A Great Weekend!

Last weekend (July 4-6) we left the bustling metropolis of our small city and traveled north to Port Townsend, Washington. The motive for our trip was to join the other gathering family to celebrate Haroldine's 80Th birthday! Haroldine is my aunt, my mother's sister and her family had planned a big celebration to honor this milestone in her life, and had invited all the family to come and join in. AND WE HAD A GREAT TIME!

We left Friday morning and made the drive (just short of 200 miles) to Port Townsend, where we had a reservation at an old restored Victorian hotel in the heart of downtown. We arrived just after noon and after checking in explored the city. Port Townsend is an old sea port at the head of the Hood Canal that dates from the early 19Th century. They have restored many of the old buildings that date from that era, and it is full of interesting shops. The city too has many, many restored, beautiful, Victorian homes. We had a great time exploring including a long browse in a great used book store, where we both found volumes that had to come home with us...smile. And oh yes, Sara, Mom found a book or two for you!

Saturday morning we took in the Farmer's Market and some other sights and then gathered at Fort Worden State Park for the celebration.

Marsha and Laura, two of Haroldine's six children, did a wonderful job of planning Haroldine's birthday celebration. They put in oh so much work to make it a very special day, and it was. The highlight of the afternoon was a scavenger hunt in which Haroldine had to find clues that would lead her to finally receive her birthday gift - an Alaskan cruise for she and her husband, Harvey! It was a great time.

One of the highlights of the weekend and celebration for Pam and I was meeting and getting to know so many of the family members that we had either never met, or had not seen in years. That was really enjoyable. And of course a very special part of the weekend was spending time with Mom and Mac who had made the trip from Bakersfield in southern California.

Saturday night we camped with the other families at Fort Worden and then Sunday morning, got up, had a wonderful chat with Mom and Mac over breakfast, and then made the drive home.

Another great part of the weekend was getting introduced to the Olympics, a beautiful, virgin stretch of forests and mountains that make up the west coast of northern Washington. Such beautiful scenery! We just skirted the east side of the Olympic National Park and to really see the park you need to travel up the west side along the coast. After experiencing what we did, both Pam and I are eager to make a return trip back to the region and visit the park from the west. We understand also that the beaches and scenery are tremendous along the west coast too.

Well, that was our weekend. It was truly a great, enjoyable time. I hope each of you had a great holiday weekend. Enjoy the pics.

Walt for the both of us.