3Q WORLD TOUR

Greetings from the first stop on the Quabbin Qountry Queries World Tour '07: the Mandolin Cafe in Tacoma, Washington. It is cloudy and 50 degrees outside with intermittent periods of rain, enough to keep the windows on display with a constant splattering of drops, but not enough to really discourage any outdoor activity. It is the kind of weather in which I walk to the grocery store to gaze in wonder at the soul-pleasing display of inimitable NW micros while my shopping basket overflows with Tim's Cascade Jalapeno chips, Tillamook Cheddar and, were it June, a pound or two of Copper River Salmon. It is the kind of weather that I know, that eases the sting of a 12-mile run and soothes a pitcher-induced hangover.