Back Home, Again...

I had lost low beam on the Ural last week on the way down from Murphy Dome. I pulled the headlight assembly to change the bulb but the bulb was fine. The plastic connector looks like it was running a bit warm. Napa had a replacement plastic connector so it was a quick fix. There are ceramic versions of this connector. Maybe I should order one sometime.

I looked through my selection of aluminum angle but don’t see the “right” size for fabricating mounts for the VW hydraulic steering stabilizer. Or maybe I’ll make a test version to see how much stress there will be on the mounts. I know that I have some heavier pieces but I can't seem to find them in the messy garage.

Bridget is getting ready to head out tonight for PA. Kind of an emergency trip. 

Port Townsend, WA

This afternoon, we wandered a bit through historic Port Townsend. Our flight north isn’t until 9pm so we had a bit of free time. The only stress-inducing factor for me was traffic at the Hood Canal bridge. There was also a lot of traffic through Tacoma. I guess I don't deal with those kinds of uncertainties very well. These pictures were uploaded using the BlogTouch Pro app while walking around Port Townsend so this will be a short post. There was a lot of traffic as people were rushing to the ferry terminal. I'm told that traffic is always hectic these days near rush hour as well as the weekends.

There were some interesting buildings and ghost signs around the historic part of town. It was a challenge to find a parking space. Things like that seem to set me on edge these days. It would have been better for me to set time aside to wander around town instead of before we needed to drive to the airport.

We had lunch with my brothers family including the newlyweds. It was a very pleasant visit. Now back to Fairbanks...

Congratulations!

Yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, the bridge west of Port Gamble needed to open up for a boat. Unlike a regular drawbridge, two section of the deck lifted up and sections slid under it opening up a passageway for the boat. The whole process took almost 30 minutes and traffic was backed up for miles in both directions. And this was around 5:00 on a Saturday afternoon and this is the only bridge.

We weren't really sure what kind of boat it was but it was grey like most Navy boats but it wasn't that large. After we got back on the road we passed miles of parked cars all the way to the Port Townsend turnoff. And we never reached the end of the like of cars.

Back at my cousin's home in Port Townsend, many people were working on flowers for the wedding. All of these were picked up at Pike's Street Market that morning. There were quite a few people working on the flowers.

The pano was taken on Sunday morning as we helped set up for the reception. The pavilion was right on the water with a very pleasant breeze all day long. The forecast was for the high 80s (°F) but we never saw those temperatures here all day. The wedding was held in a small church just a short walk away so it was nice not having to use the car just to run around locally.

Congratulations to Christy and Will! We had a great time at your celebration.

The sunset was taken from the reception venue.

Bloedel Reserve

Today, we visited the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. The name kind of sounds like a bottle of wine. But it was a very nice nature preserve which started out as a privately owned estate. Not really like an arboretum or a botanical garden. The plants aren't labeled but are in labeled areas such a meadow, Japanese Garden, moss garden, reflection pool, etc. This was a nice place to spend the morning. All of the pictures in this post are from the Bloedel Reserve.

It was a great place to try out the different features of the camera on the phone. The one on the right, for example, was shot using the daylight portrait mode. Essentially highlighting the foreground by blurring the background. The very last one was using the live photo feature which combines a short video with a still frame and the chosen effect is simulating a long exposure. The effect can be seen in the blurred waterfall.

After the Reserve, we tried to go to the Point No Point lighthouse but the place was packed. No parking in either their lot and the overflow lot. The lighthouse is only staffed on Saturday afternoon for four hours. Pretty limited hours during tourist season.

After giving up on the lighthouse, We went on to my brother's house in Port Townsend. His brother-in-law, Jerry, was there and I ended up talking to him quite a bit. He and his wife are now full-time RVing in their 42' fifth wheel. So far, always staying in RV parks as that is their preference. No boondocking.

While Bridget helped with the flowers, I went with my brother and nephew to the wedding venue for the rehearsal. It's a beautiful location right near the water which should help with the warm weather being forecast for tomorrow afternoon.

After the rehearsal, we headed back to my cousin's home in Port Townsend where the thousands of flowers were being put into shape. It was good to visit. We didn't make it back to the hotel until almost 10pm.