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rodgersodimba · 4 years

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Catherine Bell Net Worth, Education, Career, Husband Adam Beason

Catherine Lisa Bell was born in August 14th 1968. She is a stunning tall actress with the Height of 5'9". Catherine is a successful British- American actress, producer, model and mother of two. She was famous for her role as Lieutenant colonel Sarah Mackenzie of the NBC television series JAG (1997 to 2005). She also played a huge role as Denise Sherwood in Army wives (2007 to 2013) And that Cassandra Nightingale (Cassie) of the Hallmark's "the Good witch". Catherine was born I n London. Her parents are Peter Bell and Mina Ezzatti. Her father is a Scottish man and Mother is an Iranian. After Catherine's parents were divorced, she moved to the United states with her Iranian grandparents when she two years old. Bell is fluent in both Persian and English. Her grandparents were muslims but she was raised a Roman catholic and went to Catholic girls school. Catherine Bell Education And career Details Catherine was born in London and moved to California, United states of America. She then enrolled at UCLA, following her desire to have a career in medicine or biology field but she dropped out as soon as she was offered to be a model in Japan. Bell moved back to the States for acting. In 1990 she took her first step into the television role and the she appeared as Isabella rossellin's body double in Death becomes her in 1992. Catherine's big rise up was the role of Sarah Mackenzie of JAG that she won as soon as she auditioned for it. Her acting carrier began to bloom as she gave her best acting through the character Cassie from The Good Witch and its sequels starting from 2008 to 2014. The Hallmark's Last Man Standing was the flim she started, also being a co executive producer of The Good witch sequels where Catherine's majority of income flowed from. Bell's another flim Love Finds its way(2017) premiered on the Hallmark channel. It it said by CBS that Catherine would play the role of Sarah Mackenzie again in 2019 and she will appear with her former co star David James Elliott on NCIS: Los Angeles season finale. She was named #75 on Maxim's Magazine the "Hot 100 of 2005" and #20 in the list of the FHM magazine's "100 sexiest woman in the world" In 2006, Bell was nominated for Saturn Award of "the Best supporting actress" from the movie The Triangle. At the age of 21, Catherine battled with thyroid cancer and had it removed. But she never wants to cover her scar which she is proud of her battle with cancer. The Actress loves adventurous outdoor sports such as skiing, snowboarding, motorcycling, cross-stitching. Bell has a great interest on cars and racing. On 2007, she was the grand marshal of the NASCAR cup series race at Dover International Speedway. Catherine Bell Marriage Life, Husband Adam Beason Catherine bell met her husband Adam Beason (Actor-production assistant) on 1992 during the filming of Death Becomes Her. They got married on May 8th 1994. And had a Daughter Gemma on 2003 and Son Ronan on 2010. The couple sold the Faux-Tuscan-style mini mansion in California when they got separated in 2011. She was rumoured and confirmed of her divorce with her husband and found her lesbian partner Brookie Daniels, a popular photographer and actress. She was widely spoken as she left her husband to begin her new life with her female partner. They both currenty living together in a single story house in LA. Catherine Bell Net Worth Catherine bell has an estimated net worth of $15 million. Read the full article

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hermanwatts · 4 years

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Sensor Sweep: Viking Bikers From Hell, Lovecraft & Hemingway, Hadon of Ancient Opar

T.V. (Bare Bone E-zine): But Milius’ mark on Sutter’s creative process may go far beyond simple story and dialogue. A more concrete clue lies in Milius’ end credits when Miami Vice scenes and the superimposed B-movie episode title “Viking Bikers from Hell,” pseudonymously written in 1987 by Milius, flash across the screen with other clips from his filmography. Though Sons of Anarchy is stylistically, tonally, and philosophically different from Milius’ episode, it is not a leap to see how it put the gas in the tank of Sutter’s imagination.

Horror (DMR Books): One of Lovecraft’s earliest stories written as an adult is “Dagon.” After his ship is sunk by German U-boats, a castaway finds himself on an unknown island. There he encounters the title creature. This story is one of Lovecraft’s earliest and one of his lesser ones; however it still has elements of genuine terror.

Games (Walker’s Retreat): Ghost of Tsushima is out now. In case you missed it, it’s this: Yep, a game set during the Mongol invasion of Japan. Gameplay is very reminiscent of the well-regarded Breath of the Wild for the Nintendo Switch blended with the more recent Assassin’s Creed games. Yes, playing in Japanese with subtitles is an option, as is playing in Black & White for the Full Kurosawa effect. This has the Death Cult in games mad, especially when Japanese outlets have been positive about this game. The meme below summarizes aptly.

Fiction (Rough Edges): A while back, I read SON OF GRENDEL, a novella that’s a prequel to this full-length novel. Now I’ve read BATTLE FOR THE WASTELANDS, and it’s a fine post-apocalyptic yarn, just as I expected based on my enjoyment of the novella. It’s the future, of course, after some disaster that has left vestiges of what people call the Old World. The countries, states, and cities that we know are gone, but firearms technology remains (although at a much lower level for the most part) and dirigibles are still around.

RPG (RPG Pundit): The newest issue is out, and RPGPundit Presents #102: The Woodsman is a very short issue, but it’s also only 99 cents! In it, I present a brand new character class for Lion & Dragon, that can also be used in other OSR games: the Woodsman! This is essentially a non-magical ranger-style class, based on Medieval-Authentic concepts of what a Woodsman was and did. If you want to play a native English (or Welsh) character who has ability in hunting, trapping and wilderness lore, this is the way to go!

