HippoBlog

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Open Studios 2

Posted by Hippobean at 11:25 PM 0 comments

In Capitola:

Peter Vizzusi - Magic Sands Glass Studio

In Aptos:
Hippo holding a wooden plate by Chuc Nowark

A rose in a Capitola neighbourhood:

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Friday, September 24, 2021

In the Olympic Peninsula

Posted by Hippobean at 5:04 PM 0 comments

The highlights:

1. Hurricane Ridge - glorious glorious mountains. love them. A misty morning offering magestic views of the Olympic Mountains amidst fog and clouds. A hike surrounded by gorgeous views. A little shopping. Lunch with a panoramic view of the mountain range with bestest companies in the world! Loved it!

2. Lake Crescent - tranquil afternoon by the lake after a short hike to the Marymere Falls, a forest of tall trees with limbs covered in moss (v v scary looking), ferns and vegetation that looked like a rain forest. Quaint lakefront chalet. Lousy dinner of overcooked and dry fish n chips (the chips are actual chips, not french fries). But the sunset was magnificent. Amber rays illuminating the mountains and clouds, and a crescent moon above the hills. The ochre orange colors turned the top of the mountains and the sky on fire. What a nature display! Loved it! After dusk Dixit game in the chalet. Geoff won again! Morning P and T kayaking and the Hippo sat in front of the lake with Little GreenEye Leo communing with the morning lake sounds and serenity. Brunch at the Crescent Lodge, a tasty chowder with bacon followed by a house green salad with very fresh dungeness crab. The Hippo has all but forgotten about the dungeness crab and was euphoric to have a taste of it in the Olympic Peninsula. Loved that lunch. Just as at the Log Cabins Resort, the Crescent Lodge had peacefull views of the lake. The main hotel was a grand historical building that offered small cozy rooms with shared bathrooms.

3. Mama and Baby Orcas! Morning Cruise on the Puget Sound - glorious views of the Olympic range and Mount Baker, in clouds and fog. By the afternoon, the sun shone and we caught Mama and Baby Orca enjoying the sea.

4. Port Townsend - quaint main street with intimate small stores. While the boys went to hike Kilhane trail, the girls spent the morning shopping. Good coconut bass lunch at the Quinch Waterfront Kitchen by the beach. Loved that town.

5. Cool crisp morning walk on the Dungeness Spit on a cloudy day. Again misty magical views of the Olympic range. Didnt make it to the lighthouse so the Hippo must return.

6. 7 Cedars - beautifully appointed room, gorgeous shower. So many totem poles the Hippo couldnt photograph them all (had wanted to but gave up). Each western red cedar pole had a significance and story that depicted the Jamestown S'Klallam tribe's beliefs and traditions. Brilliant colors, carved front, sides and back. A feast for Hippo's eyes.

But above all, it was really about the company. Hanging out with P&G and Tomelia in a beautiful home with fantastic views of the Olympic Mountains. Excellent company, lame jokes and laughter, appetizing meals, relaxing afternoons, magical dark evenings. Great DixIt games (Geoff won twice!).

Little GreenEye Leo, super lucky stuffy, got to look out the window from 5 different accommodations, sat in front of the Lake to enjoy the views, rode on car trips with his face stuck on the window, saw Mount Rainier. Absolutely ecstatic! Proud, much to tell the rest of the stuffies upon returning home.

Our way on Interstate 5 was accompanied by a clear view of Mount Rainier. On our way back, we've spotted Rainier again and then Mount Shasta above the clouds at an altitude of 35k.