Bummed About the Bite, but It's Okay

Fancy Fork Model

Last year was a pretty good year for me.  So, I was not exactly looking forward to 2020, like some people were.  Some of my friend's 2019 years did not go so well, so I had hoped maybe this year would help them. I think some have benefited somewhat from this outbreak, while others have not.

Earlier this year, before COVID-19, I was already getting excited about my yearly tradition of The Bite of Seattle. I was so busy at work, that I wondered if I should take the Friday of the first day of the Bite off, to go that day. I was planning ahead. When I was sent home from work, because of the outbreak, we thought it would only be two weeks.  I thought, "This is great! I have so much I need to get done, and this will give me the opportunity to do everything I have been wanting to do, but never had the time to do it....and we will be back before The Bite of Seattle even starts!" Silly me. I have got some of the things on my list done, but everything?  Who was I kidding? As the weeks turned into months, my excitement over my yearly tradition was fading.

Unwinding by the Pool

For the first time in 38 years, The Bite of Seattle had to cancel. It is no surprise. I do not blame them - it is what needed to be done at this time. They even tried to move it to August, but unfortunately, that is not going to work either. Bummer. I feel bad the restaurants, and their employees. The musicians who lost gigs there.  The people who benefited from the charitable contributions.

Barbeque with Bees

Despite that, I am making the most of my time, though. I have learned some new recipes.  Learned some tricks that do not set my fire alarm off every time I try to cook things, and also realized I can press a reset button to temporarily disarm it for a few minutes, if something does make it go off for a minor reason. Obviously, if I had a real concern, I would not press that button.

Cooking Pancakes

Today, I found out it is National Ice Cream Day.  I was going to make cookies earlier today, but as I was gathering the ingredients, I realized I do not have everything I need.  Plus, it is too hot today to cook cookies, anyway.  I do have some ice cream, so I think I will have some of that for dessert.

It won't be this fancy.

It looks like The Bellevue Arts Festival, that would have been next week,  is also cancelled this year.  That is okay, too.  I need to save my money this year. Plus, there are so many tempting bargains on the Internet as it is. Instagram has many artists you can view and support, as well, if you wish.

I continue to draw every single day, myself. It is very therapeutic, and it keeps my mind off of some of the more bothersome news of the world. Other times, it inspires my work. I am not currently selling my work, but you can go to my Instagram to look at it, if you wish.

Fashion 2020

This time has allowed me to be thankful for the things I do have.  I still am able to buy food, even if I cannot always get the food I want. I am able to cook. I have shelter. I have family and friends that care about me. As far as I know I am currently healthy. Right now, those are the most important things.  I hope you are able to have those things, too.

Want to see more of my art?  Go to justanotherplainjane on Instagram to see more.

Finding Happiness Through Hobbies

Hey guys, I know it has been a long time since I have written on here, and I was actually surprised to see a comment on one of my blogs recently.  I have been meaning to write, but have been keeping myself busy with other projects.

I thought this plant was done for this year, but it proved me wrong!

A couple of years ago I got out of the driving department, which was a very good change for me.  My new supervisor was great. So, I was sad when, after a year, he quit, as well as our General Manager.  I managed to stay. It took about 9 months before we got a new supervisor, which kept me very busy at my place of work. Eventually, we added some more people, but I was still working tons of overtime hours. I do like the new supervisor, though, which is good. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, none of us, have not been able to work for about a month now.

I still have my other hobbies, though. Whether I am working at my regular job or not.  I have actively done Inktober for 2 years in a row, now. For those who don't know, Inktober is a worldwide individual challenge inspired by prompts put out by Jake Parker.  He created it to get better at his inking skills.  I tried 3 years ago, just doodling from a few of the prompts, but never posting.  Then, two years ago, I committed to do the whole thing, no matter how bad my art looked.  Last year, I even bought a sketchbook, some new pens, and an official shirt, to motivate myself.  My cousin even sent me a fountain pen for my birthday, to motivate me as well.  She participated with me, but did not post her drawings.  She did show me, her artwork, however.  It was fun!

