My Lovely Bride spotted a trio of trees the other day and decided they would make a good prop for her yoga routine. Here she is displaying the Tree Pose. 
Back at The Coach, Dog Dad was getting some sloppy kisses from his Best Dog Friend, Rudy. (It’s a good thing we brush the puppies’ teeth daily!) 
Unusual house designs always intrigue me. I like to guess what inspired the homeowner to select a particular design. Here in rainy Washington State, this design was probably chosen for its many windows that allow maximum light in to cheer up the house on many otherwise wet, dreary days. Since the area is primarily rural, there aren’t any housing developments as such, so there isn’t much standardization of house designs.
Fortunately, Friday wasn’t a dreary day, and we got in a double workout. Up early to get a hike in near Olympic National Park. It was too far to drive all the way to the park itself, so Suzanne found a hike along Deer Ridge in the adjacent national forest. I recall her asking me, “How about this ‘more easy’ trail?” When we got there, it was definitely a workout. I asked, I thought this was supposed to be an ‘easy’ trail?” She replied, “No, Ty, I said ‘more difficult!” You can get an idea of the trail’s steepness here…
Here is one of the lovely rhododendron flowers (Rhododendron ferrugenium) we found along the trail. 
This view of the Olympics was worth the climb. We met one group of seven kids and their two leaders who were headed out for a three week backpacking trip into the mountains… I envied them that experience!
After our hike and lunch, we went for a great bike ride on the Olympic Discovery Trail. Up and down hills and through thick forests, the trail gave us a challenge and beautiful scenery. We finished near this Bed and Breakfast created from eight old railroad cars. For Suzanne, whose dad was a railroad engineer, it was a special treat!
While not hiking, I have thought about fishing a lot, but the rainy Seattle area weather kept me from getting out with my rod and reel. I did, however, get some excellent advice from My Good Friend Bob, who texted me a photo of some fish he had enjoyed for dinner. I texted him back, asking what lure he had used… I received a typical New England one-word reply: “Mastercard”.
On the subject of fish, while living in England back in the 80s, I developed a taste for fish and chips. It was with great surprise when we saw a sign for Kiwi Fish and Chips while walking around downtown Sequim, Washington, where we spent the past couple of nights. We chatted with the shop owner, Bryan, who with his wife Daisy, had emigrated from New Zealand to the US and opened his business this year. We didn’t meet Daisy, but Bryan was a charming Kiwi (yes, named after the bird). He was a farmer back in NZ, but is happy that he moved to the USA.
Sequim (the “e” is silent) is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains. It gets much less rain than the surrounding area, which makes it a popular retirement community. We may return next year for the entire month of July, as the hiking and cycling here are fabulous. We found a nice place to stay, the John Wayne Marina and Campground. It sits on a hillside overlooking Sequim Bay, a protected harbor with great kayaking. The Duke was also enamored with Sequim and bought land here many years ago, which the Wayne family still owns and operates. 
Sequim also has local Native American tribes living in the vicinity. Rudy was particularly interested in the carving techniques used in his totem pole in the town park. 
On Saturday we took the ferry from Port Angeles, WA, to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. We were almost the largest vehicle aboard, but one semi and trailer took that prize. Nevertheless, we did get some comments from other folks on the ferry.
It was a perfect day for a crossing – light winds, low waves and sunny skies. The puppies enjoyed being out in the sun for the 90 minute trip, and got to meet a few other canine passengers.
2 Comments
angeldust
Hey Ty and Suzanne,
You look like "naturals" for this environment! My daughter lives in Seattle and would like for me to move there. Hmmmm…how many days of sunshine? Would appreciate if you would track the number of sunshine days while you're there, especially since this is Seattle's best season–June thru Sept. Are you seeing more rain…or sun? Not sure the place has enough Vitamin D to go around!!
Lovin your blog!!!
xxxooo,
Gloria
Ty and Suzanne Giesemann
Gloria, They say June was mostly wetter and cooler than average, but now it's sunny and hot. When we lived out here summers were fabulous, but fall, winter and spring grey and misty day after day, with only the occasional "sun break" which they would announce on the radio. Office workers would stream out of their buildings and stand in the sun for a few minutes until it went back behind the clouds for the next few days. There were lots of stories about depression related to the months of grey skies. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is real! Love, Ty and Suzanne