We are not here for the arcade at least not yet. We are here to watch our grandson play indoor soccer. More later…
retirement activity
Historic and haunted Stanwood Hotel and Bar
Several years ago we found this neat old place in the historic town of Stanwood, Washington. Stanwood was originally a lumber, mining and shipbuilding town. The Hotel was first opened in 1894, and a plaque on the front of the building proudly proclaims the local historical society taking note.
Stanwood Hotel and Bar
The hotel has a rather raucous history as you might expect from what in reality was a frontier town. Over the years some unseemly characters took part in rather unseemly activities at the hotel and bar. Some of these events have led many to believe that spirits of the past still roam the bar and hotel. Current staff and patrons have reported repeatedly seeing apparitions in Victorian age clothing. Some have been pulled at and pushed. I personally had a weird feeling of being observed in the hallway to the restrooms, an area with lots of reports of activity. Paranormal investigators have been here with results that are hard to refute.
Dark door to back hallway were stuff happens!
Great fish and chips
Our pre-snack refreshments
Today the bar offers some of the best ‘Bar Food” in the state. We stopped here after our trip around Camano Island for a snack. My snack turned into a full order of delicious fish and chips. Sher had what turned out to be a huge basket of the best fries we’ve had in a long time. Hat’s off to our bartender: she makes a great margarita!
The Stanwood is now back as a full service hotel. All the second floor rooms have been remodeled with modern baths. Not only can you get a great meal, but you can stay in a piece of Washington’s history. Check it out, they also have live music sometimes.
Camano Island and the Cavalero boat ramp
What a beautiful day it was for some exploration. Sunny with temps in the mid 60’s promised a great weather day. So we were off to Camano Island, a 15 mile long island north of Seattle, close to the San Juan Islands and the Canadian/US border. The island has State Parks, beaches both public and private and other recreation as well as many residences, some located on the water.
Lots to see and do on Camano Island
A very tall Indigenous fisherman
The information center was closed when we were there, possibly by employment or covid reasons. The large map gives a great snapshot of the island. Several metal sculptures dotted the park around a huge kids playground.
We drove nearly the whole island. Wanting to see some of the homes on the water we found to be a bit of a challenge, as steep narrow roads were the order of the day. We did finally find a community of lovely waterfront homes that was flanked by two gated, private beaches.
Long necked heron in the water
Beautiful water and land
Across the Port Susan water
We saw folks collecting pieces to take
Yes, this is where Maj collected rocks
Finally we spotted, quite by accident, another road that looked to be headed to the water. It turned out to be the steep drive to Cavalero boat ramp, with a fair amount of gravel parking next to a sea wall of timber with the boat ramp on one end.
The scene was calming and beautiful. A heron was loafing in the shallow water, large driftwood piled up on the rocky beach added character. The tide coming in was obvious at the end of the boat ramp. We were delighted with how quiet the place was because there were no boats on the Port Susan water. Sometimes it’s best to just sit and enjoy. That’s what we did for a while before we left the quiet and calm beach and the still waters.
Delivered lunch makes it easy
Greek Fries and Avgolemono soup
Use their flatware
Sometimes it is easier to take care of lunch with a phone app to order your lunch delivered. We did that yesterday by way of the Kafé Neo Greek Restaurant in Mill Creek. (Yes, we’re still in Seattle area.)
Roasted lamb gyro
Vegetarian gyro
This fine Greek restaurant has a great lunch menu with plenty of variety for any tastes. Ordering for delivery has several benefits. Sounds funny, but you can use the flatware from the restaurant. That’s several pieces of your silverware that you won’t need to wash! Plus you don’t have to get out of the house, and can continue whatever you are doing. Sher and I realize that it seems like we’re becoming a travel and food blog. So be it, you have to eat, and we are enjoying new culinary experiences.
We were very satisfied with our selections from the Kafé Neo. The gyros were quite large, and ingredients delicious. The Greek Fries were topped with Feta and came with a unique dipping sauce. I particularly enjoyed the chicken with rice Avgolemono soup. If you’re looking for either inside dining, carryout or delivery the Kafé Neo will be a good choice. Here is their website.
Our first hard cider tasting
We have been exploring craft beer breweries, wineries and distilleries for quite a while. These adventures have expanded our horizons covering alcoholic drinks well beyond the local supermarket. We had the opportunity to take a new expedition into the world of Hard Ciders. We really did not know what hard cider was until we met Hammered Dwarf Cider.
Flight of four hard ciders
We found out that yes, hard cider is true cider, made with apples, but with an alcoholic kick similar to beers. The Hammered Dwarf Cider company offered several different versions. Sher and I both had a flight of ciders, four different ones.
The menu board
All of the ciders had a similar feel, ice cold, refreshing and with that little alcoholic kick. Of the four samples we liked #5, Wizard’s Elixer as one of the best. Made with different cider apples, it delivers 6.9% ABV (alcohol by volume). We also enjoyed #7 , a 7% ABV tart cherry known as Purple Hill. In addition to the ones in our flights, we also sampled #1, the rose colored 6.6% ABV Princess Pie. This delightful hard cider that was fermented with whiskey, peach and Marion berries in a whiskey barrel.
This experience was very interesting and informative. We’ll now be looking for other hard cider producers and put them on our future lists of places to visit along with wineries, breweries and distilleries.
Hammered Dwarf Cider
Yes, a rather bizarre name, but for a great variety of products. This afternoon we all went to a place that sells locally produced hard cider, beer and mead. The Snohomish facility is interesting, as the tasting room is small, consisting of the counter and tap wall, and menu boards. There are a couple of two person high tables inside.