I did buy new art supplies, but I actually only used half of the ones shown here (last year).  The other half, I used the year before. Shown:  Official Inktober shirt, pencil, India ink, ballpoint pen, Sharpie, eraser, and sketchbook (I didn't use the India Ink for either Inktober... maybe next year?).

Two years ago, I had some vacation time to do my drawings, and they were pretty easy, and went quickly. Last year, everything I thought of took a little more planning and work. When the list was put out in September, I did some pre-sketches, so I would not forget those ideas.  All the inking, however, I waited till the day of. It was definitely challenging, especially with as many hours as I was putting in at work, but I felt it was worth it.

This was my pencil sketch of "Legend" Daryl Hall.  I debated whether I should ink this one or not.  I should have not.  At least I took a photo, first.  I still need practice on drawing people.

November came.  I noticed one of my favorite cartoonists, Michael Jantze was having a challenge in drawing characters from his comic strip The Norm.  He called it "Normvember."  I came up with some ideas, and drew them up.  He really liked them.  In fact, he sent me some hand-drawn post-its of his own work, which was very cool. It was fun.

My mashup version of The Norm and Doctor Who for Normvember.

A cute little gift my sister brought me from Japan on her last visit here.

My sister and her family visited from Japan back in August of last year.  She ordered herself an iPad, and told me about a drawing program called "Procreate." It looked pretty awesome.  Last December, I received an iPad as well, for Christmas, and downloaded Procreate. It is very much like Photoshop to me, so I learned it very quickly, and am still learning new things about it.  I have drawn on it every day since.  I get ideas from prompt lists on Instagram.  There are so many talented artists on Instagram! One of my favorite musicians, Alex Band even started following me.  That was exciting.  Just recently, I participated in a challenge called #6fanarts.  I had friends tell me who to draw for most of them, but I decided to choose to draw Alex Band for my first slot.  I was so happy that he, and many of his fans, liked it!

My stylized version of Alex Band for the #6fanarts challenge.

Another hobby that I have been doing is reading a ton of books.  3 years ago, I started doing a 50 book reading challenge, that one of my friends started.  She uses a list from the Idaho Falls Public Reading Library.  They give a list of 50 categories, and you get to choose a book from each category.  It really expands the type of books you read.  I read categories I would not normally pick, but I found out there are so many categories I like.  After each year of reading, we meet at her house for a party, that usually involves good food, and a white elephant book exchange, games, and prizes.  The first year, I managed to read all 50 books, in each category.  Last year, there was an option of three different tiers.  I chose the lowest, the 25 books.  Thank goodness I did.  There was no way I was going to get through 50 books last year.  This year, there was no other option, so I am trying to do 50 books again.  Hopefully, with this isolation period we are in, I can catch up, and make it.

Lots of books to read, so little time, well, maybe not now.

A current thing, that I am proud of, is, I have managed to keep two of my plants alive for several years now.  They only seem to like the light from my bedroom window, so it really limits the plants I can have, I guess.  I have a geranium that bloomed twice.  Not many blooms the second time, but I was surprised, because I heard they do not bloom more than once.  The impatiens, I thought were done for, and I wound up trimming them back so much, they looked ridiculous.  Then, last year, they filled out, and had a ton of blooms throughout the season.  I was thrilled!

More blossoms!

I am also enjoying cooking again, even if it is on limited ingredients, because I have only been to the store once since this whole isolation period started. When I did finally go to the store, I forgot to get some things!  Oh well!  I am finding things in my house I forget I had, or realized I haven't used.  I am now putting them to use. Making me glad I purchased them in the first place.

Through all this, I have had my good days and bad days. I feel grateful that I have time to do things I like, and also get things done that I did not have much time for.  I worry sometimes how long this will last. Will my job really be there when this is over?

This was a doodle for "Wind," but it feels appropriate for these uncertain times.

