to the mysteries and legends of days long gone by.

Most of the Syrah in The Wolftrap comes from the Swartland region (photo, left), where it develops its robust character and elegant aromas of violets, ripe plums, and spicy, peppery profile and juicy, fruity character. The Mourvèdre, also from the Swartland, lends a red fruit character and smoky body while a dash of Viognier adds perfume and verve for a rustic Rhône-style blend that seriously over-delivers for its $11 price point.

Economics of the Heart: Capital Repairs vs. Routine Maintenance

Ferry accounting practices again took a front row seat in Island consciousness this week.

A County Council vote to approve a very recently (just a month ago) proposed and very expensive ferry fare increase was scheduled for this past Tuesday night. Around noon there was a Council subcommittee meeting that briefly heard suggestions from LIFAC (Ferry Advisory Committee) before scheduling the Council vote.

The upshot of the LIFAC presentation was that many Islanders were very upset about both the magnitude and financial impact of the fare increase and the methodology which was used to generate its size and need. And at the end of the day, to our surprise and relief, the committee decided to postpone action until their March meeting. That gives us two months to organize a community response. This delay is a big and surprising victory, since until then the fare increase juggernaut was steamrolling all questions and objections into a long line of Chicken Little pancakes.

Even more surprising, our own challenges to the capital accounting calculations of the portion of annual operating expenses that must be paid from fare receipts seemed to gain a bit of traction. We maintain that many very large expenses that the County has classified as “regular maintenance” are actually capital improvements, not routine maintenance . A perfect example is the series of “repairs” to the landing dolphins (see photo above) which cushion and absorb the ferry’s momentum when docking. The current “repair” is expected to cost $400,000, and that’s in addition to  similar recent rebuilds of several others. Let’s face it, folks, there is nothing “regular and ordinary” about major infrastructure improvements.

A search online comparing accounting practices for ordinary repairs vs. capital repairs yields consistent results across the board. A repair must be considered a capital improvement if it meets any one of these criteria:

• Extends the asset’s useful life beyond that originally estimated, OR
  
• Enhances its overall value, OR
• Makes it better, more efficient, or more productive.

Still, these are questions best answered by accounting experts. Fortunately, all local and state agencies are subject to oversight by the Washington State Auditor’s Office, and we happen to have a branch office in Bellingham. We have asked that office to take a closer look at these County accounting practices to determine if they conform to State standards, and are hopeful that can happen soon.

In the meantime, there is a lot of interest and traffic on our local Nextdoor website about the economic and social impacts of the proposed fare increases. According to 2020 Census data, around 350 Island residents consider themselves regular commuters who ride the ferry to the mainland to work most days, about 250 round trips per year. That adds up to about $1000/yr for every $4 in fares. Current punch card fares are currently around $10 for car/driver, or $2500/yr for a commuter. Under the proposed fare increase that will go up to around $3500/yr for a car/driver and — we are not making this up– still $2500/yr just to walk on. No other ferry system on the planet has such a disproportionate charge for walkons.

So there are a bunch of ethical issues here as well as financial ones. It is reasonable for someone who lives on the Island to have to pay that kind of money just to drive to work every day? Everyone else gets to use all the other County and State roads at no charge. Not that many years ago our ferry route was actually classified as a state highway. Why did that change?

to be continued

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Bodega Garzon Albarino ’21        Uruguay        $15
Pale yellow with greenish reflections, this Albariño is intense in the nose, with peach and citrus notes. The freshness and minerality mid-palate is superb, with remarkable acidity and a round, crisp finish. A lovely wine at a bargain price!

The Wolftrap Syrah Mourvèdre Viognier ’18      South Africa    $12
Aromas of ripe plums, red currants, violets, Italian herbs and exotic spices lead to vibrant flavors of darker berries and spicy plum with hints of orange peel that linger on a juicy finish. Also way over-delivers for its modest price!

Daou Pessimist Red blend ’20       California  (Paso Robles)      $25
Full-bodied, rich and spicy, with balanced layers of elderberry and truffle with accents of cocoa, cardamom  eucalyptus, leather, tobacco, and grilled meat, alluring texture, and leisurely finish.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

Our current plan is to be open Fridays only for the rest of January.

Covid is still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated.

We all have our own comfort zones; these days we all have to manage the space around us in our own way.

Friday Bread This Week

Buckwheat Rye – Fresh milled buckwheat and rye flours are soaked for several hours without any yeast in a method known as an autolyse. As buckwheat has no gluten and rye doesn’t have much. The autolyse allows the grain to start the fermenting process and really gets the enzymes going before the final mix – which is then fermented overnight in the refrigerator. The buckwheat, rye soaker is mixed with bread flour, salt and yeast and a bit of honey. Goes well with all sorts of meats and cheese – $5/loaf

Whole Grain Spelt Sweet Levain – Similar to a bread I sampled in Latvia it is made with a levain, also known as sourdough, freshly milled whole wheat and whole spelt before mixing with bread flour as well as a nice combination of dried apricots, golden raisins, slivered almonds and both sunflower and flax seeds. Chock full of flavor! – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Bear Claws!! – Made with a danish pastry dough rich in cream, eggs, sugar and butter. The dough is rolled out and spread with a filing made with almond paste, powdered sugar, egg whites and just a bit of cinnamon to round out the flavor. Then, because bears love honey, topped with a honey glaze after baking. As always, quantities are limited, be sure to get your order in before you miss out- 2/$5

Wine of the Week: Marchetti Verdicchio di Castelli di Jesi Classico ’21         Italy       $14

The Marche wine region reaches from the mountainous spine of Italy to the Adriatic. This week’s low-yield Verdicchio is a hallmark of the varietal, with refreshing citrus fruits, playful acidity, and complex minerality. Made only with juice from a gentle half-press, it is precise and engaging.

