A smarter day

I woke up and took Remy out about 7:30 this morning -- about 2 hours later than I usually wake up -- and I was still tired. I thought I'd go back to bed for another hour and woke up at 10, but I was feeling much better. I hung out around the house till 11:30 or so, and then Remy and I headed out for some errands.

By the time I got back, it was time to start prepping for the dinner party. Since I had picked up rutabaga, Nancy found a recipe for me to use and assigned me the rutabaga part of the meal. I think the recipe might have been more successful if the rutabaga had steamed at a higher temperature, but it turned out okay. The recipe involved the addition of several tablespoons of buttermilk, as well as olive oil for liquid, and nutmeg, allspice, minced garlic, salt and pepper for flavoring.

Dick made the now infamous barbeque grilled chicken that we had on Memorial Day. Nancy made a squash with arugula veggie dish. And their friends brought an amazing slaw salad, and a dessert that I didn't get to try because it was a cake with wheat flour.

I stayed away from the wine this evening, and I feel much better for it. I did have a small amount of vanilla ice cream with Belgian chocolate sauce, but then I stopped. Oh yes, this works much better.

The guests this evening were Nancy's brother Jim and his wife Linda, and their friends Parnell and Glynnis. Fascinating people. Topics discussed: bicycling, including the STP (Seattle to Portland) ride that takes place each July, and the rails to trails project through downtown Seattle; dogs (Parnell has owned quite a number of them, and Remy was an object of interest); knee surgeries and the new stem cell treatment for rebuilding knee cartilege; various children, grandchildren, and other family members; stories from the past -- all sorts of things you might expect from a diverse, educated, active group of people.

And that was my day. I love the Pacific Northwest.

Back row: Nancy, her brother Jim, his wife Linda

Front row: Dick, Glynnis, Parnell

Remy & I with Nancy & Dick

Beautiful Port Townsend

I didn't write last night. I had a minor Crohn's episode. In the late morning, I set out for Port Townsend. I stopped for coffee. My body said "yes" to it. I felt fine. I continued on to my friend's, Kurt VanderSluis's house in Port Townsend, where he had prepared a delicious meal of salmon, asparagus, avocado, and salad. And my body said, "yes" to it.

We had a lovely meal together and great conversation about things old and new. We reviewed some of our truly historical interactions -- he was my across-the-street neighbor for a few years when I was in high school, but we knew each other even prior to that, so from 5th grade on, probably. And we found out about what's going in our present lives.

Me and Kurt with the bay in the background.

The beautiful setting for our lunch, at a patio table amidst Kurt & Shiela's garden, backed by roses.

The view from their driveway.

After lunch, I continued into Port Townsend proper to get an Aveda hair product I'd run out of. While I was there, I also picked up a Port Townsend sweatshirt and some Belgian chocolate to share with Dick and Nancy. And I ate some. At the first bite, my body said, "There's probably soy lecithin in this," but my tastebuds said, "It won't matter. It's just a little bit."

Remy and I continued back toward Kingston, stopping at the Chimicum Center Farmstand (again :) ). I got kale for supper, a couple of green(ish) bananas for breakfasts, more of their excellent granola, and chocolate. While I was there -- for some unexplained reason -- I thought I'd get a little ice cream. Looking back, I realize that my body was speaking quite loudly telling me 'no,' but once again I let the taste buds win. Grrr.

I returned to Kingston, feeling pretty good, actually. Nancy prepared another excellent meal: Dick grilled the halibut, and we had a potato salad with olives, and kale salad. And I ate too much. That's the kicker with the Crohn's. Something was already going on. Some combination of things -- or maybe one thing -- that I'd eaten was causing inflammation. I could feel it, but I didn't stop. I had that one more small piece of fish. I had a few more bites of potato salad. Oh, and I had a glass of red wine. Now, I've been able to have a small glass of red wine from time to time without incident over the past month; but I'm fairly certain this was the final nasty contributor to what happened after.

