DAIKON RADISH KIMCHEE
I was cleaning out my refrigerator the other day and came across these 2 jars of daikon radish kimchee that I made about a year ago as an experiment. I had forgotten all about them. I tasted a couple of them, and they were great. I loved it, I remember making this. The trick to making kimchee is after you put all the ingredients together you leave it out of the refrigerator for about 24 hours to start the fermination process. After the 24 hours you put a lid on the jar very tight and then put it in the refrigerator.

MY GRANDFATHER
The guy on the right is my grandfather - Ray Bailey. When he was 17 he left his parents house to join the Army. He took a train to Sandpoint, Idaho where he was sworn in. He was later shipped over to Camp Casey on Whidbey Island in the state of Washington where he trained, then later went to England and France to fight in WW I. When he got back from the war he was an instructor at the University of Washington ROTC. He died in 1948 and is buried next to his parents graves in Park Rapids, Minnesota.

MY DAD - Ray A. Bailey Jr.
My dad had a great influence on me when it comes to traveling. When I was a little kid my dad was traveling all over the world in the Navy. He would go to Spain, Morocco, or Egypt. He'd come home for awhile then he'd go to Guam.

When he was gone I would dream about going to all those far away places. I wished I could go with him, but that was impossible. I would watch adventure travel shows on the television. I watched a documentary once on India that had a profound effect on me. My dad wanted wanted me to travel too. He wanted me to have experiences in other lands. I never did much traveling until I was 11 years old. At that time He was transfered to the State of New Jersey. When I heard the news that we were really moving I got a queezy feeling in the pit of my stomach at first. After awhile my parents proceeded in getting ready to move. They sold our house and sold things like our stove and refrigerator. We wouldn't need things like that because most houses came with these appliances on the east coast at that time. Then the movers came and loaded all our stuff in their trucks. Finally the day came when we loaded some stuff on top of our 1954 Chevrolet and took off to Portland. At that time we headed east to Idaho and then the rest of the states til we got to our destination; New Jersey. We camped in a tent some of the way and stayed in motels when we couldn't find a place to pitch our tent. Going through South Dakota we stopped at Mt Rushmore. When I got out of the car and saw those president's heads carved into rock I was amazed. Seeing things like that in person made a huge impression on me.

By the time I was 21 I was already a world traveler. I had been to Australia, Vietnam and Okinawa. I took a bus to Fairbanks, Alaska shortly after I got out of the military and stayed ther a week. Then I moved to New York City and lived there for about 6 months and came back to the State of Washington where I have been ever since.

In the 1980's I traveled with my great uncle two times. The first time I flew to Oklahoma where we took his car to his to Minnesota to the place where he was born. Then a year later I flew back to Oklahoma again. This time we traveled to the state of Oregon where his son lives.

I have traversed the United States about 5 times now. In the summer of 2000 I took a trip to China, Mongolia and Russia. My epic trip to these far away places is further down on this blog if you would like to check it out.

My dad with my sons

This is a classic look at Seattle. There is a park on Queen Anne Hill you can go to to get this picture. As you are going up Queen Anne Hill (northbound) you take a left at Highlands. Go down the street for about 2 blocks.

China has been a favorite country of mine for years. I like all things Chinese. Confucius is a favorite of mine, so is Toaism. Chinese medicine is fantastic. Chinese poetry is the best. China was at one time a super mega power but they never looked to see what the west was up to and in time the west overtook them in almost all ways. Now China is far behind the west in technology and many other fields, but they are trying real hard to catch up.

MONGOLIAN GRILL
I got interested in Mongolia since there was a booth in the 1962 Seattle Worlds Fair about Mongolia. I liked their traditional clothing. I had seen documentaries on Mongolia during my life, the country had a strong appeal to me. There used to be a Mongolian counter at the Seattle Center Food Circus. I used to go there and had nothing but Mongolian Beef every time. That place was there for years. I was sorry when they closed down. These Mongolian grills are great places and I love going to them, but the Mongolian people don't eat this way. I would say that maybe the riches most uppercrust Mongolian would eat this way. The common every day person has no access to food like this.

You walk in and pay for the meal. Then you go over and get a bowl, and then start putting in what you want. This is the meat.

