Ballard Walking Tour

Today we went on a little Ballard walking tour.

I hadn't been in Pike Taproom before. It was decent.

Barbenheimer!

The Kangaroo & Kiwi was a fun little place that people can watch rugby and other nonsensical sports from down under.

They had meat pies which is fantastic.

I had been avoiding Bale Breaker because we went to the HQ out in Yakima and we keeps it real. But since we were with visitors I figured this might be the closest they will get to hop heaven.

I got a sampler platter. From the right I chose:

"Dormancy

Boasting notes of freshly-brewed espresso and rich chocolate, Dormancy Imperial Stout was conditioned on locally-roasted coffee beans from Yakima's Lincoln Avenue Coffee Co. As winter settles in to the Pacific Northwest and the hop fields surrounding our brewery lay dormant, this beer was crafted to remind us that good things can still happen in the off-season for hops.

Just Peachy Wheat Ale

Brewed using real peach puree in the fermenter, this fruited wheat ale both tastes great and supports a great cause. Inspired by the Tri21 Project and brewed in collaboration with the Younker family, this beer was made in order to raise awareness about Down syndrome and to raise money for Children's Village, where local families and individuals with Down syndrome can receive support and a crucial local network. $1 per pint will be donated to Children's Village, in honor of (and brewed with!) Peach Younker.

Mango Tango Summer Ale (sesiones del Migrante)

Sesiones del Migrante celebrates the Mexican migrant workers who travel to Yakima to harvest hops for breweries around the globe. Founded by Cerveceria de Colima, Cerveza Loba, Ronin Fermentation Project, SouthNorte, Yakima Chief Hops, and Bale Breaker. A portion of the proceeds from this beer goes to local non profits who support migrant farm workers. Made with 28lbs per barrel of mango puree, this summer ale has low bitterness and smells like a freshly-sliced ripe mango with hints of mandarin orange.

La Mas Buena Mexican Lager

Mexican Lager easy drinking malt forward with bread dough and corn chip aromas. Fruity & floral hints, low bitterness & sweetness."

The Very Hungry Johnerpillar

I hope that we don't do so much fun stuff with Ernie that he's unable to cope with how dreadfully boring life can be at times. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we've reached it.

We hit the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery and had some food and some wine samples. The food here is way better than it has any business being.

Are you kidding me with this? The food miracle workers here have devised a bao BLT. That's what I'm about.

My mom won a humorously giant teddy bear from Crayola in a drawing when I was a kid. I think about it whenever I see other large ursine cuddly things.

Speaking of cuddly things, here's my baby.

We met up with Zoe and her boyfriend Colton at Agua Verde Cafe in Seattle.

There's a self serve boba place in U District that I've been wanting to try for a while and we finally checked it out.

There's a ton of choices.

I was kind of overwhelmed by the choices. Also I like the boba balls so much that I sort of don't want to tarnish their awesome flavor with a bunch of weird crap. Trying all of the different tea flavors was more fun for me.

They made a mistake and gave me two cups so, honest guy that I am, I drank two boba teas.

Sometimes Ernie decides that he is a little bat boy and arches so that he can look at things upside down. He especially likes lights so if those are around he'll contort himself around for a better view of them.

Great Hair Day

Ernie's hair was flamboyantly excellent today.

Ernie visited Aunt Zozo's new apartment. She lives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle which is a very fun part of town, so that's exciting.

One of her roommates has a dog. I don't think he's super interested in dogs yet but it was still a good experience for him.

Cute Little Dumpling

We had some fun times today and added a reoccurring character.

I enjoyed seeing the news that MrBeast is fighting his ghost-kitchen burger shop. We had it in Portland and were quite underwhelmed, and so it was validating to see that he doesn't really like it either.

Ernie's new big boy bed seems to be acceptable to his highness.

Oh, I've been ready!

Ernie tried on this shirt that his Great Grandparents bought him on their fancy, long trip to Greece.

Zoe was now back in Seattle to stay. Ernie was excited to play with her.

We went to eat at the new location of Supreme Dumplings in Kirkland with Shubra and Sumit.

It looks so much like an Asian food Apple Store in here that I thought it was my first time eating their food. We have eaten at their Bellevue location, though.

It's funny because I didn't realize we'd eaten here before until we went home after the meal. We ordered the example same tan tan noodles though. While we are forgetful we are at least consistent.