Established in 1968 as a DOC of 18 hilly communes, the Verdicchio Classico, or Castelli di Jesi, region, is located some 35 kilometers inland from Ancona, an unusual wine region near the Adriatic coast where red grapes are grown close to the sea, and white grapes prefer to be slightly inland. The distinction of being “Classico” is a recognition that “this is what wine from this grape is meant to taste like!”

Wine history of the region dates back to the Romans and before, with some clay artifacts such as amphorae dating the region’s wine production back to the Iron Age. These days, the verdicchios from the region have developed a consistent quality and tasting profile that sets them apart.

Economics of the Heart: Fairer Ferry Fares, cont’d

Drama continues to unfold on ferry fares. As we write tonight the County Council is meeting to discuss (and likely approve) a proposal from County Public Works to raise ferry fares significantly during the coming year. The draconian proposal first became public just two months ago. At our advisory committee meeting lasrt week I proposed the Council put a hold on the proposal until a number of serious questions about the necessity, advisability, and even the legality of the proposed increases could be reviewed and discussed. 

That proposal was soundly defeated after a spirited discussion had been abruptly cut off for a vote. The experience was disappointing but also painfully illuminating, making it perfectly clear once and for all that we (and perhaps even most County Advisory Committees…?) exist merely to be informed of County plans, to ask questions, and to make recommendations and suggestions— just as is every other citizen. But at the end of the day such committees have no political authority or influence. Such influence can only come from, metaphorically speaking, a large number of citizens wielding torches and pitchforks. That is, directly lobbying our elected Council members.

I suspect that lots of people figure this out early in life, while some of us spend decades tilting at the windmills of injustice like Don Quixote, outraged by the hypocrisy, heartened by belief in and longing for fairness, justice, and truth— you know, the futile quaintness of “principle.”

At issue with the proposed fare increase is the actual meaning and intent of the state and county laws governing ferry rates. And ironically, while the current debate is clearly laid out in the way these laws are written, at this very moment the County is engaged in a project that has been ( I am not making this up!) used by the State Dept of Transportation as an example of a capital expenditure and why is it NOT an operations or maintenance expenditure.

Seriously, the reason ferry service for much of this and next week will end with the 9:20pm run (don’t be late getting back from town or you will be stuck on the mainland!) is for major repair ($400,000) to one of the landing dolphins at the Island dock. Such repairs can be legally counted as “operating expenses” only to the extent that they add neither value nor longevity to the structure. If they do either, then those expenditures are by definition capital expenditures which yield service and depreciate in value over time and cannot legally be classified as either “operating expenses” or “repairs.” On the contrary they are capital assets which cannot legally be charged against fare box revenues.

Sooo…stay tuned, this could get interesting…!

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Marchetti Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico ’21         Italy       $14
Verdicchio/ Malvasia blend using only free-run juice; pale straw color with green overtones; intense bouquet of citrus, lemon zest, and floral notes,with complex fruity character, and crisp, well-balanced palate.

Cala Civetta Sangiovese di Toscana ’21      Italy     $13
Earthy nose of red plum accompanies a vibrant yet mildly tannic palate of tart cherry with a hint of smoke and ocean brine – a true expression of Scansano, nestled halfway between the Tyrrhenian Sea and Mt. Amiata.

Tre Donne D’Arc Langhe Rosso ’18   Italy   $20
Blend of oak-aged Barbera, and Pinot Nero with unoaked Dolcetto and Freisa that makes for a lively, fresh wine with rich, moody fruit, bracing purity, and fascinating depth.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

Our current plan is to be open Fridays only for the rest of January.

Covid is still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated.

We all have our own comfort zones; these days we all have to manage the space around us in our own way.

Friday Bread is Back!

Four Seed Buttermilk – This bread includes all the elements of whole wheat, but does so separately by adding cracked wheat and bran in to the bread flour instead of milling whole wheat berries. It also has buttermilk and oil which will make for a tender bread as well as adding a little tang. Finally it is finished with with a bit of honey and sunflower pumpkin and sesame seeds and some toasted millet – $5/loaf

Fig Anise – One of the more popular breads in the rotation. Made with a sponge that is fermented overnight, then the final dough is mixed with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Honey, dried figs and anise bring in all the flavors of the mediterranean. – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Fruit & Spice Rolls – Lightly sweet and half whole wheat but of course lots of butter, sugar and egg for flavor and a tender crumb. Dried cranberries, golden raisins, fresh orange peel and juice with hints of anise, cinnamon, mace and cardamon, and topped with demerara sugar before baking for that extra bit of sweetness and crunch.  – 2/$5

Wine of the Week: Cataclysm Chardonnay  ’20        Washington       $14

Over the years we have enjoyed and carried several wines from long-established  Montinore winery in Oregon. It is one of only a few that is certified both biodynamic and organic, using practices and techniques that produce wines that are not only tasty, but also that sustain the vines and surrounding ecosystem with sound practices that maintain interdependent balance. The winery was established in 1982.

