Tag: Jane Sadek

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Beautiful Butchart Gardens

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: A DAY IN THE GARDEN

Welcome! I’m glad you’re here! Today we’re going to visit one of my mom’s favorite gardens. She always wanted me to see it, but I never got there while she was alive. Still she seemed to be there and share every step I took. Come see what Mom loved.

Starting the Day at Hotel Grand Pacific

By 6:30 AM I was at the gym and unlike many hotel gyms I was not alone. The spa at Hotel Grand Pacific has members from the community and the gym was hopping. They had two rowing machines and both of them had little old men on them, working away. I got on a stationary bike instead and watched like a hawk. In 10 minutes they were gone and I put my time in.

Afterwards I found quiet things to do in the room, but at 8:30 I was hungry and opened a nut bar to break my fast. The rattling cellophane also woke up Mr. Bill, who got out of bed on the wrong foot. He never quite managed get back to his best self. He went to one of the most beautiful gardens in the world and managed to be grumpy the whole time, because the crowds were too large for him to get good photos.

Frustrations in the Garden

So far on this vacation we’d seemed to live charmed lives. Everything had fallen into place like magic, but on the day I wanted to have the most magic, it seemed to abandon us. Many things went well. We found the garden easily and had no trouble parking. Our Black Ball vouchers got us in without a hassle and I will never forget the moment I snapped the photo of the big sign in the entry area. I wanted to shout, “Hey Mom! I’m here!”

Like cattle in a herd, we made our way past the statue of the boar and turned right into the Sunken Garden. What a gorgeous, gorgeous place. Yes, we weren’t exactly alone, but as you can see in the photo above, we also weren’t exactly marching shoulder to shoulder either – which is entirely possible later in the summer. So, I was surprised when, on the way to another garden area Bill shared his displeasure at having people in his photos. I confess, I was not very sympathetic and to tell the truth, I resented him inserting his displeasure into my enjoyment of the garden.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. I’ve shared before how critical the possession of a map is to my happiness when traveling. Strolling with the crowd past the boar I had somehow missed the kiosk with the maps. Exiting the the Sunken Garden area there was a signpost with a map and I decided to take a picture of it in lieu of a paper map, but there was a pretty good sized crowd around it. I patiently waited for my turn and stepped up to take the picture, but behind me, someone else wasn’t quite as patient. I was given a pretty rough shove.

From there we obediently followed the crowd to the Carousel and Totem Poles. About this time Bill shares his displeasure with the gardens. As I tried to shrug off his negativity I realized I didn’t have everything with me that I came in with. What was missing was my cape. My very favorite black cape that I wear constantly during the winter and goes with me on almost all of my vacations. This was not a minor distraction. This was enough to ruin any day. I told Bill what was up and ran off to back track my steps.

By the time I made it to the Sunken Garden I was frantic. I was fighting back tears. I wondered how a day I had looked forward to for so long could go so wrong. Then finally, I saw it, not far from the signpost. Someone had kindly laid it across one of the chains protecting a grassy area. I remember the rough shove at the sign post and cursed the impatient tourist who had almost permanently separated me from one of my favorite possessions.

Recovering My Resilience

I was on an emotional roller coaster. Keeping Mr. Bill happy is job one with me, so I was dismayed at his consternation. “Guess what my least favorite attraction has been so far?” he’d asked. How could he be unhappy in such a gorgeous place? And now, here I was adrenalin and anger pumping through my veins. I took a deep breath and took a moment to pray. I wasn’t having my joy stolen by a few frustrations. Mr. Bill was is a big boy. While few things bring me as much pleasure as pleasing him, I am not solely responsible for his attitude. And while I’d been very upset to lose my cape, I now had it back in my possession. So, took another deep breath. I thanked God for how wonderful the vacation had been up to that point and asked Him to help me enjoy the rest of the garden.

With my personal photographer pouting over the people in his photos, I pulled out my camera and took over as primary shooter. Capturing pretty flowers and lovely landscapes are my strengths in photography, so most of the photos from this day came from my DSLR, not Bill’s phone.

And then I saw a kiosk with maps! My day was complete and I was able to confirm I was successfully viewing all the beauty the garden had to offer. I also picked up some other brochures, later incorporating them into my photo book.

Bill Gets Back on Board

With a little help from God, I’d gotten my day back on track, but my surly companion was not doing quite as well. His bottom lip was not exactly dragging the ground. He wasn’t exactly rushing me, but he also wasn’t joyfully lingering over every vista.

With my map in hand I realized we’d seen most of what there was of the garden to see, but I also saw that up ahead was a Gelateria. My sweetheart loves gelato. “Come,” I said, ” I think you’re going to like this!” And here he is, happily standing in line for his gelato.

