Orca Whales in Winter

Tom Averna of Deer Harbor Charters (our Whale Watch Charter departing the Rosario Resort marina daily in the summer) reported that the L pod was spotted in Monterey Bay, CA. There are three resident pods of Orcas whales in the San Juan Islands - J,K, and L pods (they are called the "Southern Residents"). "Resident" means they are in this area most of the year, generally from April - October. During the winter months they may travel farther down Puget Sound, farther north into Canada, or out into the Pacific. In 2000, the L pod was spotted off Monterey, CA, which at the time was unheard of, but they have since returned to that area the last few years. About 40 whales were spotted Sunday in Monterey Bay traveling south into 25-30 knot winds.

Members of L pod in Monterey Bay, CA on Jan. 27, 2008
Photo by Nancy Black of Monterey Bay Whale Watch

Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor ID'd the whales on the photos from Monterey Bay: L67, L72, L78, L88 & L105. The waters in the San Juan Islands are much calmer between April and October, and the sunshine is nice as well, so definitely plan a whale watch cruise when you visit Orcas Island!

Snow Falling on Cedars

We had a beautiful snow fall on Orcas Island yesterday. The wonderful thing about snowfalls on the island, besides being beautiful, is that it melts quickly! Here is a picture of the Moran Mansion at Rosario Resort, with Mount Constitution silhouetted against the blue sky.



This view is looking across Cascade Bay toward the marina and Mount Constitution... and today the snow is gone!

You Know Football is Over When...

You know football is over when NFL players show up at Rosario Resort on vacation (well, most teams are finished for the season). Former Seattle Seahawk (and now New York Jet) Offensive Lineman Wayne Hunter and his wife Danielle came to relax for the weekend on Orcas Island (Danielle's mom was babysitting their three month old twins). Wayne gives us the Hawaiian "shaka" sign, as he was born and raised in Pearl City on Oahu and played for the University of Hawaii Rainbows.

Marry Me Merlot

We were honored to host a special wedding proposal on Saturday in the Mansion Dining Room. Andy Kuzaro of Buckley, WA brought with him a special bottle of wine and a very special dinner guest to Orcas Island. Rosario Resort's server David Fleishman presented the "Marry Me Merlot" to Deanna Elliot, featuring a picture of Andy and Deanna. It took a second for Deanna to realize why her picture was on a bottle of wine, but Andy falling to his knees and asking for her hand in marriage made it all crystal clear fairly quickly. Many of the dinner guests broke into applause with Deanna's jubilant "YES!" Congratulations Andy and Deanna!

Happy Birthday Robert Moran

Today is Robert Moran's 151st Birthday! Last night Washington State Parks, Friends of Moran State Park and Rosario Resort held a birthday celebration in conjunction with the Friends of Moran State Park's annual meeting. Outgoing Friend's President Philip Miller reviewed an incredible Friend's year, highlighted by the new gift shop on top of Mount Constitution, new fish hatchery and the completion of the interpretive displays in the tower. He then passed the gavel to new President MichelVekved. Thanks Philip for your years of service!


Pictured here is Moran State Park Interpreter Linda Sullivan giving a wonderful timeline on Moran and the development of Moran State Park. I followed by reading an interesting article about Moran published in the Anacortes Mercury in 1932, then those in attendance shared stories about Moran and the Park.


The evening ended with Pastry Chef Felicity Milne's Moran State Park birthday cake featuring Mount Constitution, Cascade Falls, Cascade Lake and the Entrance Arch. Thanks Felicity! If you missed it this year, we will definitely celebrate again next year... isn't that the wonderful thing about birthdays!

Christopher

Landlubbers

For those of you who are landlubbers (hey, Orcas Island is still land even though it is surrounded by the sea), here are a few delicious non-seafood appetizers on Rosario Resort's Moran Lounge Menu:

Chimichuri Pork Skewer
Tender slices of Pork Tenderloin marinated and grilled,
served with traditional Chimichuri Salsa.



Crab, Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Savory Dungeness Crab blended with tender Artichoke Hearts,
Baby Spinach, Fresh Herbs and Spices, Aged Reggiano,
served bubbling hot with Grilled Pita Bread.



Buffalo Strips
Tender chicken Breast Strips marinated and sauced in the classic tradition of the
Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. Served with Creamy Bleu Cheese and Celery.