Lost Race (Cirsova): In Hadon of Ancient Opar he presents a tale of the Ice Age in Africa. Some readers will not care for the earthy, rough sexuality which still has the power to shock and disturb, despite the passage of decades. Willy Ley’s “Chad Sea” and “Congo Lake” (Engineer’s Dreams, 1954) are present here as Mediterranean-like basins, while cities of a Jakob Bachofen-type matriarchy (Mother Right, 1861) flourish all around. Hadon, a sports champ/gladiator, is to become king but is instead sent on a deadly mission, and we’re off into whitest Africa, with Rider Haggard’s characters Laleela and Paga appearing alongside the Hercules-like Kwasin and the mysterious “grey-eyed god” Sahhindar.

Writing (Wasteland & Sky): We’ve talked many times about the awful state of art right now in the modern world, but we haven’t offered much in the way of solutions aside from the obvious: just keep trucking. Today that changes as I introduce to you my newest book due out at the end of this month: The Pulp Mindset!

RPG (The Other Side): Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (AS&SH) is more closely aligned with “Advanced Era” D&D, but its feel for me has always been more OD&D, though over the last few years I have been treating it as another flavor of Basic. I have mentioned in the past that I see AS&SH as a good combination of B/X and AD&D rules. Essentially it is what we were playing back in the early 80s.

Writing (Pulprev): Updated Call for Submissions: Pulp on Pulp. Misha Burnett and I are working on a free collection of essays for writers. Titled Pulp on Pulp, this collection offers practical advice on creating fun, fast-paced fiction. This collection is aimed specifically at writers who want to create pulp-style fiction, though writers from other genres may learn something new from this collection. This project is a labour of love, allowing writers to share everything they have learned.

Fiction (Tentaculii): Ernest Hemingway published his first novel in 1926, just as Lovecraft was writing “The Call of Cthulhu”. Over time Lovecraft’s star dimmed away almost to nothing, while Hemingway struck the world like a meteorite. So much so, that Robert Bloch once remarked that it was difficult to conceive that Lovecraft had actually been living and working in the same era as Hemingway. Another protege, J. Vernon Shea, also observed that… “Part of the reason for Lovecraft’s unpopularity with the literary critics of his day lay in the fact that mainstream literature, following Sherwood Anderson’s and Hemingway’s leads, was turning more and more toward simple sentences and action–packed narration”.

Non-fiction (Marzaat): In “Slaves of the Death Spider: Colin Wilson and Existentialist Science Fiction”, Stableford talks about Wilson’s Spider World series in a way that convinces me there’s probably not much of merit in them. He finds them not that original – specifically derivative of Star Wars and Murray Leinster’s “Mad Planet”. He finds it ironic that Wilson, who once accused science fiction of being fairy tales for adults who have not outgrown fairy tales, has written, inspired by his occult interests, a story that seems to suggest, a la L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetics, that mankind’s salvation will come. In short, Stableford says Wilson neither delivers a new plot or anything conceptually satisfying.

Fiction (Jon Mollison): Celebrate your independence from authors that hate you, the good, the beautiful, and the true. You should pick up your copy of The Penultimate Men today, and I’ll tell you why. or starters, it includes a new Morty and Kyrus story from Schuyler Hernstrom. If you have read any Hernstrom, you already know his entry is worth the price of admission alone. In addition to that story, you get Jeffro Johnson’s inimitable break-down of the post-apocalyptic genre, a pair of tales from my own pen, and something you’ve never seen before.

Art (DMR Books): The artist, John Byrne, turned seventy today. I would reckon most DMR Books fans know him from his work on superhero comics like The X-Men and The Fantastic Four. However, Byrne has a long history of drawing heroic fantasy characters. Back in 1971, barely in his twenties, Byrne wrote and drew his first published comics story which was published by the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary. The protagonist of the comic was called “The Death’s-Head Knight” and the plot was firmly within heroic fantasy parameters. Check it out here.

Pulp Fiction (Adventures Fantastic): I read “The Black Gargoyle”. It was the cover story for the March 1934 issue of Weird Tales. It is available in the collection of the same name. Set on Borneo, the unnamed narrator and his companion, Martin Gow, are traveling upriver to join a museum expedition. They stop to rest at an outpost run by a man named Gomez. Gomez is an evil man, the very stereotype of the white oppressor. Gomez has given them a hut in which there are several skulls and a shrunken head on a shelf above the beds. Also staying in another hut are a man and his wife.

Pulp Fiction (Pulp Net): I have posted previously on the prolific H. Bedford-Jones (1887-1949), who is considered the “King of the Pulps,” having written over 800 short stories, 200 novels, and more. While he had several series of works with single characters, many of his longest series were instead around certain themes. Kind of fictionalized histories or docu-dramas. Many of these were done for Blue Book, one of the “Big 4” of pulps. The longest of these series was his “Ships and Men” series that ran for 34 parts from January 1937 to November 1939.

Fiction (Superversive SF): Probably the best known of the series, THE BLACK CAULDRON follows the Companions as they seek to stop Arawn from acquiring more cauldron born. It is very different from the Disney movie version. The silent, stalking soldiers cannot be slain but weaken the further they get from the land of the dead. The companions have a mission—steal the cauldron and destroy it. That’s not as easy as it sounds. However, the one who jumps in must know it will cost his life. One of Prince Gwydion’s main allies turns traitor, and one of Taran’s new companions is out for his own glory.

Culture Wars/RPG (Grey Hawk Grognard): Sometime over the last couple of days, Wizards of the Coast decided to put up the following disclaimer on all D&D products earlier than 5th edition, plus a few 5E items as well. Setting aside the typos and grammatical errors of this hastily-done disclaimer, I can’t say I’m surprised that Wizards of the Coast has decided to bend the knee to the SJW crowd.

Fiction (Pulp Serenade): Robert Silverberg’s criminal past has been coming to light—and I, for one, am thrilled, just as readers were undoubtedly thrilled decades ago. In 2011, Stark House Press republished two of the sci-fi master’s earliest novels, Gang Girl (1959) and Sex Bum (1963), both of which originally appeared under the pseudonym Don Elliott. These are from the heyday of smut paperbacks, a time when rising talent (like Silverberg, Donald Westlake, and Lawrence Block) were cutting their teeth on T-and-A-tastic yarns, honing their writing skills and getting paid for it.

