Week 891-892 - Back to the Bay - 09-14-2023

Back to the Bay

Traveling 1,150 miles from our California "home" we arrived at the Bremerton Washington Elks Lodge. Using the Elks, we were able to find sites all along the coast. And we saved $280 in RV park fees. This helped offset the high price of diesel that the current economy offered us.

Our next stop is at Dennis and Jean's beautiful home in Port Ludlow, Washington. We first met them at Southern California's Golden Village Palms RV Resort in 2015. Their hospitality was apparent as, seeing we had only the scooter, they loaned us their car without even asking. And we all enjoyed pickleball at GVP. Too bad GVP's prices forced out so many of us.

Dennis and Jean left GVP and found their "paradise" at Palm Creek RV Resort in Casa Grande, Arizona. It is hard to call Palm Creek paradise when this is their Port Ludlow home. We love it and as you see it is Mandy-approved.

From their home on Oak Bay you can see the cruise ship races on Puget Sound as they leave Seattle going to Alaska.

Their home is lovely, as are they , and their hospitality is the best. We stayed nine days with RV power, parked with a view of Oak Bay.

You can see wildlife right from their house. An "otter" floated by just a few feet off their shore. After comparing this otter to the one we saw in Alaska, we realized ours was just a stick!

We had met their son Ryan when he was visiting Palm Creek. We knew he was a great pickleball player and now know he is a fabulous chef. Meals from all were great. Multi-course dinners included salmon, steak, tacos, pulled pork sandwiches and more. Ryan and Dennis launched their boat to drop crab pots off in the deep. The next day they pulled out the pots. We enjoyed the fresh crab prepared by Jean.

We were able to give back a little to our hosts. Dennis and Pete installed four new interior doors, locks and baseboard trim This took several days but we managed to intersperse our time with pickleball. Ryan is taking on Ellen and Jean. It looks like he took a wrong turn. But, it is just his Smack, Spin and Attack maneuver. Yeah, he got the next shot back!

Port Townsend is just a few miles away. We had visited the town in 2016. We came this day for a few errands. On our last visit to Port Ludlow, we took the ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville on Whidbey Island.

This day we toured the town which is on Port Townsend Bay. We added a few new sights we had previously missed. Pope Marine Park and nearby totem pole.

The note on the mirror says "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." Yes, I know, she's sitting on my lap!

Point Hudson Marina & RV Park sites are nothing to brag about. But, if you get the best spots, you do have a wonderful view of the bay.

Buildings in the town are mostly in a Victorian style.
1) Jefferson County Courthouse. 2) RE/MAX and other businesses.

1) Victoria Square. 2) Swashback Industries.

It's only September; it's seems a little early for Christmas lights.

On the wharf is a skeleton of a gray whale. Dennis noted that this whale died in May 2019 and floated by their house on Oak Bay. By law, if it landed on your property, it is your responsibly to dispose of it. Fortunately, it floated past them to another house.

But the neighbor was also blessed as some folks nearby volunteered to remove the whale. It took until 2023 to remove all skin/insides, retrieve the bones, reassemble them and get it onto the wharf. You can learn the whole story at Whale on the Wharf

We last visited their home in 2016, wow, how time flies. This is a age-regressed photo of the dead whale passing by their property. The most amazing thing is that Mandy was there to see it!

What a blessing to spend so much time with Dennis and Jean. Thank you dear friends. We'll see you in "paradise". Or did we already?

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

With love, Pete, Ellen and Mandy

Photos from Aug/Sep 2023