The Cataclysm Wine Company, on the other hand, is “brand” (snicker) new, with no history, no record, no details whatsoever about where exactly the wine was made, by whom, or where the fruit came from. There is, apparently, some financial relationship between the owners of Cataclysm and the long-time owners of Montinore. We suspect that Montinore made the wine, probably at its main facility in Forest Grove, Oregon, as part of some larger financial arrangement that has allowed Montinore to expand its operations to the point where you cannot reach an actual human being on any of their telephones. Ah, the oily wheels of corporate progress.

You can decide for yourself whether you like the wine or not, or care at all about its peculiar lack of a backstory. But for those of us that cherish handmade artisan wine from the hands and vineyards of a real person, it always feels like some kind of ethical betrayal. In any case, it is tasty and reasonably priced, and that’s the customary Bottom Line!

Economics of the Heart: Deafness to Expediency

courtesy gearbubble.com/

Recent events have recalled a favorite quotation we have mentioned before in this blog, feeling again the continuing relevance of a memorable ethical assertion some 150 years ago from Matthew Fontaine Maury (our first National Oceanographer):
“Where principle is involved, be deaf to expediency.” 

While it is often claimed that “We are a Nation of Laws,” over recent decades we have been losing the assurance  that our laws are both principled in purpose and enforced honorably, equitably, and fairly. Without Principle, laws become the means of tyrannical oppression by an autocratic minority or the whims of profit-driven corporations and continually campaigning politicians. When we look around our country and the World today we see lots of reasons to believe that these basic Principles have become quaint and archaic fantasies, wholly and purposefully replaced by vapid pragmatism and unconscious compromise.

We all still know what responsibility, decency, honor, service, and kindness are, at least intellectually. But we find all kinds of reasons to minimize their importance and dismiss them as too idealistic, too much trouble, making too many waves, or threatening our own comfortable position by rocking the Boat of the Moment. We all have a lot of ambiguity about these matters, a little compromise here, a little pooh-pooh there, adding up to an ongoing willingness to back Authority, not buck it.

On my first day as a midshipman nearly sixty years ago, I remember being advised, “Don’t Rock the Boat,” and “Don’t Make Waves.” But alas, in all these years I have not been able to become that guy, because I actually believe to my core that Principle IS more important than Expediency, and that we all live in a world that has increasingly become ruled by “Getting along means Going along.” 

As with Covid, we all have to find our own ways to deal with this ongoing dilemma. We serve on our Boards and Committees in which we nominally share a common interest, and it can be deeply frustrating to keep crashing into the impassive wall of safe and passive conformity, itself the thoughtless cause of considerable suffering

Our photo today is a line–  more of a mantra, actually–  that Timothy Leary used as a theme on a speaking tour of college campuses (including WWU around 1980. )

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Cataclysm Chardonnay ’20        Washington       $14    
Aromas of quince, pear, and custard; pleasing mouthfeel, easy to drink. Made with Washington fruit at an undisclosed location by undisclosed people in some kind of financial relationship with Montinore Estate in Oregon.

Robert Ramsay Mason’s Red ’16   Washington  $17
Easy-drinking cinsault-dominant Rhone blend; subtle nose of black cherry paste with a hint of cinnamon spice that expands on the palate to a soft anise finish.

Can Blau Can Blau ’18     Spain     $16
Long an Artisan favorite; consistently shows aromas and flavors of ripe dark fruits and berries, a seamless texture, and long, silky finish that improves with aeration.

SORRY, CLOSED THIS WEEKEND!

Every year at this time we close the shop for a bit to do a modest amount of actual “accounting,” beginning of course with end of year inventory. It’s a tedious affair, but grounding in its quiet drudgery. It has been made easier for having whittled away much of our inventory  (hence the increasingly bare shelves) during our collectively strange social behavior these last three years, and to some degree the task does demand a bit of quiet attention, which is always soothing.

Beginning next weekend (1/13), Friday Bread Delivery returns after the Holiday hiatus. Those on the Bread List should receive details on Sunday by email.

Also beginning next weekend the wine shop will be open Fridays only from 3:30 – 5:30 through January.

SIGNS OF THE SEASON

Not much else to say this week except to wish us all a kind, friendly, year of creature comforts, soothing exhalations, warm friendships, and a global standing down from the countless brinks of disaster our species keeps taking us toward. Goodness gracious, Enough Already!

OPEN FRIDAY FOR SPECIAL END OF YEAR  2022 TASTING   3:30-5:30

We want to do something special to mark the end of another wine shop year with all of you. At the same time we are leery of crowds and feeling cautious since Covid. Soooo..what to do, what to do…?? Something simple and maybe a little bit special…hmm…

What we have come up with is a regular Friday tasting, but with several above-average wines you may not have tasted before; see notes below.

We have only a few bottles of each wine, but enough that everyone at least gets a pour of each!

Hope you can stop by…and may 2023 bring a commitment to peace, prosperity, and climate stability from every human being on this precious planet.

EOY ’22  Special  $10 Wine Tasting

St. Peray

Jean-Luc Colombo St. Peray La Belle de Mai ’18     France    $35
Beautiful golden color. An intense floral and fruity nose with notes of iris, candied fruit and fresh hazelnuts. Full-bodied palate with rich, concentrated flavors of quince, vanilla, and a slight lemon zest.

Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Roche Roulee ’18      Alsace     $45
Aromas of damask rose, orange peel and pith, and juicy peach make for an attractive nose; palate has gentle sweetness countered by pleasant, phenolic bitterness that lends shape to this off-dry, spicy, mellow wine. making it generous and intriguing, with a textured, off-dry finish.

