the jones’ | emery ruth, tell me the truth

Day 3

Day three could have ended after breakfast and we would have been happy, as Jones has been searching for the perfect plate of huevoes rancheros for as long as I have known him, and we found them at Señor Moose.

Modestly located just outside downtown Ballard, this place is a “must eat”.

Way stuffed but thoroughly satisfied later, we headed to board the Ferry to Bainbridge Island, for our wilderness adventure….

If you have never been on a ferry it’s actually rather exciting, waiting in line for your turn to pull your car onto the platform, going up to the upper level and watching as the city falls behind, sea air and TUG BOATS! It’s really just something you don’t get much of in the Midwest.

Once on land we drove up to see a friend in Port Townsend and then onward to Olympic National Park to see the sights of Lake Crescent

The real adventure started when we came across the Storm King Trail….

It looked cool so we took it, up and up and up…..It was steep and winding and really beautiful.

and it wasn’t until the sun started to drop, that we realized we had no water and remembered bears lived there, then it occurred to Jones to look at a map. A map that told us we were attempting to hike a 4 mile trail that wound up a 4, 534′ mountain, so we agreed our efforts were valiant and headed back down

to start on our 3 hour trip back to the city……we did after all have to be well rested for our tattoo appointments the next day.

Day 4

Portage Bay Café was a suggestion from our hosts, and it was a great one. I mean c’mon they have a fucking toppings bar for your pancakes, french toast and waffles.

I will tell you what, there is an incredible plethora of eateries in Seattle and we were never once disappointed during this trip….Well except for the late night decision Jones made for the blue cheese and bacon slathered sweet potato fries, that thank goodness we don’t have a photo of, a crime we can forgive but not forget……now for tattoos

As our friends know, we return from every trip with new tattoos so you all knew Seattle would get added to the collection. We went to Under the Needle Tattoo, right down town and actually under the needle, to see Matt Lentz. Who, I am confident in saying, is responsible for my new favorite piece,

he also did a really impressive job of getting creative in order to fill the space Jones had left on his forearm

So this wraps it up on the picture taking portion of the trip as my tattoo is placed nicely in the elbow crease of my right arm, other wise known as the ditch, thus raising the stakes on what seemed worth it to bring the camera to my eye. But I will add a few more suggestions/discoveries in the last hours of our time there.

Rays Boathouse has a great view, and despite their salty prices (pun intended) we really enjoyed our Cajun Rockfish, which was enough to share.

D’Ambrosio Gelato was so good, and satisfied our sweet tooth

The Tractor Tavern had a pretty good collection of music shows coming up. Like Austin Lucas, a personal favorite of mine who I missed seeing by just a couple of days.

I found an incredible selection of organic gauge jewelry at Pierced Hearts

Day 5

Our last day was all about Toulouse Petit Kitchen and Lounge and their breakfast happy hour. Sure you can order delicious eyeopening drinks, but their food is what it’s all about, as their breakfast menu is half-off and unbelievably good.

So there you have it, our first trip to the Pacific North West and it was great. Next time I hope we can make it up to Vancouver, CAN as well and maybe be a bit more prepared to spend some real time in the woods, but no matter what you like to do you really should make it out there….

xoxo The Jones’

Here marks the fist installment of Keepin’ Up with the Jones’. Today is also our 4 year anniversary…..unbelievable and so good. No mushy stuff I promise, but one of my very favorite things about us, is the way we travel together and the fact that we do it often. We both share a desire to move on and out of the Midwest, but over the last four years have come to see that being where we are allows us the freedom to pick up and go when ever we want, to where ever we want and we do. Keepin’ up with these Jones’ has nothing to do with possessions and everything to do with experiences.

Seattle, Sea Town, The Emerald City

Day 1

We flew right out of South Bend at 9 a.m., transferred in Chicago and were in Seattle by noon.

During which time Jones confessed that he never had any intention to entertain my plan for us to only use the public transit system to get get around, you know to “really experience the city” as he had booked a rental car days ago…….but did book the economy option and was expecting something along the lines of a Ford Focus. Luckily for us our attendant was a rookie and clearly wanted to do a good job AND be cool, so when he made his offer to upgrade our selection to anything on the lot for just $10 a day Jones made no hesitation to say, “Well then, we’ll take the Cadillac.”

So I will admit, Jones won this one but we have both been thoroughly entertained by the fact that we are rolling through the narrow and rolling streets of Seattle, lined with Subaru’s, VW’s and Volvos in our all black Cadillac (or “The Sea-adillac” as we have taken to calling it) I mean can we make it anymore obvious that we aren’t from around here?

Our first mission was food and found this great mexican place in the Queen Anne neighborhood north of down town. Out door seating, wi-fi, fish tacos and margarita’s made this a great place to start. Then we set off to the Ballard area to get settled into the place we rented from Air BnB, which is an incredible resource for travel. Similar to Couch Surfer in concept Air BnB is a great alternative to hotels. You can find places to stay all over the world ranging from high rise lofts, to guest bedrooms, to boat houses. We landed a great deal in a converted garage. Private, super affordable and our preferred location. I highly recommend checking it out for your next trip.

After relaxing for a bit we headed up a few blocks to Sunset Park….We finished the night walking through Downtown Ballard and enjoyed a light snack at the old fire house now called Hi-Life and a nightcap at Hattie’s Hat

Day 2

Day 2 started off great at Cafe Besalu.

Now we have never been to Paris, so we can’t truly comment on the rumor that these croissants and pastries are in close competition with the authenticly Parisian, but these are absolutely the best we have ever had.

Then off to Pike’s Place Market, cause “you just have to.”

and it’s true. A pretty incredible selection of fresh produce, souvenirs and seafood, but it’s also the kind of place, that draws the kind of crowd, that makes me growl out loud, so once we made it to Mick’s Pepper Jelly Stand we made our escape and headed off to the Fremont neighborhood for their most incredible, SundayMarket. Booths and booths of crafts, antiques, food and fine art, which for me, definitely set the hook for this area of town. In fact I was enjoying myself too much to sit behind the camera and only got a shot of this great, locally made Ginger Ale….Original and Jasmine.

But we did enjoy some great food from Tandoozy’s and I was so excited to meet an incredible handmade artist, and personal idol of mine, Moorea.

Afterward we sat at the Fremont Coffee House and got online and relaxed until the sun went down, then strolled thru the darkened streets and ended up at The White Rabbit for an amateur comedy show, at which the funniest thing that happened was discovering that 2 other couples in the audience were from Indiana! We finished the night at The Ballroom, with incredible sangria, giant slices of pizza and the photo booth.

Stay tuned for part 2…….