Noodles and vegatables

More vegatables

And then the sauces. They have sauces like seasme oil, soy sauce, and salt water and others

Then you fill your bowl with whatever you want

Then this chief cooks it on this giant Mongolian grill.

This is what it looks like after it's cooked.

IN LIFE REMEMBER TO STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS

A Russian style church in Seattle

LENIN Down in Fremont. The people there say it is the center of the universe. Down there there is this statue of Lenin. Russia had always been a favorite country of mine.

THE PAGOTA IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN VIETNAM

This is one of my brothers in arms who served with me in Vietnam. One hot day while my unit was taking a walk out in the wilderness of Vietnam we came acrossed this pagota. It was cool inside. We took turns taking pictures of each other and then we stayed there for the night.

This little pagota intrigued and amazed me. It must have been a thousand years old. We have nothing like that where I come from. Ever since then I have been interested in Oreintal architecture. But it took about 35 years for that interest to surface.

conji

SNOQUALMIE FALLS
I took this picture of Snoqualmie Falls a couple years ago when I was living temporarily with my son Mark for a couple of months. He had a little apartment in a little town called Sultan. It is in Snohomish County near the Cascade Mountains. During that time I went on several car trips. One of those was to Snoqualmie Falls. This is a very beautiful place to see in person. If you have alot of money you can stay at Salish Lodge which sits on a perch overlooking the falls. For more information click on this web site about Snoqualmie Falls. www.images.beggerlybend.com/photos/snoqfalls/d_SnoqFallsSlide.html

FERRY AT BOAT LAUNCH
I have wanted to take this picture for a long time. I remember years ago going by there at the end of South Washington Street in the Pioneer Square district of town, and seeing a ferry framed by that old time boat launch and wishing I had a camera so I could take a picture of this. A couple months ago. I was down there. I had my camera. I wasn't necessarily thinking about being so lucky as to be down there when a ferry came through. I had parked my car up on 1st Avenue South. When I got out of the car I realized that I had parked illegally. I was going to go over and take some pictures along the waterfront. I forget what I wanted to take pictures of. I decided to take my chances. Maybe the usually effcient meter maids would be slacking off, I hoped. So I took off down South Washington Street. I got to where that street meets Alaskan Way and looked up. To my surprise a ferry was coming through and it was perfectly framed by the old boat launch. I immediately started snapping away with my camera and caught the above picture. When I was finished I decided not to go further down on the waterfront since I got the picture that I had wanted for years. When I got to my car there was no ticket on the windshield so I quickly got in and drove away.

Read a review about TAI TUNG RESTURANT www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=11527

BEEF TOMATO RICE

Today I went to China Town to one of my favorite Chinese Resturants. Tai Tung has been a mainstay in the city of Seattle for many years and has many loyal customers. The same waiters have been there since the first time I walked in the door about 16 years ago. When you first walk in and sit at the counter you tell the waiter what you want. He goes to the kitchen and tells the cook and comes back with a bowl of Cabbage Soup. Sometimes the soup d'jour will be hot and sour egg drop soup. Then comes a pot of tea, a small cup and water. I usually put a little pepper in the soup and eat it with the small porcealine Chinese-style spoon. Next I'll pour a cup of tea. By that time the entre arrives.

I have tried many different dishes over the years but most of the time I have either French Mushroom Chow Mein with Soft Noodles and Pork or Beef Tomato Rice, which is what I had today. The waiter told me today that this is the dish Bill Gates has whenever he comes there. I have even asked for the recipe of this dish, which one of the waiters gladly gave me a couple years ago. When I tried to make it at home it wasn't the same. The tomato sauce is made with chicken stock and catsup. The catsup gives the dish a subtle tangy flavor that I like. I usually start out by using the chopsticks to pick up the beef strips and dipping them in the hot Chinese mustard before I bring it to my mouth. I alternate this with bites of onion, tomato wedges and rice. When I'm down to the sauce and the rest of the rice I pick up the fork and run it through the sauce and into the rice. I pause after each bite to savor the combination of flavors. The trick is to conserve the sauce so that the last bite has the sauce and the rice in it. When the waiter sees that you are just about finished he will give you the bill along with a fortune cookie, sometimes 2. At this time I usually pour another cup of tea from the metal teapot and open the fortune cookie and read the message on the strip of paper inside then eat the cookie and sip more tea. After a couple more cups of tea I get up and leave. Sometimes I will get a few Seasame Balls to go if I feel like something sweet on the way home.