Quilceda Creek ‘CVR’ Red Wine ’06      Washington    $50
This medium-bodied wine displays black cherry fruit, cedar, spice, vanilla and minerals…best enjoyed over the next 15 years. (i.e., NOW!)

Betz La Cote Rousse Syrah ’13      Washington      $55
Aromas of iron, fresh-roasted coffee beans, high-toned dried herbs, mineral, blue fruit and savory spices explode from the glass; this wine coats the palate from end to end with supple tannins, dense fruit, and savory flavors that feel sleek without sacrificing depth.

SORRY, CLOSED THIS WEEKEND!

With about a foot of snow on the ground and temperature hovering around 10 degrees all week, our mammal instincts are to hunker down in our burrows and try to stay cozy.

At last check, MORE snow was forecast for tonight (Thursday), from midnight to daylight…then warming up to several hours of “freezing rain” Friday morning (which really makes us want to hunker down!), and then in the afternoon varying among the many shades of Wetness found here in the Pacific NW, (“rain, light rain, showers,  rain/wind.”), before warming to seasonal temps well above freezing for Christmas Eve.

For all these reasons, the wine shop will NOT be open either Friday or Saturday this weekend, so we take this opportunity to wish you and yours Good Cheer, Warm Hearts, and a Happy and Cozy Holiday Week!

Friday Bread Pickup This Week Moved to Ferry Overflow Parking Area Saturday 1:30 – 3 PM

Due to the nasty weather predicted for Friday, Bread Pickup will be on Saturday afternoon from 1:30 – 3 PM at the overflow parking lot across from the ferry landing, as was the case during early Covid months. Drive clockwise to the back of the lot and Janice will hand you your orders from the trunk of the black Tesla for this week’s loaves AND the special Xmas Stollen for those who ordered it two weeks ago…

Stollen  – Island Bakery’s traditional Holiday bread, made with bread flour, a hint of fresh milled rye, milk, eggs, and lots of butter to enrich the bread for a soft crumb; then it is loaded with a mixture of dried fruit, fresh lemon and orange peel, candied lemon and orange peel, and almonds. Shaped around an almond paste filling then brushed with a glaze of melted butter, sugar and ginger then dusted with powdered sugar. Mmm-mm, Fabulous! -$10/loaf

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm both Friday and Saturday

The weather looks dry and 40-ish for Friday.

Saturday will still be well above freezing but could see a little snow but no measurable accumulation is likely.

ALSO… please note above the slight change to new Winter hours!

Friday Bread Pickup This Week!

Flax Seed Currant Ciabatta – Made with a poolish that ferments some of the flour and water overnight before being mixed with a nice mix of bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and rye flours, then loaded up with flax seeds and dried currants for a delicious bread. The dough takes a lot of water, making a very slack dough that is cut into pieces. A really flavorful artisan loaf – $5/piece

Egg Bread w/ apples & honey – Sometimes called challah or shiksa challah, either way it’s a delicious enriched bread full of eggs, honey, milk and butter, and dried apples for a lots of flavor, and braided into a round loaf ready to slice for breakfast toast. – $5/loaf.

and pastry this week…

Panettone – This is an italian brioche often made during the Christmas holidays with candied orange peel and raisins in a large loaf. These panettone are made with lots of sugar, butter, eggs and honey and are flavored with saffron, golden raisins, candied lemon and orange and topped with pearl sugar – 2/$5

AND our Holiday Special for those who ordered two weeks ago…

Stollen (see photo) – Our traditional Holiday bread, made with bread flour, a hint of fresh milled rye, milk, eggs, and lots of butter to enrich the bread for a soft crumb; then it is loaded with a mixture of dried fruit, fresh lemon and orange peel, candied lemon and orange peel, and almonds. Shaped around an almond paste filling then brushed with a glaze after baking made of melted butter, sugar and ginger then dusted with powdered sugar. Mmm-mm, Fabulous! -$10/loaf

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon ’17        Oregon      $27

The Sineann Winery is located just across the road from Oregon’s Champoeg State Park. We generally pop in to taste wine several times a year when we are visiting the park with our trailer. Our last visit was several months ago, and we have already poured many of the wines we brought back then. This is the first time we will be offering this one for tasting.

The best description comes from the winemaker:

Our 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet is made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, and only Cabernet Sauvignon, from Phinny Hill Vineyards.

We easily could have vineyard-designated any of the components of this Cabernet.  We chose instead to blend it into this gorgeous wine.  You will rarely experience a wine this good that costs this little.

The wine is classic Columbia Valley Cabernet – dark and well-balanced.  It is good friendly and will age very well.

You’ll rarely find a better value in well-crafted Cabernet!

Economics of the Heart: Folks For Far Fairer Ferry Fares

Our old-timers out there will likely remember the old Kingston Trio song, “MTA,” back in the early sixties, about a guy named Charlie who got stuck on a Boston subway because of a five-cent fare increase– he needed “one more nickel” to get off the train. We may have a similar problem right here on Lummi Island.

There are a lot of ferry routes here in the Pacific NW, carrying just about everyone and everything to and from a lot of islands. Most of these routes are served by the Washington State Ferry System, which operates from southern Puget Sound to the San Juan Islands and even to Vancouver Island aross the strait in Canada. A handful of smaller ferry systems are operated by several counties, including ours which is operated by Whatcom County.

