Rainy Days and Mondays

4th of July Beach, Friday Harbor

The weather was awful! Wind. Rain. Even 4th of July beach wasn't as beautiful. We went out to see the white caps, just because we could, but there were no whales this day even though the spray of the waves looked like when the Orcas surface and purge their spout to get air. We had more fun inside afterwards at the Downrigger restaurant watching the ferry boats coming and going, and eating clam chowder with warm fresh bread. Roxie was NOT allowed, but she would have approved of our value lunch a bowl of soup and salad for $9.95 each. It states on the menu that they charge for the warm bread with sun-dried tomato and garlic whipped butter, but they never do. I hear they have an excellent happy hour (with the best indoor view in town).

It's tough to keep your spirits up on days like this one. We entertained lots of ideas about what to do, and ended up opting for a visit to the Whale Museum. I adopted a whale there (Notch J-47), so it's free for me to visit. Earlier we had entertained the idea we would go to the movie theater. But since the museum was showing a fantastic documentary (also free for me) inside titled, Orca: Killer Whale or Gentle Giant, we decided to watch that instead. My suggestion to remember: bad weather? Go to the museum.

The people inside The Whale Museum are quite knowledgeable and friendly too. They even allowed me to bring Roxie inside (I had to promise I would hold her). We enjoyed reading about the J, K and L resident pods as well as the cultural behaviors that are different from the transient whales who pass through the San Juan Islands less often. The resident pods eat Chinook salmon and the transient orcas eat other marine mammals. Researchers believe that the transient and resident Orca whales are the same species, but because they are taught their hunting behaviors by their maternal ancestors they have different cultural habits - mainly migration patterns and hunting preferences. People are quite hopeful that the resident pods' numbers will increase because the Chinook salmon population is on the rise, and this is the main diet of the resident Orca whales.

For some excellent reading about the Chinook, click here: Glenwood Springs Hatchery

To watch a video or read a list of things you can to at your home to help the Orcas click here: 

Save the Orcas

 

Whale Safari

I've never been on a whale watching boat. It was spectacular!

Story coming soon... ~Kath

Forth of July Beach

Photo and Story coming soon. ~kath

Heading North Through the Cascades

Enjoyed this drive immensely. 

Traverse to the Top

Hitchabilities

We had an appointment for the hitch install on Tuesday, but the wrong parts were ordered, so it didn't get finished until Thursday afternoon. No worries. The dreams that come from owning a hitch become numerous as the process unfolds. As I stood at the counter discussing the possibilities with the sales person, I imagined a horse trailer, a sailboat, a kayak, a trailer packed with my adult children's things, even a speedboat for water-skiing on the delta at home. Am I the only one who loves possibilities? This I cannot answer today. But love them I do.

Lexie's New Hitch

 I was so enamored with the idea of pulling things that when I saw a small sailboat complete with trailer parked along San Juan Valley Road with a for sale sign on it, I remarked that it could be a possible purchase. I can actually buy my own small sailboat now I thought; the $200 price tag beckoning me to stop and take a look. But stop there, I did not. The obstacles for actually keeping and sailing the boat were as numerous as the possibilities.

I pictured enough space to park and leave the boat here at my brother's Friday Harbor property. I envisioned my family members and me sailing out of the harbor laughing and smiling - all the while watching Orcas and other marine animals pass us by. We could even sail her home, I thought. Then reality came back to me. No. We should pull her home. That lovely vision of me driving with my hitch being used to it's fullest crept into my consciousness, as I daydreamed. I mentioned my thoughts to my husband, who was sitting next to me driving out to Lime Kiln Whale Watching Park, so we could collaborate on possible solutions.

We even got so far as to realize that if we were actually going to buy the boat, we would have to go for a sail in it. The owner(s) would surely take us for a sail in the effort to close the deal. If we chose not to buy it, the worst case would be the free Friday Harbor sail. In that moment, we were both sold. We began planning a stop to query about the $200 sailboat.

I'm not exactly sure why we decided to take a pass on stopping to take a closer look while returning to my brother's cabin for the evening. Maybe it was the mountain passes I envisioned on the drive home with a Uhaul trailer in tow through three states that seemed a tad more important. Maybe it was the thought that we could likely get the same deal on Craig's List at home. Maybe it was my thinking that she was dry docked for a reason, as in... because she wasn't sea worthy. Maybe it was because she would have to sit here in the rain (this is the Northwest after all), waiting for us to return to pick her up months later. Maybe I just didn't want to hassle with any of it and enjoy my stay at Friday Harbor. Who knows why the urge to buy that boat as passed? Suffice it to say that the urge did pass, but think of the endless possibilities. I have a hitch!

Floral Fruit Stand

Honey Crisp apples were the BEST from this place.  It was a must to stop and smell the flowers too! It's just outside of Wenatchee, Washington.

