Pacific NorthWest at its best

The weather has been perfect here--in the mid-70's, no rain. Unfortunately there have been just enough clouds to cover the mountains.

Today I took my Mom to the heart doctor (went well for a 94 year old), after which we had lunch with my sister. Then after I set Mom's hair I went to the local yarn shop while she was under the dryer. (yes, I got one skein for my "trip" vest). Gary had fun shopping at a few fishing stores for beads and lures, etc.




Then we went to my nephew, Stephen's, for dinner. He made a great salmon dinner. Steve is a multi-millionaire who lives in a batchelor pad in Bellevue. Check out the view behind Steve and Grandma. Nice. While we were sitting on the deck eating dinner a bald eagle flew over --I sure wish my camera had been handy then!







The last photo is Steve's folks, my sister and brother-in-law. It was a nice visit, if short. Tomorrow we head back to Astoria and some fishing with Gary's cousin.

A Ferry Boat Ride to Poulsbo

Actually, it was a ferry boat ride from Edmonds to Kingston, then a drive to Poulsbo, but we had a great time.








Or maybe I should say Grandma and I had a great time. Gary doesn't really like to do all the shops so he sat outside with the dogs while the two female humans shopped. But this part of the trip was his idea, so he is the hero. And the dogs loved all the pats and attention they got as they sat by Gary waiting for us.

As we waited for the ferry we saw two amazing things--huge lumber trucks leaving the ferry and a bomb sniffing dog. Each time we were in line a bomb sniffing dog came by to check out all the vehicles getting ready to load onto the ferry. We hadn't been on a ferry since 9/11 so it was a surprise to all of us.

There were beautiful flower baskets and pots in Poulsbo, which is a Norwegian community. The Sons of Norway puts on a pancake breakfast once a month and a lunch every Wednesday! This is one active group. They also have a Lutefisk dinner in November, following the Lutefisk dinner put on by the Lutheran Church in October. Plenty of lutefisk in this town! We enjoyed strolling along the waterfront.





Yes, there was a yarn shop--and the owner grew up in Citrus Heights!











When we came home we wandered thru Grandma's pasture. Two trees were killed by bark beetles and she just had them cut down. Can you believe how much firewood she has? Of course, there is a bit of work involved before it can be burned.

From Oregon to Washington

We started out in Oregon today heading from Warrenton to Astoria. In this photo you can see the Astoria bridge and much of Astoria.

We went across the bridge from Oregon to Washington at Longview.














As you arrive in Washington the first thing you see is a Weyerhaeuser lumber operation.



Then we arrived in Edmonds, north of Seattle at my Mom's. The first photo is the view from her back door to the barn.












The next photo is looking from the barn toward the back of the house and the patio. You can see Tule on the grass. Elsie is already exhausted from running back and forth to see the horse, so she is on the patio peeking thru the railing. The dogs will sleep well tonight.






A day or two ago I told you about Britta's comment as a small child about the big trees in Grandma's back yard. This photo shows Gary next to a couple of trees and a first generation stump in her yard. He is there to show just how big the tree is. It is just one of many that size. After a great dinner at a restaurant on the waterfront in Edmonds, we are pooped and ready for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow will be great, but that will have to wait for tomorrow's blog.

Newport, OR

We had a great visit with Alan and Karen. This morning we ate at the Pig 'n Pan--super breakfast! Then we found a darling little shopping area near the world famous aquarium and don't you know we found another yarn shop! This little shopping area is worth a visit--very cute nautical themed store fronts and good stuff in the stores, too.

Didn't get much sleep last night--huge rainstorm complete with thunder and lightning that sent Tule to the foot of our bed in fear. You'd never know she is a hunting dog that isn't afraid of guns. I felt bad for the young couple next to us in a tent with a 3 year old and a 2 month old baby. I thought of camping with my folks and being told the rain won't come in unless you touch the tent fabric. Of course, I touched the tent fabric just to see if they were right. I'm pretty sure the three year old did, too.


