lummi island wine tasting july 28 ’23
Hours this weekend: Friday & Saturday, July 28-29, 4-6 pm
painting by Didi Lutz
This week’s 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.
Townshend Cellars T3 Red Washington $16
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.
Longship Lady Wolf Malbec ’18 Washington $27
100 % malbec; unfolds with dark, enchanting notes of blackberry, grilled plum, and jammy raspberry with accents of orange peel, vanilla, and tobacco spice, finishing with balanced structure, plush texture, and a lengthy finish.
Friday Bread Pickup This Week
Poolish Ale – the preferment here is a poolish, made with bread flour, a bit of yeast and a nice ale beer for the liquid and fermented overnight. Mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. This makes a great all around bread with a nice crisp crust – $5/loaf
Buckwheat Walnut & Honey – also made with a poolish of fresh milled buckwheat and bread flours. Buckwheat is not a grain it is actually a seed and closer in the plant family to rhubarb and sorrel than to wheat and contains no gluten– (**note: THIS bread DOES include wheat flour so is NOT gluten free). Buckwheat has an earthy/nutty flavor that in this bread with a little honey and toasted walnuts for a nice crunch. – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Chocolate Muffins – Rich and delicious, great chocolate flavor, and a seductively moist texture: flour, brown sugar, sour cream, and eggs, with lotsa chocolate chips inside and sprinkled on top–2/$5
To get on the bread order list, click 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: Longship Lady Wolf Malbec ’18 Washington $27
Longship is a fairly new family-owned winery in Richland, in the heart of Washington wine country. Established in 2013, it has focused on producing big, hand-crafted, barrel-aged, red varietals like tempranillo, malbec, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon, with at least 60% aged for 18 months in new oak barrels.
The name “Longship,” and the adoption of the Viking Longship as the winery’s logo is a nod to the family’s Scandinavian heritage and the winery’s ongoing quest to produce some of the finest wines in the Pacific Northwest.
The Richland tasting room was added at the end of 2016, not just to feature their wines, but also, as is the case here at the Wine Gallery, to create a social space where friends can gather to relax in a convivial environment while sharing delicious handcrafted wine.
We took an immediate liking to the wine when we first tasted it last year. Chances are you will, too!
Economics of the Heart: Memo to Council
Before this week’s County Council meeting two days ago, Islanders had been assured many times by Council members and County Executive that all decisions regarding ferry matters, including filling the four new vacancies on the Advisory Committee (Lifac), would be on hold until sometime in the Fall. Imagine our sense of shock and betrayal when the Council reversed position on that and voted in favor of adopting the County’s proposed ordinance change, which we all know would remove all the existing guardrails on the expenses that can be charged against fare revenue.
What follows is is a brief summary of arguments to lobby the Council yet again against passing the PW version of the governing ordinance.
The central bone of contention in this long battle comes down to one single idea: the interpretation of the phrase “regular and routine” in the wording of the County ordinance governing ferry fares :
WCC 10.34.001B. “Operating costs” 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.
For many years this definition has served to maintain a balance between annual fare revenue and target fare box revenue goal of covering 55% of annual operating costs. When fares are set correctly, some years will show a surplus and some a deficit, but maintain an equilibrium over many years until a persistent deficit or surplus suggests a fare revision.
That changed last November when Public Works suddenly announced a very large and imminent deficit in fare revenue that was claimed to require an urgent major fare increase to be passed immediately. Over the next several months a citizens’ group managed to hold these efforts at bay while revealing numerous errors in PW claims and calculations, no actual deficit, and no demonstrated need for a fare increase under the existing statute. How can we explain this sense of Urgency?
For starters, a visual examination of charts of annual operating expenses since 2013 reveals substantial increases in unusually high operating costs over time. Note that prior to 2017, individual operating expenses above $20k were rare. Beginning in 2017, individual expenses between $30k and $50k appeared and became larger and more frequent. And now, most recently in 2022 and 2023, we are seeing individual “operating expenses” of $250k and $400k respectively for the major rebuilds of the landing dolphins last year and this year.
