Christmas Journey to the Pacific Northwest, Part 4: Seattle



We checked in to the Edgewater Hotel after dark on Sunday (12/26) and
discovered our room was delightful! In addition to a wonderful king-size bed,
there was a fireplace and two, big, overstuffed chairs and a terrace with this
view of the Seattle skyline. Their restaurant's not bad either!



Our hotel was within walking distance of Pike Place Market, but before
we got to it, I had to stop and take a picture of this bicycle, decked
out in its holiday splendor! It reminded me of Key West!

The "original Starbuck's" is across the street from
the market. The place was mobbed and it wasn't
even 10 AM yet! Fortunately, the street musicians
were plentiful! What was even more amazing
was these guys, playing without gloves
of any kind! It was 38 degrees!

Pikes Place Market, the street view, above and below!

Inside the market are small, independent shops and vendors. The colorful
display in the window of The Tobacco Patch made for eye candy!

These fish mongers were among the more entertaining businesses inside
the market. When they made a sale, they ALL sang! They had quite an
audience, too, which grew as the day wore on!

A small Asian woman (hidden behind the bouquets) made these gorgeous
dried flower bouquets throughout the day. We did go back the next day
and purchase one to take to my girlfriend in Issaquah. And, she liked it!

I loved this hat and truly regret not buying it! It's reminiscent of Chanel's
2009 winter collection. Where else would you find this kind of fashion?

Tucked way back in a corner, next to the stairs leading to the restrooms,
we discovered an herb shop. The woman who waited on us said they'd
been there since 1969! I picked up a bracelet of rosewood beads for
five bucks and a beautiful notebook filled with pages of handmade
paper. It reminded me of The Herb Garden in Key West, circa 1970s.

It wasn't just the musician who caught my eye (and, ear!); it was the two
women standing in the street behind him. They were smoking and chatting
and they just looked like women of character!

Colorful signs adorn the market place windows.

We passed the "original Starbuck's" again and
the musicians had changed. Loved the dog!

The colors of the vegetables and the graphics of the signs lead to a photo
op I simply couldn't pass up!

As we made our way back to our hotel, I discovered places where you could look down on the buildings below, and, lo and behold ... roof gardens! Loved them, too!

Seattle is a city that has a special energy of its own. There is an artsy buzz about it and I suspect that there is a wonderful culture of diversity and acceptance there. We'll be returning in the summer, so stay tuned ... let's see how much things change with the weather ...

Christmas Journey to the Pacific Northwest, Part 3

I awoke very early Christmas morning, still on east coast time and, once again, took up station next to the Christmas tree to watch the day dawn. After breakfast, Kathy offered to take us for a sight-seeing tour around The Peninsula, so we donned our winter wear and, with her son, Michael, climbed into her SUV for a ride ...

Our first stop was here (below), where you can drive out onto the beach. The seagulls were plentiful and I got a nice shot of this guy (above), braving the winter winds. The seagulls here are much bigger than our Florida seagulls. I wonder why that is ...

Next, she took us to Oysterville.

I was in no way prepared for the charm of this little bayside town! It was as though we'd stepped back in time ...

This tiny little church sits in the heart of this little village and is reason enough to visit! It was unlocked and open, allowing us to go inside and pay our respects on this Christmas Day.

My darling husband was charmed by the details of the church's interior and insisted we photograph the doorknob on the entry door as well. As you can see, it's worth the click of the camera!

We left Oysterville and, we made our way to Cape Disappointment, where the Lewis & Clark Expedition ended their two-year journey of discovery.

A short ride later, we arrived at Waikiki Beach.

As you can see (above), there's a lighthouse sitting up on a bluff, and, according to Kathy, on the other side of the lighthouse is the entrance to the Columbia River. The waves crashed like you see in the movies and the sea spray combined with the icy wind made for a fierce combination of elements. The photo was worth it, though, don't you think?

The bouy Christmas tree, above, was unlike anything I'd ever seen before!