The worst news so far, was hearing that one of my favorite YouTubers took his own life.  In his last video, he admitted to being bi-polar.  It would sometimes take a long time for him to post a new video, but I didn't mind, it always made me happy when he did.  I did not know him personally, and I never made any comments on his YouTube account.  I did wonder earlier in the week he died, how he was doing, personally. I wondered if this isolation period was hard on him.  He hadn't posted any videos for awhile, and I just figured once we got through this, he would post one.  I was devastated when I heard the news. He did the videos called "Talking Kitty Cat." It was videos of him, of his cats and dog.  The main star, being a cat, named Sylvester.  Sylvester's character was a foul mouthed, selfish cat, but you couldn't help but love him, anyway. Steve Cash was humorous in how he brought new life into his pets.  He also sang sometimes. One catchy tune is called, "What the Kitty Doesn't Like."  He had a really nice voice.  I am really going to miss Steve Cash, and his awesome videos.

Unrelated, a day or so after, Alex Band went live on Instagram. He talked to fans, brought out his son, talked a little bit about fatherhood, and sang two of my favorite songs of his, "Anything" and "Euphoria."  That cheered me up a bit.  It was really nice for him to do.  He did more songs the next day, on his Patreon page.

As I was writing this, I caught the last half of a live show on Instagram with Mandy Moore (another favorite singer and actress) and her husband, Taylor Goldsmith. They sang very well together.  They seem to compliment each other very well, as a couple, too.

I was just happy to have toilet paper before the news of isolation hit.

Everybody is dealing with things in their own way.  Some of us are able to work, helping others.  Some of us are able to be with our families and teach them. Some of us are able to do things to cheer others up.  Wherever you are at, you are important. Whether you know it or not.  It may be difficult, but we will get through this, one way or another.

I believe we will.  More of my artwork can be seen at my Instagram site.

50+ Books, 31 Drawings, and One Amazing Concert

The past couple of years I have been really trying to challenge myself. Some of the challenges were thrust upon me, but many I chose to do. Last year, I finally was able to get out of the driving department, and go into the area I wanted to be. It seemed to take forever to happen, I was doing overtime beyond driving, just to prove I had what it takes to do the job. It did not help that my pain from the car accident got worse for awhile, making it difficult to stay as long as I would have liked, having to make time for doctor appointments and therapy for the pain, but I finally made it. Unfortunately, now my supervisor, who has been a very good fit for me, has decided to move on, leaving me wondering what will happen next.

At the beginning of this year I decided I would finish 3 books. Three that I started years ago, but never finished.  That all changed when I was asked if I was interested in a 50 book reading challenge to be completed within the year.  The reason being, each book had to be from a different category from a given list.  Since Les Misérables was on my personal reading list, I immediately dropped it.  The book is long, and difficult to read, and I did not have the patience to put it with a list of 49 other books.  The other two were fit into other categories, and I figured I would get them both done.  I decided towards the end of the challenge, that I would leave one to finish after the challenge, so I could take more time with it, to enjoy it more.

The challenge started in mid January.  I finished November 11.  I have finished other books since, but I felt really accomplished in having read 50 books!  It wasn't easy for me.  I normally do not read that fast.  I figured out a way to make things work out though.  The challenge helped me find books in categories I might not normally seek out.  I also reread books I had not in years, and felt I got something new out of them.  I found new books I liked, but also realized some popular books are severely overrated.  I wrote reviews for each one as well.  If you are on Goodreads, I think you can view them here: Jackie's Extreme Nerd Reading Challenge Books/Reviews.

If that wasn't enough to keep me busy this year, I also decided to do Inktober, a drawing challenge that happens every year in October.  People from all over the world draw from a prompt list (or create their own), doing one drawing per day.  It started with someone interested in challenging their inking skills.  I tried it last year, but only did a handful of the challenges.  This year, I did every single challenge. There were times it was incredibly difficult to think of something to do, even though the word for the day was already given.  Other times, it was a challenge drawing what I wanted to.  I got through it, though, and hope to do more with my art in the future.  You can see my artwork, and some of my photos from before the challenge here: Jackie's Instagram Inktober Drawings (as well as some photos).

