Seattle’s Puget Sound is home to 13 working lighthouses
The Alki Point lighthouse is an operational fully automated facility operated by the US Coast Guard. It is the southernmost of the 13 lighthouses on the Sound. This is a beautiful structure when seen from any angle, and is often open for free tours. Sorry, you can’t take your dog to this one. We got this shot on a cruise from Seattle to Tillicum Island.
This life size statue of an Orca killer whale is in the entrance way to the Tulalip Casino off of I-5 north of Seattle. We have been patrons of the casino several times when we traveled to the Seattle area to visit family. When we were last there you could park your motorhome for 3 days in the designated RV lot. No services, but a patrolled and safe place to stay.
It seems that there is a brand new, additional casino on the same property. There was a Grand Opening February 3rd. It is listed as being twice as large as the first casino. We will definitely check it out the next time we travel to the Pacific Northwest.
One adventure that we hope to repeat is another whale watching trip out of Bellingham, Washington. A few years ago we were blessed with the opportunity to take a day cruise around the San Juan Islands in the Salish Sea north of Seattle. So many wildlife sightings of both sea animal and birds happened. The highlight of course was the sighting of a pod of orca killer whales, part of which is seen in the above photo we took. Note it shows an adult and a juvenile.
Big 4 Mountain, Cascade Range
Wow, April 22, 1970. Where were you on the first Earth Day? I was a freshman at a small liberal arts college in Illinois. I knew several fellow students who were really activist minded about the environment, anti-war movement and other social issues. My geology professor was already a hard core environmentalist. The Nation wide and world wide Earth Day marches were quite something to see/read about.
Here we are in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic. There have been many reports documenting the effect that all of the stay at home orders have had on Earth. Have you seen the air quality/pollution studies showing the very dramatic decrease in smog due to few people driving? How about the video of the kangaroo hopping across an Australian city and only seeing one car? Geologists studying earthquakes are seeing subtle readings on seismographs that before have been hidden due to human activity.
I read somewhere that the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is Earth’s way of scolding humankind and sending us to our rooms until we learn how to behave. Makes sense to me. It is my hope that the “new normal”, what ever that turns out to be, will show much more respect for Earth. Our existence depends on it.
— stay safe, wash your hands, stay healthy —
Here’s another photo from one of our past adventures
This photo was taken on a whale watching cruise in the Salish Sea north of Seattle. The sunlight was creating diamonds of reflections on the surface of the Sea. A wispy fog was at the same time flowing up the valleys lending a flavor of mystery to the scene.
Another “not traveling so here’s another old picture” thanks to COVID-19
We actually took the picture of this cute little chipmunk a few years ago when we were visiting our daughter and her family in Seattle. He was running around on a street where nuts had fallen and traffic had broken the shells making for a great smorgasbord.
One of several whimsical sculptures in Seattle’s Neototem Garden
We saw this seagull on the beach near Brackett’s Landing North ferry dock at Edmonds, Washington. Guess he didn’t want to get his feet wet.
If you ask the folks that are patrons of Frost in Mill Creek outside of Seattle they will agree with the boastful title of this post. Seattle agrees that they are the best in Washington State. Sher and I were treated to a trip to Frost by our Seattle family.
The doughnut case
Delicate French style macarons
The Frost store is found in the Mill Creek Town Center, an upscale shopping and entertainment complex in this nice Seattle suburb. The store offers doughnuts, cupcakes and French macarons. The macarons are not to be confused with macaroons, a totally different treat.
That is a chocolate filled masterpiece
This perfect apple fritter defines the craft
We enjoyed a variety of different doughnuts during our visit. Though they were typical in type, all were extraordinary in taste. In addition the gourmet coffees were a special addition to our mid-morning sweet tooth break.
Artistic gourmet coffees compliment the pastries
The next time we are in the Seattle area, we’ll for sure want to go with our family to the Frost store. Perhaps we will try a cupcake or a macaron on our next visit. But I don’t know, those doughnuts are pretty darned good! Check out the Frost website and be prepared to get hit with a sweet treat craving.
North of Seattle just off I-5 is the Tulalip Resort and Casino. There is of course a massive multi-story hotel, many restaurants and shops, and 200,000 square feet of gaming floor with over 2400 slot machines and the usual table games.
The casino is currently offering some very good promotions during March. Lots of opportunities to win Free Play and other promotions including reduced hotel room rates. I wonder if this is due to the corona virus in the Seattle area. Perhaps casino attendance is lower than normal, and offering these promos is a way to keep people coming to the casino.
Beautiful display in the entrance fountain
Statue of Tribal member spear fishing
When visiting family in Seattle, Sher and I like to go to the Tulalip Casino, owned and operated by the Tulalip Tribe. It is really huge, and walking the gaming floor does provide some good exercise! We always designate a certain amount to gamble with, and never go over that amount. Sometimes we actually come out ahead.
Lucky spin turned 50 cents into $25.81 !!
Tulalip has some great restaurants, and the last time we went we decided to try their buffet. With the senior discount we felt it was a decent enough price. The buffet was good, but honestly had a rather small selection. We have been to better casino buffets for less money. Overall, though, the Tulalip Casino is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. Even if you never gamble, it is fun to just see how big the place is. There are also some great displays of Tribal art that are worth seeing. Here is the website.
