You’re saying to yourself, “Another post about lighthouses!!??” Sorry, can’t get enough of them…and this was a quick 48 hour trip up to Seattle! A few months back I received an email from the U.S. Lighthouse Society, of which I am a member, announcing three unique, on the water, opportunities to celebrate their 35th anniversary. Of the three that were offered, the one that fit my schedule was in beautiful Puget Sound, visiting eight to nine lighthouses on a fast catamaran, with a buffet dinner included. I signed up and asked my two travel buddies, Val & Jan, if they’d be interested in joining me. They both immediately said yes and the planning began.
We landed in Seattle on Friday, mid-day, and after dropping off our bags, headed out to the historic Pike’s Place Market, opened in August 17, 1907, and one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers’ markets in the United States. It’s a total touristy spot, including the original Starbucks store, but you gotta go! Although known for their fish throwers, I remember that area being much bigger than it is now, but the flower markets are spectacular. You can get a HUGE bouquet for $20…what a bargain!
We stopped for a glass of wine at Lowell’s, in the market with a view of Puget Sound, and then moved down the street to Aerlume, for their happy hour. It’s a cool new place that opened in Dec. 2018 with stunning views of the water. Their happy hour isn’t just small plates, but nice sized portions. We split the burger and fries, which were delish, and the brussel sprouts may be the best I’ve ever had!
It was still light out, so we walked through the Olympic Sculpture Park and watched the gorgeous sunset over Puget Sound, with a lovely northwest cloud show!
We got up early Saturday and caught the 7:55 ferry over to Bainbridge Island.
It’s a quaint island, where Fall was in full swing! We enjoyed breakfast at the yummy, retro, Streamliner Diner , went to the farmer’s market and strolled through the shops on the main drag. Here are a few pics of our sojourn on Bainbridge.
Next time we’d rent bikes or a car and explore the island more, but we had to get back for our lighthouse tour. We headed out on the water at 3:00 and didn’t get back until 8:00. It was a spectacularly clear day and Mt. Rainer even came out to photobomb some of the lighthouses! The locals thanked us for bringing the nice California weather. Here’s a pictorial journey (all taken on my iphone) to all the lighthouses we visited, with 200 other lighthouse enthusiasts.
Washington was playing Stanford on Saturday night football (we’re all football fans), so we headed to a quintessential sports bar, Buckley’s in Belltown, to cheer along with the locals! Perfect place for basic bar food….onion rings, wings, etc…
We were up at 4 to catch our 6am flight back home…but were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise as we flew away!
“…people relish autumn days precisely because they’re reminders of how much we cannot afford to take for granted, and how much there is to celebrate right now…
I’ve had the same holder for my knives for at least 30 years….a vase, with fine sand…that I copied from my sister & brother in law. It’s very cool and many have copied them, but I saw this project in a magazine and loved it! A book knife holder!
First thing I did was go to the library used bookstore and find three books of similar color to go with my beachy decor. You can use four our more depending on how many knives you have (I didn’t care what the book titles were)…
Next I just wrapped some neutral/burlap-ish ribbon around them. Can’t be too tight because the knives have to have some room to slide in.
Put it on the counter and slide in your knives. That’s it!! There were some other complicated methods, involving cutting the book, etc…, on pinterest that you can check out…and it might be necessary if you have lots of knives, but I just went the easy route and I love it! This one fits two or three per book. It also forced me to minimize my, too large, knife collection, down to just the the necessary ones. It was SUPER easy (less than 10 minutes) and it looks cute on my kitchen counter.
Have a FAB weekend!
Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think and loved more than you know!… A.A. Milne
Love the life you have, while you create the life of your dreams!
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”…Arthur Ashe