Day 2, part 2

Being tired and having full bellies, we went back to the lodge to rest before starting out again. Rested, there was a tribal gift shop right by the lodge. It had jewelry, a lot of Pendleton wool items, the typical types of souvenirs, and a special surprise, a mini museum of Native American basketry, dolls, and beaded items. We enjoyed the mini museum very much. It was like a step into the past. We did 
not take pictures. The items were behind glass making pictures difficult with our camera and somehow it seemed disrespectful.

Our last stop of the day was the daffodil and tulip fields. We did not get out and walk the fields. It was raining and the fields were muddy. Since we did not desire to purchase bulbs, we just enjoyed them from the car. The multitude of colors was breathtaking. You could see patches of color from a distance. 

 Tulips

 Tulips

Daffodils

The last dinner of our trip was spent at the casino's Sports Bar and Grill. It offers a variety of food. Scott had a Cuban Sandwich and sweet potato fries. The sandwich was so large that he took half of it home. Since he forgot to take it to work on Monday, I had it for lunch. Both of us thought it was delicious. I had smoked salmon fettuccini. It had the most huge chunks of salmon that I have ever had in any fettuccini. And the taste was magnificent. 

The only downfall of the whole experience was going through the casino to the restaurants. Even the casino has non smoking areas, the smell dissipates through the whole a rea. That is a given going in  any Native American casino, so we can't complain. The rooms were smoke free and the lodge did not smell of smoke. A pool and a hot tub would have been nice, but we were so busy that we really did not miss it. We took naps and went to bed exhausted both days. 

Day three we got up, packed and headed home, excited to see our fur babies. We did miss them. Thank you Tara, Tammy, Tory, and I'mani for a fabulous and much needed vacation!!!

Anniversary trip to La Connor and Anacotras Courtesy of Tara, Tammy, Tory and Imani

Day 2, Part 1

Our exciting adventures on day 2 started with Moka Joe coffee, a local blend, and our pastries from the Scone Lady. We did not let the rainy weather stop us from heading out on great adventures. Our first adventure was to drive around a nearby peninsula. I chose it because I thought the drive around Padilla Bay would be beautiful. It was. It also offered a huge surprise, a Shell oil refinery, Neither of us had ever seen a refinery. Not just a refinery, but tanker ships unloading into an oil pipeline and huge storage silos.  "Shell oil operates the Puget Sound Refinery located on March Point outside of Anacortes, WA. The plant is the largest taxpayer in Skagit County and one of the county's largest employers." (Wikipedia). After seeing the refinery, I expected the water to be murky, but it was not. 

 Oil Tanker Offloading

 Oil Pipeline

 Refinery at work and a Part of a Holding Container (green)

Second Oil Pipeline (there were two tankers off loading)

We thoroughly enjoyed checking out historical downtown Anacortes. We wanted to stop at the Skagit River Bakery for pastries for Sunday breakfast, but the bakery was closed on Saturdays until May. We went to the Pelican Book and Coffee Shop where we spent time browsing among many used books. The picture below shows just a small portion of the book inventory. I found a couple of unique cards for upcoming events. Funny, I asked the clerk who checked us out if there was another good bakery in town. We explained  out trip to the bakery where the clerk responded, "There is no other bakery and it is not worth a tip back there." On our way our, we bought a figgy bun for Sunday breakfast. We laughed in the car, not being sure if her comments were true of if she said it because the coffee shop had a few items.

Photo Courtesy of https://www.yelp.com/biz/pelican-bay-books-and-coffeehouse-anacortes

A neighbor was taking care of our cats, and she needed a special present. Her favorite wine is 14 hands Riesling. We found her thank you gift at Compass Wines. The clerk was extremely helpful in finding a comparable Washington produced wine. They also had some sea salted chocolate caramels to add to the bad. Who doesn't like wine and chocolate together? We recommend this shop as a must stop for wine lovers.

Photo From https://www.bing.com/maps?q=compass+wines+anacortas&form=EDGEAR&qs=PF&cvid=4d5c6c110af54993b8bd11a36984ed5a&cc=US&setlang=en-US&PC=HCTS

Lunchtime in Anacortes found us with many dilemmas. So many options. Scott told me to choose. I choose Adrift, advertised as known for its seafood and local organic produce and beef. It also features local wines and brews. Scott had a hamburger and fries. He said the hamburger was OK. I had half of a grilled cheese sandwich, a cup of curry, sweet potato and roasted squash soup and fries. The sandwich was oozing with cheese and the soup was exquisite. I would have that again in a heartbeat! Neither of us ate the fries. They were limp and tasted of old potatoes and old oil. 

