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.
lummi island wine tasting june 30 ’23
Open Friday, June 30, from 4-6pm
Good News #1… Our plans to be away this weekend just changed to avoid a forecasted heat wave, so we WILL BE OPEN Friday, June 30 from 4-6pm for wine tasting and sales!
Good News #2… Beginning July 7, we will be expanding our summer hours to be open both Fridays and Saturdays from 4-6pm!
Blue sky, blue water
-view from island side ferry dock
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, sesamOn Tuesday this week, the Chair of the Ferry Advisory Committee (I am a member) announced a “special meeting” for today with the clear intention of circumventing the decisions that had been made both at our last meeting on June 14 and the subsequent Council meeting on June 20 to postpone any decisions on a radical ordinance change submittted by Public Works (since when do the regulatees get to rewrite the regulations??). The clear intent of the special meeting was to override the decisions already made and push the Council to pass the insane new rules that would remove ALL the guardrails on what costs PW could pass off as “ordinary maintenance.”e sunflower and pumpkin seeds and some polenta add great flavor and crunch. And just a little honey for some sweetness. A great all around bread that is full of flavor – $5/loaf
Polenta Levain –– Also made with a levain, aka sourdough, from a starter fed and built up over several days, then mixed with bread flour and polenta in the final dough mix. This bread is a nice rustic loaf with great corn flavor. – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Pain aux Raisin – made with the same laminated dough as croissants. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with a mix of golden raisins and dried cranberries that have been soaked in sugar syrup. Rolled up and sliced before baking. These
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: Lambert de Seyssal Petit Royal France $22
The village of Seyssel, in Savoie in the French Alps, has a history of viticulture dating back centuries, having built a reputation for floral-scented charmers from the local grapes, Molette and Altesse. Produced in the méthode traditionnelle and aged for two years sur latte, the Petit Royal is unequaled in the world of sparkling wine. Nose of alpine flowers, dried fruit, wildflower honey, and a toasty, yeasty note give this the wine an utterly delightful aromatic richness and complexity. Serve it with various salty toasts to kick off your next dinner party, or pop one open to liven up a night at home with a big bowl of mac and cheese. Versatile!
Lambert de Seyssal Royal Seyssal France $22
Great sparkling wine from the Savoie region; 50% Altesse, 50% Molette from clay/limestone soils. Stacked sur latte for 3-4 years, yielding complex aromas, fine perlage (bubbles), and crisp acidity. Yummy stuff!
This week’s wine tasting
Lambert de Seyssal Royal Seyssal France $22
Great sparkling wine from the Savoie region; 50% Altesse, 50% Molette from clay/limestone soils. Stacked sur latte for 3-4 years, yielding complex aromas, fine perlage (bubbles), and crisp acidity. Yummy stuff!
Natura Rose ’21 Chile $12
Cold-soaked before pressing and cold-fermented on the skins to develop rich and nuanced aromas and flavors of grassy lime, tropical fruits, and lychee, with a crisp, lingering finish.
Angeline Cabernet Sauvignon ’20 California $14
Deep garnet hue with aromas of lush cherry, cassis, and plum lead to rich cherry and plum flavors and lingering notes of vanilla and creamy oak…seriously over-delivers for its modest price tag.
Economics of the Heart: Crossing Lines vs. Lines Crossing, pt 2
courtesy www.dogtopia.com
It has been an intense week in our local ferry liaison world. At the time of last week’s post about all of this, tensions and temperatures were rising quickly, and dialogue was deeply stressed and reactive between the two opposing viewpoints in the “conflict.”
On Tuesday this week, the Chair of the Ferry Advisory Committee (I am a member) announced a “special meeting” for today with the “clearly hidden” intention of subverting decisions that had been made both at our last meeting on June 14 and the subsequent Council meeting on June 20 to postpone Council consideration of a radical ferry rate ordinance change submitted by Public Works (like, since when do the regulatees get to rewrite the regulations??). The clear intent of the special meeting was to override the decisions previously made and create a back door through which to remove ALL the guardrails on the kinds and magnitudes of costs PW could pass off as “ordinary maintenance” in computing our fare burden. (I am not making this up).
