One family Ris tradition that I truly and dearly loved… involved baked goods.
I know. Shocker.
When I was a kid, every year, a couple weeks before Christmas, my parents would pile us into the family car and head out to Bothell’s Hillcrest Bakery about 18 miles from our home: Magnolia through Ballard to Lake City passed Lake Forest Park to Bothell where this bakery, run by a dutch family, provided a natural way for my parents to continue a small but delicious piece of what they left behind in Holland.
Now the bakery itself, even by childhood standards, was small… but packed with goodies.
And—oh!—the smell.
That heavenly aroma.
Usually, my mom would phone in an order a couple weeks in advance so it was all ready by the time we arrived.
However, that did not prevent her from adding to what she ordered.
And so each year, upon verifying her order was correct, she would take it upon herself to peruse the cabinets of goodies, juggling prices in her head. By and by, she would add more to the best of what she already ordered… and then add the stray goodies that had previously escaped her attention.
Over the years, the best of the best were
—Stollen
—Almond Sticks
—Sausage Rolls
—Raisin Rolls (most excellent with lots of butter and thick slices of american cheese)
—Bitterkoekjes.
and my eternal, personal favorite
—Marzipan Rolls
After mom secured her order and paid, dad would take it all in his arms (grey cardboard boxes & white bakery bags)… and muscle it to the car for safekeeping whilst mom ordered a sit-down snack for us, usually individual sausage rolls, then some coffee for the two of them.
We enjoyed this bakery treat as customers came and went, speaking mostly in dutch between themselves, catching up with the owners also in dutch as if it were all a lovely Christmas reunion. Which it kind of was.
First through sixth grade, junior high, high school, the UW, The Art Institute. Year after year, the owners saw me march into their store on a mission, the same mission each year even though the person conducting it was changing every time. Growing… with an ever ballooning appetite for their baked wonders.
Over the years, I don’t know what happened, but the goodies seemed to shrink as I grew up.
They got smaller as their prices seemed only to go up.
By ‘n by, Kimmer and I found a lot of the same baked goods for less money at other stores like World Market and Trader Joe’s.
We didn’t find everything… and these weren’t bakeries, of course. They weren’t even dutch. But in the real world of married life, bang for buck counts for something. In fact, it counts for everything.
So.
This isn’t a tradition of ours anymore however we’re constantly reminded of this place of wonderous baked goods in Bothell, Washington.
Why?
Because Linzy performs every now and then at The Cottage which is a couple doors up the block on the other side of the block. I realized this early on looking for parking. Saw it immediately and ever since I think about it whenever we come within a few blocks on our way to a gig.
Every time. 😁😁😁
And so as Christmas hijacks the entire month of December, my heart… rather, my stomach is relentlessly drawn to the Hillcrest Bakery, the little bakery with its heavenly variations on dough, raisins, and almond paste recipes… that little bakery is always on my mind when Christmastime visions in my head are not, indeed, of sugarplums… but of Stollen. Of Almond Sticks. Of Sausage Rolls. Raisin Rolls. Bitterkoekjes. And my eternal, personal favorite: Marzipan Rolls.
If you’re ever in the neighborhood, do yourself a favor and check the place out for yourself.
I’m at The Cottage in Bothell tonight, waiting for Kimmer to get back to me about what I can eat here that’s not gonna mess up my suddenly sensitive nutrient levels.
While I’m waiting for her to call back, I’m listening to the one, the only, Linzy Collins singing Norah Jones’s “Don’t Know Why” in the corner of the main dining room looking out at a lovely sunset moment in Bothell, Washington.
There are a lot of diners here lifting their glasses to the end of the day as, by ‘n by, the words of Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me” slip effortlessly from Linzy’s voice and fingers while in the background there’s ongoing discussion and laughter and leaning in. There’s a lot of listening. A bunch of relaxing. And, waaaaay in the back, the sounds of the kitchen.
Just now Linzy launched into a cover of Abba’s “Take A Chance On Me” that, in Linzy’s hands, is a wistful, almost regretful experience of such a well-known song. It’s a revelation, it’s always a revelation when I hear songs painted in a way I never expected. It’s a revelation when it’s done so, so well.
Eventually, my Peach Grove Salad joins the Ginger Beer on which I started an hour ago, sipping and enjoying it ever so slowly. Kimmer signed off on the salad cuz it’s the best thing for my health right now. Peaches. Basil. Arugula. Spinach. Roasted cherry tomatoes. Red onion. Yuzu lime vinaigrette. And pistachio. It’s a cleverly tasty salad with the peaches taking the lead and the roasted cherry tomatoes playing backup.
