Maxed Out

This has been a very full day indeed, beginning with a morning appointment, followed by an indulgent breakfast at Mount Bakery. Phil had the decadent "Portobello Benny" -- Eggs Benedict with a roasted portobello mushroom substituted for the usual ham, and two poached eggs -- nestled on half a Belgian waffle, and topped with unctuous Hollandaise sauce, served with roasted potatoes. I opted for the delicious Breakfast Crêpe, which held scrambled eggs and applewood-smoked bacon. It was more than I could finish, so the leftovers became part of our supper. (I played a bit while waiting for our meal to be served.)

From there we went to the Bellingham Cruise Terminal in Fairhaven to enjoy several activities at the annual three-day Holiday Port Festival (details here). This free, family-friendly event is sponsored by the Port of Bellingham. One of the highlights is the Gingerbread House Contest, open to bakers of all ages and abilities, from tiny children to senior citizens, professional bakers and businesses/nonprofits to families and individuals. (You can see some of the entries and the admiring visitors here).

A special treat this year was the opportunity to tour the MV Malaspina, one of the Alaska Marine Highway System ferries. We've been thinking about revisiting Petersburg, Alaska, which we saw in 2009, so we appreciated being able to wander all over this vessel, including access to several cabins (staterooms), all simple and serviceable. The crew members were uniformly friendly and helpful, which impressed us. (Here's the purser, amidst holiday decorations.)

Home briefly for a quick cup of tea and then I was off again, this time to the first Bellingham Farmers Market "Pop-Up Holiday Market." About 30 craft and food vendors from the Saturday farmers' market offered a wide range of goods for holiday shoppers before and after the downtown tree lighting ceremony held at Depot Market Square. The festive event, coordinated by the Downtown Bellingham Partnership, also included music, refreshments, and a cheerful Santa, handing out treats to young and old.

I managed to "capture" the lovely tree, the happy crowd, the Depot Market Square building, and the iconic Bellingham Herald neon sign all in one photo for today's blip, a fitting conclusion to a very full, interesting, and pleasant day!

(It's nearly 10:30pm -- I'll catch up with you all over the weekend.)

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