Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Today: Someday Farm Vegan B&B

I am not sure why it took me almost a year to finally visit Someday Farm Vegan Bed & Breakfast up on Whidbey Island. (Well, actually, it's because B&Bs makes me think of dirty lace curtains, flowery old rooms, and bullshitting with strangers in the parlor.)

I had no idea Someday Farm has so many animal friends to get to know, no BS, dirty lace, or dusty rooms in sight, and is run by incredible, dedicated, and genuinely cool vegan proprietors. Had I known what I know now, I would not have delayed one minute in going. So let me tell you about this slice of heaven (if you want more pictures, check these out).


home grown teas in the kitchen; my new friend Geppetto (the poppa donkey)

First, meet Jill and Dave: vegan for ~11 years, they run Island Recycling in Freeland and collect some of the coolest old metal Americana you've ever seen. Fences practically made of vintage cars and (by my estimation) the worlds largest collection of aluminum coffee pots greet you around every corner. They work hard during the day at the recycling center, own a towing company, and aren't what you might imagine the typical B&B hosts to be. Kind of two of my role models now.


view of the bedroom, wood stove, and kitchen; shelf in bedroom

Next, meet the animal friends that fill the farm. Near the entrance you'll find miniature horses living happily with a full sized donkey. Then closer to the house you'll discover a family of miniature donkeys living with goats and sheep, two ducks, and a very noisy gaggle of geese. The donkeys and goats want nothing more in this world than to be pet and loved. The second you go into their yard, they come right up to nuzzle and will poke you if you stop! Then next to that you'll find a hen house full of happy red and white chickens just doing their chicken thing. On the other side of the house you'll see that there is a large rescued bird aviary inside a beautiful, bountiful vegetable garden with three bunnies living below the birds. And if you hear barking, that would be the two adopted chihuahua sized pooches that live with Jill and Dave and their three cats in their house.


Mama and baby Donkey with two chickens; goats like to climb

With that many animals around, who has time to think about going inside? Well, once you do, the B&B is more of a private apartment, completely separate from Jill and Dave's house. The room has a huge kitchen stocked with vintage dishes, spices, home made teas, and vegan goodies in the fridge. You'll also find a giant bed and comfy living room, with a TV for watching movies, and wi-fi for computing (who doesn't love to compute)? The whole place is carefully designed - from custom wood carvings, to a retro phone for calling Jill and Dave up at their house, to the beautiful windows that open up on one side to view the garden and the other side to view the animals. I spent an hour just looking over Jill's collections on the shelves and the amazing library of used (almost recycled) books. There are slippers for wearing around the house (so you don't bring animal poo in on your shoes) and binoculars hanging in the mud room so you can view the farm from above.


the breakfast feast; beautiful chicken

Once you leave the apartment again, there is a trail walk around the whole farm that goes between the natural wetlands and the forest, with another walking trail that will take you to a swimming lake beach. And if you decide to leave the farm, there is plenty to do in Langley just 20 minutes away, including wicked rad record shopping at Good Cheer Thrift store and super yummy vegan wraps and bowls at Living Green Natural Food and Apothecary. There is a great market in Langley with tons of vegan, natural, and organic food - and Jill let us pick extra green beans she had growing in the garden to cook up dinner.


vintage cars; snuggling miniature horses

Oh wait! I almost forgot about the 'breakfast' part of the Vegan Bed and Breakfast. Jill made us a FEAST of goodness. Two kinds of muffins, fresh cut mango with lime, roasted root veggies, and an entire mushroom and broccoli quiche. We made a hot pot of coffee and stuffed ourselves before heading out to spend a few more hours with the animals. (Check out isn't until noon!)

