Category Archives: Travel

A Little Drive…

…to 3 Little Towns.

On Saturday morning of Memorial Weekend Dear was inspired to take a drive just across the Cascades to visit Cle Elum, Roslyn, and Ronald.

We left early in the morning and our first stop was for breakfast in Cle Elum.

Friendly people and good food if you need someplace to eat on your way across the Cascades we recommend this cafe. They have “acres” of parking…that cracked me up but I suppose if you are traveling in R.V.’s and pulling trailers filled with bikes and camping gear this is the place for you!

We got some great inside information from the family sitting next to us on visiting Roslyn and Ronald. After breakfast in Cle Elum and a stop at the small town hardware store we headed West to Roslyn.

Incorporated in 1886 the coal-mining town of Roslyn played an important role in Washington State History. The extensive coal fields in the area fueled the Northern Pacific Railroad’s trains during construction and early operation of a direct rail line through the Cascade Mountains.

Roslyn also claimed fame because of the T.V. series Northern Exposure. It was called Cicely on the show and suppose to be in Alaska but the filming was done on the streets of Roslyn, Washington.

The Brick is Washington’s oldest continuously operating bar established in 1889. They are also known for Northern Exposure being filmed there and a movie called The Runner Stumbles with Dick Van Dyke. The Runner Stumbles was also filmed at the Immaculate Conception Church in Roslyn shown below.

We were too early for most shops to be open but we weren’t too early to hit some garage sales. We found some real good bargains in Roslyn. Items priced at 10 cents and 50 cents. Woohoo that’s what I’m talking about…

We always are able to find some great yard art in these little towns we visit.

Our last little town was Ronald and this is a photo of the General Store. There wasn’t much else in this town but we found this stellar example of yard art!

What do you think?

We headed home from this little town and made it back in time to mow and weed whack the yard.

Air Show Surprise…

I mentioned before and shared that when we were in Southern California for Levi and Kristin’s wedding we made a morning trip on the day of the wedding to the Riverside National Cemetery to find Dear’s dad’s grave. While we were there visiting all the amazing memorials and monuments we were treated to the Patriot’s Jet Team who were performing at the nearby March Air Force Base. What a special treat this was…

We were standing here and looking up at the Patriots and Laura said “Now all they need to do is form a heart for Levi and Kristin since it’s their wedding day” and sure enough just after she said that this is what we saw!

We were quite impressed that they could hear Laura’s request from so high up in the sky.

This was a wonderful family time and we appreciated everything we experienced together this day. We missed Dan and Andrew this time but we will have other special times with them. We trust the Lord for that…

This is going to be a short week at home for us. Here we are in the last week of May already! Yikes! How are things going where you are?

Saratoga and Beyond…

On Saturday when we checked into our Inn before heading to the wedding the weather was looking up!

You could see the Saratoga Passage  and Camano Island from the Inn.

We had a warm welcome.

After the wedding when we got to our room we had a sweet treat on our turned down bed.

On Sunday morning before breakfast we headed out for a misty walk. I already posted the photos from the Eagle we spied.

There were pretty tulips still blooming around Langley.

We drove north up the Island and after our stop at the Meerkerk Rhododendron gardens we enjoyed a little antique shopping.

We headed south again and saw a sign on the side of the road advertizing that Gerry’s had the best crab cakes around so we decided to see if that was true.

They were still only serving breakfast at 11:45 A.M. so we had our crab cakes in Benedict form. They were very good.

Our last stop in the island before the Ferry landing was this lovely garden store. In a few weeks these arbors will have beautiful blooms hanging down. I can only imagine how breathtaking they will be.

Time to head to the ferry landing.

Adios to Whidbey Island and Happy Cinco de Mayo to all of you.

The Eagle

The Eagle

By Alfred, Lord Tennyson

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.
~
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

We spent the night on Whidbey Island and in the early morning we headed out on a walk along the Saratoga Passage. In the distance we saw a bird with a white crown and knew it was an Eagle. We were hoping it would stay put until we made our way down to the landing.

The Inn where we stayed is up on the bluff.
It always amazes me how feisty crows can be around Eagles. The Eagle gave one screech at the crow and the crow backed off.
Before we headed back for our breakfast at the Inn we were alerted to the fact that a whale was making it’s way along the Saratoga Passage. I couldn’t get a great shot of the spray because it was hard to predict. It was still exciting to see.
~
After breakfast we checked out and had a couple adventures on the Island before we headed to the Ferry Terminal for our ride back to the mainland. I’ll show more photos from our adventures and from the Inn soon.

Whidbey Island Getaway…

We had a long awaited event to attend on Whidbey Island on Saturday and we took advantage and spent the night on the Island.

We traveled back and forth to the Island with our car on a Washington State Ferry.

 A very efficient way to travel to an island.