The short version of a very long and complicated story is that a volunteer citizens’ group (including two very good lawyers and not affiliated with Lifac) worked very hard to identify several ways in which the meeting violated the WA Open Meetings Act. As a result, around mid-day today the meeting was officially cancelled– a HUGE victory for the grass roots effort and a welcome sense of relief after a long and difficult week. For the moment, anyway.
Some residents are angry at the Lifac Chair in particular for putting us all through this trauma. And that is certainly fair to some degree. But it is also true that these experiences reveal how much the entire system is broken and dysfunctional. The Ferry Committee has essentially ignored since its inception nearly all of its codified responsibilities (see below), and instead has focused most of its attention on deferring to Public Works. Presently, about 4.5 of the 7 Lifac members seem to believe that their primary responsibility is to give PW everything it asks for, a consistent majority. So while there is a bit of breathing room, let’s take a moment to speculate how in the world we got here, and if and how the system might be fixed.
The founding statute of the Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee (WCC Chapter 2.145), defines its charge as to “provide review and recommendations to the Whatcom County Council and Executive on issues that affect the ongoing operations and infrastructure of ferry service to Lummi Island…and also provide a forum for those who depend upon Lummi Island ferry service to voice their ideas and concerns about the ferry service.”
The specific charge of the committee is to advise the county council or the county executive on the following functions:
A. Review and provide recommendations on proposed changes to ferry operations and fares;
B. Review at least annually ferry revenue and expenditures, ferry fund balance, and actual versus targeted fare return;
C. Assist the county in collecting information from ferry riders on actual and desired ferry services, concerns, and ideas for improved service;
D. Analyze and develop recommendations to continue and improve the cost effective operation of ferry service to Lummi Island;
E. Research, review, and make recommendations regarding ferry replacement, long-term planning, parking, transportation to and from ferry docks, alternative docking locations, alternative funding sources, and other major capital and operational issues regarding ferry service to Lummi Island. (Ord. 2012-005 Exh. A).
Your attention is invited in particular to the fact that the ordinance is silent about any liaison between Lifac and Public Works, which operates and maintains the ferry and related infrastructure.
On the face it is a bit hard to imagine why there might be much cause for policy disagreement. But it turns out that over the dozen or so years the committee has existed, the necessity of some ongoing liaison with Public Works, which operates and maintains ferry operations and infrastructure, seems to have morphed Lifac into a sort of satellite department of Public Works. Each new member picks up the vibe and many start to believe that their real job is to make sure Public Works gets whatever it asks for. And in the meantime the responsibilities and tasks listed above receive minimal attention or are completely ignored.
To be clear: there is now an established, majority “culture of obeisance” to Public Works on Lifac that prevents it from attending to its responsibilities to serve the needs and interests of ferry users, who include not just island residents, but the entire flow of commerce between island and mainland. In its present configuration Lifac is creating problems faster than it is helpng to solve any. There is no simple fix for that, but it falls to the Council to address the present ongoing dysfunction. In, you know, mho.
lummi island wine tasting june 23, ’23
Hours through June: Fridays from 4-6pm
Good News #1… We will be open as usual this Friday, June 23, from 4-6pm for wine tasting and sales!
Not-So-Good News… Due to family obligations, the wine shop will be closed next Friday June 30;
Good News #2… Beginning July 7, we will be expanding our summer hours to be open both Fridays and Saturdays from 4-6pm!
Friday Bread Pickup This Week
Breton – Incorporates the flavors of the french Brittany region. Bread flour and fresh milled buckwheat and rye make for interesting flavor and the salt is sel gris -the grey salt from the region that brings more mineral flavors to this bread. Goes great with meats and cheeses – – $5/loaf
Spelt Levain – – Spelt is an ancient grain that is a wheat. It has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor and has gluten but it isn’t as strong as the gluten in modern wheat. This bread is made with a culture that is used to create a levain before the final dough is mixed with traditional bread flour, spelt flour, fresh milled whole spelt and fresh milled whole rye. – $5/loaf.
and pastry this week…
Brioche Tarts au Sucre (Brioche sugar tarts)– A rich brioche dough full of eggs and butter, rolled into a round tart and topped with more eggs, cream, butter and sugar. While these are good on their own, they are a perfect substitute for shortcake biscuits for all of the fresh fruit of the season.- 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: Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet ’20 WA $32
Seven Hills winery founder and 4th generation regional farmer Casey McClellan began planting grape vines in Walla Walla in the early 80’s, making it one of the the first few wineries in the area, and setting the stage for the rapid development of the Washington State wine industry over the forty years since.
