Day 7, ferrying to the Kestners

Today we traveled to visit Colleen, Olivia, Alex, and Cody. Because they live in an old neighborhood with narrow streets, we left the RV at the Hopkins' house and drove the SUV. We'll return on Sunday to the Hopkins' home to get the pod ready for the long haul, including a repair job to the pantry. We'd heard that the plastic supports that hold up the shelves sometimes break. We're happy ours did when we had time to repair them and a place with whatever tools we'd need. Denis was able to find the parts we needed at an Ace in downtown Seattle so he ordered them for pickup.

The Kestner Family was returning to Seattle from spending time in Montana with Alex's family today so we offered to pick up Cody from boarding. This gave us the opportunity to travel to Seattle on a different ferry. 

Traveling to and from the Seattle area is made much easier by a number of different ferries. Most of the ferries do not accept reservations so people get to the ferry dock as much as an hour in advance to ensure they make it on. Consequently, there can be small towns that seem to survive on ferry traffic.

We got to Kingston about 25 minutes before the ferry was scheduled to begin loading. After parking the car, we made a quick trip into Kingston for a slice of pizza and an ice cream cone. The crepe place seemed to be the restaurant of choice but the line was just a little too long for comfort. By the time we got back to our car, 15 minutes before the ferry was set to sail, the lot where they line you up to get on the ferry was pretty much full. We wondered if everyone in line had made it on.

The ferry ride was quick and we were on our way to pick up Cody from the kennel and then to Seattle to see Colleen, Olivia, and Alex.

Of course, Olivia has grown since we were here last. She is holding up her head and is so much more aware of what is going on around her. 

One of the benefits of their house is that it is only blocks from the neighborhood shops and the Thursday night Farmers' Market. Washington, Oregon, and California grow 84% of the nation's cherries with Washington leading the production. Most people are familiar with the most popular varieties of cherries, Bing and Ranier. There were a handful of different varieties available this evening. A quick internet search said that there are 19 varieties grown in Washington! I'm guessing very few make it outside of the state. They keep the best for themselves.


Location: Queen Anne, Seattle, WA, USA

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