Christmas Day brought more of the Mathews' kinfolk to visit, and with them came this scrumptious Christmas cake! It was, indeed, a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Journey to the Pacific Northwest, Part 2

Christmas Eve in Ocean Park, Washington brought temperatures in the 40s with rain. No surprises there, right? After all, we're on the Pacific ocean in a state known for it's zillions of days of rain! No matter! We donned our winter coats and hats and took a walk on the beach. There was a wicked wind out there on that beach, but we were hungry to see, hear and smell that ocean, so we endured!

There were a lot of seagulls along the beach and a sprinkling of sandpipers, but it was too cloudy to have any hope of spotting a gray whale. Our hostess, Kathy, said she had seen whales from her window, but they usually remain further out to sea. Ah, well ... we had to settle for the beauty of the beach ...

When we set out for our walk on the beach, a woman sat at the back of the house with a camera and a very long lens. Upon our return, I would meet her and, being fellow shutterbugs, we would talk photography and become new friends. Dee Dee Murry and her sidekick, Hallie, (below) allowed me and my trusty Nikon D-80 to come along for a ride around what the locals refer to as "The Peninsula" to take pictures. I would later learn what a talented artist she is. Click on her link there and see for yourself!

We stopped along the side of a road and got out of her van and a gentle rain accompanied us as we captured images. Here's some of what I saw ...

This moss (below) grew on everything. It reminded me of the spanish moss that covers trees in central and south Florida. I wonder if the two mosses are related???

And, the day wouldn't have been complete without a fashion shoot with Miss Hallie! Not only is she exceedingly cute, but she is very well trained, which Dee Dee demonstrated while I tried to capture a shot! I hope Hallie likes it!

Christmas Eve dinner was prepared for the family by our bride-to-be and the Mathews' home was a wonderland of twinkle lights and Christmas spirit!

Kathy's family arrived for dinner in the evening and we were introduced to Dungeness Crab! Now, I love-love-love crab, (crab cakes, crab salad, crab casserole, crab straight up!) but all my crab-eating experience has been with the crabs from the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Chesapeake Bay. What a delight to be able to eat crab at Christmas so far from home! And, I admit I made a pig of myself! It was so delicious to eat and ... well ... after all, I love crab!! Didn't I say that?

What a lovely Christmas Eve it was. Thank you to the Mathews Family for making us feel at home ...

Christmas Journey to the Pacific Northwest, Part 1

My darling husband's daughter is getting married in July 2011 and she and her fiancé invited us to visit his mother's home in Ocean Park, Washington for Christmas. While we looked forward to staying in their home on the beach, little did we know just how marvelous our time with this family would really be!

We flew from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta via Delta and then spent a couple of hours in the Atlanta airport, people watching and waiting for our flight to Portland, Oregon. It was the day before Christmas Eve and airport traffic was heavy. I managed to get a shot (below) from the window of our plane and, as you can see, planes were lined up, ready for take-off, as holiday travelers made their way to be with family and friends.

I wasn't sure how good this shot would turn out (below), but, here we are, above the clouds, flying at 35,000 feet. By this point in time, I was well into my book, "The Art of Racing in the Rain," by Garth Stein. My dh was by my side, hooked into the free wifi, surfing the Internet for information about our final destination: Ocean Park, Washington.

The wedding couple picked us up at the Portland airport and we made the three-hour trek to the beach house home of Mark and Kathy. They fed us delicious chowder and wine upon our arrival and we thought that, surely, we'd reached heaven.

Mathews Landing, as they call it, is the last house on a lonesome beach road that seems to stretch on into infinity. It would be the next morning before we'd get to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time.

Still on east coast time, I awoke around 4:30 AM west coast time, so I found a spot on the sofa next to the Christmas tree and waited for daybreak.

... and, I wasn't disappointed! The great Pacific Ocean, right there!

We were as far away from home as we could get and not leave the continent. And, WOW! what a faraway place to be!