Square Dancing at the Cranberry Museum

I didn't even know there was such a place as Greyland and that it had a Cranberry Museum. Now I have been educated. 

On August 3, Wayne and I arrived in Greyland, which is just below Westport, the fishing capitol of Washington State (they say) on the western coast of the U.S. The day we drove in, it was still blistering hot and hazy from the fires to the north.

Cranberries on the bush, a few weeks from ripening.

Cranberry fields in Greyland, WA.

Beach

Beach walkway to waterline of Pacific O.

Driftwood and native plants.

Unique fencing along Highway 12, Greyland, WA.

The owners of the museum are also the recreators of the Fulford Cranberry harvesting machine, making a new version of a very successful invention to harvest and prune cranberries. Chuck and Gwen Tjernberg have made the museum the focus of both historical and industrial times in Pacific and Grays Harbor counties.

I learned that cranberries do not require being in a bog to grow but that flooding the land they are growing it on makes it easier to do a wet harvest. Coming from Cape Cod, it was an assumption on my part that all cranberries are harvested wet, but the Fulford machine is designed to harvest dry and prune at the same time.

Wayne (tallest one) with dancing friends.

Ocean Spray is a business which is cooperatively owned by the farmers, and berries are classed as being top quality for the fresh market or second quality which used for juices and canning. Last year the top quality berries sold for about 89 cents a pound while the second quality sold for about 30 cents a pound. Most of the berries from the dry harvest have a top quality rating, while wet harvest berries are rated second.

First shipments go to Canada because they celebrate Thanksgiving in October. If there is a late harvest, it can severely impact shipment dates with a domino effect.

We enjoyed the tour that Gwen gave us, enriched with her personal knowledge of the industry.

Later that day we met with long-time friends of Wayne’s, Ann and Les Kilwein, over some lemonade and chips in the RV. When we were packing to go, I never thought about having snacks on hand for guests, but now I know enough to have something available for anyone who might show up.

Square dancing at the Cranberry Museum, Aug. 2017.

RV life is not that different from land-living, but being more close-knit, folks are more likely to share time and adventures over food and dancing. And like sailboat live-aboards, friends are made quickly. 

There does not seem to be a disparity in relationships just because you have a larger or smaller travel home; what is the division appears to be whether you are a weekender or a ‘real traveler’ for longer periods of time. 

Round dancers include caller Randy with Mike and
Marion Freely in the back.

Eventually there comes a time when even the most seasoned of RV travelers has to give up life on the road due to health, family or financial concerns but with the membership in the square dance ‘family,’ gatherings can still happen for that connection of friendship. 

Gwen and Chuck did a skit for the final act of the three-part weekend, poking fun at all the retirees with getting-ready-for-bed issues... putting the cat out, locking the doors, etc. with the group getting a big laugh at the end. It was a lot of fun!!

Chuck gets up (again) to fulfill Gwen's bedtime request.

This is what has been happening at this camp-out; folks that Wayne had not seen for years came to share in pot-luck and/or dancing and he appeared to have enjoyed greatly renewing those friendships.

The Western-most Shores of WA

If you read one of my earlier posts about the Makah tribe, then you already know there were inhabitants on the Olympic Peninsula 4,000 years ago. But did you know there were mastodons up to 12,000 years ago? I didn't. I went looking for information for my last trip to the westernmost shores of Washington and found this link to the Olympic Peninsula from the National Park Service pages.

A young girl inspects something in the sand at the First
Beach, near an enormous dead tree, beached by the sun.

The enormous dead trees that litter the Rialto Beach (and other western coastal beaches) are reminiscent of those huge creatures, with roots like tusks jutting out and up to the sky, perfect for little boys and girls to climb on and swing from. I looked and looked for more of an explanation in the National Park Service pages about these massive dead trees but was stumped - pardon the pun.

The Mother of Invention...

Because the natural weather trends for the Olympic Peninsula includes lots (and I'm not kidding - up to 204 days of rain in Forks!) of rain, it was nothing short of amazing to wake up and know we were going to have a full day of clear skies and plenty of sunshine. But guess who forgot to pack any sunscreen? Oooooops. However, it seems that the improvised nose shade did provide protection.

