It has been nearly a month since my last post. So there is a lot to tell. Firstly, Washington State is beautiful and green. And, yes, I had rain! Five days straight, at one point. But it did not dampen my trip, as there were many wonderful things to do and people to see.

The Glass museum in Tacoma, Washington is a weird cone shaped building that houses a ‘hot shop’ where you can watch artists create hand blown glass. There are also exhibits of the current Artists in Residence. I was lucky enough to see an installment by Maya Lin created by the hot shop crew by her direction.

The entryway sculpture is most wonderful, in that the clouds are reflected, On this particular day, the weather was absolutely cooperative by providing a stupendous sky for reflection!

After stopping at the Glass Museum in Tacoma, I drove to Seattle and settled into a very comfortable RV park in Bellevue, a Seattle suburb just 20 minutes from downtown.

Outing to Bainbridge Island on the Ferry

Steve, Olga and the twins lived next door to us in Oakland. They relocated to Seattle nearly four years ago. I got to meet up with them again and see Leeza and Sonya, now grown to lovely girls at nearly 8 years of age.

Steve, Olga, and Steve’s birth mother visiting from Minnisota

We had a great time together at a family reunion barbeque, exploring the Chittendom Locks and the fish ladder teeming with very large salmon. (I saw one jump the ladder, and one that did not make it). There were also, inexplicably an influx of large white jellyfish deep in the water, just visible when the sun shown down to them, and a kayak that went through the locks.

Olga, Leeza and Sonya at the Chittendom Locks

Friend Diana who lives in Seattle’s Fremont district took me to meet Olga and the twins at the locks

Diana spent much of the week with me showing me the sights including the Museum of history and industry and some terrific local resturants. We took the “Underground Tour of Seattle” and reviewed Seattles history at the museum. It was greed, power, racisim, raping the land, fire and destruction.

Fremont bills itself as the center of the Universe

Diana’s lives in the Fremont section of Seattle. It was most wonderful with many interesting things including a very good sushi resturant called blue C Sushi.

The Freemont Troll famous thruout the city of Seattle

Seattle is comprised of these lovely little neighborhoods each of which has it’s own flavor. We were able to explore the Ballard neighborhood as well and experience a tea shop where you sat at antiques from China. The waterfront is everywhere in Seattle. Lake Union and Lake Washington are fresh water lakes, and the locks join Lake Washington with the sound. It is all very beautiful and picturesque.

I stayed in the Trailer Inns RV park in Bellevue, WA. 20 minutes from downtown Seattle. It was the most comfortable RV park ever, with a hot tub, indoor swimming pool, and very clean, lovely bathroom and showers. The11 days I sayed there are a testimony to how comfortable it was. The managers were warm and friendly, and knew me by name. These small things make a difference when you are on the road for a while.

A special mention: Crossroads Shopping Center
The first evening I arrived in Bellevue, Diana drove out to meet me and we went to a wonderful shopping center that functions more as a communtiy center than a shopping mall.

Friday night at the food court: Blues and Soul Band on a stage and people danced!. All the food court resturants were make to order so the quality of the food was way better than some of the others I have encountered.

The area was comfortable and just down the hall was giant chess and fast chess where there were long tables of couples playing chess. The players were all male, but of every nationality, and age. The giant chess was the same. Fast chess is a variation of Chess where you make a move and then push the timer. You have a total of 5 minutes total to play the game. each move takes part of that five minutes. Also, there is a library in the mall, and free wifi from the library.

Giant Chess

Bellevue, Seattle’s Eastside and One Adventure After Another.
Udupi Palace, a Vegetarian Indian chain, but here, all the customers were Indian, and me. I didn’t know what the food was, and they were describing it and i ordered not knowing what I would get. It turned out to be delicious, a rice and lentil pancake with peas and onions, served with coconut chutney with black sesame seeds and a small lentil soup with vegetables, but the soup was really a sauce, but it was better as a soup than a sauce.

Bellevue is a lush area of homes sprinkled with shopping malls. There is a large downtown with highrises. I got to visit one of them when I went to the local Charles Schwab Office. It was here that i was directed to the best Dim Sum in the Seattle Area, barring even Seattle’s Chinatown. Nearby is a hiking area called Lake Hills Greenbelt and with leased land for a you pick blueberry farm and several lakes and paths. It says light late at this latitude, so many of us take advantage to walk after dinner.

Woodinville, a small town off I-405 is home to the 1.2 acre estate of Ruthie and Koky.

Hundred year old farmhouse home to the wonderful Ruthie, Koky and family. And, 17ft. campervan, home to the wandering Eve.

Ruthie in her remodeled kitchen!

Transplants from the bay area, 17 years in Seattle area, they have raised their wonderful kids here, and hosted me for 3 days.
We had a great time welcoming me to the PNW (Pacific Northwest) with Salmon on the grill.

A visit to the Pike street market and a private tour of the 100 year old Moore Theatre of the Seattle Theatre Group by it’s very own Technical Director, Koky. Ruthie has her wonderful Potter’s studio in a separate building on their property, and it was tres nostalgic to sit with her for a few while she threw off the hump, plate after plate, pressing beautiful leaves into them as she threw.


This wonderful piece is the work of Olyvia, Ruthie’s daughter.

We also had fun moving the buffalo pies (cow dung) in and out (rain) for drying. These are used in the pit firing and must be dry for optimal carrying and use.


Did i mention it is in the wine growing region and there are balloon tours that go right over the house!