Sunny September Visit

I visited my parents last weekend. It was earlier in September than I usually like to go but an opportunity came up to stay in the guest suite (and save a lot of money on lodging) so I grabbed it. Since my parents live in a small apartment and live in a very popular tourist destination, finding a place to stay is crucial.

I left on Thursday morning. I heard the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth on the radio while driving north. A momentous day.

No trouble at the border. about a 20 minute wait. I caught the 12 noon ferry and was the very last car on the ferry.  It was a smaller boat than usual. I had a salmon burger for lunch. White Spot salmon burgers are delicious. Actual salmon.

I sat outside on a bench to enjoy the scenery and the warm sunshine. 

I chatted with a lady from Calgary and we saw eye to eye on current events including our opinion of the Canadian prime minister's dictatorial actions. 

When I arrived at my parents' place I gave my Mom the pillow I had been working on. It matches the quilt that I gave her last Christmas.

Thursday night Dad and I had supper at the Royal Oak in Oak Bay neighbourhood. I think I would've preferred the Penny Farthing. A note for next time. 

On Friday I took Mom for a drive. Dallas Road is always good even though we couldn't see the Olympic mountains due to smoke from various fires.

We stopped at Willows Beach. The "tea room" was already closed for the day

We had tea at Oak Bay Marina in the cafe. I liked it. Mom had a lemon bar. I had iced tea. They had a huge pan of Nanaimo bars that I had to take a photo of.

Mom and I sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine. At the marina there used to be seals there that you could feed. Friday night Dad and I ate at the White Spot which we walked to.

Saturday morning I went to the Village Restaurant in Esteven Village - a neighbourhood near my parents' apartment. We've been going to that restaurant for years. I ate outside in the sunshine. It is very popular. 

French toast

Also on Saturday I went to Super Chance an antique/thrift store in James Bay. They have so much china for sale at low prices. I bought these plates.

I cut Dad's hair. That was a first for me. 

On Sunday I drove Dad to church. The Sunday that I was there was a Ministry Fair. There were tables set up all around the fellowship hall and the sanctuary for each of the various ministries. I enjoyed talking to the ladies at the Hug a Bear table.

The Sole Sisters is a good idea - a walking club. I said hello to the Prime Time table, missionary ladies table, and the Care Team table. I took notes of all the people I talked to (not just at ministry tables) so I could report back to Mom. I wish my church was just a little bit bigger so we could have more ministries. 

In the afternoon I helped my mom change over her clothes from summer to fall. When I visit my parents we like to go out for a special meal. Oak Bay Beach Hotel is the best place. We eat in The Snug which has a great view of the water. We celebrated both my Dad's birthday and my Mom's birthday.

Boat viewed through window

Monday I left at 8:05. I got to the ferry terminal at 8'45. I got on the 9 am ferry. That was a relief. In the past I've waited for over an hour for a ferry.

Very smoky on BC Lower Mainland. I couldn't see the Vancouver skyline. I stopped at Tsawwassen Mills Walmart to get chocolate for my kid.

The border wait was one hour and 20 minutes. I did some sewing while I sat in the car. 

No problem with border guard. I didn't have to go into the office like the last 2 times.

I noticed that the flags are at half mast in America in honour of the death of Queen Elizabeth.

I stopped in Bellingham to walk around a bit. Penny Lane Antique mall.

It is so good to be able to see my parents regularly and help out for a few days.

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Summer Highlights 2022

It has been an unusual summer. The weather didn't warm up until about July 4th. I think I was wearing sweatshirts even around that time. Another unusual thing about this summer is jaw surgery for my oldest son. We weren't sure what the date would be and what the recovery time would be so we didn't make vacation plans. 

I thought it would be good to focus on the fun things that I've done or seen this summer in order to be grateful and remember.

Strawberry picking with A

Beach afternoon with ladies from church

Shakespeare in the Park

Low Tide

Lake day with my friend Mary 

Blue Angels. My photos this year didn't turn out but I do love to see and hear them.

A beautiful evening spent in Kirkland with my hubby

The raspberries in my yard finally produced this year. I was able to get a few cups a day at their peak.

Sailing Day

Fourth of July BBQ with friends

C going on many outdoor adventures despite his back brace. This is him at the top of Mount Si.

A had a part time job in his field at a local Christian college. 

I finished a throw quilt and a baby quilt.

Blueberry picking with A.

J and I had a brief getaway to the Olympic Peninsula

Vertical World with the family.

Attending three nights of worship outside. One was at a large church (in the parking lot) and the other two were student led in a backyard. These photos are from the most recent night of worship.

That's C in the middle of the photo, facing.

