TRIP PLANNER: WOODINVILLE PG. 88
Mussels, from Sea to Table
What’s Happening to Washington’s Birds?
Southern Oregon Wine Country
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COZY CABIN GETAWAYS FOR WINTER ADVENTURE
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volume 34
Though not easily accessed, Alpine Lakes High Camp and a warm fire are worth the reward.
Winter’s Cozy Cabins photography by Jerald McDermott FROM RUSTIC to a little less rustic, find our picks for cozy cabins across Washington for your winter adventures. (pg. 80) 6 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE
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farm to table
Freshly harvested Penn Cove Shellfish mussels.
Farm to Table
Mussels Mania Enjoying Penn Cove’s finest offerings written by Corinne Whiting photography by James Harnois SINCE 1975, Whidbey Island’s Penn Cove Shellfish has been in business, making it the country’s oldest and largest commercial mussel farm. Operations Manager Tim Jones explains that, although the product was already a delicacy in Europe and Asia at the time, not many folks in the United States were enjoying mussels just yet. Once French chefs in Seattle discovered they could get the product nearby, however, a mussel craze ensued in the Northwest. The farm now produces 2.5 million pounds of mussels a year, and, according to Jones, demand is increasing. After all, Penn Cove has the highest density of mussels found naturally in all of Puget Sound. To the east, the mouth of the Skagit River brings in nutrient-rich mountain water. To the west, the Olympic Mountains put Penn Cove in a rain shadow that means more days of sunshine than Seattle or Bellingham. This combination of sun and nutrient-dense water promotes algae growth and allows for the production of both Cove and Mediterranean Mussels. 28 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE
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farm to table
Penn Cove Shellfish crew members aboard the “Moule Mariner” harvest mussels from mussel rafts in Penn Cove.
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No matter the season, Snoqualmie Falls is one of the top scenic places to plant one on. (photo: Don Detrick)
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From Port Angeles to a fireside lounge, these spots bring charm to that special kiss written by Ryn Pfeuffer A WELL-KNOWN classic jazz song claims, “A kiss is
just a kiss,” suggesting that a kiss may not hold much significance. A new study published in Sexual and Relationship Therapy begs to differ, providing evidence that kissing frequency is a strong indicator of sexual and relationship satisfaction. There are so many benefits of kissing. For one, it’s fun. It connects us to whomever we’re smooching. Also, our lips have numerous nerve endings, so kissing can feel euphoric when done well. Kissing causes a chemical reaction in your brain, releasing a party of feel-good hormones that dance together to give you a natural high, including oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, and dopamine, a hormone associated with happiness and attraction. According to the authors of the research, more frequent kissing was associated with higher levels of sexual and relationship satisfaction. Luckily, there’s no shortage of picture-perfect places to lock lips in Washington. From boat decks and gondolas to mountain tops and Japanese gardens, here are ten of our favorite places to take a moment for a special kiss.
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