In August, I decided to give myself an early birthday present, and take myself to the Train/Daryl Hall and John Oates concert. I invited my friend Jan, who I have known for many years, but have not done a lot with. I noticed she was interested in going to the same concert through Facebook. I invited her to go, and we had a blast! I have been a forever fan of Daryl Hall & John Oates, and have been to a couple of their concerts. I became a fan of Train around the time they first started, and have wanted to see them in concert, but never have been to a live show.  I do have a DVD of them in concert, however, that cover all my favorite songs from the "Drops of Jupiter" album, but it is not the same as seeing them in person. It was definitely worth it.

Kandace Springs opened the show, and had a lovely beautiful soulful, jazzy sound.  She set a nice calming vibe at the beginning.  I really enjoyed her part of the show.

Even though I did not realize that Pat Monahan is now the only one left in the band since I became a fan, they put on an impressive, high energy show. I also did not realize how long Train has been around. I think it has been about 18 or 20 years!

Train started their set with a song called "Drink Up."  I am not absolutely sure I had heard the song before, but I knew I really liked it, right away. As the show progressed, Pat took selfies of himself with some lucky audience members cell phones, and threw them back (I hope everyone caught their phones okay). Later, he brought out some Train t-shirts, threw some out to the audience in front of him, then put one on. He had each member of the band sign it, while he sang wearing it.  Then he threw it out to the audience.  An older guy who did not seem very excited (probably because he was more a fan of Hall and Oates, maybe?), caught it.  He gave a little smile, then dabbed his head with the t-shirt. Such a shame.  Too bad it wasn't thrown to someone more enthusiastic. The concert went on, and people lit up their cell phones during "When I Look to the Sky."

During a more upbeat song, Pat threw large beach balls out to the audience on the main floor. Everyone was singing, having a great time. Except for maybe the guy with the Train t-shirt, who knows?  They ended their set with my favorite song still, which is "Drops of Jupiter."  It sounded incredible.  I wanted to hear it again right after it was preformed, but I was also excited to hear Daryl Hall & John Oates.  It had been awhile since I had seen them live.

During intermission people were still excited and happy, the arena showed excerpts from Daryl's online show, "Live at Daryl's House."  They showed a clip where he sings with Cheap Trick, several audience members (including myself) waiting for the next set burst into song, "Mommy's alright, daddy's alright, they just seem a little weird...."  It was great.

The seats next to me, that no one was sitting in during the Train concert, filled.  They really missed out, I think.  As Daryl Hall and John Oates are taking the stage, two girls are standing, blocking the view, and talking to each other.  Seriously?  Someone yells, "Sit down!"  They don't do it.  I yell, "Sit down!"  My friend Jan, taps on the guy in front of us, who then quietly asks the girls to sit down. They finally do.

Daryl Hall & John Oates are still amazing in concert.  I was happy because I got to hear some of their more popular songs live, that I hadn't been able to before.  They sang hit after hit after hit.  They also sang a new song, that Train and Daryl Hall and John Oates collaborated on, "Philly Forget Me Not."  I love the song, their voices really blend well together.  They sang a couple of more songs together.  "Wait for Me," a Hall & Oates song, and "Calling All Angels," a Train song.  Pat leaves the stage, and the duo keeps singing. When the set is over, they leave the stage, but are called back for an encore.  They sing three more songs. They finish with "You Make My Dreams."  Even though it is late, I wish the concert wasn't over.  I kind of feel the same way about this year.  It was a pretty good year for me.  So long, 2018.

Bellevue Arts Fairs 2017 & 2018

My purchases in the past two years.  Above, a card "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" by Eileen Sorg.

Below, coasters "Cozy Afternoon," and "Miss Tater" by Mary Gibbs.

So, almost every year I go to a couple of art festival fairs/festivals that happen in Bellevue at this time of year.  I started going a long time ago, when my family and I were just heading out for a trip to the mall, and came across this festival, that was set up on the bottom of the parking garage at Bellevue Square Mall.  It was much smaller then, but it was something neat, and memorable.