Now & Then: Cascade Bay

From the archives, here is a wonderful view of Cascade Bay circa 1914. Robert Moran began his Orcas Island land acquisition when he purchased the Cascade Lumber and Manufacturing Company from the Newhall Bros. in 1905. This photograph shows the heavy logging that was done in the area. There are two remaining structures – one is the caretaker's home across the bay (center right in both photographs) and the other is a white home that appears center left (above the dock) in the 1914 photo, which is the Newhall House. It is not in the contemporary photo because the house was moved across from the lagoon in later years and is out of view. Today, Rosario Resort's family swimming pool and marina dominate the foreground.

...and more Seafood

There is nothing like being on Orcas Island in the Pacific Northwest if you love seafood! Here are a few of Rosario Resort's seafood appetizers, which are available on the Moran Lounge Menu. If you order these as entrées, our Monday through Thursday 2-for-1 offer applies!

Crab Cake
Pacific Northwest Crab Cake served with a Southwest flair.
Charred Corn Relish Husk with Chipotle Drizzle.



Judd Cove Oysters
Fresh locally grown oysters served with Spicy Cocktail Sauce, Lemon and Lime.



Shrimp Cocktail
Jumbo Poached Prawns, Bayou Remoulade, Spicy Cocktail Sauce and Lemon.



Fried Clams
Jumbo Strips lightly breaded and crisp fried,
Tartar Sauce, Cocktail Sauce, Fresh Slaw and Lemon.

Prime Rib & Seafood Dinners

Tonight we welcome the return of our Friday Night Prime Rib and Seafood Dinners. Each Friday, Chef Lutz will have the freshest seafood available with great Prime Rib! Here is tonight's menu, with the seafood offerings changing week to week. Don't miss these great dinners
every Friday!

PRIME RIB & SEAFOOD DINNER

SOUP or SALAD

The Mansion’s Own Clam Chowder
Thick with Potatoes and Clams
or
Tijuana Caesar
Crisp Romaine, Classic Dressing, Garlic Croutons
or
Prime Salad
Baby Greens, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Caramelized Pecans, Crumbled Danish Bleu

ENTRÉE

Organic Blue Mesa Prime Rib of Beef
Rock Salt Crusted and Slow Roasted,Burgundy Jus,
Horseradish Mousse, Jumbo Rock Salt Crusted Baked Potato
or Buttermilk Smashed Potatoes, Chef’s Fresh Vegetable of the Evening

Schooner Cut... $41
Sloop Cut... $36

SEAFOOD ADDITIONS

Half Pound Steamed Dungeness Crab
Drawn Butter

Chimichuri Braised Clams and Mussels on Saffron Fettuccini

Jumbo Alaskan Scallops
Wakami Sesame Salad, Wasabi Tobiko

Fried Dungeness Crab Cake
New Orlean’s Remoulade Sauce

$12 each



FEATURED SEAFOOD DINNER

APPETIZERS

Chimichuri Braised Clams and Mussels Saffron Fettuccini
or
Cajun Fried Oysters
Andouille Cream

SOUP or SALAD

Rustic Bread with Grilled Prawns
House baked Crusty Bread, Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella,
Roma Tomato, Balsamic Grilled Prawns
or
Manhattan Style Razor Clam Chowder

ENTRÉE

Pecan Crusted Red Trout
Caramelized Pecans, Fresh Idaho Red Trout Filet
Savory Fig Risotto, Braised Chard, Cognac Cream


DESSERT

Caramel Apple Walnut Tart
Crème Fraiche
or
Chocolate Espresso Torte

$41

Moran Trail Clean-up Press

We love when Rosario Resort is featured in the press! Writer Amanda Castleman from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper recently came to Orcas Island (this is NOT a picture of Amanda :-) to experience Rosario's "Take a Hike, Clear a Trail, Enjoy a Vacation" Package.

Rosario has partnered with neighboring Moran State Park to offer guests a chance to volunteer in trail cleanup efforts while vacationing at the resort. This is a very popular program that started after last winter's storms and we are happy the Seattle P.I. is sharing it with their readers! Click on the link below to read the article that came out in today's paper: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/347412_rosario17.html

2-for-1 Specials

We want everyone to experience the incredible cuisine at Rosario Resort! Every Monday through Thursday we are offering 2-for-1 entrées in the Mansion Dining Room and Moran Lounge. Isn't that worth a mid-week trip to Orcas Island?! Let me entice you a bit more. Here are more Mansion Dining entrées from our photo shoot:

Blue Nose Sea Bass
Kalamata Yukons, Italian Pancetta Braised Rainbow Greens,
Herb Roasted Roma Chutney, Basil Oil.



Jidori
“Chicken of the Earth”
The Japanese “kobe” of Poultry.
Multi-Grain Jade Pilaf, Crisp Asian Stir-Fry Vegetables, Ginger Hoison Gloss.

