Category Archives: Washington State

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Before there were lighthouses on the Peninsula, ships bound for Portland and Astoria navigated their way through the high waves and shifting sandbars, focusing on fluttering white flags and notched trees along the shoreline by day and flickering signal fires by night. These methods were crude at best and, despite heroic efforts, the sea offshore of the Long Beach Peninsula became known as ‘The Graveyard of the Pacific’.

In 1788, British fur trader John Meares named the area Cape Disappointment after his inability to locate the river’s mouth.

The Peninsula’s first lighthouse, Cape Disappointment, had a bumpy beginning. As early as 1848, a government survey had recommended a lighthouse due to the great number of shipwrecks. Lighthouse construction materials were underway in 1853, stashed in the hull of the ship Oriole when it sank two miles off shore. While a few items were salvaged, the bulk of the shipment was lost.

We got the tip to head to Waikiki Beach in Cape Disappointment State Park to get a nice view of the lighthouse from the visitor’s center in Ocean Park.

Both Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and North Head Lighthouse were taken under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939. In the early 1990s the Cape Disappointment light underwent a major renovation, complete with a new paint job with black and white stripes with a dark green top.

Cape Disappointment is the oldest functioning lighthouse on the west coast. I will share my photos from the North Head Lighthouse soon. You will need a Discovery Pass to get close to each of these lighthouses.

ht: Funbeach.com

Walking…

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk.  Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness.  I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.  ~Soren Kierkegaard

Now shall I walk
or shall I ride?
“Ride,” Pleasure said:
“Walk,” Joy replied.
~W.H. Davies

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.  ~Henry David Thoreau

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain – and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light…. ~Robert Frost

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence. ~ Thoreau

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began,
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many path and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
The Lord of the Rings
The Old Walking Song sung by Bilbo Baggins, Chapter ‘A Long-Expected Party’.

I’m hoping to inspire myself to walk more. These quotes are inspirational and make the case for walking quite strong. Maybe they can inspire you, too.

These photos are all paths we took while traveling to and staying at the Long Beach Peninsula. If you are looking for a spot to stay that affords many good walking paths in different settings this is a great destination. I would suggest buying a Discovery Pass before you travel here because some of the wildlife refuges and parking for the light houses require the pass. The pass is only $30-$35 and it’s good for a whole year for many state parks and refuge areas across the state.

Eating on the Road…

Whenever we travel we like to find spots to eat where the locals eat. We found just the place in Raymond, Washington for breakfast on our way to the Long Beach Peninsula. You can see all the old timers in the restaurant.

In my restraint stage of life right now I decided to order off the senior menu. I ordered the egg and cake. Look at the size of that pancake! Yikes! I was expecting a little pancake.

Here’s another photo from the main drag in Raymond.

Once we got to the Long Beach Peninsula we asked and listened to different locals on where they would eat in and around town. Three spots were suggested and we had dinner at one, breakfast at the other and had to pass on the third.

For dinner we decided to eat at The Depot in Seaview.

Dinner was delicious. Dear had filet and I had osso buco. We passed on dessert.

On our way home from our overnight we stopped for breakfast at 42nd Street Cafe and Bistro in Seaview. The none restraint plate is Dear’s. After all it is his vacation week from work!

This was our final destination in between all the restaurant stops. We had the opportunity for lots of walks along the beach which made our restaurant stops a wash.

I’m joining in with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

The Longest Beach…

After we checked into our Inn on Tuesday we decided we had better get out on that longest beach before the weather turned on us. So for our first beach walk we walked on the sand and that was a good workout. Right behind Dear in this photo is the place where we stayed. Our room was the top middle room…no elevator so another good workout.

Looking south we could just make out the North Point Light House. I’ll share my up close and personal shots of the light houses next week.

Looking north the beach goes on forever. Well forever until it ends at the north tip of the peninsula and joins Willapa Bay.

Looking back at our Inn. We really liked the location of it so close to the beach.

The following shots are to prove I was on the beach and that it was real windy.

I’m facing north and south is behind me…right?

And here I’m facing south and north is behind me.

Looking inland east. We were really impressed with the patriotism of the small communities along the Long Beach Peninsula and Willapa Bay.

We had just missed Kite Festival that is held every year in Long Beach. That must be quite a sight to see. There were a few kite fliers on the beach during our walk.

There was a long boardwalk that ran along the beach and a paved path for bikes and pedestrians, too. I’ll show the walks we had along these later.

Hope you are all enjoying your long weekend free from labor!

Oysterville 2

More from the picturesque little town of Oysterville and proof that we actually had oysters! When in Rome…

 

Look at the moss on this fence. What’s the difference I wonder between moss and lichen? I’ll have to research that.

This bit of history really made us chuckle. On the way back home we stopped by the Pacific county courthouse in South Bend and we chuckled again.