I’ll be sharing photos later on the magical wedding we attended and all the other beautiful things we enjoyed while away.

High Tea at the George Washington Inn

The tables were set on the ocean front piazza, also known as a veranda.

First course included Black Forest and Lavender Cheddar Scones, Dried Cherry and Orange Biscuits, Fresh Lavender Biscuits and assorted flavored Butters and Jams. Beth reads my blog and she’s a real fast learner. After the first course she knew to pass me the service plate for photos before any of us took a bite. The drawback to eating with a blogger!!

Second Course included Petite Spinach and Swiss Quiche, Smoked Salmon Mousse-Filled Cucumber Cups, and Lavender Cream Cheese Turkey Finger Sandwiches.

Third Course included Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Assorted Petits Fours, and Rasberry/Lemon Lavender Cheesecake.

Tea served with each course was raspberry lavender black tea.

George Washington spoke to us during tea, sharing many interesting stories of his life leading up to his presidency.

President George Washington in portrayal is available for events and can be reached at vfrykholm@olypen.com

Katie won a bar of soap from Mt. Vernon for asking the president the best question of the day.

We were blessed during our tea time with views of more than one rainbow.

A stop at the gift shop on our way out for some lavender goodies to take home.

We also couldn’t resist sitting in the great rockers and squinting in the sunshine before we headed to our ferry crossing home.

It was a lovely day for High Tea at the George Washington Inn with Katie and Beth and of course with our first President.

George Washington Inn ~ Port Angeles

Between Sequim and Port Angeles on a bluff above the Strait of Juan de Fuca is a beautiful Inn dedicated to reflect the spiritual legacy that was the foundation of our country. Here’s a little recap of our journey for High Tea at the George Washington Inn.

We woke up to a significant wind storm on the morning of George Washington’s Birthday. We were hoping our ferry crossing on the Puget Sound would go well. We crossed with rocking and rolling and white caps in view.

We picked up Beth in the historic little town of Port Gamble and crossed the Hood Canal bridge without incident. When we turned the bend into Sequim we were hit head on with some gale force winds that made me keep a tight grip on the steering wheel. We were visually impressed when we turned up the driveway to the George Washington Inn.

How fun to have to be squinting in the bright sunshine! Despite the wind the weather treated us kindly.

What a wonderful surprise when we walked into the front door and George Washington greeted us!

He was kind enough to take a photo with us.

We were early so we toured the Inn before our tea time.

The guest rooms were so lovely. The soaking tub really was inviting. We headed out to see the views from the Terrace.

There was a driving wind blowing across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Did I already mention how lovely it was to have the sun shining brightly?! We headed back inside and downstairs to look around.

The Inn has great comfortable spaces and we enjoyed this sitting area before we headed into Tea. My next post will show all my photos from our High Tea time which included time with George Washington and hearing some history of his life.

What a wonderful setting. We all agreed that it would be a very special treat to stay overnight at this beautifully appointed and comfortable Inn. The Innkeepers made us feel right at home. This Inn and property also participate in the annual Lavender Farm Faire. How great  it would be to stay here during the festival!

USS Midway!

Midway Magic…

When we were in San Diego in January we got to tour this amazing ship. My brother Tim, his wife Letty, my sister Vera and I were allowed on board after laying down some cold hard cash.

It was difficult to capture the enormity of this ship with my camera.

No other aircraft carrier served the U.S.A. in the 20th century as long as the USS Midway. Its track record of humanitarian missions, establishment of new naval aviation standards, and marathon deployments made it one of the most noteworthy aircraft carriers in the history of the U.S. Navy.

The Midway was commissioned in 1945 as the largest ship in the world for a decade, the first too large for the Panama Canal

The flight deck is 4.02 acres!

Friendly Docents are located all over the ship to give informative tours and answer any questions you might have.

For our tour of the Bridge we were happy to be assigned to Captain Bruce W. Churchhill. He served for 25 years in the Navy and even had his aircraft featured on the deck of the Midway.

Views from the Bridge…

The Midway was decommissioned in San Diego, California in 1992. In 2004 it opened as the USS Midway Museum in San Diego.

As of 2010 the Midway Museum has surpassed 5 millions visitors since opening.

We were all given permission to go ashore except for my feisty Sister-in-law Letty…

They threw her in the Brig. If San Diego is in your travel plans make sure to put a tour of the Midway on your itinerary. If you do visit would you please say hi to Letty for us…

I’m linking up with Miss Jenny for Alphab-Thursday since we are on the letter M!

25 days to the wedding!!

Before They Sail Away…

…from my memory. I’ll share some fun sailing vessels.

Today is another walking day for me. I walked on Friday with some new friends on the trail. Today I meet up with another of my former walking buddies and my sister to continue the quest of walking and keeping our joints from freezing up on us. Do you walk? It’s one of my favorite forms of exercise when I have a friend to walk with…