Tiffany and I decided to see the Seattle-Tacoma area at its best, so September takes us to the Evergreen State. Most of the tourists are gone and the weather is perfect. Who are the ding-a-lings claim it is always gray and rainy here?
An added bonus: Weed is fully legal here in Washington! We love this state.
We discovered an amazing RV park about an hour east of Tacoma surrounded by trees and along a river, soaking in the natural beauty of the Washington for a day. We hiked in the morning, leaving Tiffany ready for a relaxing afternoon lazing by the river. On the trail, we bumped into Angela.
Photo courtesy of The Gallery
Angela greeted us with a warm smile and some sage advice about the bear alerts in the area. We told her about our RV tour of the country and she loved hearing about our adventures. She told us about her job as a budtender at The Gallery, an upscale marijuana store in Tacoma.
We promised to visit the following day, a Friday. This town on a Friday during the NFL season is a trip. Every other person I saw seemed to be wearing a Seahawks jersey or hat or T-shirt. They call it Blue Friday here and everybody is into it. So fun.
Angela, who is a die-hard Seahawks fan, greeted us at the counter at The Gallery She asked how are legs felt after our strenuous hike the day before. I think she saw me limping a little as I walked to the counter.
Tiffany and I admitted that the hike may have got the best of us and our legs were a bit tired and sore. We asked Angela for something that would ease our muscle pain, make us smile and help us get a good night’s sleep. Angela recommended a few grams of Liberty Haze, a strain from The Virginia Company. She told us that the strain would relax our muscles. Perfect.
We took the buds back to our RV later that night and wow! The flavor was amazing and the effect was long lasting. We felt totally relaxed and chill the entire evening. Our aches melted away and we both slept for hours listening to the river flow by us.
Angela’s recommendation was perfect for us. Give her a try.
Visit The Gallery:
The Gallery has two locations in the South Sound area:
13005 Pacific Ave S.
Tacoma, WA 98444
Telephone: 253.531.4000
21802 Mountain Highway E.
Spanaway, WA 98387
Telephone: 253.375.7840
Hours for both locations:
Mon – Sat: 8:3o am to 11:30 pm
Sun.: 9 am to 10 pm
Photo courtesy of The Gallery
About the series
Walter & Tiffany are a fictional couple traveling the United States in search of adventure, good food, cocktails – and legal marijuana. Each episode, we will feature a budtender at a retail marijuana store. Follow the series.
I watch CEOs, acrobats, and tech moguls all do the same thing– cover their faces in shaving cream while people cheer and throw cheese puffs at them. Half of the people in the audience are wearing tutus. Everyone is wearing face paint. And no one is Instagramming the experience.
Photo by Gabe Walker courtesy of Camp Grounded
This is Camp Grounded in a nutshell. I first go to camp in June, at their session in Cold Spring, New York. At this point, all I know is that it provides a detox from adult life– no talk about work or age, no electronics, and nicknames are used instead of real names. What I didn’t realize was that Camp Grounded would change my life.
Photo by Daniel Johnson courtesy of Camp Grounded
A month later, I’m driving 12 hours across the country to volunteer at my second camp in North Carolina.
***
People ask me why I want to go to camp. At first, they think that it’s a sex thing– you know, “adult” summer camp. Others assume that I’m volunteering with kids. When they realize that Camp Grounded is a bunch of grown-ups who are without their phones, without their computers, and they’re sober, they can’t believe it. I’ve had more than one person say to me, “How did you make it out alive?” These are the people who need camp the most.
As the week progresses in North Carolina, I hear campers say things like, “That’s the first time I’ve danced without drinking in years!” and “I just told someone that they’re cute. And I’m sober. I feel like I’m twelve!” As I listen, I realize how alcohol is essentially a tool to get adults out of their comfort zone. Dancing? Drink. Going on a date? Drink. Doing a thing that makes you nervous? Definitely drink. But at camp, since you’re sober, you’re left feeling scared and awkward. In camp lingo, we call this being vulnerageous– vulnerable and courageous.
Photo by Daniel Johnson courtesy of Camp Grounded
Camp has all of its rules, from no tech to no work talk, because it puts everyone on an equal playing field. I have no idea who anyone is outside of camp– and that’s great. Since I can’t label them as a CEO or a waiter, I have to get to know them in the moment. Before camp (BC), if I met someone at a party, my first question would be: “What do you do?” Now, I ask: “What makes you excited?” The answer to this question is always more interesting.
