Of course, I mean both of you. Though if it’s the best oyster experience you want, I’d wait until things start to cool down, late September or so, as the oysters aren’t at their best during the summer. You may also want to put the Pacific Shellfish Growers association SLURP on your calendar (http://www.pcsga.org/pub/news_events/SLURP/slurp.shtm), IMO this is the ultimate event for the oyster lover in particular though other shellfish and local wineries are well represented. I consume probably 3 dozen or more there, so can be content with a more moderate amount at other times (which I need to be, they’re pretty carby).

Shelton is about 1.5 hours from downtown Seattle by freeway, two hours if you take the ferry. I highly recommend the latter if it’s a nice day. Gorgeous view of the Olympic range, maybe see a whale, and it saves one from the annoyance of I-5. Take the ferry back and you get the Seattle city lights at night reflected in the sound, and that alone is worth the trip.

It all sounds great. I’ll let you know if we head your way.

MRE

I live in SONOMA county, which is Napa county’s less pretentious neighbor. We have wonderful winerys, beautiful scenery, and we are not the obnoxious tourist draw that Napa is (and we hope to keep it that way lol.)

Our weather is nicer, and we are coastal. So I highly recommend you take a day to check us out, you’ll feel much better about your trip to wine country. (But don’t tell your friends-keep us small lol.)

Hi and welcome aboard. Glad to have you. I hope I can continue to provide value or at least entertainment.

MRE

The two of us can generally get out of there for <$80 including dinner, a shared dozen of oysters on the half shell (the “dozen” is more like 18 or 20 if you order the assortment, because the kumamotos and olympias are quite small and they don’t want the customer to feel shorted), wine, coffee. If you’re ever in the area we’d be delighted to treat you to dinner there.

You shouldn’t make such an offer without knowing my wife’s capacity for oysters on the half shell. She can consume more than anyone I’ve ever seen. I’ll let you off the hook by assuming that by ‘you’ and ‘you’re’ you mean the singular, i.e., me only, and not the two of us. You’ll get off much less expensively that way.

I don’t know where Shelton is, but we may have to go to Seattle sometime over the next six months. Is Shelton anywhere close?

I’m wondering where you went in Napa. I live in Calistoga, and absolutely love it here. Couldn’t think of a better place except the south of France. I’m so sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. Wish you had asked me where to go–there are other places than the French Laundry. Didn’t you know how expensive it is? I used to go frequently when the price was $85-125.

And there are much better places to taste than Coppola.

Can I help?
Sharon in Calistoga

Hey Sharon–

MRE

Thanks for the recommendation.

I saw Joe Cocker and Steve Miller in chicagoland last month. While JC was a little cookie monsteresque and Steve Miller played a lot of stuff from the forthcoming album (with a new singer and a new sound that is completely unrelated to 1974-1978 era SMB), the wife and I had a great time. Fun show, especially SMB. Curious to hear a dissenting opinion (or maybe Joe Cocker’s voice has completely fallen apart in the subsequent month).

Frankly, surprised that you’d go to such a thing. Seems beneath your general music taste. Pearls before swine I guess. Or maybe Slop in front of Pearl Wearers.

Hey Max–

MRE

I do have a comment pending moderation on the previous post, but it’s not serious. Don’t worry about it.

Thanks for your forbearance. I’ll get to the comments today.

I know Jeff disagreed with all these recommendations. But that’s the price one pays for being on a committee. Unfortunately, it’s one of those things that folks in academia have to put up with to advance through the ranks. It’s why I avoid getting on these things like death.