Funding for county ferries varies according to the nature of the island and its demographics. All the systems get some subsidies from the State, some revenue from fares, and some funding from their County budgets. In our case we depend on a 60 yr old vessel that was originally designated a 16-car vessel, but which has been carrying up to 20 cars each way since we moved here about thirty years ago. It is due to be replaced in about 2026.

In recent years, our aging vessel has encountered significant increases in “maintenance” costs as major components wear out or fail. About 15 years ago the County passed a law requiring that fares should be set to cover 55% of “operating costs.” Over the following five years, fares for daily commuters were increased annually from several hundred $$ per year to over Two Thousand per year! Many residents, especially renters and young families, were forced to move to the mainland. The island elementary school enrollment dropped dramatically. The rate increases were a thoughtless and cruel experiment in demographic engineering.

Fast forward to today, and again the County is complaining that fares are too low to cover the required 55% of operating costs, and has just released its latest proposed rate increase. The proposed fares would add another $1500 to the annual cost of daily commuters, taking it up toward $4000/yr. To make it even worse, the entire fare structure makes a particular effort to exploit walk-on passengers. As one friend put it, “You can ride the ferry as a passenger for $10, and for another $6 you can even bring your car.” So a lot of people are upset about the proposed rate increases.

Last night about twenty residents gathered for a special meeting of the Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee (of which this writer is a member). Needless to say such big fare changes will prompt all of us to find ways to economize on ferry use. Some people may have to move to the mainland, as happened ten years ago. Others will make fewer shopping trips. Everyone will tighten their belts and buy less of everything else to cover our new ferry expense, because the ferry is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Islanders already pay higher property taxes than many other County communities; those miles of shoreline get assessed pretty steeply. All in all, many of us feel that “enough is enough, stop punishing us!” After all, the ferry is just our highway. No one else in the County has to pay thousands of dollars just to drive to work every day on roads and bridges paid for by general taxation.

The county statute that regulates fares requires that fare box receipts cover 55% of “operating costs,” which are further defined as expenses for “actual regular and routine maintenance and administrative expenses.” And ‘Ay, there’s the rub,” as Hamlet put it; some feel that fares are really being raised to shift the rapidly increasing repair costs of our 60 yr old ferry onto fares rather than onto the general road fund where they belong. Many of us are concerned that at least some of these growing “maintenance costs” do not meet the criteria for routine maintenance. Oil, lube, points, plugs, paint— “regular” connotes “predictable.” Repairs to failing capital equipment should not qualify as regular maintenance.

The County has tipped its hand often in recent years that a lot of effort goes into justifying quite a number of capital upgrade expenses as “regular maintenance” so they can be charged to farebox receipts. It will take some digging to confirm if that’s true.

Stay tuned!

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Maryhill Viognier ’18    Washington    $14
Carefully picked and slowly pressed to extract vibrant aromas of melon, pear, and apricot with traces of pineapple and grapefruit, continuing into a sensational and crisp fruit finish.

 Cala Civetta Sangiovese di Toscana ’21      Italy     $13
Earthy nose of red plum accompanies a vibrant yet mildly tannic palate of tart cherry with a hint of smoke and ocean brine – a true expression of Scansano, nestled halfway between the Tyrrhenian Sea and Mt. Amiata.

Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon ’17        Oregon      $27
Classic Columbia Valley cab– dark, well-balanced, food friendly, and age-worthy. “We easily could have vineyard-designated any of the components of this Cabernet; we chose instead to blend it into this gorgeous wine. You will rarely experience a wine this good that costs this little!”

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm both Friday and Saturday

The cold, rain, snow, and ice on the roads made for a sparse turnout last weekend, so we will be doing much the same wines this weekend as last. plus a bubbly for the holiday season.

We have been testing negative for Covid and feeling a lot better the last several days, so looking forward to visitors again. We notice the clock change to Standard Time last month has made the sudden arrival of darkness in the afternoon still feel a little shocking! The good news is (we are not making this up)  it’s now only two weeks till Winter Solstice, when the days will start getting longer again! Yay!

ALSO… please note above the slight change to new Winter hours!

Friday Bread Pickup This Week!

Dried Cherry and Pecan – A levain is made the night before final mixing of the dough using a sourdough starter. This allows the fermentation process to start and the gluten to start developing. The final dough is made with the levain, bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and then loaded up with dried cherries and toasted pecans. A nice rustic loaf that goes well with meats and cheese – $5/loaf

Pan de Cioccolate – Also made with a levain, this bread is a delicious chocolate artisan bread not an enriched sweet pastry dough with lots of eggs, butter and sugar. Rather it is a rich chocolate bread made with a levain, bread flour and fresh milled rye flour, honey for sweetness, vanilla and plenty of dark chocolate. Makes fabulous toast, even better french toast – $5/loaf.

and pastry this week…

Morning Buns – Made popular by Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, these are my interpretation. Made with the same laminated dough as croissants. The dough is rolled out, spread with a filling of brown sugar, orange zest, butter and cinnamon. Rolled up and sliced before baking. As always, quantities are limited, be sure to get your order in early – 2/$5….AND our Holiday Special…

Stollen – Our traditional Holiday bread, made with bread flour, a hint of fresh milled rye, milk, eggs, and lots of butter to enrich the bread for a soft crumb; then it is loaded with a mixture of dried fruit, fresh lemon and orange peel, candied lemon and orange peel, and almonds. Shaped around an almond paste filling then brushed with a glaze after baking made of melted butter, sugar and ginger then dusted with powdered sugar. Mmm-mm, Fabulous! -$10/loaf

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: J. Laurens Cremant de Limoux Traditionelle

By this “traditional method,” bubbles are produced in the wine by a second fermentation that takes place when yeast is added to each bottle, which is then recorked. When secondary fermentation is completed, the wines are uncorked, yeast residue removed, and rebottled. These days, while blanquette de Limoux is still made mainly from the grape mauzac, the more “internationally styled” Cremant de Limoux is predominantly chardonnay and chenin blanc (as in Champagne), with only a vestigial proportion of mauzac– though hopefully still enough to produce sparkling wines that are fresh and grassy with aromas of green apple.

