Friday Harbor - 7/10/2012

Today we head for Friday Harbor for Vicki to experience a change of pace and scenery.  She gets a close up view of one of the Washington State Ferries, the Elwha, and I tell her the story I heard about the Elwha Rock and how it got its name.

Bob and Nita have already arrived and we soon have a spot right in front of them on B Dock, where we see all the boats that come in.  

For lunch we think Vicki will enjoy going to "Herb's Tavern."

Kenmore Air makes an appearance.

I see two young ladies rowing a dinghy to the dock by us, and I go to assist with the lines.  Curious about their dress in uniforms and helmet, I ask. They tell me they have come from Victoria --in a dinghy??? No wonder they wear helmets.

They point to their ship, Cougar, and tell me they are with the Canadian Navy and are on a navigation training exercise.

They are Tanya and Vanessa and stand by as the ship comes slowly to the dock, then place sections of 4x4 wood to secure the lines where there is no cleat.

Cougar

A crowd of spectators has now gathered to watch, and are asked to step back in case of one of the lines thrown goes astray.

I ask if the pilot is the trainee, but am told that the trainee is calling the instructions for docking.

You can hear them calling, "Hold three!"  and the response, "Holding three!"

"Hold four!"  "Holding four!"

As we go from the marina into town, we pass a sculpture of Popeye, the One Eyed Seal, and take a detour to visit the real Popeye.  He usually hangs out at the fish market, expecting to be fed a treat or two from time to time.  Several visitors photograph him.  He is sooooo cute!

Popeye ready for dinner.

A nice surprise today is a phone call from Russ and Toni of Traveler, who make an unexpected cruise to Friday Harbor from travels as far as The Broughtons.  We invite them to Happy Hour and dinner aboard the Nellie Too.

Another delightful surprise is seeing Shyrl and Don with their pet Abigail, whom we met last year at Reid Harbor on their wooden boat, Hannah.  They live here and tell us they continue to spend hours working to keep Hannah looking nice.

Jake greets PayDay and SunDay, the beautiful dogs belonging to Fred and Bernie Day, and tells them in Woof Woof language he wants to play.  We learn that the Days live in Friday Harbor, have a Ranger Tug, Day Dreamer III, and will be on the Desolation Sound trip with us later this month.

Day Family

I announce that the ice cream store closes at 10 PM, so we have ample time to go make our selection from about fifteen flavors.  It is so amazing to see six to eight different kinds of chocolate!

Vicki, Toni and Russ

Life is Good!

Willie of Willie's Tug,

   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake

   Tuesday, July 10, 2010