Disclaimer: This post is one of those that ended up being written years after the experience was had. Sadly, there were no notes taken so whatever is shared here must be extracted from the images and what memories they may have lent us. Fortunately, there was an itinerary still in my directory of travel plans, so that will help with some details. As to why this wasn’t noted or blogged about, I was in the throes of writing/editing my book Stay In The Magic and felt that any other deep writing would derail that fragile effort.

There were other ways we could have gone; we could have stayed over on the mainland and just driven south, but the opportunity to catch an early morning ferry couldn’t be passed up. While maybe just a utility to locals, ferries for both Caroline and I are part of an adventure that takes us and our car over the sea, magic.

Trying to take a selfie looking into the sun is never a good idea and I hate that big old shadow it creates there on my chest, which isn’t too bad as typically it’s on our face.

Kirk recommended that when we hit Seattle we had to go to Beth’s Cafe on Aurora Avenue and hope we were arriving early enough to beat the crowds to this popular eatery. We only had minutes to wait.

I’m not sure if it’s the food or the art on the wall that makes this place so popular, but if more restaurants featured hand drawings of people asking to see my chocolate starfish, I know I’d be a regular customer of that establishment.

While a cute snail can hardly compete with demons with meat horns and murder shakes, we’ll know that for at least part of a morning, the art of Caroline graced the walls of Beth’s.

Our mountain of breakfast was wheeled to our table and then three men of a muscular stature lifted the plate that would feed the four of us with food left over for at least three others. You will not find a larger breakfast. Seriously, that’s a 12-egg omelet.

Well, it turns out that Archie McPhee’s toy store can be a great distraction. I should say that Caroline and I were lucky we flew in as if we’d had our car with us; we might have left with a bunch of things we never really needed, but that didn’t stop Rainy and Kirk from leaving with a few choice items.

Since this was Rainy’s first time in Seattle, Washington, an obligatory trip to the Pike Place Market was in order, especially for her to visit the world’s first Starbucks, a.k.a. the Mothership for baristas of that brand.

Caroline and I had a different location that was our pilgrimage, it was the Seattle location of Kinokuniya. We’d been to the Los Angeles location many a time but this was our first time here. Japanese books, magazines, videos, and assorted gifts are the specialty, and while we could forego toys, we’ll never be able to leave one of these stores empty-handed.

Did I tell you that we’d visited Archie McPhee’s?

That was enough of Seattle, and we are now back on a ferry.

The dangers of Archie McPhee’s. We laughed pretty hysterically for a good 30 minutes out here.

I don’t know about you, but that big ass mountain hiding a big ass volcano inside the friendly snow-covered peak sure doesn’t look like it’s over 75 miles away from where we are on Puget Sound.

The look of celebrating horses on a ferry to Bainbridge Island.

Caroline has been suffering from “Yarn Fever” for a long time now; here we are at the Churchmouse Yarns & Teas on Bainbridge Island.

Because somehow there are men out there who don’t understand this idea yet.

I don’t know where the time went, but somehow, all the goofing off and shenanigans ate up our day. We are heading to Sequim for our night at the Great House Motel, which was $80 then and only $99 here in 2021.

Update: just two years later, in late 2023, the price is down to $55. I have the sense that there’s something wrong with our economy and the state of health regarding small companies. 

Don’t ask; I’m just the photographer.

I insist that I’ve never kissed this person, ever.