A more narrow glance at just the 10 highest individual expenses over this period demonstrates clearly what is going on here: the aging infrastructure supporting our 65-yr-old ferry is wearing out. If it would last until a replacement ferry and new infrastructure could be brought on line, we would just let it deteriorate. But it is already failing and requires major re-investment to add the required longevity.
Under the terms of our existing County ordinance, our annual contract with WADOT, and governing State law, these expenses cannot be charged against fare revenue because they add longevity to these assets and because they are clearly way, way, way above any reasonable interpretation of “regular and routine.” These expenses should be charged to the Road Fund along with other road and bridge improvements constantly going on across the County.
The chart of the ten highest “repair” expenses over recent years shows just how far out of line with “regular and ordinary” these expenses are. It is irrelevant whether they are called capital repairs or capital investments, but they are decidedly NOT “regular and routine” maintenance. Btw, the Corps of Engineers regards ferry routes as public roadways, a further clue that expenses that are not “regular and routine” should rightfully be paid from the Road Fund along with all other highway improvements.
Finally, let’s talk about Fairness, since various Council members are fond of portraying ferry users as wealthy, free-loading island dwellers who want a free ride. It is one thing to talk about the price of a single fare. It is quite another to realize that an island resident commuter with a full-time mainland job makes about 250 round trips a year. That means that each $1 in fare expense translates to a $250 annual expense for a commuter.
Between 2002 and 2011 ferry fares increased five times, from $2 car/driver pass to $13, i.e., from $500/yr to over $3000/yr for a daily commuter. Comparison of US Census data from 2010 and 2020 shows that over the next several years a large number of daily commuters and young families moved away and were replaced by retirees, telecommuters, and home business owners who can much more easily avoid higher fares by making fewer ferry trips.
The easiest way to increase ferry revenue is with a summer surcharge on cash fares. Most ferries use them, but Public Works isn’t interested.
The Takeaways here are that: 1) County Code must preserve the “regular and routine” part of the operating costs definition, and 2) Public Works must start engaging cooperatively with the ferry user community of residents, visitors, contractors, and services to achieve a mutually agreeable path through the Whatcom Chief’s last years of service.
lummi island wine tasting july 21-22 ’23
JULY HOURS: Fridays & Saturdays, 4-6pm
This week’s 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.
Lancyre Pic St. Loup Rosé ’21 France $15
Raspberry and pear aromas on the nose, with distinctive notes of garrigue. Big, bold and firm on the palate, ending with a long, clean finish; pairs perfectly with hearty salads, grilled vegetables, kebabs, stuffed tomatoes or charcuterie.
Pomum Red ’18 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.
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
Rosemary Olive Oil – Made with bread flour and freshly milled white whole wheat for additional flavor and texture. Fresh rosemary from the garden and olive oil to make for a nice tender crumb and a nice crisp crust. – $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 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.
Lummi Island Wild
We have been carrying Lummi Island Wild’s terrific sushi-grade albacore canned tuna for a couple of years now, and it has been a big hit! If you have tasted it, you know it is Proof that all canned tuna is NOT created equal! And while the $7.50 price per can may seem high at first blush, it is truly Something Special!
AND just this week we have also brought in one of their new products, Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon, caught by reefnet fishing right here at Lummi Island’s historic Legoe Bay Reef Net fishery.
Economics of the Heart: CLIMATE CRISIS OFFICIALLY BEGINS
The past few weeks of weather along the US southern border states should be making it completely clear to everyone on the planet that the World is now WAY past “climate change,” having now been pretty much officially initiated into the Climate Crisis that we have seen coming for at least fifty years. All living species have a habitable niche that provides oxygen, food, habitat, and water, and human beings are no different. These niches are now getting a lot smaller, and millions of people who have been barely surviving on the margins are at the bitter end of the line.
For fifty years, science has been telling us that there are too many human beings, burning too much carbon for the global ecosystem upon which every living thing depends to remain in balance.