It, as well as Bellevue, has grown so much.  Now, two festivals happen at the same time (the BAM ARTSfair and the Bellevue Festival of the Arts), so there is plenty to look at.  It normally takes me about 4-5 hours to see everything, if I am up to it.  I almost did not go this year, because I wasn't sure I was up to it this year, but I am really glad I went.  I just love seeing all the amazing talent people have and the variety of styles.  They also have good food out there, in case you are hungry.  I decided to eat at home this year, before I went.

One of the most impressive pieces of work, was a sculpted dragon that really breathes fire!  The artist, Gunter Reimnitz, is happy to show a demonstration of his work.  I did not get a photo of the fire breathing, but there is a great one shown here.  It was at the festival this year as well as last year.

Inside the Bellevue Arts Museum last year they had some intricate paper sculptures.  This one was my favorite.  I am not sure who the artist was, but they did a really great job.

This year, there were some interesting silkscreen and screen prints by Alex Katz.  The one shown below is called, "Nichole," and in it's reflection is "White Roses."

Also, this year, was a colorful display of fashion by FEMAIL:AMPM.  I really like how it seems to combine different cultures into one.  It is a really beautiful display.  You can read more about it here.

Outside the mall they had a sidewalk chalk artist.  I missed the sidewalk chalk artist last year, so it was good to see it again.  This one is done by Gabrielle Abbott.

The festival outside had so many other great things, that it would be impossible to cover them all.

Factory43 had some great whimsical pins and prints.  It was one of the few booths that encouraged photos.  I especially like the cat with the eye-patch, but I also like the crying ice cream cone.  Their website is also pretty cool.

Last year there was an artist who used gold foil in his photo/paintings.  I did not see him this year, but his name is Michael Bryant.  It is hard to tell by looking at them online, but there is a wonderful looking glistening and texture when you see his works in person.

This year some artists I liked were:

Coffee on Canvas:  Artwork created by using coffee as a medium.  Creates a fascinating visual in great earth tones.  I love the Seattle Skyline one.

Michael Rohner:  Does a great job with pen and ink.  Draws many animals.  My favorite one is the one titled "Aeon."

Steven Vigil:  Interesting style.  Some look halfway finished, with paint drips.  I really like "Whatever you do, Don't Run."

Some favorites were back again:

Justin Hillgrove:  Always has new and great stuff.  I just love his work.  His work includes parody and tributes, that he makes into his own, but he has original stuff as well.

Amy Flynn:  Creative and fun Fobots, made with found objects.

Diane Culhane:  Colorful, story-telling art.

Last year, I added two new coasters to another coaster I bought previously by Mary Gibbs, as shown at the top of this blog.  She has beautiful watercolor artwork.  I especially love her cats that she draws.  I had to resist from buying more coasters this year.

I did purchase some cards from Eileen Sorg.  I really love how in "Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery," that a bird and I think what is a grasshopper(?) try to imitate a rabbit.  It is humorous, yet deep, and brilliant.

The festival is almost over, but you can still check out these artist's work at their websites or at other art festivals.

The Bellevue Arts Fair 2017

The Bellevue Arts & Crafts Fair is going on this weekend, maybe I will see you there!

Video shared from bellevue.com You can also get more information by clicking the same link.

Bellevue Arts Fair 2015 & 2016

Many of you may have thought I did not go to last year's Bellevue Arts Fair, but I did.  It was fun, too.  I did not wind up buying anything, though.  Last year, there was a little bit of rain.  Everyone took cover for awhile.  This year it was scorching hot, for around here, anyway.

Last year, they had a cool sign representing the Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM).  This was shot from the back.

This year, I think I saw the same letters out, and also some things that looked like Willa-Wonka Gobstoppers.  I thought they were kind of cool.  I saw someone else's photo, taken at night, and they looked even better.

Last year, there was a fun playhouse made for children by Chris Axling.  It was really creative.  To see more of this playhouse, and the artist's work, click here.

Every year, they have chalk for kids (and adults) to draw on the brick sidewalk.