Up next was the gift shop where he himself found a wonderful birthday present for his sister-in-law. I reveled in that, because gift shopping is usually my responsibility. So, in the end, my visit to Mom’s garden hadn’t been perfect, but it was lovely and I felt a little relief that I’d finally marked it off my list. Having visited the Grand Hotel a few years before, I didn’t owe her anymore vacation days.

Come back next week and let’s see what we find in the rest of Victoria!

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Hotel Grand Pacific – The Way to Stay

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: WELCOME TO VICTORIA B.C.

If you’re as close as a ferry ride from Victoria B.C. then get on that ferry and spend some wonderful days at the Hotel Grand Pacific. These were some of Bill’s favorite days of the trip. See what you think about our arrival.

Well, Excuse Me!

We drove off the ferry, across the street and parked under Hotel Grand Pacific. I made my way to the reception area and began my transaction with the nice guy behind the desk. Suddenly, there was a woman standing so close to me that she was almost touching me. Wild hair, loud voice and a sort of bright floral house dress. Here I was checking into my room with my billfold, vouchers and notebook wide open and she’s so close to me she could put her hand in my pocket. I was afraid that was her goal and it rattled me.

I think she was merely rude and boundary-less, but I had to complete my entire transaction with her standing right next to me, chatting up both myself and the reception clerk. I must have checked to be sure I had all of my belongings a dozen times, but I couldn’t get away from her fast enough. Bill was outside taking photos.

To say we loved this everything about this hotel would be an understatement. The room was a little tight, but well appointed with a great view. The hotel had bicycles for guests and so our first order of business once we’d dumped our luggage and parked our car properly was to grab a pair of cycles and take off.

Remember that not listening to me stuff. I tried really hard to let Bill know the route he should take on our bike ride, but before I could even get started he was already down the street zooming through the traffic. I thought I was going to get killed. Eventually, he did ask me where he should go, but by that time I was so shook by near death experiences I had no idea where we were or where we should go.

Somehow, probably luck more than anything else, we were at the entrance to a park I wanted to visit. I followed Bill to a bench, got off my bike and spent my time praising God for being alive. Once I was in the park, I’d studied the map of Victoria so much, that I was able to guide us back to the hotel.

Back at the Hotel

Once we returned to our room, it was time for coffee and snacks. Then Bill took his nap. This gave me the opportunity to arrange the room for three blissful days of not packing up and moving EVERY DAY. Then, I caught up in my travel journal and did crossword puzzles, while sitting next to our picture window, drinking a glass of wine.

Come dinner time, Bill decides we’re going to drive somewhere. I usually just go along to get along, but I’m the one who had done the research and I knew everything we wanted was within three blocks of us. We were not going to drive anywhere and try to park in Victoria. And that was that.

Our Evening Stroll

I think Bill cooperated so he could prove me wrong, but we were out of the hotel and on the sidewalk, so I didn’t care. We came to a restaurant called Mosaic Grille & Bar. Bill then decides there are actually restaurants within walking distance and he’s ready to go check out the rest. I really wasn’t up for that. I was afraid I’d end up with fast food and I wanted a meal. I didn’t exactly put my foot down, I’d already done that once within the same hour, but I made a strong case for taking advantage of what was right in front of us.

Once we had dinner, we strolled around the area, taking a closer look at the Fairmont Empress. Then back at the hotel, we went to the spa where the exercise facilities were. I knew then what I’d be doing first thing on the next morning!

The next day started at the gym, but then we went to Butchart Gardens. You don’t want to miss that!

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Lake Crescent Lodge, Olympic Lodge by Ayres & The Ferry

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: THE OTHER END OF THE RAINFOREST

What a great place to put up your feet, right? This was Lake Crescent Lodge, the sister of Lake Quinault Lodge where we started our day in the rainforest. We still had a few miles to get under our belt to get to our final destination for the day. Come along on this stretch of our visit to Wild & Wonderful Washington State.

Coming Around the Bend to Lake Crescent Lodge

With Bill snoozing as I made the right hand turn from Hoh Rainforest Road back to Highway 101, I set my sights on Lake Crescent Lodge. There were many waterfalls I wanted to explore, just as there had been a lot more Pacific shoreline I wanted to see, but this vacation was for both of us and aimless wanderings were not on the itinerary.

It was gorgeous, but it was also boring. I just kept driving. Lake Crescent revealed itself and I started waking the sleeping monster. He wasn’t all that happy to be awakened until he looked out and saw the lake. He got a lot happier pretty fast.

I made the turn and parked the car. Lake Crescent Lodge was not as rustic as Lake Quinault Lodge. Lake Crescent Lodge had a sort of turn of the 20th Century feel to it. There’s no gingerbread trim around the porch that surrounds it, but there could be. We decided it might be fun to stay there, but we liked Lake Quinault better.