As I help with check-in at North Carolina, I notice one man who seems a little uncomfortable. So, I approach him and start a conversation. I quickly learn that he didn’t expect Camp Grounded to have such a spiritual element. I understand. Within the first ten minutes, the camp director has already told everyone to do eye-gazing– you know, when you stare into a stranger’s eyes for a full minute. It’s intimidating. And you probably didn’t do that at camp as a kid. (If you did, I want to know where you went.)
Photo by Daniel Johnson courtesy of Camp Grounded
“I’m here to burn shit,” the camper tells me. “That’s it.” He’s signing up for archery and fire building, nothing more. Nevertheless, I try to convince him to embrace the spirit of camp, and do something that pushes him out of his comfort zone. Maybe tea tasting? Meditation? Cuddle therapy? He refuses. I’m afraid that, for the first time, the magic of camp won’t be able to reach a camper.
But then, in the middle of night, as I’m having a deep talk with a friend around the campfire, I see exactly what I’m hoping for. The macho camper is looking at the flames, tears in his eyes, while someone else hugs him. I don’t know what happened, but the transformation is amazing. All macho man needed was a place where saying “I’m just here to burn shit” is the outlier’s stance, not the norm.
I was so happy to see that camper start to bond with others– because Camp Grounded is filled with amazing people. Fog, the tea master, philosopher, and volleyball legend who taught me about alternate dimensions and Monkey Picked tea. Prow Prow, a magical woman who can play the harmonium just as well as she can beatbox. Dolphin, a CEO, a former boxer, and improviser. Chow Time, the camp’s cook who doesn’t have to participate in anything, but still hangs out by the water, goes to the camp dance, and makes sure we always have snacks.
Photo by Daniel Johnson courtesy of Camp Grounded
The first time I did silent dinner, I was intimidated. I don’t think I’d ever sat with my thoughts for an entire hour.
A lot of campers joke that we’re part of a cult. And I mostly disagree… until silent dinner. When you look at this picture below, you probably think, “Yeah. They drank the Kool-Aid.”
Photo by Daniel Johnson courtesy of Camp Grounded
The first time I did silent dinner, I was intimidated. I don’t think I’d ever sat with my thoughts for an entire hour. You’re not distracted by anything. All you can do is think about what’s holding you back in life—that or take a nap. Either way, it’s a healing experience. At the end of the hour, I write down something that’s holding me back.
Next, the camp moves to the counsel ring, where a fire burns. Some counselors sing and play the drums. After we sit and absorb the music for a while, people start to stand up and throw their fears into the fire. Still, everyone is silent. Former strangers embrace each other as they cry. No one has to explain themselves. Everyone simply offers each other love and support. I remember how everyone is holding onto something that doesn’t serve them, whether that’s an addiction, a job that they hate, or self-destructive feelings. No matter what, each camper has a shoulder to lean on.
Photo by Daniel Johnson courtesy of Camp Grounded
And finally, everyone eats dinner in silence. Here’s something I learned: if you really want to notice the flavors of your food, sit in total quiet. I do not, though, recommend this method with frozen dinners.
Photo by Daniel Johnson courtesy of Camp Grounded
Later that night, everyone sits under the stars and makes s’mores. My heart almost hurts it’s filled with so much love. So I do something which, in any other circumstance, would have looked crazy. I frame the scene in front of me with my hands, look for a moment, and make a camera noise. Yep. I just took a fake picture. And it wasn’t even ironic. In fact, others followed suit. And, hey– I still remember the details from that moment far better than a lot of others that I have actual photographic evidence of. Thanks, mind camera.
After camp, I don’t turn my phone on for another 24 hours. I’m almost afraid of it– like once I hit the power button, all the magic I’m feeling will stop.
Throughout the four days of camp, I have more deep conversations than I have had in two months. I’m amazed by how quickly I can connect when I’m not constantly checking my phone. After camp, I don’t turn my phone on for another 24 hours. I’m almost afraid of it– like once I hit the power button, all the magic I’m feeling will stop.