They seemed to have more color options last year, than they did this year.  I did this last year.  I was influenced by Luna, from Sailor Moon and Calvin and Hobbes, which I was watching/reading at the time.

They had an area to weave some various colors of yarn/fabric into a collaborative piece last year.  I did mine after this photo.  They had some different activities for kids this year.  I didn't really pay attention, though.

After several hours of walking around, I found a beautiful coaster I just had to have.  I have been needing some coasters, and this fit purr-fectly with the rest of my cat related items on my lamp table.  The artist is Mary Gibbs, and this coaster piece is called, "Izzy In the Sun," named after her personal cat, which she painted in watercolor.  I just love it.  See more of her artwork here.

There were so many great artist's work to see both years, it was just so awesome.  Over 300 artists to look at.  It makes a long day.  The Bellevue Art Museum is free to the public during the fair.  This year, it had some amazing fashion Celebrating 50 Years of the Ebony Fashion Show.  I would have loved to taken some photos, but photos were not permitted (even though I saw some people taking some anyway).  Out of respect for the artists and their artwork, I do not take photos unless permitted.  You can view some of the garments here, but they are even better in person.

Some other artist's work that stood out this year were:

Doug Brannan - Doug's Refried Robots Fun, quirky robots, made from recycled material.

Amy Flynn - Fobots Also, some really fun, quirky robots, made from found objects.

Doug Roy - Paper Carvings Fascinating, eccentrically detailed work.

Desarae Lee She has a really nice cross-hatching style.

Hayley Nolte and Scot Ray - Folk Art - Recycled metal made into mirror frames.

Kate Beck - Wearable Art, very beautiful.

Richard McCullum - White Forest Spoons Very unique, wooden utensils that are also useful!

There were many other great works, but way too many to name.  You just have to go and check for yourself.

The BAM Arts Fair and Bellevue Festival of the Arts runs July 29-31 2016, so if you missed it, you still have till tomorrow at 6PM.  They also have food booths and bands that play live music.  There is much to see, so go early, if you can.  Have fun!

An Amazing Bite with Pokemon, and a Long Drive to Canada

I wasn't certain I would make it to this year's The Bite of Seattle 2016, even though I planned to go every single day of it when I scheduled for my vacation last month.  At the last minute, plans changed, and my family and I took a long drive to Alberta, Canada.  I will post some photos of that trip later.  I can tell you are anxious to see my photos and review from this year's Bite.

Much has changed over the years since I first went to The Bite of Seattle.  One thing I noticed this year, more than ever, was the number of selfies being taken around this area (between the EMP and the Space Needle).  "Selfies" was not even a word back then, even though we still would try to hold the camera far away enough, hoping we would be in focus and centered when we turned the camera on ourselves.  It didn't happen as often, due to the limitations of film.

Another thing that changed, was the location of The Alley, which is the main reason I attend every year, almost always with my dad, as he is a big fan of The Alley, too.  It is sort of a tradition of ours.  The new location of The Alley was on the Fisher Rooftop this year.  I think it may have provided more seating, and was more centrally located, so passersby could easily stumble across it.

The Alley did not seem to have a host this year, and I think that was a good change.  I felt The Alley offered more variety in restaurants this year.  They also did away with the wine pairings, charged $2 more, which gave you a water.  So $12 gives you six different bites, that fill your plate, plus, you get a water.  Still a great deal.  Food Lifeline is in the process of doubling their operation with a new Hunger Solution Center, and claims it will be able to feed 800,000 hungry people in Western Washington!  It's a great cause.

The menu for this year's Alley looked particularly good.  I really wanted to go on Friday, but I also felt I needed to spend just a little more time in Canada, so my priorities changed.  I was exhausted when I got home on Saturday, but determined to have some tasty food, and to support a good cause.

Saturday's Alley was so amazing, seriously good.