Away from the Lodge, there was the long pier which went out into the lake, something Lake Quinault had not had. The canoes had a different color scheme. It was lovely, but we couldn’t convince ourselves it was as good as Bill’s little Switzerland. We caught our breath and stretched our legs, and then headed to our next stop.

Olympic Lodge by Ayres in Port Angeles

I’ve already told you how happy I was with the accommodations I booked with Black Ball Ferry. Olympic Lodge was the first of them. It spoke to me of Mid-Century Modern – a little stuck in the time frame and could have used some updates, but it was pristine, so no complaints from me.

Our room was wonderful. A big picture window opened onto a golf course. Very relaxing, but we were ready to eat. Remember the day had not afforded us much in gastronomical enjoyment. Unfortunately, Port Angeles didn’t have much to offer either. So, we went to the grocery store and picked out some frozen food, heated it up in the hotel’s breakfast room and had our meal overlooking the golf course.

Next morning I was up early. The exercise room at the hotel was great and I did 3 miles on the treadmill before breakfast. Back in the room I took a bath and got ready for our busy day. Around 9 we went to the breakfast room and enjoyed a pretty substantial breakfast. If I weren’t gluten free, it would have almost been perfect.

The Black Ball Ferry to Victoria

OK, ladies, we all know how sometimes men just don’t listen to us. I had tried since I first booked the ferry to make Bill understand that this was one of those time you had to be there when they said or you would be left behind. All Bill heard was my usual rant about being on time and he was determined to prove to me once again, that showing up at the very last minute, but it not being a problem wins him some kind of points in the game of life.

We’re talking some world class dawdling. I finally convinced him to pick a gas station, any gas station and get some damned gas. While we waited for the tank to fill, I very firmly read him the warning on our ticket about making it on time. I explained that if he missed that ferry then he wasn’t going to Victoria today AND he’d be the the reason we had wasted days and lost money. At that moment the deadline was just a few minutes away. He finished the fuel transaction and tore over to the line for the ferry. We were the next to the last car and they did prevent anyone else from getting into line.

For once, he realized his dawdling and reluctance to hear me about being on time made an impression. Unfortunately, not one that had any lasting effect, but he was very humble for about ten minutes.

Next week we’ll dive right into touring Victoria, British Columbia. Come join us.

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Day Two in the Rain Forest

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: JOY COMES UP AS RAIN COMES DOWN

Welcome to Wild & Wonderful Washington State! I don’t think I found anything more wild & wonderful than Olympic National Park in the state. We drove a lot on this day, but everything we saw was amazing!

A Quiet Morning

I was awake before 6, crept around our dark hotel room and eased out into the hall. As soon as I did, I realized I’d left my phone and my keys inside the room, but no way I was waking up Bill. I figured once I got to the lobby there would be a clock. All lobbies have clocks, right? Wrong!

They did have a gym, but it was not exactly state of the art, so I decided to take advantage of the cozy lobby. I curled up on the big sofa, but no fire had been lit yet. There was also no clock. I had to check with the desk clerk in another room when I wondered what time it was.

It was a peaceful time. I wrote in my travel journal, read some and did a few crossword puzzles. The clerk had told me the Roosevelt Dining Room opened at 7:30, so that would be my signal to go upstairs and start getting ready. The desk clerk did give me a key to get back in, but I had to answer a bunch of security questions, so they were being safe.

Hitting the Road

Breakfast was hit & miss. I’m sure Bill got coffee somewhere, but it wasn’t the Roosevelt Dining Room. We did stop by an internet cafe that I had hoped would have breakfast, but what they had we didn’t want. We ate some of the snacks I’d brought with me and started up the road.

We didn’t know exactly what we were doing, but that was OK, because everything was gorgeous. There would be signs telling us of scenic overlooks. Sometimes we’d stop sometimes we didn’t. One we stopped at educated us on log jams. Another was named Ruby Beach and apparently it was red when the sun shone on it, but there was no sun.

We found the road which led to the Hoh Rainforest, which was just a named rain forest in the forest of rain we were in. That’s when we found a cafe and had what I guess was brunch. The gluten free factor was an issue and I don’t think either one of of loved what we got, but it was sustenance and we were soon on our way again.

Hoh Rainforest Visitors Center

Having only one day in the rainforest was a point of frustration for me. I think I could have spent my whole two weeks going to every stop along the Pacific edge of Olympic National Park, but after a few stops I could tell that Mr. Bill didn’t like all the starting and stopping and seeing the same sort of thing. That’s why I pointed us towards the Visitor’s Center. Only it was down at the end of a road of which we’d just have to turn around and go back on to get to where we needed to go.