Sensor Sweep: Viking Bikers From Hell, Lovecraft & Hemingway, Hadon of Ancient Opar published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

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fuelyogurt6-blog · 5 years

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An Eater's Guide to Seattle

Table Of Contents

Welcome to the land of Local

Everywhere you turn in Seattle, you're greeted by mountains, lakes, and the Puget Sound. There's fresh salmon flown in from Alaska, sushi galore, and an absolute glut of Hawaii's favorite raw fish salad, poke. Washington state is also home to some of the country's most fertile soil, which means incredible produce, a thriving wine scene, and even a case to be made that barbecue, thanks to lovely livestock, is better here than in Texas. Just as importantly, the region's cuisine is influenced heavily by a history of Asian immigration, which is why everything from fried chicken hot spots to fancy restaurants call back to Vietnam, Japan, China, Korea, and more.

As far as single item food experiences go, don't miss oysters at Taylor Shellfish Farm, handmade-noodle pho at Ba Bar, tajarin pasta with butter and sage sauce at Cascina Spinasse, dumplings at Dough Zone, deep-dish pizza at Windy City Pie (and sourdough deep-dish at sibling Breezy Town Pizza), and the hot oil biang biang at Miah's Kitchen, roving restaurant critic Bill Addison's "most profound noodle revelation."

Where to Start on Eater Seattle's Top Maps

As you know, Eater puts out oodles of maps detailing the top places and things to eat and drink in Seattle. Below, we cherry pick the top points on our most popular maps to help time-starved eaters prioritize which spots to visit.

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Looking west over Lake Union out to Puget Sound. [Photo: seastock/shutterstock]

Hot Restaurant: The hottest of the hot right now is Dingfelder's Delicatessen, eventually a full restaurant but currently a walk-up window for traditional Jewish deli fare like pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, half-sour pickles, and chopped chicken liver. It's one of a new wave of Jewish restaurants in the works to fill a void that's existed in Seattle for far too long.

Essential Restaurant: If you need to narrow down the Essential 38, head to Capitol Hill for Renee Erickson's Bateau, which may very well be the finest steakhouse in the nation. Venture north to Ravenna and Junebaby for Edouardo Jordan's deeply personal, immensely satisfying take on American Southern cuisine, or try the city's juiciest soup dumplings and buns at one of Dough Zone Dumpling House's five locations.

Bars: Seattle takes its cocktails seriously. One of the most exciting of the new contenders is Fremont's funky Stampede Cocktail Club. As for longer-standing options, one of the best is Stateside sibling Foreign National, whose inventive use of Asian ingredients made it a clear choice for an Eater Award in 2016; other essential bars to seek out include nationally renowned Canon. Navy Strength is a must-try for modern tiki, and Eater Seattle's award winner for Bar of the Year in 2017, Alchemy, is an adventurous jaunt in West Seattle. There are also wine bars galore, like the lovely French Le Caviste, and hopheads will want to geek out at the city's top beer bars, including Chuck's Hop Shop.

Breweries: There's been an exciting proliferation of strong breweries throughout Seattle in recent years, but one standout is a must-visit: Holy Mountain, with its constantly changing menu of off-beat, barrel-aged beers, all impeccable. And Cloudburst, just north of Pike Place Market, is a masterful maker of dank IPAs.

Poke: Even as the poke craze calms, the Hawai'ian specialty of raw marinated fish remains a favorite Seattle dish, and the top purveyors are worth revisiting time and time again. Your best bets are places like the surprisingly satisfying and wildly popular phenomenon that is 45th Stop N Shop and Poke Bar and the restaurants and food trucks named after the Godfather of Poke himself, Sam Choy's Poké to the Max.

Brunch: The humble bacon-and-eggs midday meal has been elevated to an art form here. Capitol Hill's Wandering Goose does it impeccably, as does West Seattle's Ma'ono Chicken and Whiskey.

Coffee: Experience Seattle's essentials, head to the Eastside for the top spots there, or hit up the hottest additions to the city's famed scene. Stop by Italian espresso machine-expert La Marzocco's first-ever cafe and showroom to try the month's roaster-in-residence, hit up any of Slate Coffee Roasters' three meticulous shops to geek out, then ease into the evening sipping a glass of natural wine alongside your coffee at Vif, which feels like it deserves to be the fourth wave of coffee.

Views: In this fetching city surrounded by mountains and water and evergreen trees, dining with a view is a must. Take the water taxi across Elliott Bay to dine on Hawaiian-Korean creations at Marination Ma Kai or nab an Adirondack chair on the north end of Lake Union for Mediterranean-inspired fare with a skyline view at Westward. You'll also want to keep track of the city's best patios for bright summer days.

Seattle Food 'Hoods To Know

These are the key areas of the city every self-proclaimed food-lover has got to survey — complete with what to eat and drink in each.

Adam Cohn/Flickr

LGBTQ- and pedestrian-friendly rainbow crosswalks are unique to Capitol Hill. [Photo: Adam Cohn/Flickr]

Capitol Hill:

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Georgian khachapuri for brunch at Nue. [Photo: Nue/FB]

Ultra-hip and oh-so-trendy, Capitol Hill is Seattle's proud LGBTQ capital and a rare beacon of late-night revelry. Now, along with nearby South Lake Union, it's also the epicenter of the city's ongoing development boom. Along with all the sleek new condo buildings come restaurants, new bumping up against the old. See some of the finest options in our neighborhood guide. The most relevant spots right this minute include Bateau, Stateside, and Foreign National, though you should also add the fried chicken sandwich and boozy ginger beer purveyor Rachel's Ginger Beer to your list, along with international street food-inspired Nue, ever-popular Malaysian spot Kedai Makan, and renowned Thai nook Little Uncle.