A Farewell Toast to Blaine Wetzel’s World Famous Willows Inn!

photo courtesy of Susy Bando

Islanders have mixed feelings about the decade or so of having a world-famous restaurant here. While looking at some old blog posts, I found a reference to this article from 2015, which has some terrific photos of the carefully crafted servings at the Willows, spectacular views of the Strait from Baker Preserve, and a kindly review of one food writer’s experience during the peak of the restaurant’s success.

While many Islanders have soured on the entire enterprise for various reasons over the years, it seems appropriate to some of us to lift a glass to toast Blaine’s accomplishment in achieving global recognition for his creative efforts, and sincerely wish him good fortune with his next effort, rumored to be somewhere near Puerto Vallarta.

He consistently pleased a lot of people a lot of the time in his own creative way, and even as you read this you can bet a bunch of top chefs are getting in touch with Lighthouse Mission, the bequested new owners of the property, and which has long sheltered and served the homeless in Bellingham. It could all be yours for only $2M…!

Economics of the Heart: Sophistry IS the Republican Platform

courtesy salon.com

Nobody talks about sophistry any more. It’s probably because so many are actively engaged in it that no one needs to talk about it. Sophistry is in the saying and proclaiming and the faux certainty and that’s the point. Indeed, pretty much everything Republicans say lately is well-practiced persuasion using spurious arguments that have no factual basis whatsoever. The same lines are repeated over and over and over in the face of overwhelming evidence that they are false.

This all comes to mind after stumbling on this little piece by Ted Gioia called “The Word of the Year Is: Sophistry.”

So let’s consider it point by point.

1. The sophist is interested in what is persuasive; the philosopher is interested in what is true.

It has been many, many years since anyone has heard ANY Republican make a cogent argument for or against any real idea. They all recite the same talking points with  the same angry and dismissive tone as if they were actual policies and some part of a party platform. But there IS no platform, no ambition, no deliverable, only the creation of a belief that there is one somewhere and that it will be Wonderful: the Border Wall, the Muslim ban, the perfect phone calls, the calls for donations. It is all Empty.

2.The sophists, unlike philosophers, do not pursue the truth, but only master the art of persuasion.

See above!

3. In a very real sense, talking IS their vocation, although you might guess otherwise from their rhetoric, which invariably promises more than any sophist will ever deliver.

Listen to anything Mitch McConnell has ever said…on second thought no, no, don’t put yourself through that…you would just nod along with him till he is finished, only to realize that you can’t remember even a single thing he said. How does he Do that…?

4. Despite the shallowness of their thinking, sophists have far more influence than honest and serious thinkers, especially in matters of politics and policy. This is because the sophist’s rhetoric is always shaped by what their audience wants to hear.

This why the Tweetster is so able to control the entire Party; he is just like them, but born to it, a professional scammer and liar, completely out of their league, and they are all helpless against him. Sad!

5. For that same reason, sophists will avoid painful truths that run counter to popular demand. Addressing hard truths is bad for their business.

An old cartoon comes to mind. An old man is sitting on a park bench throwing popcorn to a very large “Bird,” obviously a guy in a not-at-all convincing bird costume, while another guy is whispering to the old man, “Sir, that fellow is making a fool of you…!”

6. Sophists are frequent deceivers and sometimes outright charlatans, whose goal is to make people believe whatever they want—and thus, according to Plato and Aristotle, they are responsible for a large portion of the public’s holding false beliefs.

And now they control vast audiences on talk radio, Fox News, Facebook, Twitter, and more, not to mention budding dictatorships around the world. These guys have been around for a Long Time.

You get the picture, and no doubt it resonates. Below are the remaining points in Mr. Gioia’s list. We leave it to you to read them and observe your own reactions, most likely some kind of nodding, oh-yeah-ing, and forehead-slapping agreement. It’s a great article, both entertaining and thought-provoking, hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

7. If necessary, a sophist can actually argue both sides of any issue—and thus has the skill to make the bad seem good, or evil look like justice.

8. They are often aligned with the rich and powerful, and have a knack for making money from their abilities.

9. In the words of one classicist, the end result is a powerful group of “influencers” (as we would call them today) who are “crudely self-serving” and “frivolously manipulative.”

10. Sophists remain popular despite all these obvious warning signs. That’s no coincidence, because the sophists practice a vocation that deliberately aims at enriching and empowering the possessor of sophistical skills.

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

J. Laurens Cremant de Limoux      France   $16
Long before there was “champagne,” there was cremant de Limoux, a little area SW of Carcasonne with creamy mousse texture, and notes of baked apple, prune, and yeasty minerality.

Domaine de l’Amauve La Daurèle, Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret ’20    France    $17
Grenache blanc, clairette, viognier, & ugni blanc; expressive nose of white fruits, Mirabelle plum, and acacia honey; soft on the palate with lively citrus flavors…delicious and very Food Versatile!

