July 18 – 24

The first wave of family arrive and settle in Monday.  Barb and Craig from Roseburg and Jim from Vernonia with grandkids Aiden and Sophie in tow.  Jim stays with us on the boat and the others spread out in the condo.  

A little squid jigging is done with little success. Sophie kept one squid overnight and ”Charles” did fine right up until Carl changed the water in his bucket then he became fish food.


We toured three museums on Tuesday.  The Jefferson Museum of Art and History gave us a good overview of the history of the area with exhibits on the early settlement days from the late 1800’s

 

including good discussion on the native Klallam inhabitants, the coming of the army with Fort Worden, and the failed hopes of making Port Townsend the western terminus of a transcontinental railroad.  The museum is housed in the oldest running, still used city hall building in the States.  Council was not in session so we were able to view the beautiful 1892 architecture in the Council chambers. Aiden and Soph asie each took a turn in the basement jail cells.  Next stop was the Commanding Officer’s quarters on the Fort Worden army base, now a state park.  This 1904 home gives you a good look at how an officer and his family lived when they took command of the army stationed on this strategic point in the Puget Sound. The troop housing came along years later and is now available for rent. It looked like it would be a very interesting place spend the night.

  Our last stop was the Rothschild House, an excellent example of Victorian architecture that is prominent in the area.  The house is furnished with original furnishings and is said to be one of many haunted homes in the area.

Wednesday was a good day for a few folks to go sailing around Discovery Bay so Jim, Craig and Carl set sail.    The rest of us checked out the pool and hot tub.  Jacob and Brittney arrived with our other two grandchildren Emily and Sam. Pam took Emily, Aiden and Sophie down to paddle the kayak and the dinghy around the dock area.  It is fun to watch the kids paddle around and see how their skills have improved. More crab are harvested .  Dinner is a tasty lasagna courtesy of Barb.

Thursday all eleven of us piled into ExTerra for a full day trip to the Dungeness Spit wildlife refuge.  We obtained permission from Fish and Wildlife to land our dinghy on the beach near the lighthouse.  The other way to reach the lighthouse is walking 5 and a half miles out the spit.  This is the longest natural sand spit in the United States.  We anchor out and Carl rows three dinghy loads of us to shore. We enjoy a nice picnic and then scatter.  Some of us climb to the top of the lighthouse, others take naps and some play happily in the sand and rocks.  Sam has a new word…rock!  Since the afternoon winds are supposed to get to gale force we head back to Discovery Bay with a nice sail inside the more protected waters the bay.  More crab are harvested!  More squid are jigged!  Dinner is a crab feast with a few rock fish thrown in.  Five of us head to town for a walking tour of some of the haunted houses and Carl and Jim stay home with the kids and bravely take all four of them to the pool.

Friday we all head to the Marine Science Center, another attraction in Fort Worden state park.  The kids, young and old get to touch and feel many types of local marine life and examine microscopic life under a microscope.  Then it is off to get ice cream after another picnic in the park.  Barb and Craig head back to Portland with Aiden and Sophie.  We make them take crab.  The rest of us enjoy a nice burrito dinner from Brittney including some of the fresh vegetables from their garden.

Saturday we take Emily and Sam to the Olympic Game Farm.  This farm was used exclusively for Walt Disney studios for 28 years during which time over a hundred films were made.  The farm houses quite a variety of wildlife and takes in animals in need.  You can see everything from yaks and llamas to bear, cougar and wolves.  And do pay attention to the signs! You will definitely get slobbered on by the bison as they reach their heads and slimy tongues into you car for their next piece of whole wheat bread!  Emily goes out with Nana and Papa to do one last harvesting of crabs and delights in getting to push the small ones overboard.

Sunday we have a leisurely lunch as we pack up our suitcases.  Jim heads out to camp around the Olympic national park. We give him crab.  Jacob and Brittney take off for home with crab.  Carl and I sail to Port Townsend bay and anchor out. Carl eats crab and Pam rebels having only a glass of red wine and a nice piece of chocolate 😉. It was wonderful to have family meet us and get to spend some time on our boat.  Perhaps we can do it again in a couple years.  Everyone has made it safely home.  Jacob and Brittney report that it is much easier to whack the crab with a rolling pin than to try and crack them so perhaps I need to add a rolling pin to the galley next year.