Photo by Daniel Johnson courtesy of Camp Grounded
****
But it doesn’t. Sure, going back to New York City after living in the woods is hard. And returning to the lonesome life of freelance writing is even harder. But so many elements of Camp Grounded have stuck with me. First of all, I have a group of friends who’ve experienced the magic. They understand how fun life can be– and a lot of them keep those values in their “W”—their work. Because of camp, I have friends who run a 6 AM sober dance party. And run scavenger hunts for adults. And make Lego sculptures. They inspire me to remember that just because I’m growing up, doesn’t mean that I have to stop playing– and I can incorporate that into my work, as well.
During the silent meditation, I decide that I’m going to burn the pre-camp version of myself, and take the time to figure out what I want from the future. After all, I recently started freelancing full-time, and I’m not sure what I want my life to look like. So, I sit by myself in the tea hut, and make a nest of cushions. I imagine being kinder to others, doing things that bring me joy, and living for a few moments every day without technology by my side.
It’s a few weeks after camp, and I’m definitely not there yet. This morning, I woke up with my laptop next to me and used my phone in the bathroom. But I also sent a few letters– actual letters!– to friends in the mail. I’m working on it.
It turns out, sometimes a few sips of Kool-Aid is all you need.
We don’t know much about this video other than this: It stars a good dog named Gypsy, a giant slide and takes place at the Beausejour Fair near Manitoba, Canada. But really, what else do we need to know?
The internet told me a secret about creativity once. Actually, the internets told me tons of secrets and lifehacks and fixes to creative constipation; spoiler alert: it isn’t a laxative. Yet why do none of them foster long-term impact? The truth is you already know why.
Here’s the mojo, man: Ailments like “society” and “technology” and “capitalistic exploitation” have addled our human brain from its inherent state of perfect creativity. Our always-on, always-connected world isn’t the best place for us creatives. And what do creatives do—create, duh.
How to create your most creative creates while you’re creating mindless creates for the non-creatives? Creativity! Acutally, I’ve been searching the internet for hours—so, eons in internet attention span—excavating the deepest recesses to discover the answer. And I stumbled across this nugget of boiled-down gold: 7 Surprising Facts About Creativity, According To Science.
I have not read this book nor do I plan on it. But I have read an article about it, and in the internet badlands, that’s good enough to be an opinionated expert. So, without further ado, 7 Ultra Startling Facts About Creating, According to Scientists (Who Don’t Create).
Shower
A controversial starter, but if you didn’t want these scathing hot takes, why’d you go outside today? Lots of creative types have world-shattering ideas in the shower (there’s a statistic somewhere), so sorry you Rugrats-watching, Playpen-imitating kids. Wanna be (creatively) successful? Bathe up. Woody Allen is a primary example of someone who endorses long, hot showers, though that’s a bit like Tiger Woods and Magic Johnson endorsing marriage, which is to say: Makes sense!
Be Lonely
You ever wonder why cool kids in school never make anything cool? Ask Cameron Crowe because I don’t know.
So here’s the crazy thing about creating: There’s no “We” in creative, just an “I.” You want to be cool, you want to hang with your friends all the time, you want to stimulate nourishing, healthy relationships in your life? Sorry, sonny, maybe creating just isn’t for you. To create, you must be alone, so if you need love, stop wasting my time.
Experiment
You know those college years, when you’re excited to—whoa!—experiment? Maybe things got a little crazy in the library one night, your good “buddy,” hyped on massive amounts of stimulants like you, asks for a “study break.” In your younger years, maybe you would’ve stayed, but that day you went. His roommates were throwing a low-key “kickback” and you join. You enjoy yourselves, drink a little, smoke a little. The night hazes. Your eyelids droop. And your “buddy” asks if you want to see something in his room. Your “buddy” has a wide grin on his face when he shuts the door. Then he gets real close, digs into this pocket, and asks, “You curious?”
Laying in his palm, flat, so harmless, are Japanese mini-mochi candies. Without hesitation, you just go for it. You suck on that mochi candy until it disappears. The old you wouldn’t have done that. And that’s the experimental spirit you must embody throughout life: You gotta suck some mochi candies.
Do LSD
Or something. Follow your heart, or gut, or butt. One of those. I skimmed this part of the article. I saw LSD in a story about creativity; the rest seemed obvious.
Manifest death and destruction in your personal life
Scientists pretty much all agree: “post-traumatic growth” is a huge boon to creativity. Death of close loved one, spirits down, trauma of any kind; you need this if you’re to create. Because you know what they always say about bottoms? They’re fun to touch. But you know what else they say about bottoms? You’ll never climb if you don’t fall. Think about it.