As we left for the movie, "Love and Friendship," (More about the movie in a minute.) I was pretty uncomfortable throughout the movie but kept thinking I could make it back to Dick & Nancy's. I did. Nancy suggested stopping to get some ice cream, since I'd brought Belgian chocolate sauce back from PT, but I said that, no, I needed to get back because I wasn't feeling well. 

Then I put my entire focus into passing through the episode. The inflammation in this case didn't completely close the passage -- I could hear gurgling (it hurt), so I knew that movement was occurring, but it wasn't getting better. I had a hot bath, threw up, etc., and eventually got to bed. I had some extra sleep this morning, and I'm fine, which is more than I can say for many of these episodes. Mostly, I'm a little disgusted with myself for making the choices that brought me to that point. My resolve should last at least a few days before I think I can eat refined sugar again.

Now, the movie: it's based on Jane Austen's final, unfinished novel. It's convoluted, and the main character is fairly unlikable and manipulative. There were several actors I really like, and performances that were entertaining; but overall, I wouldn't recommend it. Fortunately, it was only about 90 minutes long.

Planning to help Dick with the chicken coop project today, and Nancy will probably be cooking a lot because they're having friends over for dinner tonight. I will help as asked and/or able. Talk to you later!

Another beautiful day in the NW

First, I couple of things I forgot:

This is not Rob & Joanne's cow, but it's a picture of one that looks like the one(s) that they have.

The other thing I meant to say yesterday and forgot is that the fact that the Puget Sound area is holding emergency preparedness simulations and putting time, money, and energy into shoring up roads and bridges makes me feel better about the safety of my friends and family in the area, and also feel a little more positive about the possibility of living in the this area. There are other practicalities that will probably prevent it, but I do love it here.

I am happy I got up in time to see Mira off this morning and then have breakfast with the rest of the family. By the time Rose was headed out to the bus stop, I was nearly ready to go; so when Joanne came down the driveway with some items Rose had forgotten, I offered to take them to her at school. I thought I would just drop the bag off at the office, but the secretary offered for me to actually go up to her classroom and deliver it in person. It was nice to see her wonderful smile one more time before I left.

I hung out in Vashon for a bit and missed the 10:30 ferry to Southworth, but I caught the next one and was back in Kingston by 2:00. Nancy and Dick have some friends who are dealing with a sick parent right now, so Nancy has been helping watch their young children. Remy and I spent most of the afternoon in the bedroom with the door closed, but I did get some laundry done and had a shower. 

Dick and Nancy had supper plans with another couple and invited me along. I had amazing tacos and wonderful conversation. Remy was silent and invisible next to me on the floor. 

Since Nancy will have the small ones again tomorrow, I will go back to Port Townsend one more time, this time to meet up with a school friend who used to be our across-the-street neighbor, Kurt VanderSluis. He's offered to cook me salmon. Mmmmm. And another trip to PT will take me by the Chimicum Farmstand again, so I'll probably get some more of their amazing chocolate to bring back with me.

I really love the Pacific Northwest. Bruce Bode said my Sacred Space would have as good a chance of succeeding here as anywhere because of the nature of the people. Taking it under advisement.

Last day on the farm

I putzed around for a long time this morning, having some breakfast with Rob & Rose, and then just hanging out in my cabin. Finally, about 11:30, just after Rob and Joanne took off for the middle school where they were representing farming on Vashon to a group of students, Remy and I headed out on a bike ride around the southern part of the island.

You can get a little bit of an idea of the route we took from the screen shot above (taken from Strava). The day was cool and a bit windy, and there was one particular incredibly long hill on the south end of the island; but the difference from some of the daunting days on the earlier part of my journey was that I knew where the endpoint was. I knew where the farm was and approximately how far and how long it would take me to get back there -- and what to expect when I got there: food, a bed, familiar people, etc. The total was just over 18 miles. 

Last night, when Rob & Rose and I went for dinner, we tried first to go to their favorite Mexican restaurant. The place had just closed, but I was intrigued, so I went back this afternoon. It was delicious! I highly recommend Zamorana, in case you're ever in these parts.