We visited three beaches in all. Rialto, First Beach and Second Beach. Yes, dear readers, there is a Third Beach and probably other numbered beaches, but after my story of getting to Second Beach you will see why Third was passed by.

RIALTO BEACH

I did not take the one in the center.
If you can point to the one I did take,
I will give you a Special Award.

Someone's creative work.

This is the most completely ADA (American Disabilities Act) access point for being able to view the beach and picnic with family. However, no wheelchair, even with four-wheel drive, is going to get on the beach by itself as it is made up of millions of yet-to-be-converted-into-sand stones. Thousands of them. Lots of different sizes, shapes, colors and textures. The urge to collect is overwhelming. I settled on one, but I walked a mile in both directions before deciding (LOL!).

Walking on this less-than-stable platform is wonderful exercise for the calf muscles and I can attest that they remarked on it for a couple of days afterward. I did see families with babes in strollers, but they were likely carried down to the water's edge where the beach sand is being refined and thus is softer on the feet than farther away from the daily grind. (You can see lots of photos here on PhotoBucket.)

Dead trees stand in silent testimony to the potential forces
of the Pacific when it is not as lovely as on this day.

The waves seem to be larger here, and I am only guessing, but think there might be an issue with undertow, especially as the tide is retreating. I would not even think of swimming here, and I didn't actually see anyone doing it. I believe we just missed a surfboard competition, so perhaps strong swimmers don't feel the same concern I do now I'm older and swimming in oceans less.

This beach goer is only standing in the retreating water, not coming out.

FIRST BEACH

Plenty of soft sand here; great for kids to safely run wide open!

I think there are two access points, but we went to the obvious public parking lot in La Push (the name of the Quilute village) and walked down a short, rocky/stony, sandy incline to the softest and loveliest beach sand I've put a toe into in quite awhile.

From the public parking lot in La Push, this is the view
looking back toward Rialto Beach, and the land mass on
the left are sacred islands for the Quilute tribe.

The wonderful weather did not draw huge crowds and with minimal breeze (thus no sand blowing over the food) it was a delightful hour spent relaxing and pushing the sand around with our feet, watching others run and jump in the very moderate surf which was probably pretty cool as well.

La Push Marina, tucked in behind First Beach.

SECOND BEACH

Headed down the path to Second
Beach. Looks at first like you are
taking a stroll through someone's
lovely private garden.

As you are headed down Highway 110 (west) toward La Push, you will pass two miniscule parking lots and cars overflowing them for Third Beach on the left and then Second Beach, also on the left side. As we were leaving La Push, it was about 4 miles down the road and the entrance to the parking lot is a little daunting because there is no signage and it's only after you've entered you realize it is the wrong way in. Nevertheless, we found a space and locked up.

I had worn sneakers earlier in the day and in my wisdom brought sandals which were perfect for First Beach. But I didn't think it would be much of a walk down the path to Second Beach (no indicators, no directions for that either!) so I didn't change my footwear. And seeing other people wearing hiking boots did not give me a clue because I wasn't really registering on that important information.

You know where this is going.... downhill. And later, uphill, with sandals that did not have any heel-holder-inners. Hard to go ahead easily with a 40 percent incline. Oh, and by the way, if you have been 'walking' on the treadmill, a 5% incline does not cut it for training, folks. Yes, I whined all the way to the summit, muttered all the way down to the beach, groused on the way back up and puffed my way back to the car.... but I was smiling all the time, if that counts for anything. I'm not that great an estimator of distances, but my muscles are telling me it was about a mile and half in and even though it was more uphill on the way back, it was the same distance.

The Offering Tree had shells, stones, strings, and a variety
of other small treasures left by previous beach-goers.

About half-way down, or half-way up depending on which way you are going, there is a large, mossy-covered, 'offering tree' where little treasures may be left as offerings to the spirits. I chose a small mussel shell while I was on the beach, but this is what I saw as I was headed down the path.

This is a trip that I think my granddaughter would just love to do because not only is there a lot to see on the path, but the beach itself has tide pools, soft sand, places to build forts, lots of huge dead, splinter-free trees to climb on as well as dancing in the surf. I intend to be in much better shape for my next trip here.

Seagulls shop for supper or snacks.

