Farm Country... in Fife??

I have a long commute to and from work. There isn't much that can be done to shorten it, due to distance, until we perfect teleportation. So, I make it more bearable by finding alternate routes, generally more scenic and with fewer traffic lights.

There is a particular intersection in Fife, Washington, where I turn every day. I've turned there every day for over a year, and never thought much about it. Then, one day, two bits of data robbed together in my head and I started wondering if 1) going straight on my way home would be a viable route, and 2) what would it would like.

So, finally this week I decided to surrender to my curiosity and I went straight through the intersection.... 

Right into Farm Country. Yep. Suddenly I was in the Middle of Nowhere. Houses right by the road, but giant, tilled fields sprawling out behind them. Big, living cow right there by the road to greet me and make sure I Got The Point. Very funny. 

About three minutes later, I was back in The City. So, I confirmed the route is a viable alternative, and it is interesting. 

So I took the route again the next day, and one of the fields had filled with sheep. 

I’m really looking forward to the trip home tomorrow, just to see if anything else pops up.

Pioneer Bakery, Puyallup, Washington

I like to support "Mom & Pop" businesses. You find a lot of creativity and passion there, because the business is a labor of love instead of a retirement plan.

Recently, I dropped in at The Pioneer Bakery, in Puyallup Washington. This place has been open for several years, and I believe this was my second visit. They offer basic sandwiches for lunch, but their "bread and butter" is baking. Lots of fresh-baked bread, cookies, pastries, etc. Very tasty stuff, in a charming little shop.

I dropped in to purchase a custom-made cake. It was extremely attractive, very tasty (i.e. not too much sugar), and very reasonably priced for custom work. Consider dropping in if you happen to be in the area.

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May 2015 Update: Looks like the domain name is still owned by a real person (as opposed to one of those cyber-squatter aggregaters), but the website is gone. I suspect the business is gone, too, which sucks, since it was a nice place.