Indeed, as early as the 1970’s the energy industry and the US Dept of Energy were funding detailed climate research to develop models to predict how increasing energy consumption might affect global climate. While these studies were far less sophisticated then present models, they were surprisingly accurate in predicting how the complex interactions among CO2 concentration, atmospheric and ocean temperatures, and increasing heat and kinetic energy in the atmosphere would affect the habitability of the entire planet. Higher temperatures would mean more rapid evaporation, more rain, higher winds, more flooding in some places, more severe droughts in others, and vastly increased risk of forest fires and mega-hurricanes. Melting icecaps would reduce Earth’s albedo (energy reflected back into space), one of several negative feedback loops in the climate system.
We have known for decades exactly how disastrous our failure to limit carbon emissions would be for the interdependent global ecosystems that make life possible. Yet here we are in 2023 watching the early consequences of our collective failure to act. Over just the last few months we have seen a big flock of climate change chickens coming home to roost, most recently the sustained “heat dome” hanging over the US Southwest the past several weeks. In some parts of the world temperatures have gone above what living creatures can endure.
And yet, as unbelievable as it is to hear, Big Energy is doubling down on fossil fuel development and production even as the annual price tag on damages increases exponentially from fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, prolonged droughts, and dwindling water supplies all across the planet. In just the last decade, annual infrastructure damages from these events just in the US have been approaching a trillion dollars from increasingly powerful hurricanes, tornadoes, and flash flooding from sudden heavy downpours.
The number and cost of weather and climate disasters are increasing in the United States due to a combination of increased exposure (more assets at risk), vulnerability ( local climate risks), and the fact that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme events.
We all have known for decades that we have been changing the climate, but it has been easy, till now, to imagine there was still plenty of time and somehow, magically, it would all work out fine. Well, right about now, everyone on the planet should be starting to wake up to the terrifying reality of how Deep in Do-Do we really are. This was best framed by Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki at an event in Bellingham some ten years ago or so, when an audience member asked him if we should be worried about Climate Change. He paused, thought for a moment, and said emphatically, “You should be shi^^ing your pants!”
Entire regions of the planet are becoming either physically uninhabitable because of heat and drought, or economically uninhabitable because the ongoing risks of fires, floods, drought, and heat make it not worth rebuilding as what were once 500-year rarities become once in a dozen years certainties.
So how likely is it that we humans are capable of the kind of selfless cooperation that will be necessary to save this beautiful planet and it magical living beings…?
lummi island wine tasting july 14 ’23
JULY HOURS: Fridays & Saturdays, 4-6pm
a quiet day on the slough…
Friday Bread Pickup This Week
Pain au Levain – Made with a nice mix of bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat and rye flours. After building the sourdough and mixing the final dough it gets a long cool overnight ferment in the refrigerator that really allows the flavor to develop in the bread. – $5/loaf
Cinnamon Raisin – Made with a poolish of bread and fresh milled rye flour that is fermented overnight before the final dough is mixed with bread flour, freshly milled whole wheat and rolled oats. Some honey for sweetness, a little milk for a tender crumb and loaded with raisins and a healthy dose of cinnamon. The cinnamon is mixed into the dough and flavors the entire bread, a hearty rustic loaf, great for breakfast toast, even better for french toast! – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Gibassiers – A traditional french pastry that incorporates the flavors from the southern France region. 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. Ooh La La a delightful pastry with your morning coffee or tea! – 2/ $5
To get on the bread order list, click 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: Idilico Tempranillo ’20 Washington $21
Javier and Shylah Alfonso
Pomum Cellars in Woodinville is really two wineries in one. The Pomum label is used for blends of traditional French varietals like cab sauv, cab franc, and syrah. Currently those include the Pomum Red, which we almost always have in stock, and a higher end red blend, Shya.
Since winemaker Javier Alfonso grew up in Spain’s famed Ribera del Duero wine region, where tempranillo is just called “tinto” (i.e., the only real red grape), he created a separate label (Idilico) for the wines he makes from Spanish varietals grown in Washington (tempranillo, garnacha, graciano, monastrell, albarino). All the Idilico wines are made from Spanish varietals sourced from top vineyards in Yakima Valley.
