So Hood to Coast was a success, at least from my barbecue perspective, but I think all the runners will concur as well.Our "cabin" (a large house, really) was in the tiny town of Gearhart, where I've never been before, but rather enjoyed. The beach was a short, straight shot from the house, and required walking through some very tall Anne of Green Gables-esque grass (see images at left and below). The moody weather added to the overall atmosphere. Note to other Hood to Coasters: if you didn't make it out to the beach, you totally missed out!
Okay, back to the point of this blog: food. Loading my car that morning was a marathon and relay race combined. I live on the 3rd floor of a brick walk-up, and having no one to help me, ended up running up and down the stairs while carrying many heavy and ungainly objects probably 20 times. Showering that morning was an effort made in vain.
After dinner was over, it was clear I had brought too much. But I would much rather err on the side of too much food than too little; leaving exhausted runners hungry would have bordered on a crime.
So, dinner. 
Everyone was in a good mood. I was even feeling pretty relaxed which I totally didn't expect since I tend to not do well in large groups, and often get quiet and grumpy. But no! I was happy, I was relaxed. Hooray. As all the runners started to arrive, dinner was prepped, and I was playing pool and drinking beer while Louis Prima blared on my I-Pod amp. An excellent way to start the evening.
Everyone ripped into beer first thing (photo below), so by the time we were ready for a toast, the 6 bottles of Cava seemed unnecessary. Only 3 ended up being opened. Not at all what I expected. Oh well.
The biggest hits of the menu seemed to be the green salad, pesto pasta, salmon, and cheesecake, although everything else was at least nibbled on.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to hang out with Amy (she's a friend of mine), because she and Lindan, her fiance', were quite tired and went to bed early, and then were up and on their way back to Seattle before I even woke up Sunday. But here they are during dinner:
Jeremy organized the whole thing, and, I would say, did an excellent job. I was able to get to know his wife, Eden, during this event, as we carpooled up to our volunteer site together. She's very cool, and has great taste in kitchen backsplash tile. Here's a mildly funny story that happened after the majority of people left: Eden, Bruno, Charles (international supermodel/contractor), and I were sitting around the kitchen table chatting while Jeremy snoozed on the couch. Eden decided to go check on him, and all of a sudden started whisper-laughing. We looked over, and there was Jeremy, asleep on the couch, hood up, sunglasses on, and medal proudly around his neck. I thought that Eden had done 
that to him as a joke while he was sleeping. But no. It was purely accidental. It would have made an excellent photo for the bulletin board at work, but, alas, he woke up. Oh well.
that to him as a joke while he was sleeping. But no. It was purely accidental. It would have made an excellent photo for the bulletin board at work, but, alas, he woke up. Oh well. I'm not sure what else to say, so I will post the rest of the photos that came out half-decent.
Hopefully, see you all next year!
1 comment:
hmmm, wish i had been invited to your h2c bbq! sounds good.
now that i've run the race and read this blog entry, i'm reflecting a little bit about the kind of food one wants after massive physical effort. i think the good thing for the cook here is that hunger can make nearly ANYTHING taste great (i recall an thawed, industrially produced bagel that tasted fabulous, after walking to the top of mt. st. helens). i think this kind of physical need creates an awareness for tastebuds which might normally be dulled. for example one of the most popular foods in my hood to coast van was just boiled potatoes, with nothing on them. hunger makes the flavors come out.
so this kind of event might be an opportunity to explore the subtleties of basic foods rather than fabulous new sensations. the pesto pasta and salmon sound just right. i bet the flavors and nutrients in these foods produced a positive glow. in contrast, something like blackened catfish, which would be great some other day, might be too spicy for the recovering runner.
i'm thinking i should open a restaurant at the top of some gigantic mountain or something. you have to walk to it, so my thawed, industrially produced bagels will come off as genius.
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