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Chinatown-International District. [Photo: f11photo/shutterstock]

International District:

As diverse a neighborhood as you'll find in the city, the ID or CID (whose full name is Chinatown International District) is home to Chinatown, Japantown, and Little Saigon, with all the wonderful cuisines those represent and more; see our neighborhood dining guide for tons of great options. In particular, fans of noodles should seek out the satisfying cheap eats at King Noodle, the lunch-, weekday-, cash-only favorite Thai Curry Simple, or the obscure ramen deal at Tsukushinbo, only available Fridays for lunch. Dip dumplings in soup at Mike's Noodle House, try spicy wontons at Gourmet Noodle Bowl, or admire the unusually-long pan-fried potstickers at Szechuan Noodle Bowl. And don't miss Huong Binh Vietnamese Cuisine's perfectly grilled pork, as well as the affordable lunch boxes and barbecue pork banh mi at Saigon Vietnam Deli.

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Railway drawbridge as seen from the Ballard Locks. [Photo:cpaulfell/shutterstock]

Ballard:

Once a rough-and-tumble fishing village, Ballard has changed a lot since it was annexed into Seattle city limits in 1907. The neighborhood — mapped out for your dining convenience here — straddles the line between modern development and the preservation of its early history, a sort of lens into what's playing out across the city as a whole. There's plenty worth eating here, including upscale newcomer Copine, which focuses on elegant French preparations of Northwest ingredients; seafood-focused oyster bar the Walrus and the Carpenter; wood-fired pizza perfectionist Delancey; and Caribbean sandwich restaurant Un Bien. Not hungry yet? Work up an appetite while watching the salmon run in the fish ladder at the Ballard Locks. Ballard's year-round Sunday farmers market is a treat, too.

Other indispensable neighborhood guides:

West Seattle, Georgetown, Pioneer Square, Wallingford, Columbia City, Green Lake, U District, Beacon Hill, Federal Way, Tacoma, Tacoma's Lincoln District, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Seattle Glossary of Terms

Seattle Hot Dog:

It's a hot dog or sausage slathered in — wait for it — cream cheese and grilled onions. No one knows quite why. Verdict: surprisingly good. Sorry, Philadelphia, you missed out big time on this innovation. Want to try the most extravagant version in the city? It's Renee Erickson's salmon roe-coated homage at dramatic bar Deep Diveunderneath the Amazon Spheres.

Geoduck:

Pronounced "gooey duck," this is an enormous, coveted clam that shocks newcomers with its phallic appearance. Take a deep dive on this bizarre, beloved Pacific Northwest native, and look out for it at places like Lark, How to Cook a Wolf, and Sushi Kashiba.

Teriyaki:

This sticky-sweet Japanese-American dish is a Seattle specialty, popularized by Toshihiro Kasahara at Toshi's Teriyaki Restaurant in the 1970s. You can still find Kasahara north of the city at Toshi's Teriyaki Grill (16212 Bothell Everett Hwy, Mill Creek); you can do your laundry while pairing doughnuts and teriyaki at King Donuts and Teriyaki and Laundromat, which closed briefly before being reopened by new owners; or you can devour a teriyaki chicken burger at one of Katsu Burger's growing number of fusion joints.

Starbucks:

Just kidding — sorta. Sure, you know the mega-chain got its start in Seattle, and you probably don't need to check out Starbucks' faux-riginal location in Pike Place Market (the true original was nearby at the corner of Western and Virginia). But do check out the company's sexy, modern, copper-plated Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room on Capitol Hill (1124 Pike Street), where fresh specialty beans are piped directly to baristas serving a variety of intriguing concoctions, with or without syrups and whipped creams. The space is even home to a full bar, and a high-end Italian bakery called Princi has taken up residence to ply customers with flaky cornetti and other breads and pastries baked fresh all day, every day. It's certainly impressive.

Canlis:

Courtesy of Brian Canlis

You don't make friends with salad — unless it's the Canlis Salad. [Photo: Courtesy of Brian Canlis]

Old-school yet relevant, Canlis is Seattle's classic white-tablecloth, fine-dining, dress-code restaurant. It's still owned and operated by the Canlis family, and it's still setting the benchmark for quality and service in the city. One of the only permanent menu fixtures, the Canlis salad, is an icon; the rest of the menu rotates, showcasing local ingredients tinged with Asian flavors, a mark of the powerful influence that immigrants have had on the region's cuisine.

Renee Erickson:

A recent James Beard Award-winner, this chef channels rustic European country cooking by way of seasonal Pacific Northwest ingredients in her bright, airy, elegant spaces. She runs some of the city's most adored restaurants, including mobbed oyster bar the Walrus and the Carpenter, wood-fired Whale Wins, innovative steakhouse Bateau, and even a darling doughnut shop called General Porpoise.

Shiro Kashiba:

A legend in his own right, this beloved chef trained with Jiro Ono (of Jiro Dreams of Sushi) before defining sushi culture in Seattle over the past 50 years and counting. He spent early days at Maneki (still an unbeatable dining experience more than 100 years after its inception) and other spots, pioneering the use of local seafood, then two decades at namesake Shiro's. Finally, after the world's shortest retirement, Kashiba returned to the counter in late 2015 at Pike Place Market's Sushi Kashiba, an incredible ode to fresh fish.

RESERVATIONS TO MAKE IN ADVANCE

Bateau; Canlis; Stateside; Salare; Copine; Altura; Sushi Kashiba

Bateau, an innovative steakhouse from James Beard Award-winner Renee Erickson. [Photo: Bill Addison/Eater]

follow the News

Eater Seattle is updated multiple times every weekday with breaking news stories (restaurant openings, closings, etc.), features, guides and more. Here are a few ways to stay in the loop:

• Keep an eye on the Eater Seattle homepage. New stories will always show up near the top and flow down toward the bottom of the page as they get older, while important recent stories will stay pinned right at the top. Also, check out our big sister, Eater.com, for national and international food news. • Subscribe to the newsletter, which goes out twice a week and includes links to the site's top stories. • Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates on new stories and more throughout the day. • Interested in restaurant openings? They're all tracked here. If you prefer to know which restaurants have shuttered, closings are collected here.

