Home Again

After a brief continental breakfast on the balcony overlooking the harbor and marina, we packed and made a quick stop for a photo op at the county building. From the peak of Port Townsend, the vista is teaming with myriad boats of every make and size. Tiny fishing boats for personal use, massive carriers of humans and vehicles, and fabric flapping sailboats. Boarding the ferry for a trip to Whidbey Island, we drove on the lower deck of the steel behemoth. Exiting the vehicle and climbing to the upper deck, we stood at the aft of the boat watching the seagulls dip and float on the wind. Our faces turned to the sun with the water surging and splashing us, we watched PT fade into the background as the Island stood furious before us. Disembarking 30 minutes later, we made our way overland to the 2nd ferry ride of the day from the tiny town of Clinton to Everett. After another exciting 20 minute ride, we drove through Everett and stopped in the town of Monroe to fill with gasoline and top off our hungry bellies. We picked up a snack lunch of KFC to stop at a wayside park beside the Skykomish River. Making the acquaintance of the park mascot, a cross-breed dog that shared in our repast and made friends with Isabelle, we sat in the shade for a while just soaking in the feeling of rest and relaxation. Continuing our journey, we made another brief stop at Deception Fall which lies just past Stevens Pass on Hwy 2. Isabelle was just the best baby dog as we had to walk among many people and children to reach the view of the falls. Unfortunately, the most putrid smelling outhouse was located amidst the splendor and beauty of this area. We drove through the town of Leavenworth which has been made over into a Scandinavian burg. To me, it was creepy. I did not especially like the buildings mimicking the actual Scandinavian architecture. It almost appeared to me like a bloated caricature cartoon city. The remainder of our trip was uneventful until we returned to Spokane, with the massive amount of roadwork occurring, we diverted through the middle of the town to skirt the interstate. A record 94 degrees in downtown Spokane gradually cooled to 74 degrees when we reached our home. We stopped at the local amusement park on the way to watch the very brief 7 minute fireworks ceremony which was quite a disappointment. Even though the house had been closed and everything unplugged, we still returned to a massive amount of dust and disruption. The waterline to the swamp cooler had broken, our weeds had grown a foot in the short time we were gone, and other things needed attention. We unpacked today and did loads of laundry, then ran to get a few necessities for groceries. Very happy to return and greet our local espresso stand! We took Isabelle to the vet to verify her skin condition she picked up at the beach was just mosquito bites; she then received her current shots and got her toenails trimmed. She was just as happy to return home as we were. She kicked up her heels after pooping in the woods, and ran merrily around all day long. Greg returns to work tomorrow. I can only imagine what will happen…