There & Back Again

Hi There; I do hope you've had a wonderful weekend and you're looking forward to an amazing week.
I mentioned last week I’d be spending Thursday with my 10 yr. old grandson Sean. 

Up at 4 AM, shower, dress, pack the cooler and Sean into the car.  We left Yakima and were on the road to Shelton by 5:30. We drove 4 ½ hours to visit with my sister.

Sean and Aunty D had never met but bonded instantly. It was fantastic seeing them together. They each have a wicked sense of humor and it wasn’t long before they were pulling things over on me. I truly enjoyed our visit although it was far to short. 2 ½ hours later we were on the road again. An 1 hr. to Bremerton and on the ferry to Seattle.

Sean had never been on a ferry and enjoyed ever second of it. ‘Grandma, look at this!’ Front to back, side to side, ‘Grandma, what’s that?” Up a deck, down two decks and up again. We walked across the Puget Sound! LOL!

I finally gave him some money to play video games so I could sit for a while.

Thanks to a number of detours I was lost for quite some time but eventually we found a gentleman who knew where I wanted to go and gave me precise directions.

The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard are surrounded by beautiful gardens and lush lawns which were a welcome delight and relaxing to this weary soul.

Sean was fascinated by the locks. We watched the boats come in, tie up and either rise or lower depending if they were entering from the Puget Sound and going on to Lake Union and Lake Washington or the other way round.  This yacht was being lowered on it's way out for an evening dinner cruise on the Sound.

At the fish ladders we watched salmon swim up stream to deposit their eggs in the river and in the spot where they’d been born. The salmon were migrating so we saw a great many of them.

Here Sean is looking thur a magnifying glass at vials showing the development of Salmon eggs from fertilization to birth.

Back at the Locks more boats were coming and going. The men who operate the Locks were ready, willing and able to help the boaters and to answer any and all of our questions. What a great way to learn how men and fish travel from fresh water rivers and lakes, thru the Sound, out to the Pacific Ocean only to return home again.

And now it was time for us to make the 3 hour drive and return home ourselves. Thanks to erroneous directions I managed to get us lost again. Eventually I did find a lovely young lady who was able to give me correct directions and I was finally on the right road home.

Sean had not taken to being lost well but once he knew we were safely on the right road he curled up in the back sit with his pillow and blanket and was soon sound asleep. He didn’t even notice when I stopped for gas.

Two hours late, exhausted and nerves more then a little frayed but we were home safe. Except for the time we were lost we really did have a wonderful day.

Thanks for stopping by.
Have An Amazing Day
Blessings
Bernie