Trip to Port Townsend

We drove from Olympia to our new B&B Eden by the Sea stopping at one casino where we promptly lost some money to the Indians. Our new B&B is great, 12 acres on the ocean, the house was built to be a B&B a few years ago. Our hosts are real warm and friendly, the house is between the Olympia mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This morning after a breakfast of a multitude of wonderful tastes i walked out to the backyard and sat and listened to the ocean surf and watched the bald eagles flying and the resident deer watched me. We walked around Port Townsend and looked in many many artist shops, it is somewhat like Cedarburg and Lake Genava rolled into one. Lots of great artists and antique stores and restaurants.

Port Townsend 

Port Townsend Harbor and art town

Port Townsend

Port Townsend accommodation

Eden by the Sea Bed and Breakfast

Eden by the Sea Bed and Breakfast

Just hanging around the back yard one morning

Nysqually National Wildlife Refuge

The day was both sunny and windy but very pleasant for birdwatchers--we enjoyed an hours walk through beautiful preserved forest and listen to song birds among others trees ferns and old history barns.Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, on the Nisqually River Delta in southern Puget Sound, was established in 1974 for the protection of migratory birds. Three thousand acres of salt and freshwater marshes, grasslands, riparian, and mixed forest habitats provide resting and nesting areas for migratory waterfowl, songbirds, raptors, and wading birds.

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is one of over 544 National Wildlife Refuges in the United States. Managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the Department of the Interior, the National Wildlife Refuges encompass over 154 million acres of land and water for wildlife.

The mission of the Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

Lovely Days!

Don, Linda their grandchild
and 2 older dogs

Our first night was heaven. With a flawless flight we picked up our Subaru outback and marked out GPS to our first B&B. We arrived one hour too early and decided to find a grocery store to pick up cheese a cracker and a nice bottle of wine. Upon our proper time of arrival we were greeted with Linda who showed us their lovely English Tudor home and guided us through their house rules--No shoes, slippers and footies provided. Tea at 8pm. Coffee is served in the morning ( with lovely linens and silver); brought to the room at 7am and breakfast at 7:30am. The entire house was rebuilt and redesigned to English Tudor. Furniture and paint were carefully chosen to period. The dining room was stenciled in 4 colors and 2 base colors, the second base color with a leather roller and 2 dimensional shades of color on color for the Fleur-de lis shape--enormous amount of time and love as this was an overall wallpaper design. Most of the house was common area except for the kitchen. We were the only guests until our departure day, Friday-(which we almost did NOT observe if we had not checked the itinerary). As Jim put it "we needed a leaving date and a KICK-OUT date"...

Dining room overlooking 

the ocean 

That evening we took a long walk down the cove to the estuary before the tide had not come in yet. It is still light by 9pm. During the summer months it stays light until 10pm.The beach was covered with driftwood, empty thick oyster shells covered in barnacles...The walk back was steep, as it was easier going down than coming up...(truly, depends on who you ask). The Inn sits on a bluff with many of Linda's herbs of peppermints and spearmint and tyme carefully planted in assorted pots organized and grouped on the back patio for easy reach. Linda used these and last years marion blackberries she froze to use this year's guests to compliment our wonderful breakfast as garnishment.

Herb garden

Deck over-look  

The Olympia Room

Front entrance 

English Charm

Outside the kitchen back patio

We're here!

some local wine for dinner

view from our room to the bay

one of the sitting areas

Great flight on Airtran out here. Seatac is a big airport but easy to get out of. I paid for an upgrade on our rental car to a Subaru Outback , nice car we can plug our Iphone into the stereo which is really nice. After about an hour drive and a lunch at an Irish restaruant we arrived at our B&B, The Mallard Cove. It is a restored English Tudor style home. We are the only guests for the first 2 nights. The owners put 6 years into restoring it, took a year and a half to decorate it. The ocean is right outside our 2nd floor room past the 100 foot fir trees. We stopped for some local wine and some cheese and crackers for dinner. Food is cheaper here, I think local wines are going to be a great deal. Our room has a whirlpool tub and it is really quiet here, oops the dogs just came home. It has been raining all day and the forecast is rain for our entire trip, however we will still get out and about. There is a wildlife refuge on the beach a mile from here with all kinds of birds and seals with a 4 mile wooden boardwalk through it. There is also kayaking with the owner, but I think we will pass as the water is only 45 degrees. so tonight we are relaxing and planning our day for tomorrow. Our hosts will have fresh cookies for us at 8 so guess where I'll be.

Almost time to go!

The suitcases are lay out for packing--it's hard to believe the time is almost here--and not a moment too soon--it's soon to be VACATION. I don't think we could own/borrow another book/map on WA if we tried. There is so much to see and do that we will be planning our time carefully. Did I mention there are CASINOS on our route? Oh yeah! nothing like a little mindless wandering from one slot machine to another--I am looking forward to that too. Our second stop is in Eden at a B&B.