Thursday, July 20, 2017

The Unexpected Pleasure of New Friends

August 12-15, 2017
Olympia, Washington

Bill's cousin was living in Olympia when I included the city in our route. When we found out she moved I remembered that a nice couple we met in Colorado also spend their summers here (they're on the road the rest of the year) so I kept our reservations. I figured we could see a little of a new area, and have a fun meet up with Michael and Rebecca.

Our Wednesday drive takes us into Washington, following Hwy 101 to Hwy 8, and a few miles on I-5. We arrive at Land Yacht RV Park mid-day where we back into our spot in the gravel parking lot. Spaces are defined by white lines and there is just enough room for the house and the Jeep - just. This was originally an Airstream-only park, pre-slides. The sewer connection is uphill so we don't bother, there's a dump and we're only here four nights. 30 AMP and good water pressure. Park WiFi doesn't connect, plenty of sky for satellite. It's a quiet park, close to town, and our friends' park is five-minutes away.

Rebecca invites us to their place and then dinner at their son's pub on Thursday evening. At cousin Penny's recommendation we check out nearby Boston Harbor during the day.

What a wonderful place!! Nothing more than a little marina and store/patio, and the cutest homes with beautiful gardens.


Music jams here on the weekends too :-)

Small boats in a small marina.

The dock needs a little work - could be a sobriety test?

The sweetest cottage with views of the harbor. I love it!

Garden art.

Many of the gardens are terraces, giving you more to look at.

Not the roof of a house - its the whole house.

This big ship stands out among more traditional homes.

In, not out, got it!
In the afternoon we make the quick drive to Lost Lake RV Resort, a beautiful - really beautiful - private park with a variety of covered and uncovered spaces, and park models. Although some have sadly removed trees, it is still a lush forest.

Rebecca meets us at the gate and she and Brutus lead us back to their home.


Hard to see, but Brutus is keeping an eye on us from the back.

         Piper's parents live here!!

I fail to get pics of their lovely covered deck - it is a comfortable and inviting place. We're already thinking we could land here some day :-) They give us a walking tour of the park and surrounds, and on the way to eat we drive to the little lake. It's beautiful. Lucky Rebecca also has her art studio above the lodge overlooking the lake - she is very talented!

We enjoy dinner and brews at West Side Tavern, a wonderful "dive" bar that their son manages. Because we're with Brutus, we have reserved seating! Everything is delicious, we'll be back!

When you know the right people dogs!

Our host.
We've only met these folks for a short visit along the Arkansas River in Colorado, and Rebecca and I are Facebook friends. After our time at their place, and over yummy eats and drinks, we know these are really great people whose company we enjoy - a lot :-) Before going home, they take us to the gallery where Rebecca's work is displayed. Splash is a lovely place showcasing 17 local artists with a diversity of mediums. 

Wish I had the space - Rebecca's pieces are gorgeous.

Bill's favorite.
Rebecca suggests she pick me up on Friday for the Olympia Market and I'm in! The market is Thursday - Sunday all summer, and includes fresh produce, prepared foods, baked goods, artisan wares, and other cool stuff. After we pick up a few tasty bits, we enjoy lunch outdoors on the harbor at the Budd Bay Cafe. A couple more quick stops and we're back at our house. 

So many textures, smells and colors.

Soap, not candy ;-)

Lovely lavender.

Rainbow Chard

Our lunch view.
We've all had such a good time together, and their invitation to join them for dinner at their place means we get to have some more!

After enjoying our meal on the large covered deck, we relax around a nice fire pit with views of the Olympias through the trees. The more time we spend here, the more we like the idea of something similar in the future.




Saturday we get some needed errands run and other boring adult stuff. Then one more get together with our new friends at Dirty Dave's Pizza where we somehow find even more to talk about :-)) Hugs and good-byes-for-now.



Michael, Brutus and Rebecca - thanks for such a great time!!
We didn't know what to expect of Olympia, had no plans for anything in particular to do. What a nice surprise to spend time with a couple who we have a lot in common with, and whose company we enjoy so much. Tessa and Brutus were happy to share their space with each other, just hanging out with their peeps. Olympia is also a wonderful city - progressive, diverse, eco-conscious, college-town, lots of water, that mountain!, and just weird enough for us to really like.  

Next up, we're off to the Seattle area to see our only "doesn't live in Southern California" son!



14 comments:

  1. That is one sweet setup for an RV, Jodee! 😊

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    1. We thought so too!!! It feels really good there.

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  2. Looks like you found another gem! What a beautiful spot it is.

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  3. It's always wonderful to meet new friends and what a cool spot where they live!

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  4. This is a great park! Love your friend's set up. Certainly a comfy place to hang. Brutus is so cute:) But no Tessa and Brutus photo! Love the farmer's market. Can't wait to get to Oregon and some good farmer's markets. You meet the nicest people in this lifestyle. Isn't it great that we have technology to deepen those friendships until we can meet in person.

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    1. We continue to be blown away by the great friends we've made on the road. Tessa and Brutus just sort of "passed by" each other except when we were out on the trail behind the park and they were hunting bunnies - but I didn't have the camera or phone :-(

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  5. When you have to make reservations so far in advance, it’s tough to know what might happen in the mean time. Glad you had friends there. I always thought those A frames with the roof down to the ground would be so dark. Love the street sign too funny – no outlet on Inlet Drive. Adore the picture of Brutus, he looks like the perfect host. Mmmmm I can smell that lavender. Very artistic picture of rainbow chard. Really fun pictures of Brutus and his staff. I’ve never seen a set up like that park. Looks really interesting and beautiful. It’s amazing the different places people choose to set up as home base.

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    1. You're right, that A frame had to be super dark inside - no thanks! Brutus is the sweetest, most lovable big guy (he loves Bill), and well behaved like Tessa so a real pleasure to hang out with - his peeps are cool too :-)

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  6. The people we meet along the way make it even more special.

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  7. Bill's favorite painting made me want to put on boots and go splash in a puddle! Lovely to meet such wonderful people. And is such a wonderful place. Of course it helps that you two are wonderful people yourselves.

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  8. In all of our PNW travels, we've never spent time in Olympia -- looks like we need to do something about that! Sounds like you had a wonderful time with very special new friends. And it's good that you're meeting people, seeing as how you don't have many friends, hahaha!! But there is always room for more friends, especially when you have so much in common. What a sweet place they have!

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  9. I love how you are both such wonderful people persons. Hope we get to spend time together again.

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