SCRAPS AND SCRIBBLES
Ruby Beach, a gorgeous timeless pocket of space on the Washington coast near the town of Forks, is at its best when seen in the moody mid autumn. Failing that, you can take your chances and hope for an unseasonably grey summer day, as my fiancé and I did while his parents were in the Northwest for the first time in two years. (A little darkness boost in Lightroom doesn’t hurt, either.)
Lake Quinault is a frequent long weekend destination of mine, but I’d never seen it quite the way I did this past July 4th weekend - enormous blue hydrangeas tumbling over the grounds like something out of a Nantucket dream. Had a glass of wine lakeside, then went on a slow-paced walk down the shore and back.
Every Saturday morning, fickle Pacific Northwest weather allowing, spectators from all over the greater Seattle area (and sometimes beyond) converge on Redmond Town Center for a masterfully organized exotic car event. While some dealerships bring in display cars, for the most part the point of Exotics @ RTC, as it’s known, is for ordinary people to bring in own their recently detailed, show-ready, rare cars for other enthusiasts to see.
I’m not a car person, but I’d like to be. I’m working on it. It’s been something of a drawn-out, slow-burn awakening for me, from the days I drove a 143 horsepower Honda Civic in Houston to the present, landing in a niche coupe and more than tripling my power since.
And I’ve discovered I love hearing people talk about their car passions almost as much as I love being behind the wheel of a V8: their favorite roads, their modifications, their brand loyalties, the driving experience they seek, and most of all what design elements make their hearts skip a beat. I’m drawn to a squat, swoopy, mean-as-fuck silhouette, and lucky me — there are just so many cars at RTC that fit the bill.