Must Read

Get in touch

Have questions not answered here? Want to send in a tip or a complaint or just say hello? Here are some ways to get in touch with the Eater Seattle staff:

• Email us at [email protected]. • Send us a tip, which can be anonymous if you choose, at our tipline. • Interact with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Source: https://seattle.eater.com/2016/9/23/12594046/seattle-city-guide-where-to-eat

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gokinjeespot · 7 years

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off the rack #1183

Monday, October 9, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canuckleheads out there. I am thankful every day for the blessed life that I have but today is extra special because Penny is roasting a turkey for us. I love roast turkey and turkey leftovers. Went out to the lake this morning with my buddy Shane for the last fishing trip of the year and was lucky enough to land some nice fish. One of my catches was a pike that put up a good fight. Unfortunately, it took a strong run when I got it close to the boat which broke my line. There went one of my favourite lures. Stupid pike.

Punisher: The Platoon #1 - Garth Ennis (writer) Goran Parlov (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Rob Steen (letters). My patience has been rewarded. Garth Ennis is back writing a Punisher story. We are going back to Frank's first command in Viet Nam in this prequel as a writer interviews four of Frank's fellow soldiers. This story gives us a look at a younger Frank Castle and I am looking forward to more insights into one of my favourite Marvel characters.

Batman #32 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin (art) June Chung (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). "The War of Jokes & Riddles" concludes in this must read issue. This story supplants "The Court of Owls" as my favourite Batman story because there's the added depth of emotion that's given to both Bruce and Batman. I don't remember either saying those three little words before, but this admission to Selina/Catwoman I will always remember. This changes a lot of stuff.

Paper Girls #16 - Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Cliff Chiang (art) Matt Wilson (colours) Jared K. Fletcher (letters). And they're back on the racks again after a 3 month hiatus. This time the girls pop into the year 2000 where the Y2K computer glitch is a reality. This is a rare time travelling story that I like.

Spirits of Vengeance #1 - Victor Gischler (writer) David Baldeon (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). With a title like that you know the Ghost Rider is going to be in this new comic book, but which one? I'm not a big fan of any of these four Spirits of Vengeance but Victor and David did a good job of making me want to know what happens next so I will keep reading. It helps that we have yet to meet one last member of this fatal four.

Batman: White Knight #1 - Sean Murphy (writer & art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) Todd Klein (letters). This is a new take on the Batman versus Joker story. I was surprised by who the White Knight is and how he came to be. There is also a little teaser concerning Alfred that makes me want to read more of this 8-issue series. Sean has a knack for making old characters look fresh so let's see what the punch line will be.

Rat Queens Special: Orc Dave #1 - Kurtis J. Wiebe (writer) Max Dunbar (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Micah Myers (letters). Get to know more about one of the Rat Queens's friends in this beautifully illustrated special. Dave is not one of those nasty Lord of the Rings Orcs.

Jessica Jones #13 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's part 1 of "Return of the Purple Man". Didn't they kill off this villain on Netflix?

Batman: The Dawnbreaker #1 - Sam Humphries (writer) Ethan Van Sciver (art) Jason Wright (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). Welcome to Earth-32 where a Green Lantern ring finds a traumatized Bruce Wayne instead of Hal Jordan and bestows upon him vast powers. Thus is born the darkest knight. I was enjoying this immensely until the cheesy Dawnbreaker oath. Boy did that stink. Ethan's art made this as pretty as the break of dawn though, so all is forgiven.

The American Way: Those Above and Those Below #3 - John Ridley (writer) Georges Jeanty (pencils) John Livesay (inks) Nick Filardi (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). Every revolution has its hot heads and this one is no different. Politics brings out the worst of humanity it seems.

Avengers #672 - Mark Waid (writer) Jesus Saiz (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I figured it was a good time to jump back onto the Avengers bandwagon here with part 1 of a 6-part crossover with the Champions called "Worlds Collide" where the younguns help to prevent a major disaster. Mark writes both books and I have been enjoying what he's been doing on the Champions. This Avengers team consists of Nadia Pym/Wasp, Jane Foster/Thor, Sam Wilson/Falcon, Vision, Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Hercules. The interrelationship between the heroes is what I find most entertaining.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #29 - Robert Venditti (writer) Rafa Sandoval (pencils) Jordi Tarragona (inks) Tomeu Morey (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). "Fall of the Gods" concludes with Hal and the Corps saving Orion and High Father's lives. Now the New Gods owe the Corps one.

Astonishing X-Men #4 - Charles Soule (writer) Carlos Pacheco (pencils) Rafael Fonteriz (inks) Rain Beredo (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The Shadow King controlled Old Man Logan does what he does best in London while Fantomex, Mystique, Rogue and Gambit whoop it up in the Astral Plane. One of those four falls to the bad guy. The suspense is killing me.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #22 - Elliott Kalan (writer) Todd Nauck (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). And Arcade loses again. This here is one book that I can read with my brain turned off. There's no deep thinking involved and I need that sometimes.

Nick Fury #6 - James Robinson (writer) Aco (pencils) Hugo Petrus (inks) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). That's it for now folks. 6 issues and 6 missions of the most colourful adventures of Nick Fury Jr. I hope to see these creative people back on the racks soon.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #6 - Charles Soule (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Cam Smith (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). A fresh new Darth Vader emerges from the battle with the Jedi that he got his new Kyber crystal for his lightsaber from after Vader does some DYI repairs to his armour. Now he's ready for Palpatine's next mission. This time he's heading a team of Jedi killers so there is bound to be conflict.