If all of this hasn't convinced you to make your reservations yet, then hopefully this next deal will: if you book for a stay during December, January, or February, you'll get $25 off per night if you tell Jill that you heard about Someday Farm Vegan Bed & Breakfast on Vegan Score. Since there is a minimum 2-night stay (and I would VERY much recommend 3 nights to really relax and enjoy the farm and the surrounding towns), that is $50 - $75 savings. And then you could spend the money you save on records like we did! Their rates are comparable to other B&Bs on the island but you get SO MUCH more.


geese honking; goats and sheep

And also, the drive there is pretty and you get to take the Mukilteo Ferry. Only takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes total.

Someday Farm Vegan B&B
http://somedayfarmveganbedandbreakfast.com/
360-331-2864
info@somedayfarmveganbedandbreakfast.com
Whidbey Island
Freeland, WA 98249
$150/night ($125/night Dec-Feb if you mention Vegan Score)
More Photos

Next up I'll write about the vegan food in Langley and how Someday Farm is also a venue, great for bike groups (bus sleeps a bunch of folks and you can camp) and other vegan parties. I hope that KC decides to have his birthday there next summer.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Comedy Improv for Animals

Just when you think Seattle couldn't bring anymore goodness into the world, enter stage left, Closet Monsters Improv.



Saturday, August 20, this lil' improv troupe will bring us LAUGH TO SAVE ANIMALS, a performance to raise awareness about animal cruelty. Ashley Almon, Cory Blankenship, Cody Bernius, and Kevin Dailey will entertain for over an hour AND there will be vegan treats for sale with proceeds going to the African Wildlife Association. Spend the day at a vegan BBQ, go home and clean up (maybe nap?), then spend the night laughing your arse off - all for the good of our animals friends in Africa.

LAUGH TO SAVE ANIMALS starts at 10:30 this Saturday, August 20th at the Odd Duck Studio (run by Rik Deskin). If you haven't been to Odd Duck for a show yet, you have been missing out. This sweet cozy theater offers vegan concessions, including vegan beer and wine. It is just the right size for local plays and other performances, and close to lots of great dinner joints.



I'll be rushing from a show at Studio 7 (where my little brother is playing - yay!) but will see you there. Comedy Improv + Good Animals Cause + Vegan Treats = best idea ever. Thank you Ashely for putting this together!

LAUGH TO SAVE ANIMALS
Facebook RSVP
Saturday, August 20, 2011
10: 30 PM
Bring: $10
Odd Duck Studio
1214 10th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
206-679-3271

Vegan BBQ to End Poaching

Another casual, cool, and worthwhile event for you to check out this weekend: Vegan BBQ this Saturday at Green Lake. All proceeds will go to African Wildlife Foundation to help end poaching. (What, you thought vegans only cared about farm animals? Pshaw). And of course, absolutely EVERYONE is welcome.



Where: Greenlake (in the field next to the Community Center basketball courts)
When: Saturday August 20, 2011
Time: 1:00-4:00 pm
What: Eat vegan hotdogs and sausages
Donate: Suggested $5-10
Why: meet nice folks, help a critical cause
RSVP: here (so they know how much food to bring.)
Tip: Bring your own plate and utensils. This is a no/low-garbage event!

Poaching horrors continue as other methods of income become scarce due to famine, war, and desertification. The Black Rhino, Leopard, African Elephant, and Mountain Gorilla need continual protection while education and other long-term projects progress. The African Wildlife Foundation works to end poaching, protect land, and empower the people to continue social and economic reform that get to the root of poaching.

A black rhino and her calf. Photo by Art Wolfe

This is a family-friendly BBQ party and you can drag along anyone and everyone who cares about stopping the terrible slaughter and maiming of wild creatures for profit. Bring anyone who likes hotdogs and a BBQ. You could just stop by and drop your change off with Kitty Jones, the amazing young adult who is organizing this fundraiser.

Once again our town steps up to the plate to bring folks together while helping an incredible organization face difficult odds half way around the world. I love you Seattle. See you there!

Reminder: bring your own plate, utensils, cups, etc. Hot Dogs and other BBQ stuff will be provided.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Bumbershoot Brings the Vegan

Hip-Hop! Black Metal! Indie Dance Punk! Hardcore! Momentous occasion! Our world-famous, 3-day music and art festival is getting it's vegan on this year. And I'm kind of losing my mind over this!