I had some quiet time drinking water (I had forgotten to take my bottle with me!) and reading before first Rob and then Joanne appeared in their apartment. Rose had a play date plus supper with a friend, so Rob, Joanne, and I had supper together before Rob left for his evening plans. Joanne and I drove out to pick Rose up and stopped by the site of the sheep herding competition that starts tomorrow morning and goes through the weekend. I may buzz by there tomorrow and have a look before I head back to Kingston.

Lesson of the day -- or of the time here in Washington: I need to do more stuff with people. Nancy and Dick are busy with many activities in Kingston and the surrounding area, as well as their own projects at home and interaction with their children and grandchildren. Rob & Joanne (and kids) have lots to do as far as work, but they also have many interactions with not only their interns on the farm, but parents of their children's friends, and other individual friends and groups. 

I had become really isolated toward the end of my time in Michigan. It was "easier" to stay at home and play Sporcle games and look at people's Facebook posts than to get out and do things with people. I think I would really enjoy a book discussion group, and of course, theatre -- being in it, not just seeing it.

Food for thought.

Here are photos of the farm with captions. Tomorrow, before I leave, I want to get a shot of the cow. It's the coolest cow ever.

Tying up tomatoes in the greenhouse. Joanne said that the climate here made it difficult to get tomatoes to grow and ripen before the greenhouse.

The beauty of many kinds of lettuce.

Other green, growing things.

The gourmet salad mixing shed. You can see the parts of the large, orange salad spinner on the right, drying out for the next day of salad prep.

Outdoor part of the chicken enclosure. Can you see the chicken? (There are many, many more inside!)

Anyone who's ever been to the Gilbert Road Reservation in Michigan will, I think, appreciate this hose set-up. It certainly reminded me of the amazing network of hoses Bill Peterson had set up there.

A Maypole!

Monday night's supper: curry with fresh-picked peas and broccoli from the farm.

Short post, lots of photos

I awoke this morning at Plum Forest Farm. A lot of people live here, but I didn't hear any of them up and about when I got up. Remy and I tried to sneak quietly into the house to use the bathroom, but at least two cats streaked away into Rose & Mira's room as we approached. I prepared some breakfast, and we took it back out to the cabin.

The futon in Remy's and my cabin room. I'm standing in the doorway, taking the picture. We are quite cozy here.

About 9:30, Rob notified me that work was beginning out in the farm. I took Remy out and put his tie out where he could see me at work. Then Rob trained me in my first job, sorting and prepping lettuces. After that, I prepped beet greens and some other greens. Then, I took the buckets of assorted greens and, through a very specific and time-tested process, mixed them in a large tub, carefully cleaning tub, buckets, and hands at every step, to make sure no bacteria made their way into the finished, bagged "gourmet salad mix." After the greens were properly washed and mixed, they went into an extra large salad spinner and were bagged and labeled. I did all the steps except the last one, which Carrie, one of the interns, did.

By the time I finished that job, Rob said I didn't have to stay out there all day. I came back to my cabin, checked Facebook, fell asleep for a bit, and generally had some down time.

After Joanne's preschool kids left, I went inside and had lunch with Rob, Joanne, a former intern who stopped by to visit, Talitha (sp?), and Mira, who had stayed home from school today from utter exhaustion.

Joanne and Mira went to a graduation off-island this evening, and I got to hang out with Rose and one of her friends for a bit before they went to soccer practice, and then I took Rob and Rose out for supper in Vashon. Unfortunately, their favorite Mexican spot was closed. We had a decent, although not exceptional, meal at The Red Bicycle Bistro & Sushi.

I think tomorrow I will do some Vashon sightseeing by bicycle, as well as get some pictures of the farm itself.

Rob and 10-year-old Rose figuring out how to turn the volume back up on the cell phone.

Rob and Joanne sharing the popcorn afternoon snack with me, Rose, and one of Rose's friends.

Rob in the kitchen.

Mira after school on Monday.

This is where we are on Vashon Island. Plum Forest Farm.

Hood Canal bridge on the way back from Port Angeles.

The end of the sunset on Sunday, as I drove back to the RV Park.

From Ediz Spit.