Spider-Man #21 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Nico Leon (art) Justin Ponsor & Jason Keith (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Miles' sojourn in Japan ends with a bang. The mystery man that helps him out is a mystery no longer. Next up, a new Sinister Six, which means there will be plenty of action.

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2traveldads-blog · 7 years

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We’re big on camping. Roughing it doesn’t scare us…because we are car-campers and only go where there are actual bathrooms and running water. Well, we’ve taken our oldest, Oliver, camping many times and he loves it. He’s such a trooper and could play in the dirt for days. We’re prepping to go on a big camping trip to Wyoming and Montana though and we needed to practice a bit before we ventured out. Also, our newest addition, Elliott, hadn’t spent a night in a tent yet, so there was a bit of a fear factor there.We did it. We took the boys out to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State and camped.

Our fear was that Koala wasn’t going to be able to sleep outside. You know, there’s the sound of random birds, other people talking, kids screaming somewhere, pots and pans at a neighboring campsite. The list of what could wake a baby is endless. Despite the cacophony of the night, both kids slept like rocks. And I don’t mean that they slept until 4:30 am and then got up with the sun, but slept until 7:15 and we actually got rest.

Beyond conquering sleep, there were other adventures to try out as a family of four, such as hiking, whale watching, swimming in the ocean, playing in the creek, tide-pooling… Of all of the things we did on the OP, here’s our list of the most enjoyable activities with both an infant and toddler.

Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula

The perfect start to an adventurous weekend on the Olympic Peninsula is with a day in PT. Established in the 1800s as the primary seaport for the Puget Sound (prior to the railroads declaring Seattle as such), the town was built to be beautiful and have all of the features of a keystone city: Victorian downtown, mansions uptown, amazing courthouse complete with looming bell tower…and a castle. Today, it’s got everything that a tourist could want. Local beer (PTBrewing), local wine (Fairwinds Winery) and cider (Alpenfire) are available throughout the town. The NorthwestMaritime Center is right on the water and ready to pull you into wooden boat culture. Fort Worden has beach, woods and WWII bunkers for exploring, as well as the Point Wilson lighthouse and the most amazing field for flying kites. I didn’t get into all of the shops in the downtown, because that’s its own day, but hit up what I just mentioned and kids and adults are set for fun.

Tip: there is a ferry that goes to PT from Whidbey Island. It’s a tiny boat and it gets full very quickly. The best route is to ferry from Seattle or Edmonds and then drive across the Hood Canal Bridge.

The Beach

We live by a beach, but we are really far into the Puget Sound, so there’s not actual ocean waves. Also there’s not a ton of sand. Cue the Olympic Peninsula… Such cool beaches: enormous drift wood at LaPush, the softest sand ever at Salt Creek, tide pools on the Strait of Juan de Fuca (see below). What makes the beaches here so different and fun is that they are playable. The sand isn’t dry and blasting your eyes with from the wind. The shore is gradual, so there’s lots of sandy space. The waves aren’t the size of tsunamis straight from Japan so you can actually play in them when it’s warm.

Also, when you go to the beach with an infant, chances are that there’s going to be a lot of time for one parent and the baby to just sit on the beach and play ON A BLANKET. These beaches are both great for that due to the beautiful views and flat surface.

Tip: bring binoculars year round to watch for passing grey, humpback and orca whales. We’ve been able to see grey and orca whales with the naked eye in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Tip 2: a baby at the beach will be sandy no matter how hard you try. Be okay with it in the moment, but be swift in addressing it when you leave the beach. Sand stuck in tiny baby fat rolls can be painful and wear at their skin. Bathe/shower them immediately for the happiest results.

Tip 3: remember back to when you were little and how tired you were after a day in the sun and sand. Know that kids will be worn out after this. Plan for tired kids and parents directly following exodus of said beach.

Tidepools on the Olympic Peninsula

I’m a bit obsessed with the ocean and not actually being a merman I have to enjoy it in ways other than living underwater. Luckily, our oldest son is the same way. He loves to play in the water and sand, but now he’s been exposed to something even better: tide pools! Tide pools, for those who don’t know, are the low spot in rock outcroppings that are full of water after the tide goes out. This means that there is an environment that can hold life even at low tide. For a child who loves the sea, this is the perfect spot to see all of the tiny friends that normally are out in the water. We saw hermit crabs, anemones, sculpin (fish), chitons, huge barnacles feeding… Also, the rocks are home to many pelagic seabirds, so it’s great for birdwatching. The tide pools on the Strait are really fantastic. They are easy to traverse as an adult, toddler or parent wearing a baby in a pack. Also, the rocks go far enough out that the danger of being caught in a wave is truly minimal.

Tip: the best shoes for tide pooling are sandal-type shoes with a little traction. They’ll provide good footing on the rocks and then dry fast.

Tip 2: if the Olympic Peninsula isn’t close enough when you’re visiting Seattle or Portland, check out Whidbey Island’s tide pools, or if you’re south, the Oregon Coast has a plethora of opportunities for them.

RULE: do not take anything from a tide pool. Example: an empty snail shell might actually be a hermit crab’s home. Would you want somebody to take yours?

Hiking on the OP

The Olympic Peninsula is where the mountains literally meet the sea. What this means is that you can either hike hike or walk hike. For hardcore folks they can traverse the Olympic Mountains from all sides, climbing Mt. Rose or heading up out of Staircase by Lake Cushman. For those of us with kids, we’ve got some other options. The Hoh Rainforest is one of my favorite places because it makes me feel like I’m walking with gnomes. I know, silly, but when you’ve got a 3 year old to entertain along the way, it’s nice to be able to look for gnomes.