Chateau Auzias Cabardes   ’18        France     $12
From Carcasonne, 60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Syrah, 10% Grenache. Enticing aromas of  black raspberry and mulberry that showcase the Cabardes appellation where both Rhone and Bordeaux varietals may be grown. Fine-grained tannins and lacy, billowing acidity carry that raspberry/mulberry fruit all the way to a fresh, graceful finish.

Pomum Red ’16     Washington    $18
Carefully made Bordeaux blend of cab, cab franc, malbec, petite verdot, and merlot; aromas of red fruit-leather and exotic spices; flavors of black cherry, cranberry, and garrigue.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm both Friday and Saturday

We are happy to report that we are now testing negative for Covid and feeling much better. All in all, we are thankful to have had mild cases and to be on the mend, thanks in large part to the effectiveness of the Omega booster. For your safety and peace of mind we plan to be masked up in the wine shop this weekend.

ALSO… please note above the slight change to new Winter hours!

No Friday Bread Pickup This Week!

Please note there will be no bread pickup this week. If you are on the bread list you will receive an email on Sunday with selections for next weekend.

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: Greywacke Pinot Noir ’18 New Zealand $30

Most simply, greywacke is a type of sandstone with a lot of rock grain and fragments in it, kind of a lumpy batter that set up before it was completely stirred. It is believed to have formed by mudslides along a continental shelf. Greywacke is made up of dull-colored sandy rocks that are mostly grey, brown, yellow, or black which can occur in thick or thin beds, and which bear some similarity to local formations of “Chuckanut sandstone” that we see on our own shores here on Lummi Island and around the San Juan Islands.

Last year we learned that many of the formations at the Aiston Preserve (recently acquired for restoration and preservation by the Lummi Island Heritage Trust) and much of the southern half of Lummi Island contain significant deposits of greywacke. These formations are about 150 million years old, and overlay basalt and chert from an even more ancient sea floor.

Greywacke is also a major part of the geological structure of New Zealand, and just a couple of years ago we learned there is a NZ winery of the same name. We have been stocking their sauvignon blanc and pinot noir for a couple of years now, and so far it has been universally satisfying. The rocky soil gives the wines a complex minerality with aromas and flavors of dark fruit and nuances of cedar, earth, and smoke.

Winemaker Kevin Judd was the longtime winemaker at the consistently highly regarded Cloudy Bay winery before starting his own winery at Greywacke in 2008. It’s good! (read more)

Economics of the Heart: Will Majorities Actually Matter Again?

https://fontsarena.com/ugly-gerry/

In one of today’s posts, opinion writer Jennifer Rubin put out a thoughtful and encouraging take on the recent national election. In particular, voter turnout and election outcomes across the country suggest that Republicans have lost control of at least some of their key constituencies. While the MAGA base of less-educated, white, evangelical, Christian, rural, and older voters (along with their other base of self-serving bazillionaires…) still forms the core of Republican support, it is clear that that base is shrinking over time.

Rubin points to this week’s example of nearly a dozen Republican Senators who voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act. Though fully two thirds of their caucus voted against it, one third actually voted for it for a surprising bit of vanishingly rare aisle-crossing. Across the nation some 70% of voters support the Act, suggesting the (we can only hope) possibility that Republicans are facing a long-term uphill battle against a growing population of young voters, “especially millennials and Generation Z voters who will soon dominate the electorate.”

For the last fifteen years the Republican operational plan for maintaining political power with a declining base has been twofold. Part 1 was gaining control of rural state legislatures before the 2010 Census and effectively using blatantly partisan gerrymandering to increase the number of “safely Republican seats” in their states’ Congressional districts. Despite being cynical, anti-American, and mean-spirited, the tactic was enormously successful. Part 2 over the past ten years has been to fire up the base with a vast, 24/7 right-wing media bombardment to stoke their fears and prejudices about race, gender ambiguity, and every nation’s obligation to provide refuge from the ever-increasing number of toxic regimes and failing economies around the world.  All in all Republicans have been very effective at setting up the conditions for their minority rule across the Red states, and most Congressional Republicans are still all in to eliminate fair elections.

This picture is nicely summarized in a quotation from Robert P. Jones, head of the Public Religion Research Institute about the Dobbs decision: “it is part of a gambit to hold onto a particular conservative vision of white Christian America and impose it upon a more religiously and racially diverse nation that is increasingly supportive of a set of rights grounded in a constitutional right to privacy.”

Rubin’s encouraging main point is that yes, we can see most Republican leaders still pretty much All In with their long-term commitment to keep changing the rules at both state and national levels to their advantage. At the same time, however, as suggested by the recent election results, long-term demographic trends are not in their favor. The recent election pleasantly surprised us with the thoughtfulness of voters around the country. That result, along with growing evidence that younger voters generally lean toward inclusion and fairness, are causes for a bit of hope that we might once again become a nation of, by, and for the People.

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Domaine de l’Amauve La Daurèle, Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret ’20    France    $17
Grenache blanc, clairette, viognier, & ugni blanc; expressive nose of white fruits, Mirabelle plum, and acacia honey; soft on the palate with lively citrus flavors…delicious and very Food Versatile!

Chateau Auzias Cabardes   ’18        France     $12
60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Syrah, 10% Grenache. Enticing aromas of  black raspberry and mulberry that showcase the Cabardes appellation where both Rhone and Bordeaux varietals may be grown. Fine-grained tannins and lacy, billowing acidity carry that raspberry/mulberry fruit all the way to a fresh, graceful finish.

