Our 28th Wedding Anniversary - Crescent Lake

Happy Anniversary to us!!! Who would have thought that on August 30, 1982 we would be celebrating our 28th anniversary in Washington state?????? What a special gift to the both of us.
We said goodbye to Diane, Brent, and Harley and made our way down scenic Route 101 passing through the Olympic National Park and Forest. One of the prettiest sights we encountered was Crescent Lake. Crescent Lake is another glacier lake with gleaming blue/green waters set against the backdrop of mountains. There were several scenic turnoffs large enough to accommodate our coach and tow car. So we took the opportunity to spend a little time on one of the beaches. Sammy loved exploring in the sand and foliage while Lee decided to cast a fishing line into the lake. I had to take a picture of him...how peaceful and content he was......another Anniversary gift!!!
For "Twilight" fans, you will be very jealous of us since we passed through the town of Forks which is the home of the Twilight Saga!!!
We arrived at a little KOA campground called Bay Center/Willapa Bay. We had a pretty little site and were able to enjoy a celebratory glass of wine outside. It was a very relaxing day for us. It was a good thing, Martha Stewart!!

Life in BLOOM

WOW!!! What an incredible home!!!!! Situated on Puget Sound, the Bloom home had panaramic water views from every room!!!! It boasted of beautifully terraced landscaping on the outside. The open concept interior with its oversized windows allowed for natural lighting which only added to the spectacular experience. The multi level decking facing the water gave the spectator the pleasure of watching boats and cruise ships pass by while in the distance views of Mt. Rainer added another incredible dimension. One could not help but be mesmerized with this remarkable home. Kudos to the Blooms for what they have created with a little help from "mother nature"!!
We all enjoyed a fabulous breakfast of fruit, yogurt, and, of course, the incredible Sluy's caramel nut rolls. Then the guys headed out to a casino while Patricia and I took the ferry to Seattle to visit the one and only Pike's Public Market. On the ferry, it was fun to see The Needle (which always reminds me of the television show Frasier). Once we arrived, we entered the world of the public market which was filled with fresh produce, fresh flowers, fresh fish, and crafts. What a place!!! One of the fish markets is known for their "flying fish" which has to do with when a customer orders a fish, it is thrown through the air to the person behind the counter to prepare as ordered. Unfortunately, there were no flying fish happening while we waited so we continued to walk through the throngs of people shopping and enjoying their Saturday shopping ritual. We passed the original Starbucks whose signage is different from the logo you normally find on their products. This original logo says "coffee, tea, spices". I had to take a picture of it. Did you know that Starbucks originated in Seattle?? Did you also know that Nordstom's orignated here too??? Now I knew why I just loved this place; coffee and shopping!!!!!! Works for me!!!
Lee and I decided that we would stay another night. We just could not get enough of the Blooms and their home. I helped Patricia with dinner and we all sat down to an epicurean delight of lamb with basil and sun dried tomato, rice, and asparagus. The entire dinner was cooked in her "steam" oven. What a great invention - cooking everything with steam. The oven itself looked like a microwave. I was completely fascinated. After dinner, Patricia and I made a lemon pudding cake for dessert using the steam oven cooking process. Yummy, yummy, yummy!!!
We knew we had to leave the next day but were so grateful to our dear friends for sharing their beautiful surroundings with us. They were the consummate hosts and we look forward to reciprocating when they visit us in Maine.

We've Got Crabs!!!!

Well, Lee and Brent went fishing again for the day while Diane and I visited the little town of Poulso; a Norwegian Village with unique gift shops, galleries, and a spectacular bakery called Sluy's. I made three purchases; one at the bakery for their caramel cinnamon nut rolls for breakfast, a "raku" fired rattle in the shape of a heart with dragonflies on the front and back from the Potlatch Gallery, and a baby gift from Possum's Boutique for my nephew and his wife who are having their first baby next month. The rattle was purchased for its "unique" properties of ensuring blessings all around which I felt was most appropriate considering some of our challenges during the last few weeks. The ancient Japanese raku firing process had been adapted so that the unpredictable color patterns would be created. I just love the piece!!!
On our way home, Diane called Brent to see if they were successful fishing. As it turned out, they didn't catch any salmon but did catch enough Dungeness Crabs which we would be having for dinner. Our mutual friends from Florida, Patricia and Raphael Bloom were joining us for the crab boil later in the day. What an incredible dinner - crab, potatoes, corn on the cob, and kielbasa. I must have personally consumed about 15 crab legs which were delicious. The meat was very sweet and have to admit that I preferred it over lobster (sorry about that Maine!!!!). Patricia had baked a homemade apple pie which topped off the eating extravaganza.
After dinner, Lee and I packed up some clothes and Sammy in the Jeep and followed the Blooms to their new home in Kingston to spend the night. They had just finished building their dream home and we couldn't wait to see it. All I can say is that nothing could have prepared us for the sight we were about to see!!!!!!!!

