September 28-30 2013 Sequim, Washington

Spent a rainy weekend, mostly inside. Today we moved to Sequim (pronounced Skwim) State Park , in the supposedly driest part of the peninsula. Still rainy here.

We had lunch with Hal and Georgia Howell. Hal got me hooked up with the smoke jumper trail crews and I went on one of his ski trips to Austria. We have had a lot of good times on trail crews and skiing in Colorado and Austria. It was great to see them and finally met Georgia-she is a real firecracker. Back at camp John was paddling his tarp to keep the table dry. A couple inches of rain this weekend.

The bus in the rain at Manchester State park. Birthday boy John with his birthday mac and cheese. Happy birthday darlin’.

Today we moved to Sequim state park. Here is our campsite on Sequim bay. When I turn around and this is what we see. Too bad it is so cold and rainy, would be fun to boat on this.

The Olympic Discovery bike trail runs through the park. I couldn’t get excited about riding in the pouring rain and John’s bike has a flat tire. We decided to walk on the bike path to the Jamestown S’Klallam  Indian reservation and see the totem poles.  The sun came out briefly and I snapped this shot of the trail. We did not stop and trespass at this house!

These totem poles are in the casino. The Salish Indians support their long houses with a totem at each corner and one in the center. These are  more modern totem poles, but made by the Indians with the old tools in the traditional  way. The plaques beside them describe the meaning of the figures. There was also a gallery, but we did not find it. It poured on the way home, then the sun came back out and we had this lovely rainbow on the bay.

Some fall color among the conifers on the bay. This bridge is on the hiking trail.

Over this creek running into the bay. It is mostly cliffs here, not much beach.  Above is a sea star, the water is so clear you can see down from the dock. Also saw crabs running sideways and hermit crabs, below are two soaking wet mushrooms by the trail.

A flock of birds overhead at sunset, and sunset over the bay.

September 27, 2013 Seattle, Washington

We braved the ferry again today to sight see in Seattle.  It was predicted to rain all day so we did indoor things.

To ride the ferry we have to drive 30 minutes to the station in Bremerton, pay to park in a parking garage , go to the ferry terminal , wait in line to board the ferry. It is free to ride into Seattle, but you have to pay to get back. The ride is 50 minutes.  Here we are on the front of the ferry. Right after this photo the abandon  ship bells went off, people all leaped up and looked confused, then they announced that it was a drill for the employees and they proceeded to lower the life boat to the water.  From the waterfront there are old stone streets up hill to the city.

The gum wall at the Pike market. The most disgusting sight in Seattle I read. This end of the market was the most interesting with mushrooms, shellfish, lots of fresh flowers and fish.

We walked to the Seattle center where the Space Needle and the monorail are-both of which I rode at the 1962 worlds fair. A number of museums are also there. We went to the Chihuly Garden and glass. Dale Chihuly is a Seattle native and his studio is in the city.  I always complain about him because he designs his pieces and has his studio make them and he doesn’t give the artists credit who fabricate the pieces. He lost an eye in an auto accident and does not have the depth perception to blow glass anymore. But he did a heck of job designing, and he is very into the placement and light of his pieces and these are really incredible. The first photo is  the Glass Forest. Each piece is blown on  top of a ladder and before the piece cools gravity pulls it down to the floor . They are about 6 feet tall and are reflected here. The second photo is the Northwest room, glass inspired by designs of the native American's- glass baskets. The third  photo is the Sea life piece, about 20 + feet tall with sea creatures in it, sea stars, anemones, shells.

The first two photos are the Ikebana and float boat. Both of these installations were first done on water. He was working with how the water reflects the light and color. The second photo is of one of the garden pieces and one of his chandeliers.

Top of the first photo is the Persian  ceiling, a glass ceiling with glass pieces artfully arranged and lit from behind. The bottom of the photo is the Macchia forest. He is into architectural glass in these. The top of the second photo is the Glasshouse, it is an arrangement inside a huge green house with the Space needle above it. The bottom of the photo is the green house in the background and a huge piece in the garden over a purplish mound of plants.

