Dungeness Spit, gondola and Feet & Forks!

This final installment about my trip back to Washington is all about water! So much blue after all the  desert rocks in Tucson.

My sister Kathleen and I spent an afternoon beach walking and taking photos at the Dungeness Spit in Sequim. It was gorgeous weather and clear enough to see Mount Rainier on the horizon.

Silvery driftwood was piled up and beachgoers stacked rocks into photogenic pyramids. 

Another day Kathleen and I wandered through Port Townsend, where I took this photo of the sun sparkling on water. The pace was lazy in the warm sun, and we spent a long time just leaning on the dock railing watching the water.

But the most memorable water fun was the surprise gondola ride arranged for me by the Feet & Forks!

It was a leisurely one-hour ride around Gig Harbor in an authentic 25-year-old gondola from Venice. Our gondolier was from Orange County, but he did sing in Italian.

We shared the harbor with sailboats, kayaks, paddleboards, and yachts.

One interesting tidbit shared by our gondolier was that this eucalyptus tree (which normally wouldn't grow well in the chilly Pacific Northwest) has its own underground heater. He also pointed out a vacation home  with a lazy Susan in the driveway. You back your car out of the garage onto the lazy Susan and it rotates so that you can pull out front first onto the street. That would be nice to have!

Earlier in the day, the Feet & Forks walked along Commencement Bay in Tacoma in beautiful fall sunshine. We saw two huge sea lions -- that's the head of one below. Then we bought halibut tacos at a seafood shop and had a picnic before heading back to Gig Harbor to rest up before the surprise gondola ride. After that, we continued to be blessed with good weather and enjoyed an outdoor dinner at the Green.House. (Yes, that period is supposed to be there in the name.)

I sure do miss my walking group.

Have a colorful day