Adventures of Beth and Dan

Monday, August 7, 2023

Big Wheels Keep on Rolling!

After getting home from our Scottish Highlands event we had a week to recoup. I attended some water aerobic classes with a fellow camper who took me. The rec center was very nice. Dan never did find a pickleball game to join in on even though he gave it a good try. We had a few things to tinker on and fix on the camper and then we started getting it ready to leave for Sequim. We did find Lake Cranberry and took a hike around it; very cold but a few kids were swimming there! We had one more shot at the Farmers Market and listened to some music too. Then it was saying good bye to our Texas friends and making sure all was secure for our ferry ride. We probably measured the truck and camper three to four times here not to mention how many times Dan measured it before we got the permit. We went to bed early as he said the big wheels would be rolling at 7:00. We had our clothes laid out and nothing left to pack. Just pull in the slides and hook on. Well we were out by 7:21 close enough. We got there early to the ferry with our paperwork etc. ;it’s not a large ferry leaving from Coupeville to Port Townsend. As Dan walked up to one of the check in stations the fellow waved us in. He said we might as well get in line. He checked our paperwork and length. We made it by 6 inches!!! BCE the ferry had unloaded from Port Townsend we were second to load right in the middle beside a big semi! We were looking out at the bay water. We walked upstairs and got a hot chocolate as the winds outside were blustery and chilly. We happened to see right off the pier by the ferry a pair of California gulls nested in the hollowed out docking pier with their babies!!! They were both feeding them. It was an “awe” moment and we were so close!

My grouping of my plants I brought from AZ. Dan bought the hanging petunias while at Todds house. They have solar torch lights in them.

The two pots on the ground belonged to my friend Betsy from AZ. She couldn’t take them to Boise so I brought them and have beef feeding them and enjoying the beauty

Lake Cranberry with someone desperately trying to find anything wild!!

Mount Vernon’s Farmers Market for the last time

Look at those giant donuts and corn dogs too??!!

The fresh flowers are always sone of my favorite items to feast my eyes upon.

This was our ferry…

There’s our big partner in the middle!

Here we are from the steps going up

Look at that cutie!!!

Mom and dad

Then a group of juvenile herons just a few feet over from the gulls! Dans big day!

The herons checking us out as we slowly pull out.

And just like that we are at our new campground John Wayne Resort right across from Sequim Bay and the John Wayne Marina. We are off the Strait of Juan de Fuca. You can see my flowers in the background. We are about 3 miles from Sequim and here for two weeks.

All sights are gravel and it’s not a big campground but we have all utilities and 50 amp for power.

There are a few fire outs for campers to use and a laundry

We can park a little on the side but not lots of parking room.

That first week we took a trip to the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.

We walked the trail out toward the Dungeness Spit

It was level and shady, almost needing a jacket!

If you can blow this up you will see how long it takes for these items to decompose time wise….shocking really.

There’s the king spit that goes to a lighthouse. It’s a 10 mile round trip walk!

The breach is very rocky and loaded with wooden debris but interestingly no shells!!

Lots of folks were walking it or having a sit. Some took picnics and kids just enjoyed exploring. Very few were walking to the lighthouse.

Next trip will be the Olympic National Forest. For a few days we need to explore Sequim and sit in on a free concert at Carrie Blake park with a magnificent band shell!!

Are you Scottish or Irish or Does It Matter?

After we left the 90th birthday party we headed back to our hotel. We had enough good food there that we didn’t need dinner. But we did take our stroll around the hotel which takes us around a lake. The blackberries along that path were ripe and ready and huge! We should have taken a container to collect some but everywhere we have been there have been lots of bushes just not ripe yet. Our plan was to leave early on Su day and get to the Scottish Highland Games and Clan Gatherings in Enumclaw which was along our way home. It’s a three day gathering for the Pacific Northwest and it was pretty spectacular. We had never been to anything like this before; I was excited for the music and Dan was excited for the food first and then bagpipes and drum corps. We really had no idea what a “ big deal” this was. Everyone was outfitted in their kilts and fancy dresses. There were even dog demonstrations for agility, herding and obedience! Lots of different musical groups performed with names like, The Seattle Knights, Celtic Spoons, That Irish Guy, Fiddle in the Forest, The Surly Goats! I think you get the gist. The amount of volunteers needed for something g like this was tremendous. It was a warm day also so folks were looking for shade. Sone music was inside and sone outside. There was a location to find out about your heritage too and Dan found out that on his moms side he was From the clan MacLellan. So Scottish it is!!! They gave us handout on it with all the history (4 pages long) and said we were always welcome to join them! There are lots of changes to the spellings over the years but we are official or at least he is. This was the 77th annual games. We missed the Scots Gaelic Choir presentation and Celtic Haro presentation as they were Saturday but at least we had fun and learned a lot.

These are used for their fighting competitions!

Good advice

Sone clans really put on quite an exhibit!

Of course we look true to form!!!

Just one of the many groups performing

The whole group of all the drummers and bagpipers did the opening ceremonies

He was a great singer and entertainer

And we found Aaron’s famous fresh squeezed lemon stand!!

A copy of the program 43 pages!

The drummers!!

Everyone!!!

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

As Taylor Swift says “Settle Down”!!

Well I guess that is what we have been doing for three weeks. We settled down into a very nice RV park called Pioneer Trails. It has huge trees, lots of beautiful flowers including hydrangeas and it’s quiet and close to lots of places. We were able to get the monthly rate but even at that it’s quite high. Our sites are large with fire pits and tables. The office has no supplies other than ice and firewood but the laundry is clean and so are the bathrooms and showers if you choose to use them. Since being here we have gone somewhere about every day. We have met sone lovely neighbors and enjoyed learning about where they are from and what sights they suggest we see. There is quiet an extensive drought here. They haven’t had rain for over a month. This area is full of agriculture including potatoes, grapes for the many vineyards, berries, cherries, apples and all kinds of fruit. There is also a huge oil refinery here. And for sure lots of seafood. The docks look full all the time with huge personal fishing boats. We have enjoyed the tides going in and out and watching people go out looking for clams or oysters. The weather has been FINALLY perfect! The days are usually in the mid 70’s and nights down to high 50’s or 60’s. No AC really. We have a few fans and if the mornings are a bit cool we turn on our fireplace which creates some ambiance while we have coffee and watch the news. A lady across from us who is from Texas has been coming to this park for 7 years. She is a wealth of information. She asked me if I wanted to go to water aerobics with her so about three days a week she takes me. Dan has tried to find pickleball but no one shows up to the one here at our park and no one showed up to the city park courts so he has been hiking and birding. A highlight fir me was attending one of my previous superintendents 90th birthday in Newberg Oregon. He was in Kamiah when I taught 3rd grade there. He was such an inspiration and overall great man. We took the weekend and stayed two nights around the Portland area. Traffic was horrible. This was the big Taylor Swift concert in Seattle amd then a huge soccer tournament too! But we had a good time catching up and meeting members of his family. His wife died several years ago and he has a new special friend Evelyn. She is a sweetheart. His three daughters put on the party. The food was very good with fresh fruit and sub sandwiches from a caterer.

We have about another week here to enjoy local concerts in Anacortes and LaConner, both very cute towns. I also had a great get together with two of my colleagues from Kamiah, Mindy Espinosa a speech therapist and Sandy Munoz a special education teacher and first grade teacher. Both moved on but our friendship has held together all these years and I’m blessed. I just wished I would have gotten a photo but we talked so much we forgot!!