If you’re an off roader or a hiker, then this terrain was made for you. You’d drive your 4-Wheeler up to the Visitors Center and then head off on any of the trails it served as a trail head for – but us tourists just had to drive forever to get there and then drive back to where we’d come from. Don’t get me wrong, it’s worth visiting, it’s just inconvenient for the less hearty visitor, like me.

Contrarily, the sun which refused to peek out during our stop at Ruby Beach came out in all its glory as we drove along the Hoh Rainforest Road. The landscape looked a lot like the monotonous scenery we’d seen on the day before on our way to the rainforest. I drove, Bill napped – both ways.

The Hoh Rainforest Visitor’s Center itself was undergoing renovation. Thankfully, there were restrooms. There were also two nature trails. We did both and we loved them. One short path is handicap friendly. It’s the shorter of the two and pretty crowded, but don’t expect much wonder. The other path leads up, down and around through beautiful stretches of rainforest. We loved that part and took our time.

We lingered as long as we could, but we still had a lot of road ahead of us. We needed to be at Port Angeles by the end of the day. I put the pedal to the metal while Bill snoozed.

We made lots of photos throughout the day, but I’ll confess, once I got home it was hard to ascertain which ones went with which stops, so I just made a few photo book spread of it all. Here they are. Enjoy them and then be sure and come back next week and visit our next stops with us.

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Lake Quinault Lodge

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: THE CHARM OF THE LODGE

Welcome to Wild & Wonderful Washington State, our 2025 Road Trip Vacation. We’ve just arrived at the famous Lake Quinault Lodge where FDR fell in love with what would become Olympic National Park. We fell in love with it, too. Come along and find out why!

A Little Early for Check-In

The other side of Lake Quinault Lodge is not as inviting as the picture above. It’s taken of the back of the lodge. Up front it’s a crowded drive and appears to be a very old small inn. I knew we were a little early for check-in, so I was directing Bill to drive past and to visit Merriman and the World’s Largest Spruce Tree, but Bill was looking at the antiquated inn wondering what I’d gotten him into this time.

Good traveling companion that he is, he saved his concerns for later and drove on to Merriman Falls. Most of the falls in the rainforest require at least a little of a hike to view them. Not Merriman! It is right by the side of the road and it’s a beauty – a small gem of waterfall majesty with overwhelming greenery. Enjoy our photo session in the slideshow below.

The World’s Largest Spruce Tree was reminiscent of old fashioned roadside attractions. It did require a bit of a hike, but to tell you the truth, the tree was not all that exciting. The walk to it was lovely!

There was also a small general store in the vicinity. I had Bill stop to see if they had a decent map. GPS is great for point to point diving, but not so great for sightseeing. The National Park System offered an interactive map, but the area is so big I could never make heads of tails of it. The best map I’d seen so far was in my trusty old atlas, that I still carry on every road trip. It’s decades old, but not only was it decades old, it was also small. I needed current and controllable.

The small store did have this map of Olympic National Park, but it was more money than I’d hoped to spend. I stood arguing with myself for a few moments and then I remembered what an absolute bear I can be when I don’t have a decent map. So, I made the purchase, got in the car and started unfolding the map. It was huge! And it had some gorgeous artwork. Lesson learned! Buy the map!

Below are some scans I made of the artwork, pieced together in Artisan. As you can see it was worth the price of the map!

Checking Into the Lodge

We’d killed about an hour with the side trips and the front of the lodge was now a parking zoo. Bill stayed with the car and I went in to get our room, along with all the people representing the various vehicles in the parking zoo. Courtesy was rampant, efficiency was not.

We parked across the street in the official parking lot, grabbed a few things to get up through the night and headed through the parking zoo to find our room. WARNING, there are no elevators in Lake Quinault Lodge. The grand rustic staircase was lovely, but we didn’t love hauling our luggage up it, especially Old Red, who was missing a wheel.

I could tell Bill was now even more skeptical about my sanity than he had been when we first drove by. The room was (shall we say) charming, continuing the rustic look with a wooden bed frame and accoutrements. It was the antithesis of luxurious. The black & white checkerboard tile floor may have been there from the beginning of time and the plumbing was two or three generations older than what we had at home – functional, for sure, but not modern.

Bill’s claustrophobia set in and he was ready to escape. Things got better after that, because he walked out to the back of the lodge and fell in love. Who wouldn’t love this view? Before we left home I had booked a pre-dinner boat ride, which had been cancelled due to mechanical difficulties. One look at this and we were really sorry to have missed that.

Bill happily went into photographer mode and now has this photo as his screen saver:

He kept saying, “It’s as if we walked in the front door from America and ended up in somewhere like Switzerland.” I was offended for America and pointed out the many gorgeous places we’d explored here at home. Somehow he was convinced Switzerland was better – not that he’s been there, of course.

