Walking or Hiking, plus Food

When is it a walk, or when is it a hike? I usually call it a hike if we are on a trail, but a walk if we are on concrete or asphalt. Sometimes we may be on a trail, but in a city park, and it feels more like a walk, I'm never sure if there is a real difference. Is it a hike if I wear my boots instead of my trainers?

We walked along the Tacoma Ruston Way waterfront and went to the Dunes section. It was a lovely day; the bay was so still. This area used to be an Asarco refinery and was contaminated with arsenic, so it was a superfund cleanup site for decades. This is why it is now a city park and not in private hands. They did remove the contaminated soil and covered the rest before developing the site. There are now condos, apartments, restaurants and shops where the old copper smelter stood. They left a long promenade along the water for public use

The New Public Market. I bought some coffee beans.

Walking with Russ.

Waiting to dock at the Port of Tacoma.

A ziggurat. The path goes around and up the back.

Russ on the top of the small hill.

They used old parts from the smelter as art. Looks like a cemetery.

We got take out lunch here. This place has been in town since I was young.

Russ and I also drove up to North Bend and hiked the Little Si trail. There is a decent climbing area about one mile up the trail, but we didn't see any climbers on this random Tuesday. The sky was clear, and the air was cold. We could see snow dusting the top of Big Si above us from certain points of the trail. As we sat on the peak looking over the Snoqualmie Valley, we ate our hummus pita sandwiches and just relished being outside on a sunny day.

Trailhead sign.

Russ on top.

Perfect trail through the trees.

Someone left their change of address forms. (We packed these out)

Creek and moss. So northwest.

Hiking back to the car.

The snowy avalanche chute on Big Si.

I made some cauliflower-cheese soup for dinner that night when we got home. It tasted so comforting.

The cauliflower soup with rye bread.

Spicy bean oven bake with cornbread topping.

Cheese board with a martini.

Panko crusted cod with broccolini and potatoes.

Zucchini-carrot casserole.

Carol's mess. It's a mess, but delish.

Tofu and vegetable stir fry.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup. Yum.

Takeout from El Toro. So good.

Portobello and lentil stew with beer.

Spaghetti with meatless balls and a martini.

We finished and filed our taxes for the year. I was so relieved to have estimated correctly for our healthcare plan through the ACA. This was the first year for Russ' retirement, so it felt really uncertain. That uncertainty, plus all the coronavirus weirdness made me very insecure about this year's taxes. It's a big stress off my mind to have it all finished.