Outside is a fenced in seating area. A series of pop up canopies provide shelter from the sun. Picnic tables offer seating along with those large wood wire spools that make good tables. It is interesting that the site of this cidery is at the back of a concrete plant.
Information board
More information
The Hammered Dwarf Cider is the result of 20 years of development and trails, starting in an apartment in California. Let the Hammered Dwarf website explain: “Our ciders are made with more traditional cider apples as opposed to the usual dessert and culinary apples that most cideries use, creating a unique flavor profile. Barrel aging is another way that we can distinguish ourselves from the rest.”
Sher and our grandson sitting outdoors
Two of our four flights
We ordered pizza delivered to our table
We got a couple of growlers to take home
Each of us (except of course our grandson who got root beer) got one of the flights of four to sample. We have never tried Hard Cider and it was fun to have our first time tasting true local craft ciders. They were very good, all having very interesting and differing tastes. Most of the ciders were made on location, or provided by other local establishments. We found this to be a very unique local business. Pizza, craft hard cider and sharing time with family made for a delightful afternoon.
Christa’s Sandwichboard and Wine Bar
It didn’t take us long to get out and enjoy local restaurants once we got to our family’s place. Snohomish is a fun and historic small town northeast of Seattle. The main street is filled with eclectic stores, antique shops and a wide variety of eateries. Many of the restaurants put up tents on the street to accommodate COVID restrictions. Many of these remain.
Sher with our grandson across from our daughter and son-in-law. Note to tent out side in the street.
Christa’s Sandwichboard and Wine Bar has become one of our family’s favorite. Sher and I soon discovered why it’s a favorite. The sandwich menu is one of the most expansive I’ve seen. Assortments of flat breads and small plates are ready, as are cheese and meat platters. We opted for the hot sandwich specialties.
Basil, Mozzarella & Tomato – “BMT”
The classic Reuben ala Sandwichboard
Humbolt Fog cheese, thin sliced ham w/fixin’s
Kid’s toasted cheese w/fruit & cookies
The tag “Wine Bar” is included in the name of this fun facility. There was a 1/2 price sale ongoing, so you know us, we had to partake. We got a nice California red, part of the 2017 Joel Gott Wines Artist Series. Good wine!
Comfortable dining with fun decor
This was a delightful place to eat, the service was great and the food delicious. It was so nice to have supper with our Washington family again. It doesn’t get any better than being with family, does it?
Waiting to head west
Sher and I are in the B Concourse at IND (Indianapolis International Airport) waiting to board our flight to Seattle. We’ll be with our family in a few hours!
Indiana to Seattle: fly or drive our RV?
Requires 33 hours drive time, one way. At least four or five days with stops.
That was the question. We were planning a trip to Seattle to visit our daughter, son-in-law and grandson. It was hard to decide as we love travelling in our RV. It gives us a place to stay so that we aren’t intruding on our daughter’s family all the time. It also gives us a chance to relax and be alone. Staying with them is lots cheaper and gives us more time with them and our grandson. They have a big house and we have our own room when we are there. On the other hand, is it fair to stay with them? I feel like it is a lot to ask having to put up with us. If we drove we would need to be there for a longer time period, maybe 2 or 3 months. If we fly we can stay a shorter amount of time and go back for another visit sooner. Our grandson who is growing up fast (he is 6) and started 1st grade this year was a big part of our decision. We need to see him more often. We have done both and have been happy with each visit.
After much debating we decided to fly. This decision was based on many things. We didn’t really want a long road trip at this time. The coronavirus has kept us away from family a long time. We did have a quick visit as our son’s wedding, but we wanted and needed some quality time with each of our 5 kids and their families. We also thought that maybe we could help them while we were visiting. We can cook some meals and help keep the house straightened. When we decided to look at it as a we can help trip, instead of being a burden it became more definite that we should fly.
Flying time: 4 hours 53 minutes, non-stop (Photo courtesy Alaska Airlines)
So next week we begin our journey to Seattle, WA. We are flying on Alaska Airlines and were able to get a direct flight for a very good price. We bought our tickets with our Chase Freedom card and we like the points we get when we use it. We usually fly Delta and have lots of points built up on their plan, but couldn’t find a direct flight for the right times and dates. Our daughter tells us that the Alaska Airlines miles program and credit card are the best, so we will be looking into that. Would love any suggestions on what you think is the best travel miles and credit card choices. We check out doctorofcredit.com and will often find good deals on his site. We don’t spend enough to really take advantage of his credit card finds, but we have made extra money by opening checking account he suggests. We get nothing by mentioning his site, but it is an interesting site to check out.
We are excited about our trip next week and have started packing. We will be posting pics of our bags in the next few days.
~Sher
Our backyard bird feeders are back in service
Hummingbirds are so amazing!
In May 2021 some species of songbirds began to be afflicted with a deadly disease of some kind. This started in Virginia and moved west. Indiana birds began to die in late May and by early June the Indiana Department of Natural Resources put out the warning to stop all bird feeding in private yards. We posted about that. We both really missed our almost daily birdwatching time our back.
By the first week in August the DNR published the news that 76 out of Indiana’s 92 counties were bird disease free, and could resume the use of bird feeders.
Our cute little Nuthatch is back
We soon refilled our two seed feeders, and also refilled our hummingbird feeder. (DNR also had said to stop using hummingbird feeders as well.) It has been a couple of weeks since we started feeding our avian friends again, and slowly lots of the birds are coming back to our yard. We haven’t seen all of the species we had seen before the “lockdown”, but perhaps that is to be expected. We are grateful that we can again enjoy birding from our backyard swing!
Roadtirement 