Daydream
I’m creating so hard right now, I’m daydreaming about creating while actually creating. The trick is to let your mind wander to its most random of thoughts—“What kind of cheese do I want to be when I grow up?”—while still creating. I bet you can’t tell that only a fraction of my brain power is required to write such creative gold like I am right now. (Seriously, right? Like don’t tell my bosses, but this happens all the time.)
Don’t expect people to like your creating!
So you’re alone in the shower munching on some mochi candies after hitting some LSD and you’re mind wanders onto the most traumatic event of your entire life. Hold on. You’ll want to freak out. Everything in your body will tell you to freak out. But you can’t. You musn’t. That is when we must create our hardest, that is where pure expression will come from. That is how you create beautiful creates.
But, uh, the world’s cynical and cruel and no one will like your work until you die, then you’re trending on Twitter for a day, and people pretend they like you and miss you, which, I guess, is the best anyone could ever hope for. It’s the entire point of creating. And with this boiled-down gold advice reduced to its prime, gooey essence, you’re finally ready to create.
With new music flying like warp-speed through the various channels of the Internet, it can be hard to keep up. But worry not! Each week The Fresh Toast will deliver the most-discussed and exciting songs that have recently dropped. Landed. Crashed. And also: soared. Enjoy.
Kim Gordon—“Murdered Out”
A grandma made this? This was my thought following a first listen of Kim Gordon’s return. And to be clear: this was my only thought after pressing play on the 3:35-long track. Living inside the vibrations of “Murdered Out” is like finding oneself trapped during an acid hailstorm while an earthquake rumbles and the foulest scoundrels Gordon’s hometown Los Angeles has to offer rioting and looting the streets.
I’m still unsure what to label this but let’s go with goth-industrial banger. Gordon was apparently inspired to write this song after returning to L.A. and noticing a new trend of black matte paint jobs, a new mainstream trend taken from lowrider car culture. Here’s Gordon on it: “Black-on-black matte is the ultimate expression in digging out, getting rid of, purging the soul. Like a black hole, the supreme inward look, a culture collapsing in on itself, the outsider as an unwilling participant as the ‘It’ look.”
Kim Gordon is the most badass grandma around. Actually screw that. She doesn’t need the epithet of grandma. Gordon’s just a badass. Black matte spray.
Calvin Harris—“My Way”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGaEf0CZfbQ
Here’s what Calvin Harris’ latest is not: It’s not a Frank Sinatra cover and it’s super seriously definitely not about ex-girlfriend (and newly single!) Taylor Swift. With that shade-oozing hook of “You were the one thing in my way,” Harris repeats over and over again, opting to use his own vocals on the track. And check these lyrics that no-way-in-hell reference Swift: “I made my move and it was all about you / Now I feel so far removed.”
That being said: Good job, Calvin. You beat her at her own game.
GTA ft. Vince Staples—“Little Bit of This”
Vince Staples stays winning. His recent output demonstrates that Vince isn’t worried about blowing past the edges of classic and contemporary hip hop sounds. Comfortable in various lanes outside his own, “Little Bit of This” continues that trend. Miami DJ duo GTA manifest sublime chaos with those snapping rhythms and wailing synths, a monster of a beat very few rappers would be comfortable touching. Vince drives through all that noise with nonchalant bars like “Feelin’ like Snoop at the Source awards” and “Marriages to white women, Mike Jackson shit.”
Bon Iver—“8 (Circle)
Whatever Bon Iver is about to unleash with its third studio album, 22 A Million, I feel fairly confident saying we’ve never heard anything like it before. The band performed their latest single on Fallon and it’s worth checking out just to see the setup: Justin Vernon standing in the middle of three synth stations, not an acoustic guitar in sight. It’s ethereal, otherworldly, a missive from an alien man. Whatever you want to call it, we’re in.
D.R.A.M.—“Cash Machine”
https://soundcloud.com/bigbabydram/cash-machine
D.R.A.M. makes music that sounds like the art of flight: it’s weightless, high in melodic register, and giggles with joy. His singing almost seems like it passes through a smile. D.R.A.M. has a reason to be happy too: His “Broccoli” collaboration with Lil’ Yachty just hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Raps chart. He beat out Drake’s Rihanna-assisted “Too Good,” which is poetic for the kind of person who recognizes the liberal similarities to D.R.A.M.’s “Cha Cha” and Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” (Hint: That should be everyone.)