Clockwise, from the top left:  Vegetable & Pork Wontons w/ Spicy Sauce (Din Tai Fung Restaurant), Seafood Ceviche (Salty's on Alki), Traditional Dish of New Orleans:  Pork, Duck & Rice, breaded and deep fried, served with a spicy and sweet red pepper jelly (Sazerac), Thai Salad featuring shredded papaya, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, fresh chilies, lime juice, dried shrimp and crushed peanuts (Noi Thai), Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates wrapped with Bacon and Fig Balsamic (Levitate Gastopub), and Husky Wilbur:  Root beer braised pulled Duroc Pork, Crispy Fried Red Onions & Spicy Mustard Aioli on Potato Roll (Skillet Diner).

After trying each bite from Saturday's Alley menu, I thought to myself, "How am I going to review this?  Everything tastes so great, and has great texture and flavor!  I cannot decide!"

First up: the wontons from Din Tai Fung Restaurant.  I have had wontons at previous Alleys.  They have always been good, and this one was no exception.  It had a nice, mild flavor.

I was surprised by the Seafood Ceviche from Salty's.  I have had similar dishes in the Alley, from Salty's, that I did not like the texture of, because of the presence of squid.  Even though the ingredients were not listed for this bite, I believe it may have had some squid in it.  It had chewy textures, with a slightly spicy salsa.  I really liked the textures and flavors, so bravo, Salty's, you did a nice job with this one.

The Traditional New Orleans Dish from Sazerac.  I really loved the textures of this bite!  It was a texture like shredded meat, and along with the other flavors, and the sweet, red pepper jelly... I found it very tasty.

The Thai Salad from Noi Thai.  Tasters were given a choice of spicy or non-spicy.  I like spicy foods, so that it what I chose.  It had a nice flavor.  Crisper than sauerkraut, almost like a coleslaw, but if I remember right, it had a vinegary flavor.  It was very good.

The Goat Cheese Stuffed Date from Levitate Gastropub.  Okay.  I have to say this, I am sorry, when I first saw this I thought it was probably a small sausage wrapped in bacon with something that resembled icing on top, but it looked more what looks like a cat would put in a litter box at the end of the day.  I was sure however, that it was going to be delicious anyway, despite it's strange presentation.  It was delicious.  Not what I expected, quite (after all, I thought it was sausage, I didn't study the menu closely beforehand).  It had a nice, sweet flavor.  Very unique.  It was so good, that it was tough competition with the rest of the bites for that day.

The Husky Wilbur from Skillet Diner.  What a memorable name!  Husky Wilbur.  I really like the little sandwiches they have had at the Alley the past few years.  As I was reading the ingredients for this sandwich, I was thinking, "No wonder I liked this so much!"  It had a nice crunchiness, from the crispy fried onions, and a great tasting sauce.  Yum!

One thing I noticed about the booths this year, is that two were decorated especially nice.  The awards for best booth display, go to Noi Thai:

and Din Tai Fung Restaraunt (which also gave out cute, red pens).  You know how I love red.

So fun!  Such cute and beautiful displays.  It was nice to have a pen, too.  I can always use good pens.  Noi Thai passed out fans the next day, which was very smart, since it was very hot that day.

On our way to The Alley on Sunday, we saw what appeared to be a statue.  Of course, I knew better.  I may or may have not been acquainted once with the person wearing this costume.  It is difficult to tell, with the make-up and all.  He did a great job standing still.  Making slight, mechanical movements, now and then.  All the kids standing around thought he was great, and many adults were intrigued.

Clockwise, from top left:  Sausage link sample (Uli's Famous Sausage, Prepared by Chef Tobie Robinson), Moist, handcrafted carrot muffin, French Toast Bagel with a "nutty cream cheese" (Blazing Bagels), Fried Banana (Noi Thai), Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookie:  A Tom Douglas Favorite (Tom Douglas' Dahlia Bakery).

Sunday's Alley featured a "Sunday Brunch."  This was a nice breakfast.  I think it mainly catered to the less ambitious eaters, which is fine.  Nothing seemed like it could be overly fancy or strange for a regular eater.  I also noticed at the ticket counter, they had a bit of allergy information, such as what had nuts or other concerns in them.  That is a nice improvement for those concerned.

