When I get the chance to visit my friend Ingrid in Olympia, it is always fun, quiet, and relaxing—and Henry, my twenty-pound Schnauzer, has a blast. He sits on his puffy bed in front of her glass patio door, waiting for squirrels and golfers to go past. By the end of the day he is exhausted—he has been on high alert for hours. And sometimes I get to do things I have never done before, like eating the lunch pictured above: a Monte Cristo sandwich, at a cafe called Shipwreck on our return from Steamboat Island. It was something I had never eaten before. A layer of cheese, egg and ham between two pieces of french toast. It looked great, and tasted good, but dipped in raspberry jam was a little weird for someone who is still very British in some ways.

This short trip, four days, was just the break I needed. We toured the aisles in World Market, bought a few things, and left with money to spare. We went to the Saturday Market—it was a tad cold—but I bought my favorite bread from the last trip. I don’t usually like sourdough, but the Apricot, Walnut, Date sourdough from Blue Heron Bakery is wonderful. We saw some incredible candles; the artwork was spectacular—sadly, way out of our price range—but they would make wonderful special-event gifts. We sat outside with our backs to the sun and ate bowls of carrot bisque. It needed the cilantro that a coffee shop here in Bellingham serves, but it warmth was comforting and it bulked up our empty stomachs.

Most relaxing of all were the couple of long (for us) hikes we did: one to Woodard Bay Park, without the dogs, the sun through the tree was beautiful.

the first picture show the timber industry in the early 1900s. The second the peaceful setting of today and the protection that the old docks now provide for Harbor Seals and Bats.

The next walk was on Streamboat Island, one of the many fingers of land pushing out into Puget Sound and walked through the woods with the dogs.

I accompanied my friend to a mindfulness class at the Olympia Senior Center, which was instructive, although I often have a hard time with meditation. There was a spectacular display of salmon art in the foyer. I hope you, my readers, can see the details on these fish. the first one was Wishapona, (pennies) the second, Struggle to Survive, (flattened tin cans) and the third, Blue, Black Beads in Roe, (tiny beads)