Morning exercise with the dogs takes us around 'the loop' of one mile, which Pat and Patty walk in one direction only, because on their steepest hill it is best to go downhill rather than uphill. We end up back at their house without feeling like we have done too much climbing.
Super tour guide Pat takes us up Rattlesnake Mountain to Snoqualmie Point, a scenic park and event venue where a wedding is planned for the afternoon. Mother Nature is slow to cooperate this morning so we cannot see Mt. Si (the most recognizable of Snoqualmie Valley) and the other gorgeous scenery we are told about. Pat, as City Attorney for the town of Snoqualmie, had a large part in developing the Point.
Next he takes us to an awesome waterfall, Snoqualmie Falls, third highest falls in the United States, where we get misted, but who cares about hairdos. We stand spellbound watching the water cascade 268 feet, while Pat tells us of the generator system that we don't see under the falls, and which was built in 1898.
We learn this is the second most visited vacation spot in the state of Washington, after Mount Rainier. Later in the day Patty shows us a photograph of the falls when they froze in the winter of 1949-50. It is so amazing to see the giant icycle just ending in mid-air. Imagine you are watching and you see the actual moment they froze!
Now down the mountain and into the town of Snoqualmie, Pat shows us his office building and the downtown area, where we see many tourists. There are several old not-in-service railroad cars, which hold many memories. One is a museum and offers rides to visitors and locals alike. We see a group of ten year olds boarding by a sign that reads, "Happy Birthday."
We get a quick tour of Pat and Patty's brewery, Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Co., and it takes me all of two seconds to enjoy the cold storage room.
Then on to the home of Patty's sister Barbara for a family reunion of her siblings and families for a back yard bar-b-cue.
During their non-stop visiting and catching up, they welcome Herb and me, and at one point we are entertained by the a cappella harmonizing of the sisters, Patty, Jackie, Barbara and Beverly. A special song is "Winter Wonderland" which was a favorite of their mother's. They also do justice to "Amazing Grace."
Back home after the early dinner we have little energy for anything other than watching DVDs of their travels. We enjoyed seeing Ketchikan and other parts of Alaska they visited while traveling the Inside Passage on Daydream, their C-Dory, as well as the family trip to New Orleans.
We laugh about having to wait until dark before falling asleep!
Willie of Walldog, Willie and Jake
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