In between sets, Linzy 'n I chat a little about her music brand, Dream Patrol. I call it a brand because Dream Patrol is Linzy. Linzy, who’s taking her talents and leaning them hard into a pop techno club vibe where catchy melodies intersect with layers of harmonies, complex chord structures, and sound design. Not to mention a wicked wicked beat.
Now, while Dream Patrol is Linzy, on stage she’s joined by fellow musicians who allow for different arrangements of Dream Patrol songs. The arrangements can be as small or as large as Linzy dreams. Her last show featured a band of three. The next one might be four or five. Ultimately, of course, she dreams of a symphony orchestra.
God in heaven, please let that happen. 😁
When my focus returns to the here and now, I find myself experiencing one of my favorite covers: Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World”. It’s a song both Kimmer 'n I dearly love. It’s a song that always reminds us of our old friend, Scott von Freiberg, who’s responsible for the album CD we have to this day. I’m also keenly aware of how much I appreciate these covers of some of our most cherished songs from the '80s and '90s, how much I appreciate the performance Linzy brings to this time capsule she’s sharing publicly in a Bothell restaurant that’s fully in the embrace of night.
Another moment goes by and it’s “Just The Two Of Us” written by Bill Withers and Grover Washington, Jr., performed by Grover Washington, Jr. featuring Bill Withers… a classic that’scovered this cool, fall evening by Linzy Collins. This is such a sweet, iconic song. It also captures a profoundly normal moment in life that I suppose I appreciate even more. That I appreciate most.
I hear the crystal raindrops fall On the window down the hall And it becomes the morning dew And darling when the morning comes And I see the morning sun I want to be the one with you
I love how peaceful that is.
I love the poetry of it.
And yes. I desperately adore the ordinary moment being described.
Ordinary?
I’m thinking once upon a time, is all. A time without all the crazy background noise that’s demanding to have all the attention in our lives. ☺️
A number of heartbeats go by and now we’re into a parental favorite. Okay so technically they’re all parental favorites. However, “Champagne Supernova” holds a special place in our hearts and Linzy knows it. She catches our eyes whenever the both of us are at a table looking her way. Call it an enduring family tradition in that moment and you wouldn’t be wrong.
No. Not at all.
Linzy just got a request a second ago. I just caught sight of the requester heading back to his seat at the end of the bar. Earlier I discovered that he and his wife once hosted musicians at their home during the pandemic when, in Bothell, restaurants were open but couldn’t feature live music on their premises. So as a workaround, The Cottage in Bothell streamed that live music to the dining room from the home of the husband and wife now sitting at the end of the bar. During the pandemic, they had a really big house about a mile from here. And as the weather grew colder, the music was livestreamed from their garage. The very same garage in which Kimmer 'n I watched Linzy perform her sets one night during the pandemic, 2021.
Anyway…
My point’s actually that the husband has just gone up to Linzy to make a song request.
“Landslide”
Fleetwood Mac.
Written and sung by Stevie Nicks. Covered this lovely Bothell night by Linzy Collins.
It’s kind of a two-fer cuz Linzy just performed “Gold Dust Woman” not a song or two ago. And I don’t know why her performance took me by surprise, but… it took me by surprise in the very best way. Proud proud proud proud proud proud PROUD. 😁😁😁
Another break between sets and Linzy’s sitting next to me on my left and we’re talking music and musicians and the local music community. A bit of talking shop, if you will. Just sort of an easy conversation for an easy evening.
By the way, my end of the bar is representing tonight. The first applause after each song always come from our end. The husband and wife made sure of that, earlier. Then it was just as likely to be one of the other revelers who joined us later. 😁
Returning to her guitar, Linzy soon launches into “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House. Of course this, too, is an extra special family favorite to which her performance does immaculate justice. We could simply listen to this version over and over and over again without ever growing weary of it. The song is both inspiring and comforting given the intersection of nostalgia and the voice invoking that nostalgia. It’s an exquisitely lovely way to launch into the third set, this third hour, this night of dining that’s beginning to wind down as people start making their way to wherever their night is to end.
A quick word about “favorites”:
There are songs that are family favorites, that is, there’s some experience about these songs shared between the three of us.
There are songs that are parental favorites, that is, they’re lifted straight from our jr. high, high school, and college years.
