I love Port Townsend, WA!!!

I took a much needed vacation last week. I went to work Monday and Tuesday and got the hell-up-outa-there Wednesday morning. The Man and I went to visit my sister in Port Townsend, WA.

We flew to Seattle on Wednesday and spent the day there. Sister and her hubby, being the awesome hosts that they are, knew that we wanted to run all around. We ate fish & chips and chowder (yummmmm), took a boat tour of the harbor (I'm not ashamed to be a tourist, read my earlier blog), walked around Pike Place Market (I have a whole new respect for fish throwers) and spent two hours at a hidden gem, the International Fountain near the Space Needle. [Side note: Sister sometimes has a gleam in her eye. Ignorant tourists approach a harmless dribbling fountain and end up DRENCHED.]

We then spent Thursday and Saturday in Sister's stomping grounds, Port Townsend. Sister describes it as "granola." They despise chains and are adamantly against having a Starbucks in their 'hood. Somehow, Hollywood Video muscled its way in and the town is up in arms. I kinda respect that. Oh, and the houses! They have absolutely beautiful homes all around. Many have wood decor with wood shingles, hardwood floors, wood trim ... just totally decked out in wood. The kicker? They have new homes for under $300,000. Of course, I fantasized about the possibility but do you think a small town is desparate for fundraisers? Unlikely:(

Anyhoo, they have adorable little cafes on every corner and gorgeous views of the water. The weather was awesome, we lounged on a beach on Thursday, and I even took a catnap. Apparently, this particular beach is quite popular with the Home School moms (yes, home schooling is quite popular, part of the reason Sister calls it, "granola." But guess what? My sister is part of the home school crew so she's not a hater.) And since there is just SO MUCH WATER, she knows a gal who has a home with beach front property. So on Saturday we went to a bonfire and ate hotdogs & s'mores as the sun set. Oh, I'm in love.

On Friday we took the ferry to Victoria. Fortunately, weather.com failed me again and it was actually a beautiful day. In flipflops and tanktops, we took a bus tour around Victoria then roamed the streets. It was sort of like Disneyland without the cheesyness. Those Canadians know how to keep a city clean! During the summer season, they have these hanging baskets of flowers on all their lamp posts that make the whole town look festive. It's the little things, you know?

This was my second visit with Sister. I loved Port Townsend the first time around and was a little bit scared that I romanticized the place and it wouldn't be as great as I remembered it. I'm happy to say that it's as cute, spunky and naturally pretty as I recalled. It was just the thing I needed to kick my duff back into gear.