 The seagulls seem to like this beach best of the three we were at as they left indications of their crabmeat dinners near the tide pools. An hour at this beac was not enough time, but the tide was coming in and since it was SuperMoon weekend with higher-than-usual tides, we decided it was in our best interest to not wait to see how high that might be.

So, reminder: check the tide tables for beach visits because not all paths near all beaches are accessible once the tide is in/up.

Tide pools have lots of things living in them and this is just one photo of many taken in the short time I was there. (You can see more photos by clicking on this link.)

Even I was surprised when I got home and downloaded this tide pool shot!!

A later bit of information revealed that Third Beach is considered a hiker's dream... meaning, according to the informant, that you started out for a hike and ended up at a beach and have a wonderful hike to look forward to heading homeward. Hmmmmm. Glad we didn't attempt it. I leave you with this shot here of Second Beach.

Second Beach tide pools glisten in the late afternoon summer sun.

It was a glorious day with some healthy fun and plenty of sun... it was sad to see it go.

A Fascination with Japan

One year later, after the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Japan proves its capabilities in rebuilding, at least on the construction level. I cannot imagine the horrific loss of family members and friends from such an event. Over this past year periodically I have watched videos and listened to audios of the disaster, as it was too much to do earlier. And now, a year later, rubble and reminders are washing up on the western shores of the U.S. (Ghost ship drifts toward Canada)

I think my fascination with Japan has its roots in my relationship with my grandmother who had a flair for exotic fabrics and clothes which she draped around her or which she had made into interesting things to wear. As a child I was allowed to go into her attic and walk over the creaky boards to the far corner where she had a huge wooden and metal trunk, the kind you see in old movies that people used for shipping their goods to foriegn lands.

When I opened it, the smells of oldness and adventure would rush up to my nose and I would lift up the ancient silk kimono carefully, just as my grandmother would appear behind me to caution me to do just that. I both dreaded her appearance and welcomed it because there were always stories about how these items came into her trunk, but partly I dreaded her invasion of my imagination.

There were tiny little silk cloth slippers with delicate flowers and leaves embroidered on them having a place for a big toe separated from the rest of the foot which was a matter of great curiosity to me. My feet were already too large to try them on, but I delighted in hearing from my grandmother how the ladies walked in little mincing steps on wooden platforms with their silk kimonos tightly wound around their petite frames.

My grandmother Elsa was not one to 'play' with her grandchildren. Instead she would offer up tales of her travels and punctuate these revelations with her unassailable philosophy that war of any kind was both horrible and unnecessary. After her beloved husband, Alain, was killed in World War I in a car accident in France, she worked as a nurse over there for some time before returning home to their four children.

Her diaries show her personal objective to strive toward world peace, as do her poems and essays. And she did travel many times around the world to seek audiences with various world leaders, including a trip to Japan. Her stories were always replete with descriptions of the regalia of the local country she was visiting, so it was like having Rudyard Kipling at my beck and call.

It is distressing to think of Japan as being "off-limits" because of the radiation or more serious disasters like the one a year ago. It is one of my goals to go to visit that country, providing all aspects are supported - my health, my wealth, and the condition of Japan's environment. Intending the peoples of Japan continue to heal from their trials and this one-year noting brings encouragement to all the world.

Boats!

And more boats... we went to the Shilshoal Marina, north of Seattle, for a boat show today. I have a MM friend who loves being around boats and water, at least as much I do, I've surmised. So I took some pictures with him in mind, because he has plenty of other things on his... These are for you, B...

It was so hot... 103 degrees in the sun! I kept finding a space of shade and

standing in it while I waited for Jey-hu to go in and inspect all the large, multi-thousand dollar boats. He enjoyed himself and I was happy to see him wandering and dreaming. I went aboard a couple of them, but I am such a realist that I know it is unlikely I will ever own a boat again and am happy to simply sit on a dock and watch them bobbing about.

If you look closely at the stern of the powerboat in the center of the photo, the name is "Obsession," and well defines how I rationally see these items today.

And yet, like an addict, I cannot stay away. I am drawn to them like a fly to the spider's web, all the time thinking, "I can fly away anytime I want." But my hands feel the tension in the lines tying them to the dock, my body flexes as I get on board in the same old smooth and easy way it once knew as a daily activity, and the smells assail me with memories of "when I was a liveaboard," and I wonder if I really will ever be able to NOT dream about another one... a smaller one...

Day at the Beach

Temperatures are climbing in the NW, so we traveled to Alki Beach to enjoy the breeze and sand. This beach is part of Seattle's extensive Parks and Recreation system, identified as the West Seattle area. With over 135 acres, you will find a huge expanse of sand, real sand - not pebbles - and plenty of room to bike, walk, roller skate or use anything with wheels that is not motorized on the wide walkway. While the ocean water looks appealing, the average temperature ranges from 49-59 degrees even on the hottest days. No one stays in it for very long!

In November of 1851 it was cold and stormy, according to the records, and the first white settlers landed on this beach. Chief Seattle (Learn more about this remarkable man by clicking on the link.) was there with his tribe to welcome them, helping them to quickly build a cabin for protection against the coming winter weather. (I will restrain myself from making comments about what happens when you welcome strangers onto your land.)

Across the water from downtown Seattle, this destination beach is part of the mouth of the Duwamish River, derived from the word "duwampsh" which means "many colored" in the Chinook language. Myth or fact: this was a name under consideration for the city which is known today after Chief Seattle.

The popularity of this area grew. More and more people came and played games on the sand, and by 1902 the city saw the merits of having an electric streetcar line to bring people from downtown. Around this time a fellow named Charles Looff decided to build an amusement park which was opened in 1907. It was located at Duwamish Head, where a few pilings remain to show that it ever existed. Called "Luna Park" after the one at Coney Island, NY, it had several - heated! - saltwater pools, a Ferris wheel, roller coaster, restaurant, a carousel and a chute that carried people in small boats into a 'tub' of water.

It had at least two decades of activity, but shortly after the Crash of 1929, there was a fire that razed the Park in 1931. Coincidence? In any event, the City of Seattle acquired the site in 1945 and by 1954 had it filled in to what is seen today.

We had an early supper at Duke's, a place that was started by one of Jey-hu's friends although no longer owned by him. The food was delicious. I had their famous langostino chowder with a wild greens salad and one half of a fish taco. It was enough to completely fill me up so I didn't have room for their equally famous desserts - chocolate chip cookie with just a morsel of vanilla ice cream or marionberry pie or a volcano of chocolate cake with cream inside covered with caramel... yikes. I've probably gained three pounds just re-thinking these sweet treats!

We almost waddled out of there, though Jey-hu wanted to stay and watch the Seahawks play Tennessee. If we hadn't moved, I am sure I would have succumbed to at least one of the devilish desserts. We walked awhile, then sat on a bench to watch the sun set. I noticed a rainbow of people in various activities (like eating ice cream - right), and heard a wide range of languages - English, French, Turkish, Russian, and Spanish with accents of people from either Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia or Mexico.

The sunset was lovely... if not particularly spectacular. I forgot to mention that we spent the earlier part of the afternoon at the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field near Sea-Tac International Airport. That would take up a full blog by itself. I will do that next.

Van Gosh

This photo was pretty good all by itself, but I decided to play around with it, changing the contrast, the exposure and a few other elements. When I was done with it, I thought to myself, "It has a sort of Van Gogh intensity to it now." But I also noticed that the entities on the docks got their heads a little warped by the changes so they look more like aliens who are enjoying the setting sun... oh well. Weigh in on your impressions, please.... pun intended.

This was taken at the Mukilteo ferry landing a few days ago and the wind from the NW was brutal! I was smart enough to have a few layers in the car, but I noticed others were turning as blue as the water as the temperature dropped. But it is great temperature for sleeping under a quilt - I am not fond of those nights when the humidity and temperature are only a few degrees away from each other.

An invention needed...

I was reading the blog of an MM'er who announced forgetting to take a medication and it got me to thinking that an invention is needed for those who are trying to manage their own medications. It wouldn't need to be that complicated. A simple little digital clock surrounded by small drawers that could be filled up for a week. The individual would have to be alert enough to know not to take all seven in the drawer, however! Each time the pill needed to be taken, the clock - with sound choices - would beep, chirp, buzz or ring to report the time and the drawer would pop open. It would also need to be kept someplace that small and curious children could not gain access. I'm NOT capable of creating such a device, but I know another MM'er who probably could with all his electronic skills. Perhaps I will direct him to read this blog.