I love it when I’ve found something he really loves, so I reveled in his frenetic effort to capture every single angle. I noticed several people were drinking a glass of wine as they sat in the Adirondack chairs and I wished I had some, too. It was so peaceful there. I have Bill’s permission, more like a mandate, to get him back to the Lodge soon.

Dinner at the Salmon House

I’d had hopes Bill’s largesse which got us meals at the Salish Lodge and the Elk’s Temple might get us into the Roosevelt Dining Room at Lake Quinault Lodge, but his largesse had dried up. Instead we drove over to the adjacent resort and ate at their restaurant. The Salmon House was good, but it left the Roosevelt Dining Room on my wish list.

Then he went back into photographer mode looking for a good backdrop for a selfie of us. Mission accomplished, example below, we went back to the room. I was out like a light in moments. Bill probably did his Tik Tok thing for a while, but for all I know he went back outside and danced with the moon!

Come back next week and enjoy our day in the rain forest.

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Music, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Surprises in Olympia WA

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: A CAPITAL DAY AT THE CAPITOL

We’re moving along to our next destination in Washington State, Olympia, the Capital. We were in for some surprises along the way. Some were good, some were not so good and one was amazing! Come along and see what happened!

Hilton Garden Inn

I might have mentioned that we were less than thrilled with our accommodations in Tacoma. They were a big let down after the Snoqualimie Inn by Hotel America, but for a budget stay, nothing major to complain about.

I was also looking for a bargain in Olympia, but the bargain ended up being several notches above the Best Western and that was one of our good surprises. Bill was thrilled when we pulled up to the attractive new hotel. He flirted with the cute reception clerk. Then he was absolutely giddy when we got to the room and he saw the TV screen with the personalized greeting.

Food was next and he’d seen a Mickey D’s nearby. That suited him just fine. In the old days, it would have suited me, too, but now I am gluten free, so I suggested I just get one of the frozen food packages in the lobby. I figured, how much could a frozen food meal cost. Try $12! This was the next surprise and I was not happy at all about it. However, we got another surprise, that nice girl who Bill flirted with was embarrassed the food cost so much and sold it to me for $6. That was more like it. Then it was jammies and bed for this girl.

Memorial Day Celebration

The primary reason we were in Olympia was because I had read they have one of the most beautiful capitols in the States. It being Memorial Day, I figured it would be locked up tighter than a drum, but I’d also learned the had beautiful grounds. Even if the hype was wrong and it was just another state capitol building, we were closer to the rain forest and we hadn’t had to spend another night at the Best Western.

There had been no way for me to know that instead of being locked up tighter than a drum, there would be a marvelous Memorial Day Ceremony inside the capitol. That was a biggest and most wonderful surprise in Olympia.

For your information, the capitol building and grounds are beautiful and if you are anywhere near Olympia, they are worth seeing. When I did my research I learned of several free tours you could take around the building and sadly, those were not available, but the celebration honoring the Veterans was a real treat.

We didn’t stay for the whole thing. We wanted to tour the gardens and get to our next hotel by nightfall, so we just enjoyed the opening ceremonies and the initial music offerings. As I said, truly lovely, but soon we were headed further west.

Travel Day Monotony

Washington is a gorgeous state, but when you have the pedal to the metal trying to get somewhere all that gorgeous green stuff can get a little monotonous. As we headed west, that was what we had. I suggested to Bill we might want to go all the way to see the Pacific Ocean and get some fresh seafood for lunch. We did drive out to Ocean shores and Bill loved walking along an empty stretch of beach, but then it was back on the road. No, seafood for lunch.

After leaving the beach area, we headed back northwest and soon there was no question about it – We were in the rain forest. Washington State had been green and beautiful everywhere we had been so far, but suddenly it was greener and more beautiful than we could imagine.

Before we knew it, we’d come to South Shore Drive in Quinault, WA. This was our turnoff for Lake Quinault Lodge – something I anticipated would be one of the highlights of our trip. I was right. Come back next week a see what an amazing place I had found to stay the night!

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Tacoma Sightseeing Smorgasbord

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: LE MAY’S & POINT DEFIANCE PARK

We’ll be moving fast today on this tour of Tacoma, Washington. We’ve seen the big rocks and now need to sift through the sand before we head to Olympia. From cars and beaches to jaw-dropping blooms, come along as we see the sights!

A Logistical Morning

Mornings are always tough on vacation. I wake up at the crack of dawn and Bill doesn’t. On this day, we also need to get all packed up, because we’ve spent our last night in the Best Western.

I was up early and slipped quietly out of the room. I headed up to the breakfast area where I could review our plans for the day, spend a little time on Facebook and do a few crossword puzzles while I enjoyed breakfast. When I wondered back to the room, Mr. Bill was still snoozing, so I got myself ready for the day and started packing up. Around 9, he had breakfast and we were soon loaded up for the road.