BRUCE LEE'S GRAVE
People come to Seattle from all over the world to see the grave of Bruce Lee. There is a constant trickle of people making their way to Lakeview Cemetery in the Capitol Hill District every season of the year. In fact while I was sitting on the stone bench there taking this picture a car pulled up and a guy stuck his head out the window and asked me where Bruce Lee's grave was. I told him it was right here. The guy and another person got out of the car and reverently walked over in awe before the grave site of this world renowned actor and martial arts instructor. I was still taking pictures, and when I got one of Bruce Lee's son Brandon and the stone bench I left these so these two guys could be alone with their idol.

The grave site is located at 1554 15th Avenue East next to what used to be called Volunteer Park, and where the Asian Museum is now located. The first time I ever came to see this grave was quite a few years ago. I walked all over the graveyard for days trying to find it. The first few times I went I had no luck. Then one day I saw some people gathering around a grave. I went there and found that it was Bruce Lee's grave. Since then I've taken a lot of people there, and directed others to it who were interested in seeing it. If you are ever in Seattle it may be well worth your time to come and see this landmark if you are a fan of Bruce Lee, or his son Brandon. Here is a website if you would like to read more about this famous actor and legend. www.answers.com/topic/bruce-lee

TRIP TO WASHINGTON DC IN 1964 - The CapitolBack in 1964 when I was living in New Jersey, my class took a field trip to the nation's capitol. These are some of the pictures I took on that outing. It was just after President Kennedy's assasination and there was still a long line leading to his grave at that time.

THE WHITE HOUSE


BACK THEN THIS WAS CALLED 'THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER'

KENNEDY'S GRAVE THIS IS ME ABOUT THIS TIME (the tall guy in the middle)

While I was in Washington DC I took the stairs to the top of the Washington Monument. I have a picture of it, but I can't seem to find it. To look at the Washington Monument click here... www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/washdc/washmonument/distant3.jpg

MT. RAINIER
Recently I went to Mt Rainier with my son, Brad's family. Lisa had never been there, and either had the girls. THE ROAD TO MT. RAINIER
So we took off fairly late in the morning to see it. Lisa drove the whole way. Some of the best views of the mountain were while we were on our way there. The day was fairly clear, but the mountain was shrouded with clouds toward the top.

When we got there we went inside the observation building and looked at some of the exhibits. They were interesting. There was a stuffed bear, a cougar, a mountain goat, and some of the smaller animals that live in these parts. Outside the kids played around in the snow a little and took turns having a snowball fight with their dad. On the way down the mountain we made a couple stops and looked at a couple waterfalls as the snow is melting and some of the waterfalls were awesome. There were alot of people up there that day.

There were some interesting birds flying around. There were these brown birds flitting from tree to tree. Some people were throwing them bread. We watched them for awhile. Farther down the mountain there was some kind of exotic blue bird also being fed by picnicers. They were interesting to watch.

We didn't stay too long since there was so much snow and we didn't bring any hiking gear. Just seeing the mountain close up was good enough for me. The last time I had been there, my son and I had camped at the base of the mountian. I think Brad was about 15 or 16 years old.

On the way back we stopped at this railroad car resturant to have something to eat, and let Lisa rest a little from driving since it turned out to be a long ride. The waiter seated us and gave us menus. Lisa wanted to try the fried shrimp, Brad had the special; BBQ chicken, beans and corn on the cob, and I opted for the taco salad. Since the price for this food was kind of steep I was under the impression we were in for a treat, maybe even quality. Boy was I wrong. The food was disappointingly mediocre; The hamburger in my salad was almost burnt to a crisp, and my son's meal came with a half an ear of corn. For $10 I think he should have at least gotten a full ear of corn. I must say, the waiter was courteous. He told us more then once that he was new there and was just learning the ropes. This is a touristy area and most people go through there once in a lifetime. Maybe it was the regular cook's day off. You live and you learn.

This really didn't spoil the day for me. I had a great time seeing the mountain again, and it was nice to visit with my son's family. I really enjoyed the day, and I hope they did too.