Greywacke Pinot Noir ’18     New Zealand    $30
Delicious aromas of juicy blackberries, blueberries and strawberry jam, with suggestions of black olives, cedar and a hint of lavender. Finely structured palate shows red and black fruit with earthy, smoky nuances.

Covid Update

courtesy MD Anderson Cancer Center

I am now around Day 10 of Covid, and have been feeling “almost” normal. Pat is in about Day 5, and feeling about the same. It is interesting to note that our symptom patterns have been quite different. I hit a temp of 102 for a day or so early on, and she did not. Mine has definitely been very much in my chest, hers not at all. Both of us have had less energy and gotten tired more easily. But all in all, it is our understanding that Omicron, while very easily transmitted, produces milder symptoms than some of the early, more virulent variants. So it’s been a long haul, but hopefully our herd is reaching some kind of equilibrium with the virus.

This Week’s Schedule:

PLEASE NOTE: The wine shop will NOT BE OPEN for tasting THIS weekend (Nov 25-26), but WILL be open as usual NEXT Friday and Saturday (Dec 2-3 a little bit earlier because of the waning daylight: 3:30 – 5:30 pm.)

Also…there will again be No Bread pickup next weekend (Dec 2), but there will be bread again the following weekend, Dec 9-10. Look for an email from Janice a week from Sunday (Dec 4) with details.

Thanksgiving Wishes

There is a lot to be thankful for this year… and a lot of work to do to keep our planet supporting eight billion of us without killing it.

On the plus side, the recent election results have generated a collective exhalation of relief from the numerous elements of moderation that were evident in the results, with a broad public rejection of election denialism and extremism.

Still, we need to keep our fingers crossed and keep working to reestablish effective dialogue and comity in our national and state legislatures, and our society as a whole needs to find ways to inoculate our media platforms against the deliberate deceit which has become such a divisive fixture across the internet.

And of course we are grateful to be finally emerging from the siege of Covid and for the increasing signs of  global progress against climate change we are beginning to see across the globe. We also press our palms together and bow to all of you who have been part of our wine shop community during the past year. It’s your ongoing warmth and conviviality that keep this place going!

Covid Update

Well, I am now into Day 4 of Covid, and all things considered, it’s pretty much like the last time I had the flu many years ago; there has been a definite progression of symptoms and temperature. Definitely achy, with that weird shingles-like scalp tingle when you touch your hair. No energy. Fever started second day at about 99, up to 102 yesterday, back to 99-ish today. Coughing, sneezing, fatigue. So yes even what looks like a mild case (I hope!) still sucks.

 So, in case you might be wondering, the wine shop will NOT BE OPEN this weekend, except for bread pickup Friday. (see below).

Friday Bread Pickup This Week  4-5:30 pm

Cranberry Walnut – Made with a nice mix of bread flour and freshly milled buckwheat and whole wheat flours. Orange juice and olive oil are a unique combination in this bread that add flavor and keep a soft crumb, then loaded up with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts. Perfect for turkey sandwiches and makes great toast- $5/loaf

Sesame Semolina – this bread uses a sponge as a pre-ferment that ferments some of the flour, water & yeast before mixing the final dough. Made with semolina and bread flour as well as a soaker of cornmeal, millet and sesame seeds, a little olive oil rounds out the flavor and tenderizes the crumb. The finished dough is rolled in more sesame seeds before baking. A bread with a lot of great flavors – $5/loaf

mmm, and pastry this week…

Black Sesame & Candied Lemon Brioche – A delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Filled with fresh lemon zest and candied lemon and as if that wasn’t enough, topped with a black sesame streusel before baking. Ooh la la, what’s not to like?

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Economics of the Heart: Hats Off to American Voters!

courtesy Gallup

The news and survey poll mantra for the last several months led us to believe and fear the worst kind of Ultra-Right takeover of Congress in last week’s election. So it was a huge relief to a lot of us that moderation, sober reflection, the Hearings, and of course the recent Ultra-Right Catholic Supreme Court Decisions led a lot of voters to turn away from election denial and give a solid message in favor of moderation.

We shall see how things roll. But it does feel that an oppressive weight has been lifted from our body politic, that there is at least a shot at moving Congress away from the carnival side show it has become under its massively egotistical and entitled so-called Freedom Caucus.

The signs we will be looking for are legislators working across party lines (yes, a tattered cliche, but missing in action since about 1994), an end to MAGA madness, a more deliberative Congress, a shared commitment to the spirit of our Constitution and a return to our real traditional values.

URGENT COVID NOTICE PLEASE READ!!

This is to let all of you who might have been in the wine shop this past Friday or Saturday know that I (Rich) have just tested positive for COVID. 

I felt a little off Monday night and had various cold symptoms this morning, so took a Covid test and was relieved to find it was negative.

Through the day I have maintained a sore throat, headache, and other cold symptoms, so tonight took another test and it immediately showed Positive. ( …expletives deleted…)

Some of you regulars were in the shop on Friday night, and a pretty good crowd of visitors was in on Saturday. If you were at the wine shop at all this weekend it would be a good idea for you to take a COVID test, as some of you might have been exposed to it at the shop over the weekend.

Chances are we will not be open this weekend, and will post updates as we learn more. Btw, we have had all our shots and boosters, so fingers crossed it will be a mild case.

Stay tuned and stay well!

Rich