But D.R.A.M. doesn’t seem to be that petty. He’s too busy flying.
Jenny Hval—“Period Piece”
This space transmission is about a relatively normal event for half the population: an OB/GYN visit. But the textures of the track, with its diffusion of backup vocals, electronic pop beat, frenetic drum machine, tell a different story, that of celestial femininity. The short record leaves you desperately wanting more, but Jenny Hval leaves you with your tongue-in-cheek, muttering, “It’s only blood.”
Sometimes when you visit a Sunglass Hut in a New Jersey mall, you walk out with a cool pair of new shades. Other times your freakin’ vape pen explodes in your fancy-ass, Louis Vuitton purse and you leave with a ruined $1,900 bag.
The latter situation happened to Mara McInerney earlier this week when she was shopping at the Sunglass Hut store at the Freehold Raceway Mall. Seems the battery to her vape exploded, sending smoke wafting into the store.
“Terrifying, scary. It sounded like a gunshot. It sounded like a bomb went off,” McInerney told NBC New York. “It was 9/11. I thought someone had put something in my bag.”
No one was injured, though McInerney said her four-year-old daughter often plays with her purse and could have been hurt. “It could have exploded in her face,” she said.
While rare, vape pens have been known to explode before. NBC reports there have been two dozen similar incidents since 2009, and Gizmodo notestwo men were injured earlier this year when their vapes exploded in their pockets.
Two weeks ago, a founder of the Latinos for Trump group said if Donald Trump isn’t elected president, there will be taco trucks on every corner, like that’d be a bad thing. Last night, Hillary Clinton finally responded to the bold claim with a bold statement of her own: Tacos and their trucks are good, and they should be on every corner.
“You’ve stayed focused no matter what kind of outlandish and offensive comments we’ve heard from my opponent and his supporters,” Clinton told the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Thursday, according to the New York Daily News. “By the way, I personally think a taco truck on every corner sounds absolutely delicious.”
Cannabis cocktail wizard Warren Bobrow has impressed upon us a new favorite summer cocktail: The Broad Reach, another concoction he developed specifically for The Fresh Toast. For those unfamiliar with sailing lingo (everyone raises hand), the term “broad reach” represents a range of wind angles between beam reach and running downwind. Now that class is over, it’s time to drink!
(For an unwired version: don’t use any THC when making your simple syrup.)
Punches are a party pleaser and I’ve been seeing more and more home “punch parties” with the host(ess) serving a variety of different spirit-based libations. Whiskey Punch can be right there with the more traditional rum and vodka punch options. This full-flavored recipe combines bourbon, fresh citrus, black tea, fresh mint and peach nectar and is fun to serve over large format ice cubes made in silicone molds (easy to find online). If you’re a bitters fan, try mixing 2 tablespoons of Angostura bitters with 8-10 cups of water to make Bitters Ice Cubes! They are delicious as they melt into the punch and have a lovely color, too.
If you or your mom/grandma/relative/friend have a bunch of fancy old tea cups or a collection of canning jars, then dust them off and serve up your punch in up-cycled style.
Southern Style Whiskey Punch (This recipe can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored refrigerated and can be easily doubled or tripled)
Makes about 7 1/2 cups, serves 12 – 14
INGREDIENTS
1 orange
20 whole cloves
8 large sprigs fresh mint
4 English breakfast tea bags
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 cups boiling water
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup peach nectar (or substitute pineapple juice)
2 cups Maker’s Mark
Garnish: fresh mint sprigs
CREATE
Poke the cloves into the orange, then cut it into 3 slices. Put the orange slices, mint, tea bags, and brown sugar in a large heat-proof pitcher (or container that will hold at least 10 cups). Add the boiling water and let steep for 1 hour, then remove and discard the tea bags and mint.
Add in the orange and lemon juice, peach nectar, and bourbon. Stir, then chill until ready to serve. Present for service in a large drink dispenser or punch bowl. Serve over ice with fresh mint.
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Kathy Casey is a chef, mixologist, and is known as the Original Bar Chef. Her newest book is D’Llish Deviled Eggs, which is a great accompaniment to any cocktail. Follow Kathy Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For more great cocktail recipes, visit www.LiquidKitchen.com.
