End of summer

Well as the month of August comes to a close, way too soon, the last of the warm days and road trip come to an end. This last weekend was no different for many, a nice sunny and warm weekend meant a trip in the car to a different location. I had the opportunity to take my mother for a drive up the road to my cousin's house to enjoy some time in a slightly different environment.

It is always fun to spend some time in the Seattle area, though I never got into that city, I was close enough to see the buildings from across the water. The Sound is a great place to go and there are so many things to do and see, but I spent the time on my cousin's property having fun with the dog and cats, the canoe and all the other things we do while there.

Port Gamble view

It has become a tradition to play darts and this was no exception. My cousin's daughter and boyfriend were there as well so we had a good group to play. I am happy to say I was victorious on two matches. I seemed to run away on the first match, but lost the second, but then rallied to win the third. The matches lasted until 1 AM and I was happy to finish playing by then.

At this time of year, the berries are nearing the end of the season. The blackberries were still thick on the vine but they were starting to dry and fall off at the touch. But we still were able to pick a pile and eat as many while picking. Always a sign of the end of summer, but a tasty sign it was. I miss the berries during the winter, but I try to pick as much as I can and freeze them to enjoy during the cold months.

Port Ludlow

On Saturday we took a drive up into the Olympic Peninsula to see some of the small port towns. The area was heavily logged in the past and there were many small towns on the shore of the Sound where the logs would be milled and the lumber shipped out. Port Gamble and Port Ludlow were to places we stopped. Both are interesting and very nice to walk and poke around in.


If you head to Seattle and want to see some of the area, the best thing is

to take a ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island, then drive or ride a bike through the Olympic Peninsula. If you ride a bike, it is some-what flat but watch for traffic since the roads are narrow.