Fresh oysters from “the cleanest bay in North America” or at least that’s what the signs said. Can you believe everything you read on signs or the internet? The oysters were very fresh and very good. I never crave an oyster but since we were driving through and staying in an oyster capital of the world it seemed most fitting to indulge in some oysters.

Oh my today is the last day of August! Dear is still on vacation until Tuesday and we are for the most part laying low on Labor Day Weekend. We are joining Josh and Laura for brunch on Sunday to celebrate their anniversary late. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Oysterville!

Dear and I went on an overnight to the Long Beach Peninsula which is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Willapa Bay. Willapa Bay is famous for it’s oysters. We decided a stop in the historic little town of Oysterville would be interesting. Today I’m just sharing a few of the photos I took there.

This is the church which was open for us to walk through.

“This old Baptist church was built in 1892 at a cost of $1,500 and was paid for by R.H. Espy. No regular services have been held here since about 1930 and the church has been non-denominational since 1980. Summer services are held by ministers from various churches on the North Beach Pennisula. The church is located in the Oysterville Historic District which is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.”

The way the church is divided down the middle we guessed that the men and women used to sit on opposite sides of the church for services…

There were several home sites with the history of the home or original owners posted.

Many of the homes had beautiful gardens which I had to zoom in to capture. The homes are privately owned now and I’m sure they don’t appreciate people walking about their yards.

This is the oldest house in Oysterville built in 1863.

Since Teacher Jenny’s Alphabe-Thursday is on the letter O and we were just in Oysterville on Tuesday this O post is timely so I’m joining in after a long absence from this weekly meme. For more entries on the letter O visit Teacher Jenny.

Dear and I are back home now after our overnight away. It was a wonderful break for us and I’ll share more as the days go on. So many interesting places to share and of course the food we ate with restraint!

Living at the Hood…

…Hood Canal that is.

Our friends Dave and Beth sold their house in our old neighborhill a few years ago and moved to their vacation home on Hood Canal. What a beautiful spot to live and enjoy the beauty that the Lord created for us. They’ve added many great garden touches to make the property more private.

This old guy made the move from the hill to his new home by the water.

They enjoy kayak trips on the canal when the water is calm.

How about this for a great setting for your next roast or just to enjoy a fire by the water?!

The added landscape shrubs and walls help give privacy and block some of the wind that always whips up on the canal.

I waved to my MGCC friends who live in British Columbia just on the other side of Mt. Baker seen here looking north on Hood Canal.

Dave and Beth have always shared the blessings that the Lord has afforded them with their family and friends. God bless you both on whatever the Lord holds for you in the future!

I’ll show more photos I captured of this long legged bird on my next post…

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

Poulsbo ~ Velkommen

Poulsbo is a picturesque town located on Liberty Bay on the Kitsap Peninsula. It’s known as “little Norway”  Poulsbo was settled in 1892 by Norwegian loggers, farmers and fishermen who likened the fjord-cut landscape to their homeland.

On Wednesday when Beth picked me up from the Ferry landing we headed here to walk about and check out the 2nd hand store she volunteers at once a week. The 2nd hand store uses their profits to feed the hungry in this area.

How about this mural as a surround for the door to the chocolate shop?!

I took this photo from the inside of the Bakery looking out on the colorful storefronts.

I really like the fun setting of this Mexican restaurant with the eye catching items they’ve decorated with.

There were a few other restaurants I’ll remember if Dear and I ever venture back here. Thanks for showing me around Poulsbo, Beth.

Next time I’ll show you the amazing views around Dave and Beth’s home.

Northwest Weather Notes: It’s sizzling here in the Pacific Northwest. We are looking at breaking some heat records today.

Any fun plans for the weekend? Dear is probably going to work on the house again. I’m going to a Ruffles and Rust sales event in the morning on Saturday. On Sunday our church has their Summer Sunday service. One service instead of 3 all together at a neighboring large piece of property owned by a member of our church. Dinner, service and baptisms all outdoors. BYOC…bring your own chair! I’m thinking about taking an umbrella, too. Have a great weekend!

A Day With a Friend…

I drove to Edmonds and parked my car and bought my ticket to walk on the ferry Wednesday morning.

I sailed on the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston on the Kitsap Peninsula.

It was a beautiful warm day and perfect to be close to the water.

So is this a jelly fish? I saw a few of them in the “Sound”.

When I arrived at the Kitsap dock I waited for the pedestrian bridge to connect to the ferry deck.

I walked off the ferry and my friend Beth was waiting for me and we drove to Poulsbo first and then to her home for lunch. I’ll show more photos of our adventures and her beautiful home in another post. Our friendship began through our sons. Our sons began their friendship in grade school and are still good buds. What a blessing to be friends with your children’s friends!

“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson