July in Seattle was a month of friendship and fellowship with some of my dearest loved ones. In the words of Donna Fargo, “I’m the happiest girl in the whole USA.”

CITY LIVING

Moochdocking in Kay’s driveway in Burien was the perfect location to connect with Seattle friends and to take part in all the city has to offer. On July 4, I volunteered with the Special Olympics, which was held this year at the University of Washington.

In the city there were dinners and happy hours and lunches in honor of my impending birthday.

Jon and Corey took me out on an Elliott Bay sunset cruise on their sailboat for a special birthday gift.

On long days away from the rig, the pooches stayed at Fur Babies in Seatac; CJ is a dog walker/sitter/whisperer who boards dogs (and cats!) at his home near the airport with his wife Lori. He is great about sending photos and videos and posting the pups on social media. Their terrier, Tug, plays ambassador and hosts the menagerie. I highly recommmend Fur Babies if you need pet care in the south end.

BIRFDAY!

I’m not always the best at self-care and anticipating my own emotional needs, but sometimes I get it right; returning to the Pacific Northwest for the 50th birthday summer was the right decision. Kay kicked it off on Lucky 7/7 with flowers, breakfast, and a Bloody Mary – I give this RV park five stars!

The party at Uptown China restaurant on lower Queen Anne was such fun. I was surrounded by people I adore, and the evening went by far too quickly.

(Here I’m advising at the beginning of the evening to get a load of my fancy shoes, because I wouldn’t be wearing them long.)

I realized how much I missed singing with a band, and Monty Banks and the rest of the boys were in fine form.

Yu Mei’s food and Fred’s cocktails were the perfect combination for 85 guests. A slideshow of 400 travel photos from the last three years played on the bar television, and the macaron tower turned out just as I’d hoped.

A huge thank you to everyone who came out, and to Loren Young for the photos and videos!

MUSEUM MISSION

I rarely pass up a museum in my travels, but I was embarrassed to admit how many I never visited in the Seattle area in over 20 years. Though time was short, I was determined to remedy that this summer. I finally got to see the Frye Museum on South Hill, with its beautiful salon,

the Chihuly Garden and Glass (2012) at the Seattle Center,

The Museum of History and Industry (“MOHAI”) on Lake Union, in the 1942 Art Moderne Naval Reserve Armory,

and the shiny new Nordic Museum in Ballard (May 2018) – no longer funky and quirky like the prior incarnation in an old elementary school – I miss Old Ballard.

I also returned to the Seattle Art Museum, much changed and expanded for the better since the last time I visited many years ago.

SEQUIM

I left the hustle and bustle and heat of the city, trading it for the Olympic Peninsula and Sequim’s Lavender Festival.

About 25 years ago the residents of Sequim realized their rain shadow, sunnier-than-Seattle weather was similar to the area of France where lavender is grown. The town was looking for a way to bring tourism to the area, and boy, did it work. During lavender weekend there is a fair at the park and the farms are open for tours, some with live music, all with lavender products.

I came away with lavender syrup for lemonade and cocktails, culinary lavender for cooking, lavender hand sanitizer, an all-purpose cleaner they call hydrosol, and calming neck bandannas for the dogs.

I had a peekaboo view of Sequim Bay from the rig at John Wayne Marina and RV Park, and Helen Anne came for the weekend to attend the festival. There were also visits with friends from Sequim, Port Orchard, Port Townsend, and Grapeview.

DAY TRIPPING IN OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

On a gorgeous day, Kathy and I set out from Sequim to tour Lake Crescent and Forks along Highway 101.

A single day was far too short, and when I return to the Pacific Northwest I will spend more time in Olympic National Park, including the Hoh Rainforest.

RESPITE ON FOX ISLAND

Down in Mississippi earlier this year, in a blues club in Jackson, I met a couple from Fox Island, Washington. As fate would have it, we were staying in the same RV park in Jackson. We were also both on our way to Natchez, where we got together again.

Sue and Gary invited me to stay on Fox Island when I returned to the Pacific Northwest. People say those sorts of things all the time without necessarily meaning them, and I must admit I filed the invitation away somewhere in the back of my mind.

Susan reminded me of the offer in response to one of my Summer of Seattle blogs, and we made a plan. I am so glad she did!

I never visited Fox Island before this trip, and Sue and Gary have a little slice of bliss.

I was thrilled that Gary had a 50 amp plug-in for me, as the days were quite hot. The pups were in heaven, alternating between lounging in laps and running around the property with Oreo and Carlos, Gary and Sue’s furbabies.

It was a short boat ride past the point to see the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

Gary tends bags of oysters grown from seeds from the Taylor Shellfish Company, and we feasted on them raw, sous vide, and barbecued.

Still on my museum mission, I suggested we go to the Tacoma Art Museum while I was in town, where Diane, who lives in Tacoma, joined us.

It was a first for me, and I especially enjoyed the outdoor art in the center of the building, architecture by Richard Rhodes and glass by Tacoma native, Dale Chihuly.

FIRST AN EAGLE, NOW AN ELK

Before I left Seattle to start my RV journey, I became an Eagles member, at Aerie Number One, “The Mother Aerie,” in Lake City. Eagles aeries all over the country offer RV parking. One of my favorites so far has been in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Last summer in New Hampshire I met Linda and Stephen, who are Elks members and often RV camp at Elks Lodges. Comparing notes with them, I decided to also join the Elks the next time I was in Seattle.

En route from Fox Island to Bellingham, I stopped off at the Burien Elks for initiation.

While I am sworn to secrecy about the fraternal rites, I am happy to say I am now a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and here’s to meeting many more Elks across the country!

RETURN TO AN ANNUAL TRADITION

My tres Southern Gothic family never had family reunions. Hell, they couldn’t even behave at funerals (remind me to tell you about the time my father and Great Aunt Cleo went at each other next to my grandfather’s casket at the funeral home). It’s so refreshing to find a family that actually loves one another and enjoys each other‘s company.

Each year, the Silves Family (my friend Loren’s Dad’s side) holds their family reunion on the last weekend of July in Bellingham, Washington, at the Deming Log Show campgrounds, in the shadow of Mount Baker. I’ve been attending for over a decade, although I missed the last three years while I was on the road.

The Deming Log Show occurs each June to raise money for “busted up loggers.“ The heavily wooded grounds are chock-full of logging history and memorabilia, pithy signs burned into wood plaques, and works of art fashioned from rebar and chainsaw carvings.

(Family photos by Loren Young.)

The Silves family rents the campground, including the industrial kitchen, churning out a potluck on an unrivaled scale, commencing at 2:00 on Saturday with continuing grazing throughout the evening.

Poker and other card games are played non-stop for quarters stakes.

It was wonderful to see everyone again after so long.

—————

As August descends and I pack up for a week at Deception Pass, I am thankful for all my wonderful friends, old and new, and the times I get to spend with them. I am one lucky chickadee.

Up next: Deception, Disappointment, coastline, kites, and bidding farewell to Washington.