Oh, what to do today?

Lazy, slow morning. It was wonderful to see Kim out on the deck, enjoying a cup of coffee and the peace and quiet.

 

 

Once we got going, it was lunchtime! We decided to go to the Madison Diner because Kim likes to try out the restaurants that have been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Guy Fieri) and the Madison Diner dining car was featured in 2007. We both had a caprese swiss cheese grilled sandwich and sweet potato fries. The sandwich was okay but the fries were awesome! And of course I had to have a yummy root beer float.

 

 

Then we went down one of the main streets in Winslow to do a little shopping. I found a cute little bookstore that I just loved. I ended up buying a book and a cute bookmark. A couple more shops - a couple more purchases.

 

Kim is interested in buying property or a vacation home here on Bainbridge so we drove around the island for about an hour. We saw this

 

 

A flying machine?? We asked the lady standing out front of her house but she didn't exactly tell us what it was. Interesting.

 

Came back to just relax. I started reading my new book and took a little cat nap while Kim tried catching up on a little work. Dinner time came, so we headed out to the beach and ordered delivery from Westside Pizza. I had chicken alfredo and it was delicious. Creamy, cheesy chicken alfredo, beach, and a gorgeous sunset. Can't beat that!

 

Waitin' for dinner

 

We leave the island tomorrow so we thought we should come back and get things picked up a bit. BUT we ended up getting my profile on Match.com. Here we go! I'm not so sure about this but Kim is kicking me in the butt. :o)







Kimmie's Here!

I decided to just kind of hang out at the house and beach today. Just a lazy day, waiting for Kim's arrival.

I laid in bed for a couple of hours after I woke up, just thinking happy thoughts. Nothing stressful. Once I got up I threw on a pair of jeans with my pajama top and went for a walk on the beach. It was a beautiful morning. I collected shells for Eva, of which there were so many!

The beach across from the house where I am staying.

So many sea shells!

The pathway to the beach

Always something a little interesting on the beach.





After my walk, I made myself a protein smoothie and sat out on the front porch and read my book. Did I mention that I found a book in the bookshelves here at the house that sounded interesting, so I started reading it the first night I was here. I finished it today! While I was reading, rocking in my chair, enjoying the breeze, I was totally getting sunburned. Tonight I'm literally glowing red! Oh well, live and learn.

Yay! Kim arrived this afternoon! After a tour of the house and the beach, we drove into Winslow to get a bite to eat. We ended up at Doc's Marina Grill. We sat outside on the lawn area, in the shade under a tree. Beautiful!

 

Kim had Dungeness crab risotto and I had salmon mac 'n cheese with a side of three tempura prawns. My meal was delicious! Kim's? Not so much. She ate just a few bites and claimed it to be too rich (too much sauce) and not enough crab. She didn't feel so good after she ate it. But it didn't stop us from driving around a bit, go into a couple of shops, and pick up some groceries at Safeway. See, a pretty lazy day.

 

When we got back to the house we picked up some magazines and munchies and headed to the beach to watch the sunset.

 

This beautiful wooden sailboat sailed right past us.





It got a little chilly/breezy so we actually ended up back in the house to watch the sunset. It did not disappoint.

Oh, and when we were driving around, Kim wanted to look at houses for sale. We found this one at the very end of the spit we are on, and much to our amazement it was being watched over by a very large bald eagle! Cool!

Birthday Getaway

Thank you dear friend Kim Kilker Moger for providing this peaceful respite from a brain-draining and emotional summer thus far. Thank you for this extremely generous birthday gift of a getaway. These first two days that I have been here by myself have been luxurious, restful, and beautiful. I am excited to see you tomorrow though! It'll be fun to have friend time on this beautiful island and this absolutely lovely rental home.

Bainbridge Island -

So close to Seattle yet feels so far away. Where the letter "A" is, is where the ferry lands. That is Winslow. When I arrived in Winslow, I had a bite to eat at this little bakery and got some directions. Go directly north of there and see the little spur ("spit") at the top? That's where the house is where I am staying. It's called Point Monroe.

Through the front windows I can see the waters of Puget Sound, specifically Port Madison. Out my back windows and I can see the lagoon where a resident heron is generally in the water or perched on an old piling. This lovely home is called June's Place. I love it!

June's Place on Point Monroe, Bainbridge Island, WA

Could this be any more inviting?

View from the front windows

My heron friend in the lagoon

Visitors as the tide goes out

Once I got settled in, spent some time looking around, reading and taking a little catnap in the sun, I decided to go find a place to eat dinner. I found the Harbour Public House Pub and Restaurant, overlooking the marina. I sat out on the deck and had delicious fish 'n chips. The view was soothing, except when I could see Seattle far off on the horizon. It made me think about how close I was to the actual city, but I felt like I was in a whole different part of the world. It's so nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of freeways, crowds, and the heat of the pavement.

Dinner with a view

 

I got home after sunset, so I just curled up with a good book and read in silence except the lapping of waves on the shore.

 

Today (July 21) I slept late and loved it. I took my time getting up and getting ready. I drank my breakfast smoothie, and read, in my room, at a table by the window overlooking the water. Such leisure.

 

I wanted to move today, so I decided to take a walk in the Bloedel Reserve. The Bloedel Reserve is a unique, world-renowned public garden. The founder, Prentice Bloedel, intended for The Reserve to be a place that "provides refreshment and tranquility in the presence of natural beauty." Mr. Bloedel also stated, "The Reserve is a place that offers the visitor a variety of experiences of nature; it is a place where one is reminded of the fundamental bond that exists between man and nature; it is a place to enjoy."  I most certainly did enjoy. The weather was perfect. It was cloudy today, but not too cool. It was a great day for a two mile walk through some of the most beautiful trees and foliage I've ever seen.

 

Nature can live without man, but man cannot live without nature.

 

The entire trail was beautifully maintained.

I loved this wall of ferns!

The Reflection Pool

I love all the different textures and designs

The Bloedels' Residence until 1986

Mid Pond with a beautiful, old weeping willow

These flowers were near the residence

The bluff overlook from the back of the residence

Man made waterfall fed by groundwater

A beautiful stream

East entrance to the Japanese Gardens

Japanese Guest House

Japanese Sand & Stone Garden

The Moss Garden

 

What a wonderful way to spend a summer afternoon! It was cool and refreshing and oh, so beautiful!

 

After the Reserve, I came back to the house for a snack, some reading, and a vacation nap. Once rested I went in search of a place to eat dinner. This time I ended up at the cute little Madison Diner.

 

 

Isn't it so cute?! It's a traditional diner-style experience in a historic 50's dining car that started in Pennsylvania, moved over to New Jersey, ended up abandoned for a few years, and then purchased by a resident on Bainbridge Island and set down roots here. Yummy food and a large, refreshing root beer float.

 

And I made it home tonight in time for the sunset!