Kristin Fiore the cold-plunging art nerd... the cheese-wielding cat lady... the hand-coded website
Activities...
A page for what I'm up to in Port Townsend, WA.
Favorite Spots in PT
Several places in PT don't even answer their phone, let alone make a website, but here are a few town gems not listed elsewhere. I'm relatively new, so this list will improve.
Marina Cafe - Best muffins in town and a great local cafe with the day's menu on the chalkboard.
Rose Theatre - Great old-timey theatre (originally a vaudeville house in 1907) showing a few fab films and live opera performances. Eclectic couch and chandelier decor.
Better Living Through Coffee - Amazing water view, great coffee and treats from local bakeries. Get the kicky Chetzemoka latte.
Port Townsend Athletic Club - I miss my Seattle gym and am signing up here. Great classes and a sauna for post-plunging cameraderie.
Finn River Cidery - In nearby Chimacum. This place blew me away. Gorgeous land and venue, community tables and a stage with great musicians, food stalls with woodfied pizza, crepes, and ramen. Come to eat, dance, socialize or play cornhole and plop on the Adarondacks to watch the sun set over the rolling hills.
KPTZ - Local radio station with eclectic music, local interviews, and good shows. 91.9 FM, though I'm still a KEXP girl at heart.
I'd plunged a bit in Seattle, but a chance chat with a plunger at the Marina Cafe spawned a 3x-a-week habit I love. Rain, snow, or shine, all year long. It has amazing health benefits, but starting (or ending, in sunnier months) your day in a state park surrounded by bald eagles, cliffs and trees, seals and ferries, and great friends chanting expletives or poems and laughing can't be beat.
Come join us by the Kitchen Shelter in Fort Worden, 5pm Tue/Thu and noon on Sundays! Winter plunges are at 9am Tue/Thu due to lack of 5pm sunlight. If it's windy, we're in the "kiddie pool" - the protected water inside the Marine Science Center docks. Led by intrepid Wim Hoff instructor and yoga teacher Karyn Stillwell.
I used to love the Ecstatic Noise drumming group at Gas Works Park, but now there's West African drum lessons, plus weekly and monthly drum circle at Chetzemoka Park. Locals Sewa Music offer lessons and gatherings on African drumming and dance there or at Chimcacum Grance (which also hosts African Dance on Mondays - see their calendar). Visting pros also come through town to each. Check the links above, and Join us!
A client and her pit bull. It's easy to hit hard times in the country, and pets provide needed companionship and support
Pet Helpers provides access to veterinary care for the pets of homeless and/or underfunded people living in Jefferson and Clallam Counties. I follow up by visiting recipients to have them fill out paperwork and get photos taken with their pets. I also check in on their and their pet's situation to see if they need additional help.
Also check out the Humane Society of Jefferson County, which apparently doesn't even get donations from the county. Donate! And come view the pets. I was volunteering here but have had to shelve it for now due to lack of time, but I want to return.
Get your downward dog, your freeform groove, or your swing step on
There's a ton of yoga and dance in PT, but the only regular hot yoga is at Mystic Monkey. Madrona Mind Body institute in Fort Worden State Park (where I also plunge) has a great 10am Saturday Nia class of freeform dance, and Bridig's Loft has tons of dance lessons and events, including swing, latin, and jazz. There's also the Farm to Turntable DJ-led dance party at Finnriver Farm & Cidery every 1st and 3rd Wednesday, plus fab live music from many genres there and the Vineyards bar most days.
UU fellowships support the LGBTQ community that so many churches shun
Unitarian Universalists are a progressive group of what I call 'overeducated atheists who want to make the world a better place.' However, all manner of beliefs (including none) abound at UU and no one cares. It's about your ideas and behavior, not your personal dogma, which is what I love about the fellowship. It's focused on community building and engagement, intellectual inquiry, and investigation into the world's spiritual traditions without judgement or blind faith.
So many ways to get involved. Science & spirituality book clubs, home-hosted dinners, Covenant Groups of 6-8 members who meet twice monthly throughout the year, music groups, A-HA (Agnostics, Humanists, and Atheists) meetings on a variety of topics led by members, retreats, a monthly Wild Church in the forest, and a new Buddhist meditation group. And that's just the stuff I've signed on for. If you love to learn, act, and think, but are allergic to dogma, they might be for you.
The PTPS logo looks unsurprisingly Buddhist-inspired
PTPS is a group of spiritual warriors intent on expanding their consciousness, connecting with the divine, and healing things like depression and trauma through responsible use of psychedelics, breathwork and meditation, and regular community gatherings. Recurring meetings include integration discussions and topics like psychedelics and spirituality, death, and caregiving. It is not necessary to have taken psychedelics to participate. Anyone interested in these topics is welcome.
You can learn about gardening while helping to grow food for the food banks of Jefferson County, which needs more fresh items like fruits and veggies. I love this idea, as I don't know much about gardening or growing food as a city-raised girl. My location is the garden at Quimper Grange in Port Townsend.