Panorama to give you an idea how narrow Ediz Spit is.

Rocks piled along the western side of Ediz Spit to keep it from eroding. Now that the Elwha Dams have been taken down, silt from the river will probably start accumulating again, which may reduce the need for the rock barrier.

Earlier sunset picture from Ediz Spit.

Sailboat on the bay, from Ediz Spit.

One of many interesting sculptures in the waterfront area of Port Angeles.

Kayakers in the bay, backed by a large vessel.

Restroom sign at New Day Eatery.

Baby humpback breaching.

Again.

Nose of an adult humpback checking out another whale-watching boat.

Lighthouse near Victoria.

Catching up 6-3 through 6-6

Saturday, June 04, 2016

Yesterday, after packing up at Dick and Nancy’s, I left their house to get out of their hair while they finished packing up to head out to Portland. Remy and I went into Kingston to have a bite to eat. I was a little disappointed with the breakfast options there. I had a breakfast wrap without the wrap at a little café.

I found a salon that was willing to squeeze me in for a bangs trim (I thought) at 1:00, so Remy and I went to a small beach on the other side of the cove from the downtown of Kingston, right on the road to Indianola, not far from the new library.

I sat and read my book for a while. We found the Kingston Bookery, and I turned over my last four Harry Dresden stories to them. They only do a trade, so I put Nancy’s name on my card, since I most likely won’t be around long enough to purchase any books from them.

After the hair trim, we headed off on the route to the Elwha RV Park and Campground, west of Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula. I thought we might stop at the Chimicum organic market again, but the route turned off before we reached it. Eh. Maybe on the way back, although since we’re headed for Vashon, I have a feeling we won’t get back that far.

On the way to the park, I saw some of the most magnificent views of the trip: trees in undulating waves with the insignificant road running through them, and off in the distance, ocean.

We set up camp last night and talked to one of the owners about where to go to see the sunset, but we didn’t go last night, and it’s probably getting too late tonight, too, so I guess I’ll have to make sure I get out tomorrow night. He gave us two close options, Ediz Hook in Port Angeles, which is a long sand spit of land that curves out from the harbor; and driving west to Place Road, taking it to its end, and then walking out to the shore. Either one sounds pretty good. He also told me how to get to a designated bike trail that goes into Port Angeles, and actually all the way to Port Townsend, although I won’t have time to do that long a journey with my current plans.

This morning, Remy and I drove into Port Angeles and boarded a whale watching boat/ship. (I never got a chance to ask the captain – John – what the cutoff length is for a boat or a ship.) We probably weren’t at capacity. The galley area was pretty full at the end of the trip (when everyone was cold, and we knew the whale watching was done), but I got the impression they could have handled another 10 people probably. Right away, I met a young woman from Cincinnati (Chelsea) who is out here to run a race tomorrow (Sunday) morning. She was traveling alone, too, so we had a table together in the galley when we weren’t out on deck watching whales.

The trip out from the harbor was gorgeous. The sun was bright on the water, and we had a brilliant view of Mount Baker in the decreasing distance. Looking back toward shore was stunning, as well, with snow-capped peaks fronted by lush forest, and then town, beach, and ships and boats. Breathtaking.

Lee (Leigh?), our naturalist, (or maybe it was John) told us to watch for flocks of birds gathering, that the birds would be feeding on the same tiny fish as the whales. What actually came to pass was that we saw a flock of whale-watching boats, and that was where we found our first humpback. S/he would swim around one boat, slapping pectoral fins on the water, and sometimes nosing up toward the people on the deck. After 5-10 minutes on one boat, s/he moved on to another. We never got the privilege of being the designated boat, but we did get to see quite a bit of the whale as it moved around the other boats. In the end, it gave us all a nice fluke as it swam away.

After that, we motored slowly through a sanctuary area just off the coast of Vancouver Island. We had started to head back to the marina when someone spotted a whale breaching in the distance, about 5 minutes away at a pretty good clip. We headed over, and this time there was only one other boat in the vicinity. What we were seeing was a baby humpback and its mother. Mother was feeding, so she would make some longer dives below the surface, but the baby was still nursing, so it wasn’t submerging to feed. Instead, it seemed to be playing, repeatedly slapping the surface, rolling around in the water, and breaching again and again. Mom would come up and join in the play every so often. It was quite a show.

