Alright, here's my last week plus a few days of 30 Days of Lists & Maps! I played around with mixing a few colors into my maps and really enjoyed the last set of list prompts. Can't wait until the next round of listing comes around!
Finding good pizza seems to be the ultimate quest for most of us living our lives gluten free. Sure there are some that are happy without the bread products that are so prominent in the gluten full world - but for most of us, pizza seems to be that most wanted unattainable treat (well, that and good croissant). My perfect pizza is a fluffy one with a hearty bready crust that you can bite into and chew.
All those cracker like crusts that are so prevalent in the freezer section of the grocery and in most every restaurant I've been to just don't do it for me. I've actually made a rule that unless I'm in desperate need of carbs (like so desperate I'm going to faint) - I don't ever order gluten free pizza at a restaurant. There are only two restaurants I've ever been to where the gluten free pizza crust was passable; Pala Pizza in New York City and Razzi's in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle.
My journey making my own gluten free crust at home started with Gluten Free Girl's recipe which also happens to be vegan. For a year or so, I followed her recipe and enjoyed some of the best pizza crust I'd had - but it still wasn't that fluffy crust I wanted. I played around with a few different flour combinations, added eggs, and then all of my changes came together when I started stuffing the crust with a bit of cheese. It made all the difference in the world - it seems to keep more moisture in the crust and it's just darn tasty.
It's probably one of the most recommended activities for travelers headed to New Zealand's south island and it sure doesn't disappoint. A cruise on Milford Sound is an absolute must on any visit to Fiordland. With the gorgeous blue water, the peaks surrounding the sound, and the possibility of seeing penguins - it just doesn't get much better.
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Last weekend we took a long overdue trip to the coast. We ended up in Westport, about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Seattle and it was a perfect place to soak up some beach time and take in the views of the pacific. Oh, and our pup loved it too.
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In Case You Missed It:
Things You Should Do In... New Zealand: Visit North Head Historic Reserve - British Columbia: Hike the Paint Pots - Spain: Hike the Frontier Views Walk
Scenes From... New Zealand: Waiheke Island - Montana: Logan Pass - France: Burgundy Vineyards
Gluten Free In... San Francisco Bay Area - Barcelona - Portland
A Place To Stay In... Waitomo, New Zealand
My final project for map design class: A Road Trip Guide to New Zealand
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Where I Was Elsewhere On the Web:
On Travelshus talking about Close Encounters with Glaciers
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What I was Reading Around the Web:
I'm usually a morning person when on vacation, so a morning filled with roobios and archeology? Sign me up!
On my list trip to New Zealand, I wasn't sold on hiking the Milford Track, but now it's back on my list.
Beautiful photos of growing edibles near Sacramento.
On of my Map Design classmates, blogged her final map project and her first travel post about a beautiful island off the coast of Brazil.
You're probably wondering why in the world I would have a bunch of filled containers on top of a beautiful rich soiled raised bed.
The answer? We are renters.
Specifically, we're renters who dream of being homeowners. We like to grow stuff, build stuff, and do stuff. In the house we've been living in for almost the past three years, we were lucky enough to have our landlords approve our plan to build three raised beds in our front yard last spring. 2012 was a wonderful year filled with an amazing garden that made all the passers by stop and gawk. We built the beds thinking we'd be living in the house for at least 5 years. Figuring that another 2 or 3 years were in our future, the investment of time and energy didn't seem like a waste.
It turns out, life happens and plans change - now we have to adapt. If things go as planned, our lovely little house will no longer be a good fit for us by September and it will time for us to move to a new home (we're crossing our fingers that we may find the means to buy this time).
Our second stop on our road trip through New Zealand was the country town of Waitomo. Why Waitomo?
Well, if you're an adventure seeker, or even a mild one like me, how could you pass up an opportunity to go on one of the most unique spelunking tours I've ever heard of. In the Ruakuri Cave, you zip line, jump off cliffs, climb up waterfalls, and float through a tunnel of glow worms.
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For the amazing wedding we went to in France last year, the couple was kind enough to treat us to an amazing tour of the vineyards of Burgundy. Even as a non-wine drinker I really enjoyed the beautiful views, the information, and the company.
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I swear this month is just jetting by.
It's time for for a summary post about week three of 30 Days of Lists. I did the checkerboard pattern on the maps for the whole week and I have to say - it's way more time consuming then just scribbling away with the paint brush. However, I like the end product way better.
So far I'm finding that the most difficult continents to draw are Africa and South America - they always turn out a little wonky for me.