It's been raining much of the weekend, so it's been hard to get out and do anything for very long. And it's been unusually cold, so there hasn't been much motivation to stay out, either. I spent some time clearing out photos from my computer's storage to gain more space for the next adventure, and found myself yearning for a warmer place - tho not one from which I cannot return, either! So in line with those thoughts, I am posting some pictures of our last year's September sojourn to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico.

The fellow in the gold paint, dressed as a fireman, was taking a break at a local bar from being a statue... that particular day in September of '09, it was a blistering 90 degrees, so he can be excused. How he could choose that line of work in such a hot climate completely escapes me.

The photo of the open arch is world

-renowned and is often used for fashion shoots on the decks of heaving boats promoting "cruise wear" for the next season. the sea is seldom calm around these rocks at the "end" of land in Mexico's Baja. But the seals love it.

The sunset shown below really did generate all those magnificent colors and more - we were so lucky to have had that time together there!

A Partial Transit of the Panama Canal

Although the sun was shining at 8 a.m., by the time we arrived at our "put-in" spot on the Canal, it was mixed clouds and sun, but still warm - in the low 80's. This first picture is a view looking westward, the direction we were headed for a partial transit of the Panama Canal. The vessel we were on is called Pacific Queen and they regularly offer a "three-lock" journey from the portion of the Canal that is nearest the Pacific Ocean.

Jey-hu got this great shot of a huge tanker which shared the lock with us. We were told that the ship had only 24 inches on either side of the hull. The electric 'mules' are on rails on either side and attach to the vessel by steel cables to guide it into the lock, then those operators follow the pilot's instructions as the ship either is raised or lowered in the lock chamber. Once the vessel is at the level required, the 'mules' release it and the pilot continues to the next lock.

Every vessel, large or small, must have a pilot on board to transit the Canal. The two sailboats, shown below, each had a pilot and at least two line handlers. This is the only

time a captain is required to release his command of the vessel. Once the ship has cleared the Canal controlled areas, the pilot gets off and the captain takes back the command. Even the ship we were on had a pilot and we watched him leave once we entered the Pacific Ocean.

Our transit took almost six hours, and we were only on the western third of the Canal. The average time is 15 hours to go through all the locks and some of that time is spent waiting for one's turn to get into a lock. Once in, the lock can be drained or filled in about 15 minutes. We watched the water levels drop 32 feet in 10 minutes! The gates in the locks are the original gates... built 95 years ago and still working well today.

Shown above are the San Miguel locks, which is followed by the Miraflores, just one mile further along. The 48-mile long Canal was completed in 1914, but the idea for it began to percolate as early as 1819! The French tried to make the project go first, but they were unsuccessful. You can read more about it here. The jungle is still very evident and while the water in the Canal is mostly fresh water from a man-made lake, it is not advisable to swim anywhere because of the caymans (nasty creature from the crocodile family),

and although we heard about a fellow who did swim the entire length of the Canal, no permission like this will ever be granted again.

During the 1960's there were a lot of conflicts in connection with the Canal, but in 1977, a treaty was established to make it a neutral international waterway, with a guarantee of passage for any vessel even during war. The treaty also was the beginning of the hand-over of 'ownership' from the U.S. to Panama which was completed on December 31, 1999.

Sunday was wave day

We had to stay out of the sun for most of the day today because we didn't take into account the reflectivity of pools and the intensity of this lower latitude sun. Yesterday we both got sunburned. So Sunday about 6 p.m. we took a walk on the beach and tried to capture the 'Zen' wave along with another incredible sunset. Here is my submission (the one on the right) to be considered. Jey-hu says this one (below) is the most 'Zen' of his shots. Votes from our few readers will not create any more competition between us.

We laugh at each other's critical comments when we download the day's photo "work" and play a game of 'defend it' to justify keeping it in the saved file.

This has been a most peaceful trip for both of us, and the first time we have had a journey that wasn't involved with moving or attending a seminar since we'd met. The photo of the bird flying onto the beach after sunset is Jey-hu's; I love the serenity of it.