When they disappeared beneath the surface, we finally headed back. I guess some of the others saw another whale just floating along on our starboard, but by that time I was cold enough to just stay in the cabin and drink hot tea. I’m glad I wore shorts with jeans over them, a T-shirt and a sweatshirt. When we got back to shore, though, I couldn’t wait to get out of the outer layers. It was hot on shore.

Remy and I made our way to the New Day Eatery on Front Street, and I ate waaayyy too much. They had reasonably priced smoothies, so I had one that included cacao and coconut, as well as a burger (no bun) that came with regular and sweet potato chips. And I couldn’t resist (when will I learn?!) a gluten-free banana coffee cake.

Chelsea is running tomorrow morning from Port Townsend, I think she said. We’re going to meet for lunch when she gets into Port Angeles, and then she’s going to head out into the Olympic Park for the later part of the afternoon. I think I’ll bicycle into PA for lunch and then mosey around the town for a while. I’ll be leaving the area Monday morning, so besides getting out to see the sunset in the evening, I’ll probably be gathering myself together in preparation to move on.

This is a nice park. The people who run it are great. The room I’m in right now, where I thought I might have a better Internet connection, has three sets of washers and dryers, a microwave, fridge/freezer, and stove and oven. It also has cupboards with dishes and utensils. I was cordially invited to keep my food in the fridge and use whatever I might need. The bathrooms are very clean and updated. I haven’t showered yet – tonight or tomorrow morning – but I can see that everything is in top condition.

It’s an RV park. Most of the place is filled with gigantic rolling hotel rooms, but there are a few tent sites, and the proprietors ran an electric line to my tent so I can use my CPAP machine and charge my phone. They’ve also been very helpful with advice about restaurants and local places to see and things to do. From what I can tell, I’m still pretty far (at least 60 miles) from the Pacific Ocean, but if I can get out to a point where I can watch the sun set over the water in the distance, that’s all I need.

Sunday, 6/5

Chelsea was running a marathon from Sequim to Port Angeles, and we'd agreed to meet for lunch after she was done. I had breakfast early, as usual, putzed around the camp for a bit, and then got Remy ready to ride in his basket into PA. We headed out from the camp onto Power Plant Road. I kept the sun on my right, figuring that I'd be heading north and east and would eventually come to PA, even if I didn't find the paved bicycle trail. But I did find it, and it was quite nice most of the way. I had loaded a Map My Ride app to my phone and thought it was recording the trip, but when I got to downtown PA, it hadn't been. Looks like it was about 10 miles. 

Since there was a lot of time left before I expected to hear from Chelsea, Remy and I stopped at Country Aire Health Food Store. I was specifically looking for Kukicha tea and Rx bars. I didn't find either, but I did like the place. Then we headed up the hill toward Lincoln St, because I remembered having seen a bike shop up that way. I really wanted to find another front basket for Remy to use, at least some of the time. As we approached the light, I released my right foot from the pedal so I could rest it on the curb. But as the pet basket has deteriorated, so has its stability. Remy shifted, and I went over to the left, falling because I hadn't released that foot from the pedal. So, yes, I fell yet again on the same knee that I fell on twice earlier in the trip, and which had nearly healed. A passing couple helped me up, and I sat for a bit on a nearby wall, deciding how to handle the situation.

I had had the foresight to bring an alternative pair of shoes along, so I changed into those, and Remy and I walked the rest of the way to the bike store. It is mostly a repair shop, and while there were a few baskets to be had, nothing was designed for a pet, so they didn't have anything to secure him in. I decided I would have to make do till we could get to a larger market, and after having a cup of coffee at the shop next door, we made our way back down to the waterfront and locked up the bike.

