Hoquiam Washington

Karen and I picked Hoquiam for our second, “exploring our own backyard”, mission.  The weather the day we went was unbelievable. Perfect for a Sunday outing.

Hoquiam is a small town, population of 8,726 in 2010. I’ve been to Hoquiam, both Karen and I remember going through it to the ocean beaches.  Amazingly it hasn’t changed much, the houses along the route are the same, older but well kept up.

Our first stop was Duffy’s for lunch. We both had shrimp fettuccini. Delicious.  Our main destination for the day was the Polson Museum. Again on the route to the coast, you pass it and yet neither Karen nor I had ever stopped.  The picture at the top of this blog is of the 6,500 square foot mansion. The man at the entrance gave us a brief history of the house and invited us to tour at our leisure.  He told us to look for 1942 photographs as most of the rooms have a picture of how the room looked when the Polson’s lived there.

The house was a wedding gift to Arnold and Priscilla Polson from his uncle. The house has twenty-six rooms with six bathrooms and four fireplaces.  The Polson Museum website is very well designed and includes history and pictures.   If you’re going to the ocean via Aberdeen/Hoquiam I would recommend a stop. If not, a virtual tour is the next best thing.

Another historic site is the Hoquiam Castle. We were fortunate to be able to tour the castle years ago when it was open to the public. There is so much history in Hoquiam. For a while, it was a Bed and Breakfast, but we were told it is now a private residence.   The website from the B/B time is the only tour available. Karen and I drove past it and even though you can’t go in, I would recommend the slight detour to see it.

So what’s next on our mission to see out of way places in Washington? Not sure yet we are thinking of Whidbey Island and Coupeville.  Any suggestions? We are open to ideas.

Oh almost forgot, check out the rose garden at the Polson Museum. It is late in the season but there were still some beautiful blooms.

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Anderson Island

I have lived in this area all my life and never visited Anderson Island.  A few weeks ago I was reading a story set in France and the characters were traveling through small villages. This set me to bemoaning that I wasn’t traveling. Then, in a moment,  I realized that there were a lot of places, a whole lot, right here in my backyard, that I hadn’t been to.  I called Karen and we decided to make it our mission to discover our backyard in the coming months.  First stop, Anderson Island.

Anderson Island is called “The Secret Island” and is the southernmost Island in Puget Sound. It is accessible only by boat or float plane and is about a 20-minute ferry ride.  Karen commented that going there is like stepping back in time.  It has one General Store, one Gas Station, One Restaurant and no traffic lights.

The Island is just under 8 miles in size, with a population (in 2010) of 1037.  We picked a perfect day with the weather. The ferry ride was beautiful. The picture shows it a bit windy, but not cold at all. In fact, we stopped at “The Old Swimming Hole”, and watched kids swimming.

Our first stop was the General Store where we picked up a map and met a very friendly guy behind the counter. This is one of the friendliest places I have visited.  Armed with a  map we set out to explore the island.  The guy at the store told us about the restaurant that sets on one of two lakes.  So first stop Riviera Lakeshore Restaurant.  It overlooks Lake Josephine and has a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier.  And, is sooooo quiet. We both had fish and chips, good, and better with the ambiance surrounding us.

A resident of the island stopped by our table and chatted for a bit. The pace of the day was “Island Time”.  Karen had it right when she said it was like stepping back in time.

We drove around the Island stopping at the first school on the Island and Johnson Historic Farm.  You can see more of the farm on their website.  Unfortunately, it was closed but we wandered around enjoying the grounds and wonderful weather.

Altogether an amazing day that made me again wonder at how I could have lived here so long and never visited Anderson Island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Squash

It’s been awhile since we posted a recipe.  I was never good at posting them but every once in awhile I stumble on one I want to share.  Rick and Linda (Son and Daughter-in-law) have a very productive garden again this year.  Last year Rick gave me a summer squash. I don’t like them but he told me to try it with Pasta which I did and Oh My Gosh so good.  This year I asked for them.  Yummy, fresh out of the garden I made the dish in the picture. There actually are three ways to serve it. And, I’ve tried them all.

1. With sour cream

2. put in a casserole dish and top with cheese. Cook in oven until the cheese is melted and even browned if you like it that way.

3. Just as is with no cream or cheese

I like them all.

Recipe:

Summer Squash – as many as you want

Pasta – I used the Tri-Colored Fusilli but I really like Penne too.

Bacon bits

Fry squash in oil. For this one I used avocado oil but I can’t tell the difference between it and olive oil.  Season with favorite seasoning.  I used  Island Spice we got in Jamaica.

Cook pasta in salt water.

Drain pasta and stir in a little oil. Mix with fried summer squash and put in bacon bits. I love bacon so put in quite a bit.

Enjoy it just way or embellish it with sour cream or cheese.

Cracks In The Sidewalk

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This story is based on true life. The author, Bette Lee Crosby, interviewed the Grandparents extensively.  It’s an amazing story of courage, love and forgiveness.  It might not be an inspirational genre but it was for me as in the … Continue reading →

Cocoa

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During our cruise one of the ports of call was Limon Costa Rico. During a river tour we stopped and our tour guide came back on board the bus with what looked like a giant nut. He asked if we … Continue reading →

Panama Cruise

Last month at this time we were just boarding the ship for a ten day Panama Cruise with Princess.  We had spent two days in Ft. Lauderdale seeing the city and taking a canal excursion out to an island for a dinner and show.  We got a glimpse of the rich and famous along the way.

 

 

The picture to the right is the Ft. Lauderdale skyline taken from our balcony as we started the cruise. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on an big ship and I had forgotten how big they are.  We were still getting lost at the end of the cruise, but then knowing me I’m betting no one is surprised.

The first day was at sea and we enjoyed every minute. People were so friendly and we made friends.  In fact a few days out Linda lost her reading glasses. A woman we had just met offered her a spare pair she had.  We did eventually find the glasses but the borrowed pair made reading possible and Linda appreciated the womans generousity.  These are the kind of people we found on the trip.

The second day out we made port in Falmouth Jamacia.  We had booked a tour to Rose Hall an old plantation house that the White Witch had owned.  I had seen it and wanted Linda to see it, but we had to take our second choise. Greenwood plantation house once owned by the Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  It has been continuously used as a residence since it was built.  A part of the information from the website  

The present owners, Bob and Ann Betton, every morning since they bought the house, get up, make the beds in Richard Barrett’s bedroom and open the house for tours. Richard Barrett, the builder of the house, would feel very comfortable there today because the house, unlike other great houses in Jamaica still has the original furnishings down to the Barrett’s library. 

More Pictures of the house.

We didn’t do every port of call. The weather was hot and as we got closer to Panama the humidity increased.

On the dock in Falmouth.

 

 

 

The ships entertainment was exceptional and after getting oriented to dinner in the dining room times, we managed to see pretty much all of the evening shows.  And, we always topped it off with a drink in one of the bars.  We tried all different drinks, promising ourselves we would expand our experience in a few months when we go to Cancun at the all-inclusive Palace.

 

It was Linda’s first cruise and she says it’s something everyone should experience.  A memory making trip.  We found we like being spoiled and they for sure know how to do it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sedona and Jerome Arizona

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This was my first trip to Sedona and there is simply no words or pictures that can do it justice. We came down from Glendale and stopped at Jerome first so came in from dessert like terrain.  One minute bare … Continue reading →