Idilico is the only winery in Washington focusing exclusively on Spanish varietals. It turns out Washington vineyards are ideally suited for growing just about any wine grape, including the finicky Spanish varietals, which seem to yield their best wines from challenging terrain and temperature variations.
Contrary to popular belief, wine regions in Spain are not endlessly balmy and sunny. On the contrary, many top growing regions in Spain best resemble Eastern Washington, with arid desert conditions, scorching day time temperatures, and huge temperature swings at night. Add a short growing season and frosty winters, and you get, as the saying goes in in many of Spain’s best growing regions, “Nueve meses de invierno tres meses de infierno”— “nine months of Winter and three months of Hell!”
Anyway, we have been big fans of Javier’s wines for many years. This week were are pouring his tinto, and we are pretty sure you are going to like it!
This week’s wine tasting
Mas des Bressades Rosé ’21 France $14
Bright and refreshing classic Rhone blend of grenache, syrah, and mourvèdre, with splashes of Carignan and Cinsault; nice flavor balance of bright red fruit, wild herbs, and a vibrant, spicy finish.
Phantom Chardonnay ’20 California $15
Entices with its rich layers of green apple and pear that lead into spicy flavors of freshly baked apple pie, while barrel fermentation imparts a creamy, luscious mouthfeel finishing with sweet notes of vanilla and melted caramel.
Idilico Tempranillo ’20 Washington $21
Pretty aromas of dried herbs, game and tart cherry with hints of moist rock and some citrus notes; on the palate the wine is medium-bodied with juicy mouthfeel, soft tannins, and a bright, lingering finish.
Economics of the Heart: How 4.5 + 2.5 = 0
We mortals have a fair amount of imagination. But recent events demonstrate that there are times when all we can do is shake our heads in wonder at the way events unfold. Yes, we think. this IS stranger than fiction…No one, we think (except possibly Carl Hiaasen), could possibly have made this up!
Last week our ferry saga ended quite suddenly after the cancellation of a “special meeting” called on very short notice, with, um, a conspicuous lack of detail about need or purpose. It generated a certain public outrage, a power play by the majority, perhaps, that was called off at the last minute because it violated several elements of the State Open Meetings Act. Ahhh, we of the minority exhaled, perhaps we might actually get some traction at the next scheduled meeting scheduled for 7/12..?
Over the weekend, however, three members of the majority suddenly resigned from the committee as a group, apparently from public pressure. That left four of us, a relatively balanced but minimal quorum that could, possibly, conduct actual business at the next meeting, after many months of keeping serious topics from coming to the floor for discussion. It seemed remotely possible the remaining group of four might possibly find some common ground and make some progress.
On Monday morning, checking in with the County’s legislative liaison person revealed that four remaining members were still a quorum and could officially meet. Encouraging. However, by mid-morning we learned that one of the four had a conflicting engagement and would not be able to make the meeting.
A few hours later, a fourth member resigned, leaving only three of us of the designated seven. Liaison contacted Legal, and apparently if all three of us remaining could meet, that would still have made a quorum, but two definitely did not.
Those events precipitated a lot of hasty phone calls and emails, which quickly brought everything to a standstill for this month and perhaps longer. Not a bad thing really, if it stays at a standstill. We shall see.
No doubt this all sounds very abstract and boring. But for those of us caught up in it, it has been an Ordeal without resolution, involving much of our community, and completely unresolved, and emotionally exhausting. Danny Glover said it best, here: This isn’t the way things are supposed to be.
” of the ferry committee
lummi island wine tasting july 7-8 ’23
Open Friday AND Saturday, July 7 & 8, 4-6pm
courtesy toiletovhell.com
PLEASE NOTE!! Beginning July 7, we are expanding our summer hours to be open both Fridays and Saturdays from 4-6pm!