I didn't hear from Chelsea till about 1:15. She had misplaced her phone temporarily and was in the process of getting it back after she finished her run. We met up at the park where the race was finishing and walked around trying to find a good (and not too expensive) seafood place. Most of the places that had been recommended didn't open till later, so we ended up at a kind of a hole in the wall called Turnip the Beet. Each of us got a salad -- mine was mixed greens, salmon, feta, and avocado with a vinaigrette dressing. We walked around a little bit after lunch, but I needed to bike back to camp, and Chelsea wanted to head for the Olympic National Park, so we said farewell. I strolled back to the bike, stopping at a gift shop along the way, and loaded Remy up. 

We didn't get far. The left side of the basket was collapsing. We might have been able to make it, but I could tell that it was going to be scary for both Remy and me. I called the camp. I spoke to David and asked what kind of public transportation might be available that could get me, the bike, and the dog back out to camp. He said, "Oh! My wife is in town right now for a meeting. She should be done in about 15 minutes. I'll get a message to her and have her get in touch with you." Before I knew it, she was rescuing me in her huge Explorer. We stopped at the grocery store, and I got some more giant band-aids for my latest knee injury. 

I had showered in the morning, but I rinsed off the salt and dirt of the day and changed into some nicer clothes. Then Remy and I drove back into PA for a real seafood dinner. I had the Dungeness crab and avocado salad at Kokopelli, as well as a Mock-arita. 

We drove out on Ediz Spit to watch the sunset, as recommended. I wasn't sure where to park, exactly. I didn't want to cause a problem. I found a small area hollowed out next to the road and parked there. The rocks have been piled up so high on the western side of the spit to keep it from eroding that it was hard to see over them to get a good view of the sunset. Also, it was darned chilly out there. I found some huge logs to step up onto to get a better view, and I snapped a few pictures before I got too cold to keep watching.

When we got back to camp, I blew up the air mattress -- sleeping on two 1 1/2" pads wasn't cutting it -- and Remy and I got ready for bed. As I was putting stuff away in the car, I looked over and saw him waiting patiently for me to unzip the tent flap. Apparently, he was more tired than I.

Monday, 6/6

Today's plan was travel to Vashon Island to see the Peterson/Jewell family. Because there was no set arrival time, I stopped off in Chimicum for some more wonderful chocolate, no-grain granola, and coconut water and milk. I also got off the highway near Poulsbo to go to the Barnes & Noble at Kitsap Mall. I picked up two more Harry Dresden novels. All that's left is a book of short stories which wasn't in stock.

The rest of the trip to Vashon didn't take very long. We waited at the ferry dock for about a half hour in the sun -- pretty hot, and then the ferry trip itself only took about 15 minutes, if that. Another short drive and I'd arrived at Plum Forest Farm.

I wasn't sure what the set-up was or where to find my friends/family. I heard pounding up the hill, so I figured Rob was up there fixing something. Remy and I strolled up the path in that direction, but as we approached the path was blocked by wire that looked as though it could  have been electrified, as well as a Scottish Highland cow with whom I was not familiar. I decided to return to the house, leave a note, and come back when I was expected.

Remy and I drove into Vashon and had a very vegetarian lunch at an organic place called Pure. It was delicious and temporarily filling. I say "temporarily" because veggies alone don't stay with a person for very long. Most vegetarians eat grains, which help to keep that full feeling for a longer period of time. We Primal people usually have meat with our veggies, which has the same effect. Nevertheless, it was delicous!

Just as we reached the car, I got a call from Rob. He had come in for lunch and seen my note. He was getting ready to bike over to get Rose from school, so Remy and I hurried back, hooked up the cart (I threw the nasty basket in the dumpster at camp this morning!), and followed a few minutes behind Rob, arriving at Rose's school just as she and Rob were heading out toward the main road. We pedaled back to the commercial corner, where Joanne was waiting. Rob & Rose got ice cream, while Joanne and I had kombucha. The place had kombucha on tap! Joanne got her bottle filled and got a small glass for me. It really hit the spot!

The rest of the evening has been spent in meal preparation (including picking beans and prepping them for cooking), eating, chatting, walking Remy, and now this.

