Gig Harbor friends, friends, friends!!!

 

I spent a few days in Gig Harbor on my way to visit Juniper, staying with Carol (above) and visiting old friends. Her very comfy guest room had a beautiful, soft antique quilt on the bed, and she's holding one of her in-progress modern quilts.

I got together with 22 friends and STILL had more who I wanted to see but ran out of time. So the hectic schedule called for good, strong coffee every morning!

The first morning, I hit the trail with Kandi and Joyce of the Feet & Forks. I had to be careful not to step on the Northwest's iconic slimy banana slugs.

After our hike we had lunch at one of our favorite waterfront spots, Devoted Kiss.

I got back to Carol's just in time for a meeting of STITCH, the art quilt group I founded about 13 years ago. It was so good to see them again and be inspired by their latest work.

Here are a few of the pieces they shared. 

Linda J.'s reindeer is from a Laura Heine pattern that I have but I haven't tackled it yet. Andrea also gave us big pieces of fabric from her studio cleanup. And there was a nice spread of snacks, including huckleberry muffins that Judy made from berries that she picked. It's huckleberry season in the Northwest.

After the meeting I was supposed to go out to dinner and a full-moon hike with Dawn, but something else came up for her and it didn't happen. I was bummed, but it was just as well because by evening I was exhausted and would've been too tired to hike.

The next morning we headed over to Starbucks to hang out with some of the Yoga Girls! You might remember that after yoga classes at the Y we always went to Starbucks for "javasana," or "coffee pose." We did that about three times a week, sometimes more, for many years and I sorely miss that ritual.

Lynn, bottom right, showed us her latest art project which is recycling election signs into happy heart signs. I especially like the Elect Love one.

Then it was another walk with Carol in the harbor ...

... through a majestic forest with carved animals snuggled into fallen trees.

Back at Carol's, I did a quick clothes change and then headed down to Lacey, WA, for dinner with dear friends Paula (above) and Duane. Paula is a chef and gardener extraordinaire -- she grew those peppers -- so I knew I was in for a really good dinner.

This is the view of her vegetable garden, and these are blooms from her flower gardens.

The dinner was the best meal I've had in ages. She rubbed thick pieces of salmon with succulent seasonings and grilled them on cedar planks alongside shishito peppers from her garden. She also stuffed the peppers from the first photo and made a light and lemony pearl couscous salad.

One of the other guests made a peach blueberry pie for dessert. Great company and great food! I sure do miss the good times with Paula and Duane since I moved.

The next morning we were off to another get together. This time it was with the Woolies, a wool appliqué group hosted by Pam. She showed her progress on a Sue Spargo Christmas tree pattern, which I think I have to make this year. So much inspiration in her colors and embroidery stitches, and so much fun catching up with these ladies.

And, of course, there was more food! It was a potluck and everything was delicious ...

... including a huckleberry cheesecake made by another Judy with berries she picked. 

After that, Carol and I walked in the harbor again with the goal of getting ice cream at a shop that opened after I moved. We deserved it after that walk. 

That evening I was exhausted again, but it was a happy exhaustion. We watched the news, had leftovers, and talked until bedtime. 

The next morning it was off again, this time for the Gig Harbor Open Studio Tour before meeting my sister and her husband for lunch. After chatting with three or four artists on the tour, we headed to Uptown for lunch. We met up at the HomeGoods store where it was all about Halloween, including this fun tarot booth.

After lunch at the Blazing Onion, another one of my favorite restaurants, they showed me the teardrop camper they had just bought in Boise and were towing home. They're looking forward to lots of traveling with it.

And then it was my last evening in Gig Harbor. We had more leftovers for dinner and then looked for a light movie to watch and found "Esio Trot" starring Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman, so we knew it would be good. The title is "tortoise" spelled backward and it was delightful.

After a good night's sleep and more of Carol's fortifying coffee, she dropped me off at SeaTac the next morning and I made the short flight to Spokane. It was a jam-packed visit full of good memories of good friends.

Have a colorful day