northwestern

Things are fantastic up here in Washington state. Since I'm visiting my dad it's like I'm at home and relaxed and, oh, did I mention there's another dog here? My dad's been dog-sitting Charlotte, my sister's labradoodle, while she and her husband are in Thailand, so we've been hanging out with her, and need I mention, it has made me veeeerrry happy.

We went into Seattle the day I arrived and had lunch and drove around. I haven't been since I was probably around 10 years old, so I didn't remember it very well, but it's a really beautiful city. Reminds me a bit of San Francisco. We went to the sculpture park which was interesting, with the sculptures being things like gigantic construction cones and a rotating red ampersand. Hard to explain, obviously. That's modern art for you.

Then for dinner we went to my aunt and uncle's home on Bainbridge Island and my cousin came with her dog Oscar, which caused for much entertainment with Charlotte and Oscar chasing each other and just going crazy. Charlotte is pretty much all legs, so she trips over herself often when she's running fast. Causing much laughter. WITH her. Not AT her of course.

The next day my dad, Charlotte and I went to the San Juan Islands, which requires quite a bit of tactical skill when it comes to catching ferries. After doing our best and speeding through one of the islands, we missed the connecting ferry we needed to catch to get to San Juan Island, so we had to pass the time for a few hours in the town. And then the next ferry didn't allow cars to get off where we wanted, so we went on with Charlotte, but no dogs were allowed in the passenger area so we sat where all the cars were parked in a little area with the ropes, chemicals and old cargo. It was hilarious - like the third class passengers on the Titanic. They had chairs for us which was nice and the view was beautiful as we rode along, passing gorgeous islands filled with forests and barely any signs of civilization.

We stopped at Friday Harbor on San Juan island which was an adorable little town that had a seaside feel, complete with a marina and views over the water. We walked around and hung out, meeting lots of the local kids who were wandering around by themselves (no crime here!) and wanted to meet Charlotte. She was quite the scene stealer. Everyone wanted to meet her.

One interesting thing about this area (my dad's in Port Ludlow so we're about 45 minutes outside Seattle) is that there are tons of drive-thru coffee shops. I'm talking one every 5 miles. Or more even. Really handy for me with my laziness! But interesting, that it maybe gets too cold here for people to get out of their cars? I don't know. Also, it doesn't get dark here until like 9pm! Love it.