Friday Bread Pickup This Week
Pear Buckwheat – The preferment in this bread is a poolish, made with bread flour, water and a bit of yeast and fermented overnight. Mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled buckwheat. Since buckwheat has no gluten using the preferment allows the dough to begin to develop before the final mix. The addition of toasted walnuts and dried pears soaked in white wine makes for a really flavorful bread – $5/loaf
French Country Bread – A levain bread made with mostly 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. Not a refined city baguette, but a rustic loaf that you would find in the countryside.
and pastry this week…
Gibassiers – A traditional french pastry that incorporates the flavors from the southern France region. 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. Ooh La La a delightful pastry to go along with your morning coffee or tea
To get on the bread order list, click 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: Bodega Garzon Tannat Reserve ’18 Uruguay $15
Bodega Garzón vineyards, Uruguay
Tannat originated in the Southwest of France near Madiran in Gascony, in the shadow of the Pyrénées, where it has thrived for many centuries. It has long been known for its muscular tannins and was often blended with Bordeaux varietals cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. It was planted in Uruguay by Basque settlers in the nineteenth century, and has evolved into the dominant red wine of the country.
The Uruguayan evolution of the grape has developed wines characterized by soft and elegant tannins and complex blackberry fruit notes. Over many decades, several new clones have been developed which as a group have brought more ripeness, but higher alcohol and lower acidity and fruitiness. There is ongoing development of the wine’s potential by blending it with cab sauv, merlot, or cab franc. At present it offers a unique array of flavor and textural characteristics unlike any other varietal that some of us find irresistible!
Bodega Garzon Tannat Reserve ’18 Uruguay $15
Opaque deep, dark red; opens with an enticing, delicious aroma of very ripe, dark fruit and berries stewed in their own liqueur, with a melange of spice, wood. The palate is steeped with vermouth-like spice, herb, and licorice notes that are seamlessly balanced and integrated with the robust tannins of this rustic grape.
This week’s wine tasting
Chapoutier Belleruche Blanc ’21 France $14
Delicious blend of grenache blanc and roussanne; fragrant and perfumed with a light, grilled-lemon note over ripe melon,with a lingering palate of rich white peach.
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.
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.
Economics of the Heart: Undiscussed Elephants
Okay, okay, I promise this will be my last post regarding our parochial little ferry finance issue!
Several weeks ago, a unified community was able to get the County Council to postpone any action on the County’s stiff-arming attempt to get a new ferry rates ordinance passed that would allow it to charge any outrageous expense against fare revenues. A little breather, we all thought…
Instead, a subgroup of LIFAC, a County citizens committee that reports to the Council on ferry matters (I am a member), called a “special meeting” on two days’ notice that would change that decision and instead endorse the County’s new draft ordinance, with no public discussion of its many alarming faults. That meeting was called off at the last minute, ostensibly because it seemed to violate the WA Open Meetings Act. It is good that it was called off.
At this point it is important to note that there are several Very Large Elephants in this room that have been studiously ignored by Lifac for many months, never making it onto the agenda for the detailed and thoughtful discussion they deserve, despite extensive citizen resistance, including:
- A thorough validation review of at least the highest ten unprecedented O&M charges between $30,000 and $428,000 for “regular and routine” maintenance since 2013;
- A lengthy, thoughtful, detailed review and discussion to clarify, point by point, the language and intent of WCC 10.34 (Ferry Fares) with a particular focus on ease of interpretation and fairness to all stakeholders;
- Establishing an easily calculable rule to set limits on the allowable annual variation in the total fare box burden.
One place to start such a discussion is shown in this chart. Between 2013 and 2022 there were ten unusually large maintenance charges, ranging from $30k to $428k. There is nothing “regular, ordinary, or routine” about “maintenance” expenses of this magnitude, which in no way qualify for inclusion in the fare box burden.
In the chart there are two lines. The blue line links the total O&M costs charged against fare revenue of the years the expenses occurred. The red line shows how removal of just these ten, vastly higher costs than have ever before been passed off as “ordinary maintenance” substantially increases the “regularity” of total expenses from year to year. And these are just the most glaring examples!
This is the Main Event, folks. This is what the last six months have been about: underhanded changes of the rules in an unscrupulous effort to make ferry users pay for keeping our very old boat afloat. Well, no one elsewhere in the County pays for repaving the road in front of their house, or repairing the bridges they cross to get to work or shop. We are just fine with paying our fair share and maybe a little more. But this way, way, way past a fair share.
2072 Granger Way