Shelton and Bremerton, WA

After Hoaquim, WA, we went to Shelton, WA, and spent two nights in a casino rv park. It was a nice, fairly new park and had all the amenities. We enjoyed it very much. While we were staying there, we took a trip to Olympia, the state capital. We had a wonderful tour by a very knowledgeable guide. She had spent many years working in the capital building both as a administrative assistant and later as a lobbyist. The building is beautiful. It has been through 3 earthquakes and the last one actually moved the dome 6 inches. Consequently, the building was closed for about 5 years while repairs were made. We learned about some of the interesting history of Washington, including that the state was named after George Washington. Tom took many pictures which he shows a sample of on the blog. After leaving Shelton, we headed back to Bremerton and spent a week there exploring the area more thoroughly. We had only spent a couple of days there earlier this summer and wanted to check out more and also see our friends, Paul and Shar again before we left the state. We drove to Mt. Walker one afternoon and could see the skyline of Seattle from there. Wow! One day we went back to Bainbridge Island and walked around checking out some of the shops we hadn't seen on our previous trip. What a nice place to spend an afternoon. We also took the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle to return to Pike Market. The skyline from the ferry was breathtaking. Tom took pictures but they don't do it justice. The market is really a must see for anyone going to Seattle. It is full of flowers, meat and fish markets, produce, and various crafts. It is impossible to see the whole thing in one trip as it's so large. The flowers were gorgeous and very inexpensive. We wound up the week having dinner with Paul and Shar. Paul made his famous lasagna, homemade bread and a great salad. We took a couple gifts for them that Donna made - socks for Paul and a scarf for Shar. They were very appreciative. We also celebrated our 25th anniversary of when we met (Tom and I). It doesn't seem possible that we've known each other for 25 years, because it's gone so fast but it's true. Hope we make it another 25! We are now in Kelso and will be returning to Portland in about a week to complete our doctor appointments before heading to Texas to visit Tom's family and friends. Whew!!!!