The Hoh is so dense with moss and fallen trees that it’s almost like another planet. The streams are so fully of algae and other plants, the look like alien rivers. Other easy hiking includes heading to the beach areas for walks in the sand or if you’ve got the time and energy, trekking all of the way out to the Dungeness Spit lighthouse. There’s such a variety and with something different to see at each stop, you can’t go wrong. Hurricane Ridge is also a great day hiking spot, with views going all the way to Victoria, BC and Seattle. **beware of mountain goats at Hurricane Ridge. They’re not indigenous and are still angry about it, so they’re not friendly.

Tip: despite being called a temperate rainforest, the Hoh can actually be rather hot and dry. Be prepared with lots of water and the energy to carry little people, as the mugginess can be draining.

Tip 2: for younger kids, having an actual hiking pack is very helpful and will make you all feel much better about your adventure when you realize how much more comfortable it is than just a standard baby pack.

Whale Watching on the Salish Sea

There are a few approaches to whale watching. 1.) Set up a chair on a bluff or beach and wait for the whales to swim by, hoping to catch a glimpse. 2.) Hire a random guide in a marina in Sequim or Port Angeles to take you out on a small boat and hope that they are whale-wise and responsible. 3.) Spend the extra money to go on a whale watching expedition with a company that guarantees sightings.

It sounds weird that they can guarantee sightings, but here’s why: the reputable companies all work together to share whale locations, thus making for quicker sighting and more positive guest experiences, thus building their businesses and awareness of whales and their plight. It’s all a rather good set up. Since the tour companies are regulated and the Fish and Wildlife chaps are out in their boats monitoring, the whales are treated well and given wide berth for going their own way. The experience is great and there’s nothing like seeing the wonder in your child’s eyes when an orca jumps out of the water in front of them.

Tip: you can book whale watching either from the Olympic Peninsula or the mainland (Seattle/Everett). Excursions are typically 4-5 hours, but it’s worth the time to be on the water and see such beauty.

Tip 2: there’s no shame in being prepared with a little entertainment for younger kids, as boat travel isn’t always the most exciting part of the day.

There is, of course, far more to do and see on the Olympic Peninsula. Native American culture thrives in several areas, so watch for totem poles. The Twilight Saga was filmed on the OP and going out of Port Angeles and Forks, you can go on Twilight themed tours. There are some beautiful National Park lodges to visit or stay at, Lake Quinault, Kalaloch or Lake Crescent. Seriously, you could do a two week vacation here easily, and everybody in the family will have an amazing time.

To see more photos of Olympic National Park, the Salt Creek area, or other spots on the Olympic Peninsula, peek at other posts we’ve done! And to check out another great town, Port Ludlow, read our Behind the Picture post about this wonderful port town.

Here’s a quick sunset on the Strait of Juan de Fuca to leave you with:

The Olympic Peninsula: almost paradise in the PNW We’re big on camping. Roughing it doesn’t scare us…because we are car-campers and only go where there are actual bathrooms and running water.

#camping #day trips #family travel #gay dad #gay family #gay travel #glbt #hiking #national park #olympic peninsula #orcas #pnw travel #port townsend #tourism #victorian #washington state ferries #whale watching

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morporkian-cryptid · 8 months

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Japan day 12: Kamakura's Sasuke Inari Jinja shrine ⛩️🦊

So we were visiting Kamakura, right. Kamakura is known as "The Kyoto of Kanto region", meaning there's a fuckton of temples and shrines. We had just visited two such temples, and I spot on the map a shrine to Inari. "Sweet", I say, "a shrine to my fave deity, and it's on our way, too!"

So we go to Sasuke Inari.

Having a bunch of torii forming a tunnel seems to be a staple of Inari shrines. Personally I find it pretty cool.

Oh and look, people left little fox figurines at the feet of the torii.

And on the milestones and the fox statues, how cute.

...And on the smaller midway altars, too.

...wait...

That's. A lot of foxes.

What

The

Fuck??

WHAT THE FUCK??????

In other news, I got yet another goshuin stamp, and we taught the priest to say "renard" (fox in French); he was repeating it to himself as we left 🦊

#elliott's big adventure in japan #shinto #inari #kamakura

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morporkian-cryptid · 8 months

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Japan has clean free public toilets everywhere.

Japan also has amazingly well thought-out disabled toilets everywhere.

Japan also has the aforementioned spacious, well thought-out and fully furnished disabled toilets ON TRAINS.

ON THE FRIGGIN SHINKANSEN.

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS PLACE.

The door is automatic. There are door-operating buttons near the door and near the toilet seat. There's an emergency button to call the train staff near the toilet seat. Aime also informs me there is one at ground level in case you fall down and can't get up.

There's also the ever-present baby-holder which I personally find hilarious on top of being very useful.

Not to mention the ubiquitous Toto toilet, that sprays water on your butt and plays music and is present in literally EVERY public restroom.

Give it up for Japanese toilets 🥳🇯🇵🚽

#elliott's big adventure in japan

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morporkian-cryptid · 8 months

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Things I did not expect to see in Kyoto:

FIELDS

#our hotel was in the middle of nowhere #but still within the official borders of kyoto #and there was no bus to get back into town #so we walked for 40 minutes through a forest and then fields #this trip feels like an actual ghibli movie i tell you #elliott's big adventure in japan

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morporkian-cryptid · 8 months

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-deep, autistic inhale-

#elliott's big adventure in japan #ishikawa goemon

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morporkian-cryptid · 9 months

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Aime didn't understand why I was laughing, until I explained that the OG Goemon Ishikawa was boiled alive.

The spaghetti were very good 👌😋

#elliott's big adventure in japan

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morporkian-cryptid · 8 months

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🇯🇵⛩️Japan day 9 - last day of the road trip

Today we visited Ise, birthplace of Shintoism and home of Japan's most important shrine to Amaterasu-Omikami, the sun goddess who gave birth to the Imperial line.

⛩️Ise-Jingu is an immense shrine spanning the entire region, and containing 125 small shrines. The most important one is Naiku, the one where Amaterasu-Omikami is enshrined. Historically the high priests and priestesses of the shrine belonged to the imperial line, and the current high priestess is the daughter of retired emperor Akihito. The entire shrine (like, the main buildings, torii, etc, the whole shebang) is rebuilt anew every twenty years; the operation takes nine years and involves hundreds of rituals.