Seven Hills pioneered the planting of primary Bordeaux varietals merlot and cabernet sauvignon in the area, demonstrating that the soil and climate of the area were ideally suited for vineyards in general and these varietals in particular. The winery has forged long-standing relationships with many of the most prestigious vineyards in the region, including Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun at Red Mountain and McClellan and Summit View in Walla Walla. The wines have an established reputation for a quiet, reliable quality. You will like it!
Tasting notes: Aromas of red cherries, black raspberry, and black tea, with hints of fresh herbs, cedar box, and earth; flavors of cherry, raspberry, dark chocolate, baking spice, and vanilla; medium bodied with plush texture, firm tannins, and balanced acidity.
This week’s wine tasting
Attems Collio Sauvignon Blanc ’19 Italy $17
Straw yellow with green highlights and characteristic bouquet of boxwood, tomato leaves and grapefruit, a bright, crisp palate of blossoms and lime, and a long, bright finish.
Monte Tondo Veneto Corvina ’20 Italy $12
Organically farmed; bright nose of fresh cherries and black pepper; fresh, light, and lively palate of cherry, dark chocolate and spice, with supple, well-integrated tannins and a smooth, seductive, slightly spicy finish.
Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet ’20 WA $32
Aromas of red cherries, black raspberry, and black tea, with hints of fresh herbs, cedar box, and earth; flavors of cherry, raspberry, dark chocolate, baking spice, and vanilla; medium bodied with plush texture, firm tannins, and balanced acidity
Economics of the Heart: Crossing Lines vs. Line Crossing
In economics “optimality” is “the place where the lines cross,” where no alternative resource allocation can produce higher net benefits. “Where the lines cross” implies the best available balance between benefits and costs; it’s what we aim for, as at Q in the image, the project size where the difference between total benefits (TSB) and total costs (TSC) is the greatest.
It is quite the opposite of “crossing the line,” which implies throwing out all the rules in in service to political expediency. Boo-hiss, huh?
Events of the past couple of months have brought this distinction into sharp political relief here on the island.
For the past six months, our community has been engaged in a pitched battle with County Public Works about ferry economics. In mid-December Public Works proposed a major ferry fare increase to be reviewed by the Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee (LIFAC, of which I am a member) at its January meeting, with an expectation that it would be forwarded to the County Council and passed into law a couple of weeks later, with little discussion or scrutiny. However, island residents proposed a convincing counter-proposal which was passed on to the CC and postponed action on the fare increase.
By April PW had introduced a radical revision of the entire ordinance governing ferry operations (WCC 10.34) and financing (current / proposed), which would remove all guard rails limiting the expenses that could be charged against fares. These guard rails are regulated not only by County ordinance but also by numerous state and federal statutes as well as terms of our annual contract with WSDOT governing annual subsidies from State fuel tax revenues.
The pro-PW majority on Lifac has tried various ways to pass it without discussion. You can see some of that in this video, which begins with considerable public input. You can watch the video and make up your own mind how responsive Lifac was to the public. (Public comments begin at 22:25; the meeting gets interesting at 1:21:00; and starts whimpering to a non-decision over the last 10 minutes or so with a series of interruptions. The main takeaway is that the entire front table completely believed everything PW was asserting despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
Subsequent public outcry from the island community delayed the process long enough to demonstrate that a) PW has made numerous major accounting errors in their calculations ; b) there is actually a $1M surplus in the ferry fund, not a deficit; and c) PW has already passed such expenses onto the fare burden in violation of governing County ordinance which is still in effect.
The June meeting passed a request to the Council to make three important changes to the ordinance, including postponing discussion of the new ordinance till July. Due to extensive public pressure, including a petition with over 700 signatures, and a number of great presentations by members of the public, the delay was granted. That’s good news.
Meanwhile, evidence is mounting of some grievous ethical violations on the part of some of some players in this parochial little saga going a bit too far to get their way, but still a few more details to confirm on that, no need to hurry.
2072 Granger Way