Kate Wins Weed Award

Doc Bratrude had a date with his doctor friends on Tuesday the 20th, so we made plans to drive out to Wentachee, WA and have a barbecue with the siblings from my husband's side of the family. All but brother II and spouse were present and accounted for. We were welcomed with open arms to a spread of delicious appetizers, and Roxie and I went outside for a little fresh air.

What awaited us was the thickest, greenest, lushest lawn I have ever seen, and I could not believe it when I walked on it and my feet didn't even get wet. While Roxie ran and rolled on it with delight, I wandered around gazing at the lovely grounds, complete with panoramic vistas, noticing the ornamental shrubs, flowers, and trees that were interspersed with quaint little vegetable beds. It was a sight to behold.

Little did I realize that my sister-in-law was a "master gardener" who had recently won the coveted, "Henry Weed" gardening award that is presented at the local county fair. It was later at dinner that her husband, my brother-in-law, bragged about her winning the award at all. He pulled out an article about the pomp and circumstance, and my husband proceeded to read it (without his reading glasses) at a slow pace, accentuating the words weed - every time the word showed up in the article. It was nothing short of hilarious!

Everyone giggled when he read the headline: Bratrude Wins Weed Award. We chuckled with glee when he mentioned the word weed in the article, because not only was it used in such a way that one could interpret the word as a weed growing in the garden (nothing to get an award over), but it also implied that perhaps something illegal might be growing there. My sister-in-law's reaction to it all (humble, slightly embarrassed, yet proud) was extremely funny, and we all found ourselves belly laughing by the time he finished reading the article. When my husband read the part that quoted why she grew the Kohlrabi, we were all practically rolling on the floor laughing.

It was a delightful time that I will not forget soon, and it reminded me of how proud I am to be a member of this outstanding family. I was equally proud when my master gardener sister-in-law asked me for my opinion about what I would do in a problem area in her garden after the excellent garden tour she gave me the next day. This visit will serve to inspire me for days to come, and I came away with a new outlook on gardening that can only come from a "weed award" winner. It is possible to make an ornamental garden look beautiful while including vegetable beds in the plan. It's not just good looking, it attracts beneficial insects and makes it more functional as well. Think about it.

Omak, Washington

We were up near the border of Canada - and we didn't have our passports. :-(

Maybe next week we will get there...

I hope, I hope, I hope!

Day Two - Paws at Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Roxie at Multnomah Falls

The Falls

This place has the cutest gift shop, and ... ahh the fudge! Do not miss the fudge.

Check back soon for the story... Hardy's Mom

Road Trip for Roxie

Hardy was a wonderful companion on a road trip. He would happily jump in the car, ready for anything. So when I was summoned to Omak, Washington to help my father-in-law move out of his view lot home to a room in Seattle with other family members, I jumped at the chance to see if Roxie would enjoy a little car travel.

To say that Roxie does not like a car would be an understatement. I'm not even sure hate is a strong enough word. Because I don't know her background, I'm not sure if she's ever been in a car accident, but one would assume so from her behavior. She hides in the darkest nooks and crannies, covers her head with her paws, pants profusely, and when being held, she grips your arm as if holding on for dear life. My new dog has taught me a lot about fear. Fear of cars is only one of them.

When I was a psychology undergrad at CSU, I took a class called, "Conditioning and Learning," It was a detailed class about classical and operant conditioning. I kept reminding myself that this road trip I would take (one that would last two solid days one way) would be an excellent way to extinguish Roxie's fear of riding in a car. If I could keep wonderful things happening to her in that car, as well as at the destinations where we would get out, I could create an environment that would be conducive to reducing her fearful responses to riding in the car. Instead of a bell meaning food, I was substituting car to mean pleasant experiences (complete with soothing music). So it wasn't surprising when somewhere around Mount Shasta, Roxie began to seem less frightened of riding in the car, and by the time we were at the Rogue River in Oregon, she was even better.

O'Brien Rest Area at Shasta Lake

What I have learned is that a road trip with a dog can be really fun. It causes necessary stops in beautiful places that one would possibly pass by. Places where I may not have stopped on a road trip in the past, became a necessity so that Roxie could explore her surroundings for awhile. There became a requirement to stay long enough for her to get pleasure from the stop too. It became a habit for me to notice, and stop at, lovely places along the highway - places where I always wanted to stop, but in the past had thought to myself... someday.

I have discovered the most beautiful stops traveling north. I am now walking and gawking at mountain peaks, waterfalls, river trails, and more. I've also shopped at the cutest little gift shops and tasted the most delicious gourmet items in flavors I couldn't believe. I can't decide if the tastiest was the homemade peanut butter fudge, the homemade chocolate ice cream, or the homemade smoked salmon. In any case, I've truly learned once again... enjoying the journey is the most important aspect of any trip. But bringing along a dog on a road trip, and watching the dog experience the great outdoors (possibly even for the first time), well that's simply pure joy.

Roxie says, "Paws Here!"