Our plan was to stay at Bell Harbor in downtown Seattle for two nights but the marina did not have room over the weekend. We decided to start out in Seattle and then spend the second night in Kingston. We left Everett around 10:00am and the kids had fun eating lunch onboard and Colin got a lesson on how to run the boat.
Once we arrived at Bell Harbor the kids enjoyed looking at the sea life on the pilings along the dock. We checked out the Seattle Fire Department's rescue boat and Bob explained to them how tugboats push the large freighters into the harbor. There was so much to see!
The weather was not very good and we got pretty wet in the rain but we did have fun walking through Pike Place Market and up to the Starbucks for Grandma and Grandpa's drinks. The kids opted for ice cream so we found a shop along the waterfront to get their treats. We walked several blocks to get to the carousel for them to ride but when we got there we discovered the whole building was under construction. It was disappointing but they were troopers and we then headed back to the boat for some games of Blockus and coloring. That evening we enjoyed a great dinner at Anthony's.
The next morning we headed off to Kingston to see what we could discover there. Since it was low tide, the kids got a great view of the sea stars that were above the water line. There is a great little park next to the marina that hosts concerts and a farmer's market on the weekends.
A very cool thing that happened on our walk was that Isaiah, Mariam and Colin were able to help a lady who had lost her money. They watched her running to catch the ferry and saw her drop $65 on the walkway. She did not make it to the ferry in time so as she came back they were able to return her money to her. She was so happy they had found it and they were happy to be able to return it to her. Life is full of teachable moments and it was wonderful to see the kids so eager to do the right thing. We are so proud of each one of you!
Our next adventure was a walk into town where we found our way down to a beach so they could explore further. There were a lot of crabs, shells, and rocks to look at and they had a great time collecting things.
There's not a lot to do on a boat when you are not out exploring so a little screen time playing Mindcraft was a special treat for the grandkids. We also walked down to the Firehouse Theater in Kingston to see the movie "Finding Dory". It was a great little theater and privately owned. The owner was running the concession stand and his young son was at the door to greet us and tell us what a great movie we were about to see. The owner even came into the theater before the movie started to tell us to be sure to watch through the 8 minutes of credits at the end so we wouldn't miss the last little scene they had added! The theater was empty when we took this picture but a few more families joined us before it started. I guess getting there early is not a problem in a little town like Kingston.
The marina is right next to the ferry terminal so it was fun to watch the cars loading and unloading. It was a very pretty sight in the evening.
The next morning Mark took the kids down to the water again for one last chance to explore while Bob and I got the boat ready to depart. They found several large crabs that had died and washed up on the beach so what else do you do? You create a "crab hospital" for them. I love their imaginations!
We all had a wonderful time but we really missed Wendy. Someday we need to get them all up to Roche Harbor where there are lots of places to hike. These are outdoor kids and they really know how to make the most of their time exploring.