After the yarn shop visit we headed on up the coast past more wonderful scenery. We always stop at the Tillamook cheese factory because you can get great cheese--flavors we can't get at home--and there is a nice parking area for RV's.

By the time we got to Astoria (at the Hammond KOA RV park) we had heard from Gary's cousin, Mike so we all went out to dinner after a drink at their house. It is always fun to see them and catch up on all the latest family info. We are only here one night, then on to my Mom's tomorrow. But next week we will be back so Gary and Mike can go sturgeon fishing together on Mike's boat.

Nice, cool weather here--I am so glad I finished my Malabrigo wool sweater. I am getting lots of use out of it!

Oregon Coast

Today we found beautiful weather all the way up the Oregon coast--gorgeous views and beautiful wildflowers were abundant. I missed the rain we expected, but you can’t have everything.

Scotch Broom grows wild up here and is considered a nasty weed, but it sure looks good to see all the cheerful yellow along the roadways.

Every bridge we crossed in Oregon had a beautiful beginning and end--not the usual boring bridge style we see in California. This is one example.

I forgot to mention Scotia while we were in California. We took a side trip thru this little town that is supported by a lumber mill--what fantastic buildings make up the business district. You can tell wood supports the town. This photo is the city movie theater. Absolutely beautiful--

Elsie has discovered a new favorite place to be while we travel--under my legs squeezed under my seat as far as she can go. It gets a bit uncomfortable, but she insists on scooting in there each time I am up front. Goofy dog.

Gary was very sweet today--stopped at three yarn shops for me! I had to buy yarn, of course. Must support the economy!

This posting is late because there was no signal for phone or computer in this RV park. It is a beautiful park, but not too many modern amenities. I love the sign at their entrance:

Dinner tonight was with Gary’s brother and his wife, Alan and Karen. We had a good time catching up on all the family news.

Lots of photos today

We saw some wonderful things today. We started off the morning noticing this rig in our RV park. We heard it come in---really,really loud.

We missed a lot on the Redwood Hiway because I took a nap and Gary didn't want to wake me. We decided to stop in Ferndale for a walking break for the dogs and us. I found a Yarn Shop! Bought some sock yarn--even ventured outside my comfort zone into lavender --note the color, knitting friends.






Gary got too hungry to go on so we splurged on the best pizza ever at this cute little hole in the wall. If you are ever in Ferndale, I recommend their pizza enthusiastically.

















Then we drove on and stopped to see Paul Bunyan. There is a man somewhere who talks to everyone who walks by as if he is Paul Bunyan, the sound comes out of Paul's head--he made sure to tell us our "puppies" were welcome inside the gift shop and on the trail.





As we drove on thru the Redwoods I was reminded of Britta's comment as a four year old the first time we went to Yosemite. She said, "Wow! These trees are almost as big as the ones in Grandma's back yard." And she was right. I thought of that over and over as we drove thru the big trees.

We finally got to our destination in Crescent City in an RV park right by the beach. Gary had the bright idea to let the dogs off their leashes on the beach. Remember, these are labs--sure enough, they went right into the salt water, then ran to the loose sand so they could get totally covered in sand. I gave them a bath before they were allowed inside the RV. What a mess. Note Gary's new hat in the photo on the beach.

Heading up the Coast

We managed to leave Roseville at 9 a.m. today. Had a nice, easy trip along Clear Lake and ended up in Willits at a KOA. This place is great. They have a petting zoo and a fenced in doggy park. As our dogs were enjoying the dog park a horse whinnied. Elsie went into alert mode and got very excited. She knows the horse at my Mom's and could hardly wait to find the horse she heard. We found not only a horse, but a cute little pony that was only a tiny bit bigger than our dogs. It was very friendly until I had the camera with me. Sigh.






Gary disconnected the CR-V and we drove a winding road to Fort Bragg and Mendocino.


I always thought wild Rhododendrons were unique to Washington state, but we saw lots of them along the road.



Fort Bragg was pretty ordinary, but Mendocino was so cute. Lots of old houses with gingerbread. We found a beach with lots of wildflowers and a beautiful view of lots of birds. Gary meandered way out on a ledge that was too scary for me!