This day's plate, I had a clear favorite.  The French Toast Bagel, from Blazing Bagels.  It just really stood out for me, was so incredibly delicious and flavorful.  This booth had a choice of 4 different bites of bagel to choose from, and the decision was so difficult, but I chose what must have been the absolute best one!  I heard my dad choosing the French Toast Bagel.  I thought of trying something different, so we could try each others, but it just sounded good, right after he said it.  There was also a choice of different cream cheeses.  All were labeled, but one.  I was trying to decide what would go good with the French Toast selection, when the server made a suggestion of the one with no label, he said it had a "nutty flavor."  I knew that was the one I wanted to try, as soon as he said that.  I was very impressed.  I have already looked this place up on the internet, and plan on making a future visit, to have a whole bagel with cream cheese.  They have sandwiches and other things, too.

The Fried Banana from Noi Thai was delicious too, and unique.  

Everything else was good.  I had some trouble with cutting the sausage from Uli's Famous Sausage with plastic-ware, however.  Also, I have had better Biscuits and Gravy before (a breakfast favorite of mine), with a flakier biscuit at another restaurant I have mentioned, in another blog.  I did notice, though, that the one from Honest Biscuit advertised local and organic, so there is that selling point, if you like that sort of thing.

The Bite of Seattle this year had a great turn-out.  Walking around on Saturday my dad said to me, "It seems better this year."  I agreed.  It seemed like there were more food booths, it was better attended, people were dancing around, listening to the various bands playing, I overheard someone saying, "We should just walk around, finding 'Pokemans.'"  Yes.  He did say "Pokemans."  It made me chuckle to myself.  That Pokemon Go!  game is definitely popular right now.  Speaking of, guess who I saw posing with fans in the Seattle Center Armory?  That's right!  Pikachu!!!

Mario, from Mario Brothers, also made an appearance waving at fans, taking photos with them:

There were also some awesome things on display, like these Mario Brothers Vans shoes, with the words "Game Over" marked on the bottom...

...and a claw arcade game, filled with Pokemon and Mario Brothers items.  I saw someone successfully grab that Jigglypuff on the top right-hand corner.  It was exciting to watch.

The entertainment was especially good on Saturday.  I heard one band from a distance, covering a Bon Jovi song.  I thought they sounded so good, I had to find out who they were:

Once I saw the pink scarf, wrapped around the microphone, in Aerosmith fashion, the long, platinum hair, and the tiger spandex, I knew I had seen this band before.  It is Platinum Spandex!  I saw them a few years ago at the Bite.  They were very entertaining, and sound amazing.

A woman came up to me and asked me, "Are these guys famous or something?"  It was kind of funny.  I suppose in Seattle, they might be  a little, but I am sure she meant "World Famous."  I said, "No, they are just popular, and sing a bunch of cover songs."  She asked me their name, and I told her.  I think she had a hard time hearing me right, so I showed her their name in the program.  She photographed the program, so she could remember.  There were lots of people in the audience for this group.  Some were recording them with their phones, others were dancing.  They are a good cover band.

Two other mentoins:  Sonic Funk Orchestra "A disco funk experience," and Satoria "Funk, hip-hop, R&B, Soul."  The first one was fun sounding, the second one had a singer with an amazing voice.

We didn't stay long enough to hear what may have been some great bands on Sunday.

There were some other fun things at The Bite of Seattle, like a mini carnival, advertising Nathan's Famous, known for hot dogs, and hot dog eating contests.  There were free samples, a carousel for small children, a variety of games, which you could win various prizes, and a Zoltar machine!  Remember the movie "Big?"  Anyway, it gave a fortune with a coupon.  

As we wrapped up our time, looking around, I saw these amazing flowers.  I thought at first they were done by Dale Chihuly, since he has a museum in the Seattle Center, but on closer inspection, they were real!

Overall, I felt the Bite was a big success, and a ton of fun.  I came home after it all, and had a nice, long rest.

To see my blog and photos from Canada click here.