Photo from https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g30266-d822790-Reviews-Adrift_Restaurant-Anacortes_Fidalgo_Island_Washington.html

Anniversary trip to La Connor and Anacotras Courtesy of Tara, Tammy, Tory and Imani

Day1, Part 3

We stayed at the Swinomish Casino and Lodge. Funny, because we never gamble when staying at casinos, but the rooms are reasonable and clean. Service is typically excellent. Picture this room with a king size bed. We spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening watching the eagles, the water and relaxing. 

Picture courtesy of Swinomish Hotel Sweets Web Site

Our view included the Padilla Bay and the Swinomish Channel with views of Mount Baker and the Cascade Mountains. During our two night stay we saw full tide and low tide twice. Pictures of a full tide:

Pictures courtesy of Scott and Sue Biles

What a transformation of the area when the tide was out. 

Pictures courtesy of Scott and Sue Biles

Dinner was at Manchu Wok for me and FatBurger for Scott. The amount of food at Manchu Wok could have fed three people easily. Needless to say, much was taken back to our room. Bellies full again, it was time f or bed.

Anniversary trip to La Connor and Anacotras Courtesy of Tara, Tammy, Tory and Imani

Day 1, Part 2

After visiting the museum, we headed to find some lunch. We scouted the whole city including the main street into LaConnor and downtown. We circled each area several times looking for parking. We finally found the city parking lot, a paid lot, but within walking distance to downtown and marina. We decided on our first choice, LaConnor Brewing Co. 

Photos from Trip Advisor

We ate there several times in the past and know the quality of the food. We ordered homemade root beers and a Greek pizza. It has always been a long wait for the food, but the service is good and the food does not disappoint. The pizza is possibly the best pizza I have ever eaten. 

After lunch we made a stop at the Scone Lady to pick up something for Saturday's breakfast.

The Scone Lady

Scott picked a marionberry scone and I picked an almond chocolate chip scone. They were excellent. If you are ever in LaConnor, you must stop at The Scone Lady. She has a space in a big red building on the marina side of the street. There is lots to see and do in LaConnor, but this girl could walk no more. Besides, I have seen it all before. If you are new to LaConnor, take time to enjoy the many shops and the marina. Tired and with full bellies, it was time for us to head to our lodging.

Anniversary trip to La Connor and Anacotras Courtesy of Tara, Tammy, Tory and Imani

Day 1, Part 1

Thanks  to our children, Scott and I took a trip to LaConnor and Anacortas, staying at the Swinomish Casino and Lodge. Our first stop on our journey was at the Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum in LaConnor situated in the Ganches Mansion. The three floor Victorian Mansion displayed a different collection on each floor.

Photo by Scott Biles

Since no photos are allowed in the museum, I will share three from the museum brochure. My main purpose in going to the museum was to see the Hartsfield Quilt Collection, a collection that dates back to the early 1850’s. The oldest quilt in the collection was created by Ms. Molly from Whitlock, Tennessee. She was a slave and the seamstress for the plantation’s master. She had two children by her owner. One son, Richard Caldwell who was 9 years old when he became a free person, kept his mother’s quilts and passed them down to his son Philip. The collection was added to through the years by other members of the Caldwell-Hartsfield family and eventually came to Jim Tharpe, who is sharing these treasured pieces and their stories with the public. The one quilt on display created by Ms. Molly was a partial piece of a hexagon quilt made from scraps of fabric from her masters quilts and clothing.. It was originally totally pieced and quilted by hand. 

Nine patch Quilt from the Collection. Image from the Museum Brochure. This is not the quilt on display created by Ms. Molly.

An unexpected pleasure was finding the Mola Collection sponsored by Glenys Baker. "Mola, which originally meant bird plumage, is the Guna Indian word for clothing, specifically blouse, and the word mola has come to mean the elaborate embroidered panels that make up the front and back of a Guna woman’s traditional blouse.The Guna have been making their art works for over centuries now and are pretty skilled in it. Because they where a nomad tribe back in the days they did not make much art in forms like statues or buildings but they did decorate themselves with their artworks.

These days you can buy Molas in Panama or Colombia; it is not allowed to sell Molas outside these countries because they are of cultural heritage and the Guna’s forbid it." (From the Fiber Arts and Museum Brochure) 

One of the Molas from the Collection. Image from the museum Brochure

The first floor housed a multimedium collection from the San Juan County Textile Guild.

We both enjoyed seeing the collections. There were many take aways for both of us. Scott's main take away of the Hartsfield collection is that the quilts survived. I concur. Family's do not often keep quilts. Quilts can often be found in charitable stores or landfills. I am also amazed that women of the past made quilts for utilitarian purposes. They used scraps from old clothing, leftover fabric, and scrap donations from family and friends. They were not made with the beautiful fabrics we purchase specifically for quilts today. Beauty was a secondary outcome. Many of the quilts were torn or fixed, but they have stood the test of time.