[caption id="attachment_11119" align="alignleft" width="300"] Gail Pettis performing at the Amadeus Project[/caption] Part I of my definitive "hamster" day began at Lake Padden Golf Course This is where being a "hamster" or "Bellinghamster" for the uninitiated, is really cool so let's continue shall we? Oh.. and for you visitors, all this fun and opportunity is here for you too! After the round, I decided to head into town and drop by Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro for a pint of ale and a bowl of beef stew... oh, and to check out how the 'Hawks game ended up. It was an away game so I wasn't surprised to hear the news of another close but disappointing loss and a couple of questionable calls. What else is new? The key point to this part of the story, however, is the quality of the beer, stew and service at Boundary Bay, which is legendary. There has never been a better retreat to "add up your score" after a round of golf, or a mountain bike ride, or a walk along the waterfront... ever! And there's always plenty of company which brings me to the next phase of the "definitive" day. While slurping down my stew, a buddy sat down and after a few "witty" exchanges (OK, we were drinking IPA, how witty could they have been?), he told me he was heading to a jazz concert over at the Amadeus Project over on Cornwall, just a couple blocks from where we were sitting. It was about 3:30 and the concert was going to start at 4:00 so off we went. This is one of the most underrated venues in the state largely because it's kind of a weird environment; a big empty retail looking space that could house a carpet store or some such. There are 50 or 60 folding chairs set up like you're in a school assembly and a bunch of folding tables with some CDs and to my surprise and delight, more Boundary Bay beer! The acoustics of the place are what make it so special. You can hear every note perfectly and precisely with very little or no amplification. The featured performer was Gail Pettis, backed by Darin Clendenin piano, Jeff Johnson on bass, and Jud Sherwood on drums. She is a song stylist with few peers in this area and the ensemble was spot on—to paraphrase the PGA tour tag—these guys were good! They did about a 45-minute set then took a short break and launched into a second set. Every song was perfection and the audience—a solid community of jazz fans were truly enjoying and appreciative of what they were witnessing. Golf, Boundary Bay and jazz—what can I say? This was a really good day to be out and about in Bellingham and not on the couch, dare I say a "definitive" day? And the sad fact is that if the "Hawks" were playing a home game, I wouldn't have gone golfing, or to Boundary Bay and most definitely would not have seen the awesomeness that was Gail Pettis and the boys. I would have missed it all! Bottom line: No excuses; get out more... no really!