This chicken (and rice) is amazing! Chef tells me that some restaurants serve this sashimi style!
Don't worry, we cook it to perfection.



Pork Tenderloin
Ben’s Forest Mushroom Bread Pudding, Shallot Roasted Haricot Vert,
Savory Port Wine Demi

Ben, the Mushroom Bread Pudding is delicious... thank you!

Will we see you on Orcas Island soon? Don't wait, this offer won't last forever!

Culinary Arts

I guess my mind is on one thing these days... eating. My New Year's resolution (and last year's, and the year before) is to watch my eating habits (I know my habits, do I really need to watch them?). But my job puts me in front of food, incredible food. Yesterday was viewing Felicity's wedding cakes on my computer screen, but today was amazing. Executive Chef Steve Lutz and "culinary artist" Ben Hinner spent the afternoon preparing EVERYTHING on Rosario Resort's Mansion Dining Menu and Moran Lounge Menu so we could photograph them for the kitchen's plating guide.

First, let me say that the resort's kitchen staff are unsung heroes. This is a department that is open before dawn and late into the night, 365 days a year. Here are Chef Steve Lutz and Ben Hinner at work:



The result you ask? Here are two of the resort's specialties:

Misty Isle Tenderloin of Beef
Certified all natural Angus Filet, lightly marinated and cooked to your liking.
Crisp Yukon Rosti, Garlic Steamed Broccolini and Classic Cabernet Reduction.




Wild King Salmon
Pan Seared Wild Alaskan Salmon, Reduction of Aged White Balsamic,
Portobello-Cannellini Hash with Sweet Potato Hay.

More tomorrow...

Wedding Cakes

As I mentioned earlier this month, it is wedding prep season. Numerous brides and grooms have been visiting Rosario Resort recently as they begin planning for their big event. Our Catering Manager Tirzah Fiorito has been extremely busy touring couples around the property scoping out their potential ceremony and reception sites. Today I was revising Pastry Chef Felicity Milnes wedding cake portfolio and I thought that it was just not fair that I alone was drooling! Check these cakes out... they're fabulous.

Eating cake in my mind,

Christopher

Roundhouse Interior

The Roundhouse today is one of Rosario Resort's most popular suites, with stunning "surround" views of Cascade Bay and Orcas Island.

The Roundhouse

Here is another rare photo of the Sanwan at anchor in Cascade Bay on Orcas Island (c. 1917). It's also a great view of the "Roundhouse," a shot that can not be currently duplicated in a "Now and Then" shot because there is a Rosario Resort accommodations building blocking it from this angle.



Here a similar view of the roundhouse today. It was built by Robert Moran in 1914 as a getaway spot for his kids to learn domestic chores on their own. With domestic staff in the main mansion, it was a place for Nellie to learn to cook, wife Melissa to do canning of vegetables and son Malcolm had his own ceramic kiln and lathe.

Bridal Changing Room

The other half of Mrs. Rheem's suite at Rosario Resort we call the Bridal Changing Room. No need to explain any further what we use this room for! The room still has original Rheem furnishings, which are more ornate than the Arts and Crafts style furniture of Robert Moran. Overlooking Cascade Bay and Orcas Island, it's a beautiful room to spend your last few "single" hours in with your best friends and family!

The Boardroom

We do numerous small meetings and retreats throughout the year at Rosario Resort. Our meetings are set apart from all others by the sheer scenic beauty of the resort and Orcas Island. We offer a professional, relaxing and secluded environment in which to not only focus on a meeting agenda, but a chance to experience the Pacific Northwest at its best. We offer a location that is not only productive, but inspirational!



One of our great small meeting spaces is the Rheem Boardroom in the Moran Mansion. Originally part of Rosario's second owner Alice Rheem's bedroom suite, the boardroom features an original Moran table and the original dining chairs of Donald and Alice Rheem. It is also the room the Alice Rheem's ghost is often spotted! The Moran Lounge is just down the stairs to finish your day's agenda with some spirits (pun intended).

The Sanwan

In 1916, Robert Moran built the 132 ft. yacht "Sanwan." It was built very close to where Rosario Resort's outdoor family pool is today. Moran's original intent was to sail the world, but when it was completed Moran said his "yacht building plans were a mistaken idea." It sat on Cascade Bay of Orcas Island for several years, then used by Moran's son Frank as a training ship in connection with his Moran School for Boys on Bainbridge Island. It was later leased to someone who ran it aground in Santa Barbara, ending it's short career. Here are some photos of the Sanwan from the archives:

The Sanwan under construction. (1916)


Just after launching docked in Cascade Bay.