Ise shrine has been an important place of pilgrimage since the Edo era. The traditional route is to first purify yourself at Futamiokitama shrine, home of the famous Meoto Iwa "married stones", where young women pray for an auspicious marriage. The rocks represent Izanagi and Izanami, the original gods and parents of Amaterasu & co. The enshrined kami, Sarutahiko Okami, has frogs for their messenger animal, and there are frog statues and frog-decorated merch to buy. I nearly bought a tadpole-shaped omamori (might go back tomorrow for it).

Then you visit Geku shrine, dedicated to Toyouke Ohime. She is the goddess of food, clothes and homes. She was summoned and enshrined in Ise after an emperor had a vision of Amaterasu basically saying "I love it here but there's no food, bring my pal over so she can cook for me".

And lastly, you visit Naiku shrine, home of Amaterasu the sun goddess, protector of Japan. You can even ourify yourself djrectmy in the river rather than in a temizuya.

The shrines themselves were a little underwhelming, especially when compared with the other shrines I've seen so far. All of the buildings were made of plain wood, which is logical when you account for the fact that they're rebuilt every 20 years. You also cant see the atars, which are hidden behind walls or cloths, and there are no statues.

On the other hand, plain wooden buildings shaped like rice granaries in the middle of a forest /does/ bring you closer to nature, which is the origin of shintoism (which is at heart an animist belief). All in all, it was a important place to cross off the bucket list.

Also, tonight I can sleep on a real mattress for the first time in 10 days 🥳 And tomorrow we head back to Tokyo.

#elliott's big adventure in japan

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morporkian-cryptid · 8 months

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Update on the "cute little Edo era town":

It was raining cats and dogs when we arrived, within two minutes we were soaked to the bones so we took shelter in a cafe and didn't visit anything.

When we got to the train station, all the high speed trains including our train to Ise were cancelled because of the rain.

Mercifully I found a cheap guest house, and Aime, wonderful, amazing, Japanese-speaking Aime called them and convinced them to find a spare bed for two poor lost foreigners even though they were fully booked. Have I mentionned lately how much I love Aime?

#elliott's big adventure in japan

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morporkian-cryptid · 8 months

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⛩️🦊FUSHIMI INARI TAISHA TIME!!!!!! 🦊⛩️

#elliott's big adventure in japan

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morporkian-cryptid · 8 months

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🦌⛩️Japan day 8!⛩️🦌

I knew Nara had deer walking around freely.

I was not prepared for just HOW MANY deer.

They're EVERYWHERE. You can buy little biscuits to give to them; we did, and they immediately started chasing after us like hungry little demons.

Deer are the messengers of Takemikatzushi no Mikoto, the kami of Kasuga Taisha shrine (like foxes are the messengers of Inari, etc). The shrine had deer statues everywhere, and cute little deer figurines holding omikuji fortunes.

Aime drew the "luck in the end" fortune. One of the prediction was "Your loved one will come, late."

Like Fushimi Inari Taisha had lots and lot of big and small torii donated by people in exchange for a prayer, Kasuga Taisha had tons of lanterns everywhere.

#elliott's big adventure in japan #nara

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morporkian-cryptid · 9 months

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Elliott's big adventure in Japan, day 2 - short(ish) version because I am drunk and tired 🍶✨️

👺Went to the kabuki theatre!!!!!! We saw two plays, a humorous one and a traditional epic dance one, with a super nice guide (thank you Kazui-san! and thanks again for the recommendation Shin!) The theater was so pretty! We even bought a bento box to eat during intermission! (if you've followed me for a while, you know how much I like kabuki, and I was really looking forward to this!)

🍵Drank proper matcha with a wagashi pastry!! In a very beautiful posh teahouse next to a rooftop Japanese garden. It was raining, it was so so pretty. The tea was slightly bitter and very tasty.

👘Went to the theatre wearing yukatas; a nice staff lady at the theatre fixed our obi belt knots and she was impressed when we said we made the knots ourselves XD

⛩️Went to a very nice shintô shrine and received my first omamori charm! (for shrine and temple items, it is polite to say "receive" rather than "purchase"or "buy")

🎏Also first gachapon!! It's the kabuki theatre's little cat mascot, that has the colors of the traditional kabuki curtain (red black and green)

🗼Tokyo Tower!! You know, the Japanese knockoff Eiffel tower. I ate some tokayaki at a nearby food stall and burned my tongue like every time I eat takoyaki.

🏯Another Buddhist temple, we entered from the back so I thought it was small but NOOOOOO it was fucking GIGANTIC and had ROWS upon ROWS of Jiso statues (Buddhist deity dedicated to protecting young children, they are super cute and have little red aprons and winter hats and wind mills)

👹Went to another Buddhist temple for Bon Odori! It is a celebration for the dead. Lots and lots of people were wearing yukatas and dancing in a circle around a stage with fun music, and tons of tiny food stalls (I bought a whole-ass fish on a skewer), and I ordered food by myself !!! (and I was so happy I completed the transaction in pseudo-Japanese that I fucking forgot to take the food. Watashi wa baka desu). And I complimented a lady on her cute kimono and hairdye all by myself! ("Excuse me... Kimono pretty! Sorry I don't speak Japanese. -points at hair- pretty! Thank you very much! Goodbye!" -runs away-)

🤗We sat at a table and Aime struck up a conversation with some locals and they even bought us a drink, and Aime was so so nice and translated things to French so I could follow the conversation and chime in too. Japanese people are super nice when they find tourists that speak Japanese ❤️

Aime-chan daisuki!!! Nihon daisuki!!!! ❤️ 🤗

#elliott's big adventure in japan #japan #personal #long post

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