Amanda also had the special of the day; BBQ chicken, baked beans and corn on the cob.

Ashley had spaghetti and green beans.

Amanda and Ashley

THE BIRTH OF SEATTLE - A couple weeks ago I went over to Alki Point where there is a miniature Statue of Liberty erected because the people who founded the City of Seattle felt that once the city got established, it would be another New York City. They were from the east and they had this hope anyway. Seattle is not quite a New York City. It's not as big, but it holds its own, and has it's own unique flavor. Alki in
the Indian language means 'by and by'. The early settlers felt that Seattle would be like New York City by and by, and that is what this Statue of Liberty symbolizes.

This place on Alki Point is where these first settlers landed and set up their first settlement. The first winter was the worst. From what I can remember being taught when I was in grade school, these people had their house build, but had no roof by the time winter came, so they had a miserable time. Being out in the elements in the winter time around here can be very uncomfortable. The cold around here is what you call a 'wet cold', and penetrates to the bone, as opposed to a dry cold found in most of the rest of the country which is a little bit more tolerable. With the help of the friendly Indian in the area they were able to survive.

Eventually this party moved to the place where Seattle was built further down along what became Elliott Bay which is several miles from Alki. But this is where the idea of Seattle was born. There is also an obilisk that commemerates the landing of these early pioneers. It has all their names and dates carved into it. There are also several metal plaques around the area that tell the story in more detail.

The day I went was a very sunny spring day. Wisps of clouds streaked the sky. A cool, comfortable breeze was blowing through and people were out enjoying the weather. Sea gulls were screeching loudly overhead. The misty Olympic Mountains lay across the water in the distance. I had passed this place many times, but I had never stopped to look at this historical site.

SUKIYAKI

Yesterday I was down in China Town. I hadn't had any Japanese cuisine for quite awhile so I thought I'd stop in at a Japanese Resturant that I go to once in awhile. It's a nice place. Mostly Japanese people go in there, and some tourists. I like the atmosphere there. I have never been to Japan proper. The closest I've been to Japan was three days I spent in Okinowa. Nowadays it is part of Japan. Back in the late 1960's, it wasn't. I think that is why I have such an interest in the country and its culture. I like the culture. I like their music, their gardens and their philosophy of many things. I would someday love to go and tour the country and get the full Japanese experience.

When I walked in the resturant I sat down in a booth. The waitress came over with a menu and told me that they were closing, but I could order 'to go' if I wanted. I already knew what I wanted. I quickly scanned the menu to see if they were serving what I wanted. I saw it. "I'd like sukiyaki to go please". I said. It didn't take long before she had it all wrapped up and ready to go in double plastic bags.

I walked out the door wondering where I was going to eat it. I crossed the street and found a stone bench at the entrance of the community garden just up the street. I sat down and carefully unwrapped my lunch and chowed down. It was very good, just as I had always remembered it.

A couple years ago I attemped to make sukiyaki. I bought a special pan to cook it in and all the ingredients. Here is basically what I did.

SUKIYAKI

Ingredients:

1 lb beef thinly sliced

1/4 pkg of shirataki noodles. They are also called 'glass noodles,' made from yam cakes

5-10 shitiake mushrooms sliced

a bunch of enoki mushrooms, as is

1/2 Chinese cabbage cut up

1/4 cup celery slice diagnally

part of a leek, chopped

grilled tofu, about 1/4 package

for the sauce you cook this in,

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup mirin (sweetened sake)

2 cups dashi (this is a Japanese stock made with some kind of seaweed)

Method:

Cut up all the meat and vegatables in bite-size pieces, or easy to pick up with chopsticks.

Make the cooking liquid

Fry the beef with a little oil then add the cooking liquid.

Add the noodles and the rest of the vegatables

Serve with rice
Have a pot of tea on hand to drink with this meal

THE FATE OF MY CHILDHOOD FRIEND JIMMY AHOLA

My family moved to the state of New Jersey in 1960. We left all our friends behind when we moved. When we came back five years later we moved into a house in north Seattle on Densmore Avenue Northeast near northeast 145th st. While there I ran into an old aquaintance of mine from my early days in Lake City. I inquired of him about my friend Jimmy Ahola. He told me some things that he was doing at the time, and said that he was getting ready to go to California to learn how to sail, which was his passion at the time. I never saw Jim after I came back from the east coast. A few times over the years I looked in the phone book hoping to find his number so I could contact him. His number was not listed. Neither was anyone in his family listed.