Sonny's RV

Today was another interesting day in the life of the Griswolds. Originally we had a 10:00am appointment at Sonny's RV. So Lee and I went for breakfast at a sweet little place called The Chimacum Cafe. We definitely had what I would call a "truckers' breakfast" and it was sooooo delicious. I could only eat half of mine so I took the rest home for tomorrow. The cafe was just they type of place that my dear hi-four girls and I would get together over coffee and schmooz for hours (until the lunch crowd would come in!!) It was a Bagels and Things experience for me. I know that my girls will understand this reference. At any rate, Lee got a phone call that our service appointment would be delayed for about an hour which gave us even more time to enjoy the ambience of what could be my most favorite place so far.
When it was time to bring the coach in, Sammy and I (and all our "stuff") went to stay with Diane. While Diane was creating wonderful jewelry with soda can tops (and that is all I am going to say!!!!!), I was busy on my computer. We wound up having lunch with the guys since the appointment was delayed even further. So Brent drove us to Port Gamble where we enjoyed a lovely lunch in the General Store. We once again had some nice views even though it was wicked overcast and rainy at times.
Once Lee picked up the coach (after lunch) complete with eight new 12 volt batteries (which set us back a few pennies), Sammy and I returned to our "home" and settled in for the rest of the night. Before I end this post, I do want to say that when we got back to our site, Lee found that one of our jack hydraulic seals was leaking which now needs to be addressed. In addition, our refrigerator door would not close (thank goodness Lee had purchased additional clips just in case). When all else fails, one needs to put a sign on the door that says "Gone Fishin" and that is just exactly what Lee and Brent are going to do tomorrow.

Chimacum, Washington

Well, I wanted to recap a little with some pictures of Diane and Brent's beautiful outdoor living space. They have a wonderful sitting area with a umbrella table and four chairs surrounded by beautiful greenery and flowers. They have their own private paradise right here.
Yesterday, Lee and Brent spent the morning doing some more trouble shooting with the battery situation while awaiting a phone call from the service center telling us that the new batteries had arrived. Unfortunately, it was about 2:30pm before we found out that we were going to have to wait until the next day. So....Lee and Brent went fishing for salmon and crab and Diane and I went shopping in downtown Port Townsend.
There were art galleries and funky stores which I just adored. I found a black t-shirt for Lee that had a white treble on it. The saying on it was "Here Comes Treble" which I thought was perfect for Lee to wear when he is rehearsing for his concerts. Apart from that, I mostly window shopped and enjoyed the waterfront.
The four of us met back at the resort and made plans for dinner. Sadly, the water was too rough for salmon fishing, so they put out the "crab pots" which will be picked up either Thursday or Friday for a crab boil on Friday night. Crabbing is very similiar to catching lobsters with traps. Once they enter, they cannot get out (gee, sounds like those roach motels!! ha ha ha)
We had a wonderful dinner at "T's". While we were driving, the full moon was rising above the water. Diane had to take a picture and I'm glad she did.
Well despite our morning disappointment, we made the best of our beautiful day. Hopefully we will be able to resolve our coach issues tomorrow!!! Wish us luck!!

Back in the USA

 

Today we entered the United States through the Peace Arch Border Crossing. The arch which is pictured above has words at the top which say "Brethren Dwelling Together in Unity" and words at the bottom which say "May These Gates Never Be Closed". I thought that this was very meaningful and wanted to share it with you. Once we crossed the border we were on our way to the Port Townsend Ferry which would take us to Chimacum, Washington. The ferry ride was about 30 minutes and was a refreshing change of travel for us. Imagine, sitting in the motorcoach and traveling without driving. Pretty sweet!! Upon arriving in Port Townsend, we were just about 20 minutes from our friends Diane and Brent who were waiting for us at their home at the Evergreen Coho Resort. Upon our arrival, we saw Diane and Brent walking towards the office. Perfect timing!! We got to our motorcoach site and then enjoyed a wonderful evening with our friends. Dinner was fabulous; we were treated to grilled sock-eye salmon(I believe that Brent caught the fish himself)and finished with peach cobbler. Diane, I was hard pressed not to take some home for breakfast!!! We are looking forward to making some wonderful memories during our stay here. It just doesn't get any better than this!!

Vancouver, BC

We arrived at our campground in Vancouver in the early afternoon which was great. We had a full hookup site with 30 amps. After we settled the coach in its new home for two days, we just decided to take it easy. Lee was busy on the phone making arrangements with an RV service in Seattle, WA to order new batteries. It was time!!! We would also be able to have them check out the generator as well. I made Lee his long awaited breakfast or shall I say brunch and then headed to bed for what I thought was a nap. It turned out that I slept through the entire afternoon, woke up to brush my teeth, and then went back to bed for the night. I guess I was a little tired.
The next day, Lee and I woke up to a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. It was going to be a great day for sightseeing in the city and that is just what we did. We bought an all day travel pass and took a bus to the train which brought us to the waterfront in downtown Vancouver. We arrived around lunch time and found a perfect restaurant on the water called Aqua Riva. We had a table by a window which overlooked the port. A cruise ship was docked which reminded us of all the cruises we had taken especially the one to Alaska which departed from Vancouver. We cruised with David and Michael and had a blast. Where does the time go????
After lunch, we walked around the downtown area only to decide to go back and walk along the waterfront. We passed beautiful parks and fountains. We found a park bench and watched the sea planes take off and land. We watched all the young families, young couples, and cyclists. We looked out on the marina. It was just beautiful. This area was all abuzz with people enjoying the outdoors. It was perfect.
Tomorrow we are returning to the states. Next stop, Chimacum, Washington to visit our dear friends Diane and Brent Roulier!! Can't wait!!!