Blogs from Washington, United States, North America - page 12

Living in a beautiful environment calls for enjoying the beautiful environment and so that was the case for today. Onto the sailboat early we ‘motored’ slowly around Puget Sound but not before we had dropped the crab cages in David’s favourite area. It proved to be highly profitable as the four cages each had more than 8 crabs. Every crab was measured with the illegal sized crabs being returned to whence they had come. 6 very good sized legal crabs were kept... and ultimately cooked back at the house. While we waited for the cages to fill we headed to where the seals were; most sunning themselves on large logs tied together and anchored to the seabed. This brought much joy to all on board. We were very close to the Navy docks so we were ... read more

A memorable day in that we reacquainted with long time special friends, Michele and David, who we had not seen since spending Christmas with them in Maui, Hawaii, in ’86. We continued where we left off; laughing. Naturally, we reflected and laughed even louder! We had said goodbye to our wonderful hosts and friends, Al and Robert, early in the morning. D+M drove us into Seattle to watch celebrate “Seafair” on Puget Sound, with the “Blue Angels”, the US Navy’s flight demonstration squadron roaring overhead. The aviators, from the Navy and Marines, flying F/A – 18 Hornets, performed for nearly an hour, doing sensational manoeuvres and formations. At the same time, in between looking skywards, we watched the annual Seattle Tennis Open beside the Seattle Tennis Club. We didn’t waste time in enjoying our new environment. ... read more

Started driving toward Mt Rainier National Park. Tossed around a lot of options, touching the Pacific, visiting friends, etc. and around lunch time we decided on going to North Cascades NP. Maggie wants to go home, Max wants to not hike and add to the number of states he’s visited. We did junior ranger at North Cascades, then drove through it looking for a campsite. The dams in North Cascades power 20% of Seattle. It was a very pretty park with some water activities. Ended up in Winthrop, Washington and got a place in a KOA (overflow, really just a patch of grass, no table). There’s a big r&b festival nearby this weekend and a Saturday and things are booked. Decided to start back home tomorrow. So, the 4th annual Morscher National Park trip is winding ... read more

8/6 While preparing breakfast, Ellen and I watched hummingbirds and wild turkeys out of her kitchen window. I enjoyed all the wildlife but Ellen was not so fond of the turkeys and their mess. When Jim and Dave left to play golf, Ellen took me for a tour of Spokane. We began in an area of historic homes on a bluff that overlooks the city of Spokane. Cannon Hill Park is an historic district in Spokane that was once a brickyard that made the coveted Cannon Hill paving bricks. A fire closed the brickyard and the area became Adams Parknamed after John Quincy Adam’s grandson. The name was changed later to Cannon Hill Park for A.M. Cannon, a local banker and real estate developer. The Olmsted Brothers, nationally known for their landscape designs, created a design ... read more

8/4 Equipment malfunction at the Ashford Alexander’s Lodge this morning so the “major motel chain style breakfast” of eggs and bacon etc was replaced with crappy breads. There were little cartons of milk in the fridge but no cereals. At least there were some bananas, fresh oranges and old apples. All this with loud country music. I am wondering if the “equipment malfunction” had anything to do with an overload of air conditioners last night. The best I can say for this rustic lodge with its tiny sometimes hot sometimes cold shower is that it was one of the closest (5 miles) to the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park although, as we drove towards the park entrance we saw other (probably) better options. They did have 2 plug ins for electric cars so there was ... read more