Vashon Island

On Saturday, we took the Grandkids, Bug(12) and Dodie(7), to Vashon Island for some exploring and high-impact beach-combing. We caught the ferry from Point Defiance to Tahlequah, then drove north to "Sound Foods," an old hippy hangout, now a high end, and pricey, lunch place.

We sat outside in a lush, English-style garden.
The temperature and sun were perfect, the food was good, although we all agreed they need to work on the clam chowder recipe a little more. And don't be in a hurry when eating here, it's not that kind of place. The tea shop is no longer there. It moved to the location of the old "Stewart Brother's Coffee" warehouse. (It's now known as "Seattle's Best Coffee," but this is where they started.)

After lunch, we drove (wandered) to Point Robinson Park, where there is a turn-of-the-century (the other century) lighthouse. We walked south along the beach, collecting shells and rocks and taking pictures of the driftwood. I'm glad we only had one bag to collect shells in. Bug took my camera and slowly approached a blue heron, taking pictures as he walked and got a pretty good picture as it took off.

We backtracked to the lighthouse and got a tour of the inside and the light itself. Like so many historic locations, there is always a need for restoration funds, so Dodie put some money in the donation jar and signed the register. Signing the register is important because that's proof that many people enjoy visiting this site. It helps secure government funding. Why is it that lighthouses are so picturesque? I've never seen a lighthouse that wasn't photogenic, and I've seen many.

We were lucky to get the tour. It's normally open only on Sundays (4 Bells of the forenoon to 4 Bells of the afternoon, look it up!)
The Great Lighthouse Hunt in Washington is underway so it's open additional days.

The lighthouse is on the point, so continuing our walk means a turn to the west. More shells and driftwood. And more pictures.

After more than three hours of exploration and enjoying the views, we needed some hot tea, so we found the Tea Shop. Bug likes the "Pirate Tea", my favorite is "Russian Caravan."
We wanted to find the "Leprechaun" Bed and Breakfast that we'd stayed at years ago, but got lost, and found ourselves near the Ferry Dock. So we joined the line and waited for the "Rhododendron"