Port Townsend with Cohen

We missed going on the Edmonds Yacht Club cruise to Port Townsend so we decided it would be a great marina to take Cohen to for his "grandma and grandpa time". We had a great trip  on our way there and Cohen passed the time by helping Grandpa navigate, reading books and taking a little quiet time.

Once we arrived in Port Townsend we took Barkley for a much needed walk and Cohen had a chance to throw rocks in the water.

We brought along some fun Lego kits for Cohen so while we relaxed on the boat, he played with those and enjoyed having Grandpa work along side him. Another favorite activity on the boat (when it is not moving!) is to play monkey by swinging on the stairs.

I had talked to Robyn about taking Cohen geocaching and she said if I called it "treasure hunting" he would be all over it. I told him what we were going to do and he immediately wanted to draw a map and wondered where the shovels were. I tried to explain a GPS and that we would be looking for a little container with trinkets in it. We set off toward the other side of town and soon came across a couple places that I had previously found caches and I knew they were big enough to have "treasures" in them. Cohen looked around, confused, and said "I don't see any "X's"!   We started searching and found our treasures. He was very excited! We actually found a second one but I didn't get a picture of the cache. Instead, I took a picture of the "Officer and A Gentleman" poster and door sign. This is the motel that was used in a scene from that movie. A cache was hidden just adjacent to the door with full approval from the management.

In the afternoon, we walked up to the Farmer's Market that is a popular event in Port Townsend. We didn't buy anything but Cohen had a chance to play on the community playground on our way back to the marina.

We had a wonderful weekend with Cohen and he had a a great time collecting a large bag of shells on the beach. He wanted me to keep them but I suggested that maybe Mommy would like to have them. He thought that was a great idea and took them home. A few days later, he presented me with a picture frame that Robyn helped him make. Those "precious" broken shells were now mine, after all!

Cohen also drew me a picture of the two of us geocaching. I do believe I have a new Geocaching buddy!

Memorial Day in Bremerton

After shipping our orders Friday morning, we headed off to the Everett marina with Rylie for a fun weekend in Bremerton. She was very excited about going with us.

The Memorial Day cruise is always a favorite and gets a great turnout from the Edmonds Yacht Club. This year we had 45 boats gathering in Bremerton. The trip over was pretty rough but we had a lot of fun. Rylie helped Grandpa run the boat and kept Grandma entertained with a game of Candy Land.

When we arrived in Bremerton, we tied up and then watched as other boats arrived. The current was really strong inside the marina which caused some excitement as boaters tried to get into their slips. One boat got caught sideways and hit four boats as it ran along the bow or stern of each boat in its way. There was no major damage but it had everyone scrambling to protect their own boats and to help the captain get into his slip. Our dinghy is mounted on its side on the stern and provided something of a bumper to protect our boat.

We spent some time walking along the dock and looking at some of the boats brought in for the Memorial Day festival held each year.

On Saturday and Sunday there were several christenings of new boats and new EYC members. It has become quite a ceremony as our Commodore has added the blowing of a conche shell, a special reading about naming the boat and its relationship to the sea. Greenery is laid on the bow to signify a safe return to land.  The captain and first-mate receive a very nice framed certificate after the christening.

We had plenty of time to play with Rylie and she loved showing us how she could walk on the rocks. She played with some older girls that came on the cruise and enjoyed doing the crafts that were provided.

 

 

Part of the festivities included several pirates that roamed the docks and marina. They happily posed for a picture with Rylie and asked us to take one with their camera for them to keep.

There was a lot of sea life attached to the sides of the docks. We discovered a creature that I had never seen before and was told that it is a sea slug. It was quite ugly but I have to admit it was fascinating to watch it move through the water.

The sailboat races that Bob started last year are quite a hit and everyone was excited to get their boats back in the water. The current was so strong that everyone had a lot of trouble getting to the finish line but it made for a fun event.

A tradition for the club is to have a special Memorial Day service on Sunday. We gathered together in the M/V Kirkland ferry which is docked at the marina and available for clubs to rent. We had access to it all weekend which made for a great place to visit, eat our meals, and hold the service. It is a very moving service. A special reading was given about the history of Memorial Day and then all veterans were asked to come forward to be acknowledged. After the service, we were given flowers to drop in the water to honor those who have died in service to our country and who are currently serving. I threw in a flower in memory of my dad who served in the Coast Guard and Rylie dropped a flower in the water to honor her Uncle Mark who is in the Air Force.

Rylie made friends with everyone and one of her favorites was Past Commodore Gary Bruner.

It was a wonderful weekend but all good things must come to an end. We headed back home Monday morning and it wasn't long before Rylie was sound asleep.

A "Just Because" Get Away

This is Opening Day weekend for Puget Sound boating and we decided to head down to Seattle to Bell Harbor for a couple of nights.

We arrived nice and early on Friday and spent the afternoon and evening walking around Pike Place Market and some of the surrounding streets. Since we arrived on May 1, there was a huge police presence as they were getting ready for the May Day protests that take place each year. The protests and marches are held for various causes including a Black Lives Matter March and an immigrant and workers' rights event. Some are peaceful but these events have a tendency to bring out those who are looking for a reason to cause problems. We returned to our boat in the evening and watched the news on TV as helicopters hovered overhead. There were a few problems up on Capitol Hill that were described as a "riot" but things remained quiet down by the marina.

On Saturday, Holly and Jerry joined us and we explored Pike Place Market. They showed Bob and I the Gum Wall - a site that is listed on the tourism sites as something to see! I'm not quite so sure about that but at least we can say we saw it. Both sides of the alley are covered with gum "from all over the world", I'm sure.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Anthony's near the marina and then we walked down to check out the Big Wheel. Bob and I rode the ferriswheel last year and had a wonderful time. I highly recommend it. It's about $15 per person but gives a great view of the city and lasts long enough we felt we got our money's worth.

After Holly and Jerry left, we relaxed at the boat, took Barkley for walks and enjoyed our dinner on the boat. We left on Sunday and had a smooth trip back to Everett. It was so good to finally get out on the boat to go somewhere. We need to do this more often but it seems like life has a way of getting in the way. Fortunately, we have several trips scheduled in the next few months that we can look forward to.

Casual Cruise to our own Marina

Yes, we took a big trip this weekend from the South Marina where we are moored over to the North Marina for the EYC casual cruise in Everett. We stayed on the boat both nights and had to pay for our temporary slip, but we had  a great time being with the other cruisers. Barkley didn't like being left behind on the boat at times but he still loves to go with us.

On Friday night, we ate dinner with friends at Scuttlebutt's and then on Saturday we went to my cousin's daughter's wedding. It was a beautiful affair on a farm in Snohomish. She was a beautiful bride and it was fun to catch up with other family members at the reception.