Bumbershoot 2011 producers are giving vegans and music lovers a reason to learn about and from each other with a music scene vegan panel, "Veganism: From Black Metal to Hip-Hop and Everything in Between" moderated by one of my favorite people on the planet, Greg Bennick.


Mr. Manowitz. Mr. Tillman.

Part of the Words & Ideas series, the Veganism panel will feature: Vegan Black Metal Chef (WHAT?!?! YES!), Kevin Tillman (founder of the Vegan Hip-Hop Movement blog), The Redwood Plan bassist Larry Brady, and be moderated by Greg Bennick (activist, film producer, and singer of sXe hardcore band Trial and Between Earth & Sky). All this, and they'll be chatting about veganism within music communities. I feel a little faint.

Seriously, I would give my left arm to hang out with these four people under any circumstances, but now I don't have to! And neither do you! And we get to chat about music and veganism. Pinch me, I am clearly dreaming. Want to know more about these gentle men?


Mr. Brady. Mr. Bennick.

Kevin Tillman is the founder of the Vegan Hip-Hop Movement blog. He’s been practicing holistic activism for nearly 10 years. His focus is to achieve decolonization, confronting all forms of oppression, which include and are not limited to abelism, sexism, racism, anthropocentrism, queer-phobia, and classism. Kevin is the founder of the Vegan Hip Hop Movement blog, which was created to promote veganism through hip hop and build a bridge between your “average” vegan and other social justice movements inherent in the hip hop culture.


Vegan Black Metal Chef, Brian Manowitz, combines his passions for vegan cooking, making metal music, and spirituality to create an awesomely unlikely combination that is informative, hilarious, and enlightening. As a vegan for 11 years, a musician for 9 years, and a mystic for 14 years, his quest to make amazing food and music has culminated into a modern sensation. His website and a a series of YouTube videos seek to answer the question, “What do vegans eat?” set to a self-made soundtrack of Black Metal music with a dash of comedy thrown in. The website also seeks to introduce people to bringing consciousness to their lives and all of their actions.



As a roadie, DIY musician, sound engineer, and booker in the 90s, through playing bass for Seattle dance punk standouts/Bumbershoot 2010 alumni The Redwood Plan, Larry Brady has just about seen it all in his decades in the music industry. After years of being a vegetarian and a lifetime of not squishing spiders, he made the jump into veganism five years ago. Several Midwest tours later, Larry has become something of an expert on how to eat ethically even while in a tour van in the middle of Kansas.

Greg Bennick is a keynote speaker, humanitarian activist, and award-winning film producer & writer. He has been vegan for over twenty years. He spends his time singing for hardcore bands, helping the people of Haiti with his charity One Hundred For Haiti, and speaking nationwide. He thinks eating animals is weird, and is honored to be moderating this panel. Greg's been a friend of mine for more than 15 years, and once you meet him, you'll likely consider him a friend too.

So this incredible vegan music conversation in happening on Monday. If you need another excuse to shell out the $35 for a day ticket, or you aren't sure which day to attend, let me just give you 7 other reasons to show up on Monday:

12:00 - The Horde and the Harem
1:30 - Quadron
5:00 - MASH HALL
6:30 - Laff Hole
7:00 - Writing Battlestar Galactica
7:45 - Doug Benson movie chat
9:15 - Hall & Oates



Plus, your 3-day weekend will seem much longer if you do something rad when you would normally be at work. Also, if you can muster, bring a bunch of other people too, vegans and veg-interested, or even veg-opposed. All ideas and opinions are welcomed.

Veganism: From Black Metal to Hip-Hop and Everything in Between"
September 5, 2011
3:30 PM
Words & Idea Stage (Leo K Theater) See Map
Bumbershoot
Buy a Ticket Now
RSVP on Facebook


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