Saturday, June 29th (cont'd)
Beautiful sunset in Fairhaven, where our good friend Pat Draper lives, and where we will spend the next few days while we regroup, rest, and get ready to meet our family for the 4th of July. Pat has a beautiful view of Bellingham Bay on the Puget Sound. Our sunset was spectacular!
Sunday, June 30, Day 69- Wednesday July 3, Day 72
We are taking it easy at Pat's. This is the view from her window, so it's hard not to just sit here
and daydream all day.
Pat's glass came out of her window this morning, and we had a lot of fun leaning
through the window - kind of a 3D feeling!
John gives it a try, while never taking his eye off that spectacular view!
Yellow is Pat's color. She always has it around and her flowers in the window makes me
realize that I miss having flowers and bouquets. Kind of hard to do in the camper!
This are among the first really warm sunny days of the summer, and the teenagers
waste no time in putting on their bathing suits and jumping from the boardwalk into the
Bay.
The guys were having a hard time being macho and trying to look brave. They had to go
first, of course, but it wasn't easy!
This boardwalk is at the site of an old salmon cannery. The pilings below are where the cannery once stood.
It's such a beautiful day. This catamaran with three sails caught my eye off in the distance.
The trains go by between the boardwalk and the town of Fairhaven. They are carrying coal which will be shipped to China, the subject of a great deal of local controvery.
John picked up some Copper River Salmon for dinner. Tonight, we will have one of our few
meals of the trip that has been cooked on the grill.
He cooked the salmon on a cedar plank. It was delicious and we got several meals, including a salad and an omelet . It was great every meal!
Smoked Salmon Omelet, sliced apricots, tomatoes, cherries, orange juice!
landing for the Bellingham-Ketchikan ferry. It comes in and leaves on Fridays. It is part of the Alaska Marine Highway and it arrives in two days in Ketchikan from here. We often talk about taking
this ferry. It used to stop in Victoria and go to Friday Harbor in the San Juans, but now it just
goes directly to Alaska. From that first landing in Ketchikan, you can go anywhere, even out to the end of the Aleutian Islands!
You can see the boardwalk we have been walking in the foreground.
John got in some biking. There are beautiful bike paths all around here. It's a very bike-friendly area and he loved it!
We did some local shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables. This year's harvest of cherries has been
plentiful and delicious, and I finally got some apricots that were ready to eat and tasty! We tried a fresh lemon, ginger and mint tea that had been served by our niece in Houston. It was just as delicious as I remembered it to be. (And, smoked salmon in the salad. Delish!)
John and Pat both like beets, so we had these with a bit of orange zest.
And, we departed from our salmon to cook hamburgers one night. Behind the transparent chair is our view of the Bay. It was such a pleasure.
Pat and I got adventurous one day. John pumped up the tires on her bicycle and she and I peddled off toward downtown Bellingham. Of course, we had to stop at the most famous ice cream store in town, Mallards. They make their own ice cream, including seasonal ice cream, creative ice cream sandwiches, etc. If you ever get to Bellingham, this is a must stop. These two biker babes really enjoyed it!
Just down the street was a Man-Pie shop. Hey, wait a minute! These look suspiciously like the Pasties we had in Michigan! Some Michiganian has found that good food translates no matter where you are!
It's been 16 years since Pat has ridden her bike. She bought it in Holland, and used it a lot there. It's big and heavy but she loves it! So, on the way home we stopped at a bike shop that carries other
bikes from Holland, and they think they can fix it for her. So, one small victory for mankind, and Pat, as she celebrates getting back on the bike!
Our dinner tonight - barbequed chicken, rice pilaf, and fresh salad. Oh, and our favorite summer time drink, gin and tonic!
Pat and John make a celebratory toast to our great stay here! And to a wonderful friendship!
Pat was so happy to be on her bike that the day after we left, she went riding for the first time with
her granddaughter Trinity.
People ask us how we are getting along, spending so much time in our little camper, after so many days and miles together. Well, maybe this picture tells the story. We love it and are doing great!
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