Teresita "Agent Cooper's dame" C.'s Profile

I did a tremendous amount of research to find a private, romantic hideaway on Whidbey Island.

So many of the B & B's felt too closed in for me. I don't want to hear someone's toilet flushing through the wall, or worse, their private bedroom adventures as they celebrate their anniversary, ahem.

As we drove up on the property we were elated to see the bucolic cabin property, surrounded by towering trees and flourishing greenery. There are only a few cabins on the property, along with a large main house, suitable for a big family party or some such celebration.

There are little nooks and crannies to hide in and explore, small winding paths that lead you to ponds and secret gardens and the cabin itself, intimate and snug, stocked with breakfast foods (including fresh free-range eggs from the owner's own chickens) snacks, and a small birthday cake the owners left us when I told them we would be spending the night on my boyfriend's birthday.

A pool, hot tub, movie library and exercise room put this rustic location on my list of favorites. It's not terribly modern, a bit heavy on the country vibe, but it is a comfortable, secluded gem in the forest.

THIS Rack, is the mother of all RACKS.

I have been to some gnarly locations before, clothes in tangled piles, customers fighting and pulling garments back and forth while spitting foam out of their mouths, but this location is the picture of civility, kind of what Nordstrom is known for, an antiseptic prettiness that promises good bargains without bloodshed.

I was just looking for a candle or other hostess-worthy gift and was drawn to the neat racks of discount designer duds, beckoning me with their crooked middle finger, "we have your size, we have it in 15 colors and it's only $15," and before I knew it I had succumbed, succumbed to the sale insanity.

But really, it's well-stocked, orderly and organized, and the staff will actually help you, when you can find them.

I had absolutely 1.5 choices to eat as a vegetarian in SFO terminal one.
I was going to go with the overpriced veggie burger ($10) but I noticed they had a portobello mushroom sandwich for a dollar less, that sounded pretty darn interesting.
It was abso-friggin-lutely delectable, housed in a chewy Italian roll, with lettuce, tomato and pesto. It came with styrofoam fries, which resembled real fries but were more like the kind you get in kid's toy kitchen cook set.
Sure, it wasn't the best I've eaten but it beat the heck out of almonds, half a protein bar and a spotty banana, which were what I had in my traveling bag.

I don't want to disparage a vegetarian restaurant, especially one with loving in the title but this place, on our particular visit, did not give me that loving feeling.

I am vegan and I adore the Loving Hut in San Diego (it's pristine inside, simply elegant food) and the one is Seattle is no sad sack but this Loving Hut in Chinatown did not a delicious meal make.

Service was slow (restaurant was empty) and disinterested, as if we had interrupted their lunch break.
When our food finally arrived it was cold, cold as my heart after tasting  those clammy noodles. Come on guys, this is cooking 101, make sure the food is HOT.
My salad came much later and despite it's overabundance of vinegar dressing was still good, which is a plus.

We had to flag the servers down for water, and when I mentioned we were having dessert I thought I caught the slightest sneer on the cashier/server's face. Maybe I was just spoiled on the experience and he didn't sneer but I felt sad, sad knowing that my review would be far from stellar, which is all I wish for this chain of Vegan, animal loving restaurants.

Can I give you ten stars? It's my birthday and I just finished the most exquisite carrot cake cupcake that I had to update on it's virtue alone.

My mouth waters as I type this, remembering the thick, whipped silken "cream cheese" frosting, and the dense, moist, fruit-filled carrot cake, rich with spices and glistening fruit. It is impossible to detect it's vegan nature, it's just a perfectly made cupcake, rich and fattening and fantastic.

Miss Bouteloua, you've got it going on!

Friends, you screwed up mightily when you named this place.

In Spanish "poco" means little  and there is NOTHING little or small about the flavors that the magicians er, chefs coax out of these vegan treasures.

I had the carnitas-style tacos and my beau had the chorizo burrito and both were full to bursting with rich, developed flavors. My tacos were layered with seitan chunks, cabbage, other veggies, a spicy mole sauce and a squeeze of lime over all of it, just like real carnitas only without the burnt animal carcass and sadness.

I was in piggy mode (vegan and organic in the mountains after cheese-laden junk Mexican in Tucson, I'm going to EAT) and had the soup too, a rich creamy sweet potato business that was all pleasure.

I want to move to Bisbee and write terrible but popular detective novels and eat at Poco at least once a day on my walk around this crazy little town. Yup, that's my plan.

I'm so glad I waited until our second visit to write a review of Jhanjay. The first time around the food was excellent, delicious, fresh and perfectly prepared but the service was like a shoot of skunk spray right in your eye, slow, lame, awkward and so stinky it almost overshadowed the incredibly flavorful grub.

On our second visit, our super attentive server talked green papaya salad with me, (how easy it is to make at home) and was all around super.  Phad Kee Mao was everything it should be, thick, rich noodles doing the backstroke in a sea of brown rich gravy, so succulent we nearly licked the plate.

My drug of choice, the green papaya salad was crisp, sharp and tangy, making me long for more, even as I ate it. Forget gambling, booze or shopping, right here is my addiction to love.

Jhanjay is walking distance for us and if we had unlimited budgets we'd eat here a couple times a week, at least.

This store is a cowboy's (or cowboy wannabe) dusty dream. They've got everything but the horse-boots, embroidered shirts, hats and accessories. The day we visited the man in charge was an interesting character, somewhere between a WWF wrestler and a retired surfer who gave us excellent customer service and knew his stock like a pro. My beau found an amazing shirt, well-priced and swanky, and we both fell in love with boots but they didn't have our sizes. If we ever come back to Tombstone we'll definitely check in here.

Tombstone is a oddly charming tourist stop that is part trap, part historical treasure. The gunfights, period costumes and hokey shops I can take or leave (mostly leave) but I really enjoyed the courthouse museum, dating way back to 1882. The museum is set in a two-story Victorian building housing fascinating tidbits on the hard-working folk who started this frontier gold-mining boom town. It doesn't take long to get through, it's an easy read and at around $5 bucks quite the bargain to boot.

LOVES IT!

My home base (Seattle) has more than it's share of amazing clothing/accessory boutiques but they are more often than not big, beaucoup bucks.

When we were shopping down precious little 4th avenue we stopped in ZT and I nearly fell over with pleasure waves when I saw the prices on these super stylish duds.

The owner, Zulema, has an impeccable eye and keen sense of what constitutes a fair mark-up. In fact, she could raise her prices by 15% and still be competitive. I loved many things (except some of the crazier accessories, which would suit a club-going girl just fine) and wished I had more time to shop.

Can't wait until my next trip to the desert, where there is no fashion drought going on..