A rare photograph of the Sanwan under full sail.

Opportunity

One of the highlights of the Moran Music Room is the Tiffany chandelier depicting Greek figures and the arts. Appearing on the chandelier is a poem called “Opportunity,” written in 1891 by retired Senator John James Ingalls of Kansas. A nice setting for the poem as Robert Moran certainly followed his opportunities!

OPPORTUNITY

Master of human destinies am I!
Fame, love and fortune on my on my footsteps wait.
Cities and fields I walk –
I penetrate deserts and sea remote,
And passing by hovel and martland palace - soon or late,
I knock unbidden once on every gate!
If sleeping, wake –
If feasting, rise,
Before I turn away.
It is the hour of fate,
And they who follow me reach every state.
Mortals desire, conquer every foe save death,
But those who doubt or hesitate,
Condemn to failure, penury and woe.
Seek me in vain and uselessly implore,
I answer not, and return no more!

John James Ingalls 1891

Now & Then: Veranda/Lobby

Here is a great original photograph of the Moran Mansion entrance veranda, what today is Rosario Resort's lobby. I often get asked why there are hooks in the ceiling around the veranda and here you can see Robert Moran's canvas seating hanging from them. The staircase going to the lower level (today the Spa) is original; however, you will see the wall behind it has been removed to make for better access to the front desk.

If you ever have Rosario history questions, please ask!

Christopher

Rainbow's End

Here's a great photograph of Rosario Resort taken by Rosario resident Leonard Wood... it truly captures one of the numerous magical moments on Orcas Island. Thanks Leonard!

Bride & Groom Compliments

Still in the wedding mode... here is a great photograph of a recent bride and groom taken by Susan Fleischer, one of our wedding photographers here on Orcas Island. This is our figure-eight lagoon and bridge that was built my Robert Moran in 1915. In July and August, lavender is in full bloom around the lagoon.

Another bride and groom sent us these comments about their recent wedding at Rosario Resort:

Jessica and I wanted to write you and give a big Thank You for the wedding festivities this past weekend. Your efforts were greatly appreciated, and the execution was phenomenally smooth. We mostly loved how easily the event unfolded - our trust was placed in your team and the results were excellent!

Jessica's prep room was charming and photogenic.
The Compass Room could not have been more perfect for a beautiful gathering.
The Dinner spread was elegant.
The Tiramsu cake was divine.
The service throughout the evening was top-notch and incredibly friendly. April was particularly excellent at subtly coordinating how things were paced.

Even the Windstorm that threatened to derail the festivities only added to the impact of the event as if mother nature was celebrating with us!

Thanks to Everyone at Rosario for making our event unforgettably special!!

John & Jessica

Wedding Season

January is not exactly wedding season at Rosario Resort, but wedding planning season. This past week our Sales and Catering staff have been prepping for the Seattle Wedding Show taking place tomorrow at the Seattle Convention Center. Going through photos in our archives made me think that this January morning would be the perfect time to feature a photo from a beautiful summer morning wedding on the Point Lawn.

From The Netherlands

Joining us at Rosario Resort on New Year's Eve were the Dalen Meurs family, all the way from the Loenen aan de Vecht in the Netherlands! I googled "Loenen aan de Vecht" and found that it's claim to fame was the earliest traceable mention of the game was a game played in Loenen aan de Vecht. In his book "Early Golf," Steven van Hengel describes how the game of Colf or Kolf was played in 1297 near the castle of Kronenburg. The players had to hit the castle door in as few strikes as possible from the Court House by hitting a ball with a stick. It sounds like everyone from Loenen aan de Vecht likes to have fun! It looked like the Dalen Muers' certainly had fun on Orcas Island. It was great meeting you all and thanks for visiting!

Party Pictures

I’d love to share with everyone pictures of New Year’s Eve at Rosario Resort. The evening started with a wonderful buffet prepared by Executive Chef Steve Lutz and his staff…


… with no one missing the dessert table!


Orcas Island Musicians Gene Nery and Martin Lund led the festivities with wonderful dance music at a packed Discovery House (beautifully decorated by Bar Manager Camille Hickey and Banquet Manager Shari Field)!


Check out well-dressed Orcas Islanders Barbara Courtney, Art Lange, Anita Orne and Gordon Koenig…


… and no one missed our Scottish visitor!


Girls just want to have fun…


Rosario neigbors Marshall and Sally Marston counting down to midnight...


...and 2008 arrives...


…with kissing and dancing into the early hours of 2008!