Photo Log of Monday's Great Adventure

Thank Hashem for Shavuous. The Jewish holiday (commemorating the receiving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai) gave most of us JFS employees a 4 day weekend. Carole and I took advantage by spending Monday taking a road trip over to the scenic Olympic Peninsula.

We started by driving north to Edmonds and, fortune guiding the way, were able to drive right onto a loading ferry. Sailing across to Kingston, we went up to the sundeck to enjoy the view. Once across we drove west toward the Hood Canal Bridge, but stopped briefly in Port Gamble (a town known mainly for its seashell museum and rampant vampirism) where Carole discovered a store specializing in her favorite thing: stump furniture.

We picked up some road-side cherries from a vendor near Chimicum, but by the time we got to Port Townsend we were famished. Carole wanted to try the local seafood and we settled on a lovely restaurant called Fins, where for the goodly sum of $15 one can enjoy a plate of ravioli and seared scallops floating in a white truffle sauce accompanied by fresh herbs and wild mushrooms. Carole claims it was absolutely delicious. For my own lunch, I opted for Stave It Off staples, beer and pizza (sorry, my lunch not pictured in photo.) After nourishing our bodies, I had to take Carole to Elevated Ice Cream for my favorite dessert, a double shot of espresso poured over two scoops of almaretto-hazelnut ice cream.

Port Townsend itself is full of capital "A" Art. Every building seems picturesque, with faded old advertisement paintings still covering many of the exposed brick walls. Plus there were rusty objects EVERYWHERE! It was a non-stop photo-op. We walked the streets for a bit, window shopping and taking pictures in the early afternoon sun. Carole picked up much-needed spiritual artifacts at the local House of Woo, Phoenix Rising.

Next we headed for Fort Warden. Parking down by the lighthouse, we could quickly see the face of the cliff that we were planning to scale. Carole, dauntless as ever in the face of danger, followed right behind me as we began our ascent. Stopping for only occasional breathers, secluded romantic trysts, and moments to take in the incredible view, we quickly made it to the top.

Above the cliff face, and through 20 yards of dense undergrowth, we then explored the bunkers. These are abandoned military instillations designed to protect the Puget Sound from the Japanese Navy during WWII. Now, long free of military use, they are graphitied, rusted out treasure troves of creepiness and photographibility. Every wall, and each tiny object still attached, begged to be shot. Walking back along the cliff-top road we encountered Memory's Vault where we lingered, reading the poetry written by local poet Sam Hamill.

Exhausted and satisfied, we lay down on a blanket in a field near the Fort's housing facilities. A playground for low flying barn swallows, we were strafed and divebombed as we napped. We left PT by 5:30ish and headed back toward Kingston to catch a boat back to the mainland. I had to stop and take a look at Spectrum Community School, where I spent 4 wonderful years working and learning what it means to be a social worker. The kids had left this wonderful still-life for me.

It was a wonderful day and a wonderful trip. Stave It Off may soon need to sponsor a photo shoot somewhere out on the Olympic Peninsula so that we can attempt Photo Contest 2: Digital Boogaloo. _Photography