Fall beauty

Fall beauty found on our daily walks.

Gingko leaves look like butterfly wings

Heavy dew drops on blades of grass

Wind fall

Wish that I had a bag with me.

Such a waste!

Fall days

Really enjoying these gorgeous Fall days

The sun filtering through a morning mist

Ripples on McGuire Lake

Deflated dreams

No snow on the hills yet!

A hockey weekend

Walking into the arena on Friday night brought back many memories of wins and losses during Adrian's youthful hockey years. We were also assaulted by the overwhelming aroma of sweaty teenage  hockey gear. OMG!! I couldn't imagine how all of these parents could spend 2-3 nights in hotel rooms inhaling the noxious fumes of hockey pads, jerseys and shorts that would never completely dry before the next day's games.

It was great to sit in the stands and cheer for our great-nephew and his visiting team during their tournament. At fifteen years of age Will has surpassed the height of 6'-4" and is slowly ascending toward a probable height of 6'-9" by the time he graduates.

We look forward to cheering for more games this winter while in Vancouver!

The Knitted Tree

I finally had the opportunity to visit our Art Gallery to view The Knitted Tree exhibition.

The tree is impressive...and a close look 

at the individual pieces is fascinating!!

Diana relaxing among the roots!

Final Day - Portland trip

We left Mount Vernon around 9:00am and felt reluctant to bring our travels to an end. As a compromise we detoured to Birch Bay, a small community where we spent many childhood summers. The beach hasn't changed but there are many condo developments and retirement communities now.

A walk along the beach gave us the opportunity to reminisce while searching for heart shaped rocks.
After lunch we finally agreed that it was time to return to Canada. There is always a feeling of "being home" on Canadian soil!

Day 7 - Portland trip

From Squim we drove to Port Townsend this morning for several hours of shopping and eating. What an interesting little town! Because of the large number of preserved buildings from the late 1800's, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

This retro ice cream parlour was housed in one of the old buildings.

Fun with sisties!

The Keystone Ferry took us from Port Townsend to Coupeville around 3:00pm. The drive up to Deception Pass through Oak Harbour was beautiful. 

The bridge was constructed in 1935...an amazing feat at that time.

It connects Whidbey Island with Fidalgo Island.

 We walked out on the bridge span for photos before a short drive to La Connor. By the time we arrived most of the shops were closing so we did a walking tour and hopped back in the car before driving to Mount Vernon for our final night.

By the time we checked into a Best Western it was almost 7:00pm. Ordered a pizza, poured some wine and collapsed!

Day 6 - Portland trip (cont'd)

Another long day of driving...we missed the 101 access that would have taken us up the east coast of the Olympic peninsula. There were detours in Aberdeen that misled us...and...as a result, we drove up the western route of 101.

Our first stop along the way was a lunch break at Lake Quinault Lodge. Built in 1926, the building provides a nostalgic flashback. Expansive lawns extend from the main lodge toward the lake.

View from the dining room.

It was reassuring to note that our "sicko" was spending less time expectorating during the day. That could be due to constant application of medications or simply that she is improving.

After lunch we stopped at Kalaloch, on the western coast.

From there we drove to Forks for a coffee break. It was serendipity that we had coffee at the diner that is featured in the Twilight series written by Stephanie Meyer. This small town was chosen by the author as the setting for her vampire series of novels. Our waitress said that visitors appear often with queries about where the main characters sat in the diner and she has to tell them that the movies were not filmed in Forks(they were filmed in Vancouver)...only the books were set there.

It was a grimy diner with nothing to recommend it.

Our route after leaving Forks took us on a beautiful drive 

around Lake Crescent where the water was like a mirror.

We decided that Port Angeles didn't hold interest for us so we continued on to Sequim (pronounced Skwim) where we are staying overnight at the Quality Inn. A quick visit to the local Walmart yielded dinner salads ($4.00 each), a lovely bottle of Merlot and a gallon of water. 

Back in the room, feet up, wine in hand...7:30pm! We are such party girls!!!

Day 6 - Portland trip

After a great sleep, with sea air wafting through the screen door of our balcony, we enjoyed a belgian waffle breakfast in the dining area. The management entrusts its clients to handle the cooking process independently!...success and delicious!

After breakfast and copious coffees we felt fortified enough to walk through a corridor of greenery and across sand dunes to the ocean (about 1km). It is an expansive beach that was only partially visible due to morning fog...beautiful!

Patterns in the sand

Packed and ready for the next adventures!