LeMay’s – America’s Car Museum

Like the Museum of Flight, LeMay’s had been chosen primarily with Mr. Bill in mind, but I was happy to tag along. While planning, I had discovered there were two LeMay’s – one a huge storage facility south of town where the bulk of the LeMay automobiles were stored and the other a more commercialized facility. I was still unsure which to visit until the Chrome & Glass tickets were offered at the Museum of Glass. Discounted tickets to America’s Car Museum sounded like a good reason to go with it instead of the more extensive collection south of town.

LeMay’s was fun, but after the pristine experience at Petersen’s Automobile Museum in LA, LeMay’s seemed a little tacky and dusty. The entrance area, on the top floor, focused on current models of shiny, new cars. The building was built like a parking facility, so you wandered down a ramp that circled down to the bottom floor. Cute, but eventually hard on the legs.

As soon as we left the top floor with the slick new cars, I noticed we were in a museum where the exhibits did not get the love the cars at Petersen’s got. They were lovely and it’s not like they’d been abandoned, they just made me wish I had a duster with me. All the cars below the first level needed a little touch up.

There was a wide assortment of vehicles, from antique luxury cars to a life-size model of the Flintstone’s foot-propelled vehicle. Along the winding concourse there were various educational exhibits and some play stations for kids. Oh yes, and the photo opportunity with the bright blue motorcar. It was fun strolling along reminiscing about various models of cars, but didn’t linger too long, because we had other things to see.

Our next stop was the W.W. Seymore Botanical Conservatory at Wright Park. That wasn’t much, cute, but we were in and out. More time could have been spent looking at the magnificent collection of trees at Wright Park, but Point Defiance Park was calling.

The Gardens of Point Defiance Park

Planning a vacation is a bit of a gamble. You think a car museum is going to be the hit of the day, only to be disappointed dusty hood ornaments. A Conservatory is little more than a greenhouse you might find in a gardeners backyard. What would we find at Point Defiance Park?

What we found in the park was an amazing garden. Don’t get me wrong, the Dallas Arboretum and Longwood Gardens have nothing to worry about. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Point Defiance Park.

First, we hit the Rose Garden. There’s nothing outstanding about the configuration of the garden. It’s just astounding how many gorgeous bushes of this floral favorite they have. Above is a sampling, but it barely scratches the surface.

We saw a few lilies and irises, because they have gardens devoted to them also, but they paled in comparison to the roses. An example of gardens not quite ready for prime time was the dahlias. The massive rhododendron garden had already peaked and faded.

As we strolled along, we weren’t always sure exactly what we were looking at, but it all looked good. Then we wandered, by luck, into the Japanese Garden which was wonderful. We’d been looking for the rhododendrons, but a nice couple overheard our consternation and let us know we’d find that in another part of the park – and that we were too late to see it in its glory.

And Then There Was Owen Beach

OK, we’d put in a full day of sightseeing and needed to make the drive to Olympia. It wasn’t going to be a long one, but we’d need to unload the car and find something to eat, so we needed to save ourselves a little time.

We did have to wander a bit, in order to find the disappointing Rhododendron Garden. We saw boat ramps, restaurants, picnic tables and other forms of amusement, but we stayed on track. Once we confirmed the Rhododendrons had nothing to offer, we started looking for the exit. I did say, “If you see a sign for Owen Beach, you might want to stop there. It’s really popular with the locals.”

Eventually, we did see a sign for Owen Beach and since it was getting to be the end of the day, there were even parking spaces on the lot – something the guide books warned me might not be available. Are we EVER glad we stopped! It was actually one of our favorite stops of the day.

It was a beach for the locals. Some people were getting in their power walk or running along the sidewalks. Some kids were putting off getting out of the water as long as they could, even though their little chins were shivering. Mostly people just walked along in groups or hand-in-hand.

It was beautiful. I’m proud of the way I captured it in my photo book, but nothing could capture the reality. The calm water, the quiet conversations, the laughter. It was just what a pair of tired travelers needed. We walked along, hand-in-hand, grateful for a respite from what seemed like the rest of the world, totally unrelated to the sandy, driftwood-strewn beach.

As the sun began to go down, we returned to our car and made the short drive to Olympia, capital of Washington State. Be sure to come back next week and discover the surprise we found there.

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

McMenamin’s Tacoma Elk’s Temple

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: IN TACOMA, QUICKY MEETS CLASSY AT THE ELKS LODGE

Well, we’re back in Tacoma where odd is a little more normal than it is in Dallas! We’ve had a great day of sightseeing (and coffee) in Downtown Tacoma and it’s time for dinner. If McMenamin’s is in the name of the venue, expect it to be ordinary. The Elks Temple is no exception. Let’s go for dinner!