Recently I was surfing the web. I typed in his name just to see what I could come up with. I came across two sites that had articles about some people who were on a vessel that sank in the Pacific Ocean and became lost at sea on small lifeboats. One of the people who died was listed as Jim Ahola. I was grief-stricken. Something told me that this was my old friend. As the story went, something happend to their large sailboat and it sank in a matter of minutes. The people on board only had a few minutes to grab a few belongings and get into the two lifeboats. They drifted at sea for about twenty days before the Coast Guard found them. By this time Jim had been dead for eight days. The article states that Jim had been distraught about the yacht sinking, and this contributed to his death. His brother in law owned the craft.

Here are the sites...
www.infoasis.com/~latitude38/letters/200308.htm The article is called: THE FAMOUS SINKING IN THE LATE 70'S
www.infoasis.com/~latitude38/letters/200408.htm Scroll down almost to the bottom of the site to the article called: STRANGE STORIES FROM THE 70'S.

Jim and I started kindergarden together and went to two or three grades together. The picture above is the third grade class with Miss Miller, our teacher. Click the picture to make it larger. Jim is on the top row at the far left. I'm the one in the Cub Scout uniform in the top row, the fourth from the left.

THE HOUSE I LIVED IN AFTER COMING BACK FROM VIETNAM

When I got back from Vietnam I lived in comunes for a couple years to get myself adjusted to civilian life again. Since I lived in a war situation for a year, I had almost reverted into an animal getting by on basic instincts, which is not acceptable in living in society. I recognized the fact that I had to start learning to live with other people in a peaceful way. After I learned some great lessons in inter-personal relationships it came to a point where I had to get a job and start supporting myself. I finally landed a job as a dishwasher/room service provider in a hotel called the Aurora Motor Inn near downtown Seattle. After I got my first pay check I answered an ad in the paper for a little room in a mansion on Queen Anne Hill. It was owned by an elderly couple who started renting out rooms in their spacious house to help with the up keep of the place. I lived there for a little while in a small room on the third floor in the front. This was one of my attempts at coming back to Seattle. Shortly after this I moved back to Snohomish County and lived there for the next ten or so years. The people who once owned this house passed on and now I see that it is converted back to a private house.

This is a picture of my Great Great Great Grandfather. He was living in England in the early 1800's working as an apprentice to a tailor. He was dissatisfied with his lot there and had the opportunity to come to America as an indentured servant. He sailed to the new world and ended up in Montreal, Canada where he worked off his time and became a free man. He got married, and he and his wife came to America and lived out their lives in Wisconsin, having several Children. One of his sons was named Alonzo Coates who took part in the Civil War and later came to the state of Washington. Alonzo married and they had several children.

I got up this morning. I had an idea of what I wanted to do today. If it's clear, I"ll go over to the University of Washington Campus to take a picture of Mt Rainier. Then I'll go up to Sandpoint to the place I was born, and then over to Fremont to take a picture of the famous Gnome that lives under the Aurora Bridge. But first I'll go find some breakfast. I decided to go over to a resturant that I had gone to before. The place was called La Meaux. When I got there I found out that it is now Philoyenia Greek Resturant. I walked in and sat down at the counter. The waitress gave me a menu. I opened it up and looked in the breakfast section. I felt like trying something totally different. I looked down the column of entrees. I stopped at "Greek Village Breakfast", MMmmm. "I'll try it". I thought to myself. I would like to see what Greek people have for breakfast.

What came was... a bowl of plain vogart with sliced roasted apples. On top was ground up walnuts and honey drizzled along the edge of the bowl. This was new to me. I have never bought plain vogart before, and never put anything in any. The only yogart I've had was the kind with fruit on the bottom. So I ate this new yogart dish and enjoyed it. I liked it. But I had an idea. I would like to make this dish at home, but give it a different twist. I would put green grapes in the yogart. Stir it up. On top I would put seasame seeds, and drizzle honey along the edge of the bowl like they did at the resturant

So anyway, my next stop is the University District.