While here, I plan to help Rob harvest greens tomorrow, with his regular crew. Sounds like he and Joanne both have something going tomorrow evening, so Rose and I may get to spend some time together.

Photos possibly tomorrow. Pretty good Internet connection here.

2 days have passed!

I guess I'm no longer writing every day. Last night, I was so tired that I had a hot bath and went to sleep about 8:30 without telling you all about my day.

Dick and I went kayaking at Port Gamble. I have kayaked on rivers before -- mostly Crystal River in Glen Arbor -- but never on an ocean or lake. We took a two-seater (which Dick says some people don't even consider really kayaking) which was perfect for our purposes. I was able to simply paddle and look around, and Dick could steer us toward places of interest. We launched right off Port Gamble and swung around into the bay. About 2/3 of the way along, I mentioned that, while I wasn't really sore or ready to give up yet, I was starting to feel the work of paddling. We crossed the bay and headed back toward our starting spot. Once there, we sat on a log and ate our snack, and then loaded up and headed back.

Looking out in the direction we paddled.

Beautiful mountains in the background.

After Dick and I got back to the house, I changed my clothes, and Nancy and I went to The Suquamish Museum. They were having an anniversary celebration which included the showing of a couple of films about the history and experience of the Suquamish. The exhibits included a timeline of the life of the Suquamish, intricate weaving of baskets and clothing, and artifacts of early tribal life.

In the evening, after a wonderful dinner of shrimp that Dick and Sam had caught, prepared sparely with lemon and garlic and served with veggies, and a spinach salad, I looked over a book about the revitalization of the Elwha River. Its dams were removed over the past few years to allow salmon to return to their long-denied spawning ground. The campground I'm going to tomorrow is near the mouth of the Elwha River, so I wanted to read up. I hope to hike and bike around the area and see some other recommended sites/sights. 

The plan for today was a visit to Port Townsend. I had driven up last Sunday, of course, to hear Bruce Bode speak at Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, but at that time there was no time for socializing. Bruce and Flossie had graciously invited me for dinner this evening, so I left Kingston about 11:30 to take a leisurely drive and make stops along the way. Dick and Nancy had given me their atlas, and I saw an alternative route once I crossed the Hood Canal Bridge. That was Paradise Bay Road to Oak Bay Road, both of which ran along the water. Then I took Chimicum Road back to the original road (19) to find the Chimicum Corner Farmstand, an organic market, where I purchased some sauerkraut, grainless granola, and coconut water and cream. Then I drove on into Port Townsend, found a place to get Remy's nails trimmed, drove by Bruce and Flossie's place so I'd be able to find it later, and kinda just checked the place out.

At 3:00, I arrived at the Bode residence. Their cat, Willow, was outside in the backyard keeping an eye on a frog, so Remy and I were safe for the moment. We left in Flossie's car, and she took us to see the area. 

One of many ships being repaired or refurbished at the local shipyard, which is known for its excellent work and quick turnover. Ships come from as far as Alaska to be worked on here.

One of many, elegant, restored buildings in the downtown area.

Interior of one of the bedrooms at the Palace Hotel, originally a brothel near the waterfront in downtown Port Townsend.

Another elegant room at the Palace.

... and another ...

Some of the rooms are named after the women who worked there back in the day.

Sculpture/fountain at the base of the stairway that separated "uptown", where the rich elite lived in old Port Townsend, from "downtown" near the docks, where the riff-raff were found.

A bunker at Fort Worden.

View from Fort Worden.

And another.

From the top of the bunker.

Flossie and I returned to the house, where she prepared salmon, salad (some of the greens fresh from Bruce's garden), and potatoes for our evening meal. We had a great time catching up on our families and friends, and each other, of course, and even managed a fairly decent selfie!

I've rearranged the stuff in the car, and I think I'm ready for 3 nights of camping. If there's WiFi at the camp, you'll hear from me sooner. If not, it may be next Thursday before I get back to the blog, as I'll be following my camping trip with a trip to see Rob & Joanne & Mira & Rose on Vashon, and I don't know if they'll have WiFi for me. But I'll take pictures and notes so I can bring you all up to speed.