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Peninsula Getaway

J and I went away for a few days last week. I wished that we had a real vacation but I had to take what I could get. It was challenging finding a place to stay. The Olympic Peninsula is very popular and there aren't a lot of towns to stay in. Even in Port Angeles (which is a bit grubby) the Super 8 wanted $200 a night. Most people camp but my camping days are over!

I found a place in Seiku which is right next to Clallum Bay. About an hour west of Port Angeles on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Port Renfrew, BC is on the other side.

My review of Curley's (where we stayed for two nights). 

I had thought it was a cabin (from the photos online) but it was basically a large motel room. One bed in the main room with a kitchenette and TV. Another bedroom. We could've brought the boys! We weren't sure if we could find breakfast nearby so we brought things to cook. By the Bay Cafe was a very short walk and had good breakfast options. 

The motel room was very dark due to wood paneling. I wasn't able to sew there. We sat on the dock for a bit one evening so I would have better lighting.  The walls were super thin. Jonathan had trouble sleeping one night since a neighbour had left their TV on at 2 am. The TV had streaming services (Amazon Prime) so we could find something to watch.

We left home on a Tuesday. We took the Edmonds ferry to Kingston. It was cloudy and cool when we left.

We stopped for lunch in Port Gamble General Store. I noticed a quilt store in Port Gamble and I'd like to visit it some day. It has a fun name - Quilted Strait. Port Gamble is very charming with lots of old houses and a beautiful old church on the main street. 

There is a museum above the cafe with an amazing collection of shells and other sea life.

After we settled in at Clallum Bay/Seiku, we ate supper at By the Bay in Seiku, outside with this view. 

Seiku is a fishing village. Most people are there to fish. A older couple staying at our motel was set up at a table outside dividing salmon into vacuum sealed bags for taking home.

We asked our waitress about a good place to see the sunset and she told us about a spot by the lightkeeper's house. The view was amazing.

The waves were quite high. Very quiet. We only saw one man there fishing. We saw a sea otter eating a fish in the water. An otter came out of the water, up onto the beach not far from us and then went into the tall grass.

Wednesday we had breakfast at By the Bay. It was much busier than the night before. Our wait was quite long since they were understaffed. We drove to Lake Crescent. You see lots of logging trucks on the Peninsula.

I had hoped that we could use our inflatable kayak on the lake but we realized that the weather wasn't conducive. Rainy and windy. The hotel wasn't renting boats like it normally does, due to weather.

We had lunch at Lake Crescent. I had a salmon chowder which was very good. 

We had a bit of a dilemma about what to do in the afternoon.. One of my other ideas was going to a wild beach on the coast but one of the main ones is closed for road construction. We decided to go to Cape Flattery.

Cape Flattery is located in Neah Bay. It is on a native reservation. You have to purchase a recreation pass for 20 dollars. Sort of like a national park. 

There is a short hike required to get to Cape Flattery. The path is quite narrow in parts so many times you have to step aside to let other pass by (going the other way). 

The funny thing about Cape Flattery is that the last time that J and I were there was pre-kids (probably in 2001) and this time it was without our kids! Cape Flattery is the most northwestern point of the contiguous US.

It is a beautiful place. You can also see Tatoosh Island from the end of the trail. There is a lighthouse there.

Wednesday night we had supper at Breakway Cafe in Clallum Bay. I was disappointed. There weren't many choices. I had clam chowder. It was alright but not that exciting. I thought maybe I could supplement my soup with something from By the Bay but they were closing when we arrived. There are only 2 places to eat in the area, at least that we could find.

We stopped in a fish tackle shop across the street. It was a good idea since we learned that the current catch is salmon and the man inside told us that they can sometimes be seen jumping out of the water in Seiku bay!

I found this on the beach on Thursday morning.

On our way out of town on Thursday we stopped at one of the few shops in Clallum Bay. It was labelled an antique store but it had a variety of things. We learned a lot about the area from the lady behind the counter. She told us about history of the lightkeeper's house. J wants to buy the house (maybe with some other people) and turn it into a restaurant or a B&B or a retreat centre. The Coast Guard owns it right now. It has a lot of potential. One drawback is the windy road that takes you to Port Angeles from Clallum Bay. I didn't take a photo but I found these on the Internet.

The house isn't being properly kept up. The local people complained that the flag was in tatters and the grass wasn't mowed. It really needs painting and doesn't look as nice as the above photo.

We stopped in Sequim for lunch. We ate at the Oak Table and that was a good choice.

The views from Seiku were tremendous.

The lady we met in the store has an Air BnB on the Strait and we might look into staying there next year. It has a pretty high price but she says it holds up to 8 people so perhaps we could share it with another couple.

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