Collecting McMenamin’s Locations

I discovered the McMenamin’s brand when we visited Oregon. We spent a lovely morning at Edgefield in Troutdale. The odd mixture of grand architecture, at a poor house, with vegetable gardens was charming and our breakfast was delicious. Bill enjoyed it enough that he didn’t completely nix the idea of dinner at the Elk’s Lodge when I started describing it to him. Actually, a hotel with multiple restaurants & bars, as well as a music venue or two, might not sound all that odd, but I’d done enough research to know it wouldn’t exactly be his cup of tea.

I’m the sort who would stay at a McMenamin’s Lodge just because it was funky and out of the ordinary. That is not Mr. Bill. While I wasn’t crazy about our Best Western lodgings, the creature comforts and familiarity made it a perfect place to hang our hats for a couple of days. Still, I convinced Bill to give the Elks Lodge a try.

It did not go well. It was a Saturday night with a big name concert and everyone, who had not been at the museums, must have been sleeping in for a big night at the Elks Temple. So we had all of Bill’s least favorite things – traffic, no place to park, crowds and noise.

Still, he was a trooper. We got a “Wandering Map” at the front desk and began to explore. In each venue, there was lots of foot traffic, no place to sit, crowds and noise. I expected him to cut and run to the nearest Taco Bell at any moment, but instead he asked where we might get the most normal food. I postulated the Pub might be the right spot. Luckily, the rest of the patrons were more interested in the exotic, so we were seated right away.

We had a lovely meal, perhaps a tad noisy, but it was Saturday night. I think Bill and I shared the salmon to meet my gluten-free requirements. They had a dessert special I could not resist. Being GF makes dessert a hard course to order, but this was a polenta shortcake with mixed berries. Really good!

If you like funky, then The Elks Temple is a must. If you don’t, go to Olive Garden! We headed back to the Best Western to rest up for the next day’s activities and it proved to be a long one. Come back next week for cars, gardens and beaches. You’ll love it!

Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Museums, TRAVEL, United States

Sing an Anthem to Tacoma Art Museum

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: FROM DISAPPOINTMENT TO DELIGHT

I hope you’re enjoying this visit to Washington State with us. We’ve just been disappointed by a major Tacoma attraction, so I’m not expecting much from the rest of the day. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised at the offerings of the Tacoma Art Museum.

Coffee First!

When Bill requires a caffeine fix, it’s best to accommodate him as soon as possible, but I’m always happy when there’s something besides a Starbucks nearby to accomplish that. Not being a coffee drinker, the ubiquitous coffee emporiums are like the WalMart of coffee shops to me, except they have the opposite pricing plan.

The alternate on this day was called Anthem. According to their website, they have locations all around Washington State and a few in Arizona. Bill liked the coffee and I liked the view. We caught our breath between museums.

Choosing the TAM

Tacoma has three great museum in close proximity in their downtown area. As we came across the Bridge of Glass, we could have taken the stairs down to the WA State History Museum or head between the buildings to the Tacoma Art Museum. I, of course, wished we could do all three, but I was most interested in TAM, so Bill followed my lead.

After a photo session with a Alonzo Victor Lewis’s statue of a pioneer, in front of the Washington State History Museum, (Please note, the statue was better dressed than anyone else I had seen this day!) we made our way to the more modern facade of the TAM. Confession, I wasn’t expecting much, because it is an edifice devoted primarily to modern art and I’m not much on modern art, but they do have Chihulys, so I was going in.

At the desk I nearly lost my composure. I understand gender and sexual preference can be fluid this day and time, but every potential variation on that theme was sitting at the reception desk in that one person. The hair was clipped close on the sides and was fuller on top. There were multiple piercings and there were tattoos. The person was very buff and obviously worked out, a lot, but they also spoke in a lispy falsetto. Yes, there was eyeliner, but there was also a hairy chest sticking out of the shirt. The fingernails were cut very close, as if they were a nail biter, but they’d also painted the nails an interesting combination of colors – one color on each nail. I remained respectful and polite, but I wondered what they thought they were representing and how they thought I should be responding to all the various stimuli they offered. I did not laugh, but I have to be honest – I wanted to.

Below is a sampling of some of my favorites displayed in the museum. The architecture of the building was outstanding – sort of midcentury modern on steroids, and I loved it. First up was a collection of offerings from Washingtonians. Several items caused us to stop and think.

There was only one room of Chihuly, but the selections were varied and well displayed. I thought they did more honor to the artist than the whole Museum of Glass. Around every corner was a surprise and while leaning to the modern side, were not so off the wall (excuse my pun) that I couldn’t appreciate them. I remember fabric offerings, glass and even jewelry. One room was part display, part performance art. After looking around the room, you were supposed to take a piece of fabric and tie it to the art piece. I obliged.