These photos are in the glass garden.  They were really cool with the plants. It is a shame that it was not a sunny day, that would have really brought out the colors.

The EMP is in the fabulous building. It is a museum of music + si fi+pop culture.  Here is a two story piece called “If VI was IX” a guitar sculpture-part of the guitar gallery.  One of the exhibits was the Jimi Hendricks experience. Jimi was originally from Seattle. There was Jimi Hendricks  history, instruments, original photographs,  outrageous outfits and rare concert footage. This broken guitar is the one he broke after his last performance in London.

The top is John at the Science Fiction exhibit entrance, an exhibit that explores the  extraordinary ideas behind the genre with costumes(Christopher Reeves superman costume), space guns, space ships, etc. Below is the Can’t look away about the world of horror films. In the black and white photo John is the third one down. It was the scream booth, it takes you through a few exercises and then photographs you screaming and adds it to the exhibit outside the booth. There were also exhibits on Nirvana-another Seattle group, Fantasy movies,  the Sky Church, and the sound lab where you could play with instruments, be in a band.  After all this excitement we had lunch at the Pike brewing company in the Pike market.

We considered going to the aquarium, but it was so late it was closed. We took the ferry back and John slept the whole way. Too much excitement. The ferry terminal in Bremerton is next to the Naval Shipyards. This is the ‘flag’ of the most decorated submarine, which all of its awards are for things that are all classified, so it just lists the awards, not what they did for them.

September 26, 2013 Seattle, Washington

We walked on to the ferry to downtown Seattle today. Much less  hassle than ferrying the car or bus. It is free to walk into Seattle, you have to pay to leave on the ferry.

A sea gull floating above the ferry. He spied John’s Cheetos. We met our friends Peter and Jennie Goldberg who live in Seattle and walked around the waterfront in the sunshine. It is supposed to rain the rest of the weekend.

Peter and Jennie with sun in their eyes  having dinner at Anthony’s. Sunset on the waterfront.

Sunset from the ferry heading back to Bremerton. Sunset on downtown Seattle.

The other end of downtown, the space needle is on the far left, the ferris wheel in the center. Sunset on Mt Rainier south of Seattle.

September 25, 2013 Manchester State Park, Bremmington Island, Wa

We took the bus on the ferry from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend this morning. It saves driving all the way around the sound, saves lots of miles and we don’t have to drive the bus in the city. We got there at the crack of 945 Am for the 1015 ferry, got right on. The recommend reservations, but there was not much traffic today. Good thing.

From the front seat this is driving onto the ferry. Looking down at the bus on the ferry. There are normally 3 lanes of traffic across the bay of  the ferry, but we had one and a half and an oversized semi load had the other lane and a half. Good thing there was not much traffic.  Only cost $76 to take the bus across one way.

From the front seat arriving at the ferry dock. They let us off first, we were in the front. Front row seats for the ride.  Historic downtown Port Townsend.

The bus did not start this morning. Luckily there is a back up switch that uses the house batteries to start the engine. We stopped at a car parts place, they tested the battery, it was dead, so John got a new one and installed it. He figured it died because it had a 30 month warranty and it is 31 months now. We are parked at Manchester Island state park on Bremmington Island right across the sound from Seattle. We can take the ferry free to downtown if we walk on and not take the car. Perfect for sightseeing.  This building is the torpedo storage for the Middle Sound defense. It was built in 1890 to protect the entrance to the sound. They kept land mines not torpedoes in this building and they were for putting in the bottom of the Rich Pass passage between islands here. They could detonate them when an enemy ship came by. But no enemy ships came by, so none got detonated.

View across the Rich Pass to the other island from the park. A water filled leaf. It has been raining daily here. Very damp.

I think this is Seattle across the sound  from the end of the park. The masterpiece is coming along. It is getting really fun since it is starting to look cool. I reach this point near the end of pieces when they really are coming out ok. I have 45 hours into it now. It is 9 inches tall. I was taking some artsy photos of it in the moss and ferns and discovered that I could not take a photo that didn’t look like a face.