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Priest Point Park
Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.
-- St. Thomas Aquinas
Saturday, February 3, 2001
Two years ago: Documenting
Three years ago: Zero Effect
Jack called this morning -- he was driving down to Olympia to spend the afternoon with his daughter H----, and could pick me up on the way. That sounded good to me! A lot of driving for him, though.
His older daughter A----- made the trip, also. She would hang with her mother.
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We picked up H----, then Jack decided to stop at the Bargain Liquidators store nearby. I decided to make the leap and buy that DVD player, since they had them at a reasonable price. DVD decks have really come down in price very quickly, faster than VCRs did, I think. Jack was very happy -- he found a digital video camera, something he's been hunting for a while! They had one with the features he wanted, for several hundred dollars cheaper than he's seen elsewhere.
Because the espresso stand right there in the parking lot offered a discount with a receipt from the liquidator store, we had beverages. Clever marketing on their part! Jack was feeling buyer's remorse on the camera before he got out of the parking lot, which might be a new record for him.
After H---- and Jack discussed which Olympia park we should visit and came to a decision, we drove downtown to the grocery store. We stopped at Jack's sister's place on the way to see if she and her son could join the expedition, but she wasn't home. This wasn't unexpected, since it was early afternoon and Jack hadn't called to let her know we were coming.
We got sandwiches for each of us, plus other picnic items, then drove a few miles to Priest Point Park. This is a nice piece of property across the bay from downtown. It got its name from a Catholic mission established there from 1840s to 1860. I don't think it's old growth, but the woods are probably second growth from the time the city of Olympia bought the property in 1906.
An unusual feature amongst the firepits, shelters and picnic tables: wooden glider seats, like you might find on a southern lawn. The one we tried was sturdy enough for all three of us to ride at once.
We followed a path down the bluff to the actual shoreline. Since we took a shortcut through the woods, rather than doubling back to the actual beginning of the path, I had to take tiny steps, working my way down the steep slope until I reached the actual graveled trail. H---- just dashed bravely down.
To avoid some noisy kids, we walked along the beach (just one degree dryer than mud flats) to the southern edge of the park, and found a convenient log to sit on. It's a great view of the city there, with the state capitol's dome rising above the downtown district. We had cheese, fruit, and sandwiches; my salami sandwich was too rich for me to finish!
Too soon, it was time to go -- we needed to return H---- and pick up A-----. I was glad that A---- was actually at her mom's house and hadn't wandered off. The ride back to Seattle was uneventful.
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The reason I hadn't gone to Bellingham for the weekend was that I wanted to go to Vanguard! That's the monthly social gathering of faanish Seattle, and I'd missed the last few times. Jack doesn't yet feel comfortable leaving A---- alone for the weekend, and her mom couldn't take her for the entire time.
Amy Thomson and Edd Vick were hosting this month, at their new place in West Seattle. They've really found an unusual neighborhood -- a one-lane road winds up a steep wooded hill, reached only by driving through an industrial district. Gorgeous view through the picture windows in the living room, plus a three-car garage that is Edd's warehouse.
It's one of those places where they want you to take off your shoes, which we didn't get advance warning of. Luckily I didn't have holes in my socks. It's a good thing Amy baked many cookies, since there weren't many food items brought (not a complaint since I skated on that myself). She made chocolate chip cookies with extra spices. Their daughter was cute, of course.
The smoking section was outside but under cover. it was pitch black out there; next time I'd bring a candle. Out there, Victor held forth as TAFF winner, and Andy Hooper spoke about rare Hot Wheels cars. I brought him a set of the newsletters I'd done for Swing Out Northwest, as he'd requested when I was talking about the project last fall. He was properly appreciative.
Being there without Jack, I found myself sometimes telling the stories he would have contributed had he been there -- people were talking about home improvement stuff and I detailed his struggles with finding the proper mast for the satellite dish. Carl asked after him -- he'd brought some whisky to share, since Jack usually brings his flask for others.
There was a reasonable crowd but the place was never jam-packed.
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