We spent several pleasant hours enjoying all the galleries. Some even had traditional figurative art. I enjoyed watching the people, also. The patrons of the museum had much in common with the person at reception. One guy wore a flowing sheer jacket of many colors and carried handbags. He also danced on the concourse between galleries. A masculine sort of girl stuffed into a little-too-tight camouflage fatigues with a backpack, sat on a benching watching the dancer with a look of disgust. Not sure what all was happening there, but it was interesting.

Coffee Again?

After our visit to TAM, Bill once again needed a caffeine fix and this time he wanted to brave the street and the railway and go to the Starbucks. We made it across and they did have coffee, but it wasn’t your usual Starbucks. There was no comfy furniture to lounge in or counters for your laptop web-surfing activities. They had a few small round tables you could stand at, if you wanted to, but who would have wanted to. Bill asked them what was up and they said the normal Starbucks accoutrements were the victims of Tacoma’s homeless population. They had to get rid of the furniture, to keep the homeless people from sleeping in there.

So we’d had a successful day of sightseeing. I think Bill would have been content to take a nap and revisit the MOD Pizza, but I had different ideas. I wanted to check out the McMenamins Tacoma Elks Lodge. Come by next week and see why!

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

The Museum of Glass

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: TACOMA’S MUSEUM OF GLASS

Thank you for joining us on our 14 Day tour of Wild & Wonderful Washington. Downtown Tacoma has a concentration of three wonderful museums for you to enjoy. We started our day at The Museum of Glass.

Don’t Miss the Museum of Glass

I do think the Museum of Glass is something everyone should see, but I was over-hyped about it and confess to being a little disappointed. The architecture is marvelous and your entry to the lobby will certainly wow you, with its large Chihuly sculpture, but I had expected Chihuly EVERYWHERE and while they do have lovely glass creations, most of them are not Chihuly.

Hint for the money-wise. There’s a two venue ticket you can get called Glass & Chrome which admits you to The Museum of Glass and LeMay’s – America’s Car Museum. We already had LeMay’s on our to do list, so we took advantage of the deal and saved a few bucks. I’ll tell you more about LeMay’s in a few weeks, but the deal is worth it, if you plan to see both.

Is That All There Is?

I followed my nose through the exhibits and was through in no time at all. I got out my brochure and gazed at the map. Yep, I went there, there and there. I was done. There was no huge shrine to Chihuly, besides the sculpture in the entry way. Had they had lovely glass creations? Yes, they had, but the price had been $20 and I hadn’t even filled up an hour. Yesterday, I’d spent only $5 more and had a full day of entertainment. So far, I was under impressed.

I knew there was also a workshop where they were creating glass works, so I decided that must be the true draw. The exhibits had been a warm up show, right? Wrong! We went to the theater where glassmaking was going on and it was all business, no showmanship. I’d seen more interesting glassmaking at Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, Texas.

This was a Saturday morning on a holiday weekend! Why was there only one other family watching the glass being made. Why didn’t the artist at least look up at us and explain what was going on? How had the glass blower at Scarborough Faire managed to make this all seem so exciting and these people were boring me to death?

Well, We’ve Still Got the Bridge of Glass

As I listed my must-sees for Washington State, Snoqualmie Falls had been at the top of the list and not far behind the Museum of Glass, but the museum had ben oversold to me and now I was disappointed. There was one more chance for it to blow me away – the Bridge of Glass.

Based on a picture I’d seen of a small child gazing into a plexiglass box of Chihuly pieces, I thought I was going to walk over an entire bridge with only plexiglass keeping me above the wondrous pieces of Chihuly’s Art. NOT!! It was a plexiglass bridge, but it was white – not clear and it was not looking over fabulous glass pieces. To boot, the day was a bit windy, so I wasn’t keen to see the Chihuly pieces in cabinets at one end of the bridge. And what the heck were those big glass glumps on poles.

Find Me a Starbucks!

This is not an unfamiliar phrase in our marriage. Bill’s blood sugar drops suddenly and I’m tasked with finding the nearest cup of Starbucks. When he hit me with this demand on the Bridge of Glass, I was looking across the roadway at a Starbucks, but it was across six lanes of traffic and a train track and I just wasn’t in the mood.

To our left was another coffee shop called Anthem. I didn’t see any reason why it wouldn’t offer at least as good a cup of coffee as the competitor across the daunting obstacle course. I don’t drink coffee, but really! Why should I risk my life for a cup of coffee. I don’t think Bill was thrilled, but sometimes he picks up on the fact that I’m done and he probably shouldn’t press his demands.

On this day, we went to Anthem. Praise the Lord and from there on to TAM! Come back next week and join us for a cup of coffee and some great art!