There are songs that are super parental favorites, that is, there’s some connection between Kimmer 'n I and one of our dear friends.
And there are songs that are Linzy 'n me favorites, that is, there’s some experience about these songs that Linzy 'n I share. For example…
Yeah. Linzy introduced me to this song a while back and I was hooked from the start. A great cover of a great song. And whenever Linzy covers that song while I’m in the audience, I know that she knows how much I love the song and the performance to which she first introduced me. So we always exchange smiles at whichever venue we happen to find ourselves at the time.
It never gets old.
Of course of course a couple songs later, she launches into Swift’s “no body, no crime” that we actually listened to earlier on the ride over.
At. My. Request.
Yup. It’s anotherLinzy 'n me favorite.
What can I say?
The song’s clever as hell and I’m waiting for someone to make a film out of it like they did with that old song “Ode to Billy Joe” in '76.
By 'n by, I start hearing a song that’s both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. It’s a song that, whenever it finds its way into one of these sets, always pops at the end of the night.
And I never, ever, place it during its first bars of music.
Not even when the vocal begins.
Often I think it’s one of Linzy’s originals. But I know all her originals and this isn’t one of them. It’s not 'til she gets to the chorus that kicks with “Let’s swoon…”
And then I have it: the song’s called “Swoon” by Midnight High, one of the local bands with which Linzy performs. This is a band that plays all originals amidst a surreal light show with a sound that fully evokes the new wave stylings of the 1980s. It’s music that evokes nostalgia whilst being perfectly new. And Linzy’s is a wonderful acoustic take with a voice that’s silky smooth and right for the poetry of images…
Stay with me a little while Let’s just let them talk All the planets and the stars In a single touch Let’s swoon… Let’s swoon…
At 9:30, the night comes to a close with a final round of applause started, of course, by Linzy’s most enthusiastic fans for the last three hours. In fact, as Linzy finishes breaking down her gear and I begin loading it in the van, she becomes engaged in a conversation with the husband and wife in whose home she once performed during the pandemic. It was a lot of catching up. A lot of updates about the family cat, everyone’s favorite, who’s still alive and kicking. There was some discussion about future plans and opportunities. And then it’s farewell all around, Linzy joining me at the van, finishing the loadout herself as we then get into the van, and drive off into the night…
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Bothell warlord Immortal Jim has been arrested for reckless endangerment after three of his warboys were injured during a takeover in the parking lot of a Fred Meyer. Such are the risks of doing donuts in the ol’ war rig.
Barred Owl by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: You never know what you might see on your morning walk!
Barred Owl
Tambark Creek Park
Bothell, Washington
June 2025
Pixel 8 Pro
I only got one good shot in Shoreline (Washington State) because my phone battery was dying on me after being overwhelmed with the turnout in Bothell (Washington State) being too large to photograph together and also overloading the cell towers.
The crowd is about the same on both sides of the street and also down (State Highway) 104/205th NE. Count was solidly over 1000 people.
Bothell turnout was similarly sized That’s not something I’ve ever seen in Bothell, before. Somebody who lived there told me that their normal biggest event is 4th of July and this was bigger.
Here are some Bothell panoramas but I couldn’t photograph it all, it was too big and went too many places
It won’t mean anything to most of you but the crowd went all the way to the old trestle bridge past downtown to the east, and there were people on that bridge, too.
Said bridge (it filled up more later):
If the crowd size estimate is right somewhere between 2 and 2.5% of the entire population of the town turned out, and that’s pretty dang good. And also reasonable because the national turnout was well over 5 million and that’s a similar number.
I couldn’t extend the stay at the first hotel I arrived at in Washington, so I had to get a different hotel. That first hotel wanted to give me quite the show before leaving. (It was a false alarm. And it was raining outside. Cool.)
Autumn Color by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: The vibrant fall colors were in full display yesterday in Bothell, Washington
Autumn Colors
Bothell, Washington
October 2024
SNAP RELEASE of Greater Northshore Bike Connector Map and MEGAMAP, Version 1.4.2, 7 October 2024, because of the month-long construction closure of Sammamish River Trail in downtown Bothell starting MONDAY.
There is a detour, it is reasonable and acceptably marked. However, because this is such a major commuter corridor, it should be noted on the map.
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Hey there! You won’t want to miss out on the fun! Join us today at the last Summer Nights event at Bothell Landing Park hosted by Northwest Folklife. We can’t wait to see you there!
