Warning! This is a really long post - but there are lots of pretty pictures so if you can't handle all the words just look at the pics.
November 5, 2015 found us on the road to Hansville and family. Les's brother Dave and his wife Sue have lived here for over 20 years. It is a small town at the very tip of the Kitsap Peninsula across the Puget Sound from Seattle.
They set up a spot for our RV on their property which was perfect. We were close but not on top of each other. Spending time with them was so enjoyable, we shared most evening meals, played lots of games, did a few jigsaw puzzles and laughed a ton. We have never really had the opportunity to just hangout, so this was lovely. We also got to see their sons David John and Sam, and Sam's son Alias who is five and just adorable. We did do some sightseeing during the 38 days we were here, starting in Hansville at Point, No Point Lighthouse. The first stop there was on a rare sunny day and the second stop was chilly, windy and rainy. Both days gave us interesting sights.
On the sunny day the beach was full of people looking for shells, playing ball and flying kites.
There was a crazy amount of driftwood. On the stormy day the waves were carrying the driftwood out into the sound like they were toothpicks.
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| The seagulls would float on the water for about 10 feet and then fly back to where they started and float again! There were at least 100 logs floating by |
Construction of the Point No Point Lighthouse started in April 1879, and was finished in February of 1880 and it is considered the oldest lighthouse on Puget Sound. The lighthouse was in operation before construction was completed and the glass and lens for the light had not arrived, so the first lighthouse keeper, J.S. Maggs, a Seattle dentist, hung a canvas over the south window openings to keep the kerosene lamp from blowing out.
The lighthouse was used and manned by the Coast Guard until 1997. The building stood empty until it was leased to the Kitsap County Park and Rec. They purchased the adjoining parcels and created a 60-acre park. Since 2008, the keeper's quarters have housed the national headquarters of the U.S. Lighthouse Society. There is also a duplex that can be rented out as a vacation house.
On the road into the lighthouse is a house boat - or a boat made into a house! We also saw an otter running across the road with his dinner in tow. 
There were some great places for walking the dog, including the beach. Nancy wasn't thrilled about the cold weather but frost made it possible to get some great photos.
The views of Mt Olympus were a real bonus.
Poulsbo is about a half hour south and is the most adorable Norwegian town. There is plenty of shopping at unique stores and Sluys Bakery offers some very tasty treats. We stopped there a couple of times a week. Les's favorite was the Viking donuts, chocolate covered doughnut big enough for a viking and Nancy's favorite was their date bars. There is a marina and park on the waterfront, a calm sunny day made for some great photos. Dave and Sue took us to a number of breweries in town, The Slippery Pig, where we heard some Irish music, the Valholl, where we had yummy pizza, and the Sound, all had good beer and we met some interesting people at the Sound.
You can't have a Scandinavian town with out ships and viking statues! They also have the largest seagulls we have ever seen.
"Welcome to Pouslbo" - this is the retaining wall at the marina.
If you have followed along with us, you know that Nancy loves to get pictures of reflections, she had a blast this day and just didn't know when to stop snapping photos.
Les may have found our new adventure - he fell in love with this boat.
Mount Olympus was on our agenda, but the day we went the roads were closed because of storm damage so we headed west to Cape Flattery and the ocean instead.
There is a short hike to the ocean cliffs through a beautiful wooded area, with wooden walkways and bridges. One path was covered by a fallen tree.
This incredible tree is in the middle of one of the paths. Nancy wanted to climb up into the center of it.
Our excitement could hardly be contained when we got to the overlooks at the ocean. There are a number a caves in the cliffs and a beautiful island with a light house.
The sun was setting just as we were leaving - we turned around on the path back to the car and spotted the sun reflection in the trees. 
Port Townsend is at the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula and where we had lunch with Randy and Sherry Tomaras. We met them at the Big Sky campground in Wisconsin. It was great catching up with them and sharing "on-the-road" stories.
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| Just one of the old buildings in town |
While there we enjoyed the town and all of the cool stores and coffee shops.
We wandered the pier and the beach for a bit, catching the start of the sun setting. 
Where ever Nancy goes there is bound to be a black bird, one generally follows along on the morning dog walks and they show up everywhere. Port Townsend was no exception. While taking this picture of the mountains in Canada this guy landed on the fence.
Another highlight of our trip was having lunch with Amber Watts, a friend from our church in Ann Arbor, MI who now lives in Kirkland, WA. We took the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds which was great fun.
It was a full ship and a nice sunny day to be on deck taking pictures. Lots of boats of all sizes passed by us.
Winds were fairly calm that day and of course there were lots and lots of birds
It seems that somone may have moved the ladder - or the sign was painted in the wrong spot!
Kirkland is a very bustling town, lots of shops, most high end stores and plenty of places to eat. There is a small park on the waterfront, that was full of people enjoying the sunny day. 
Fun statutes, lots of benches to enjoy the view from, ducks everywhere and this great "seated" sculpture at the waters edge.
Marrowstone Island is across the bay and north of Hansville on one side and Port Townsend on the other. We explored it on one of our trips to Port Townsend and enjoyed a walk on the rocky beach.
There was lots of cool driftwood and seaweed.
Seattle was a must for this trip. As much as we love staying in smaller places, which are usually less expensive, quieter, and friendlier, Nancy has to get her fix of big cities with all the noise and people and things to do. Quite the contradiction! We took the ferry out of Bainbridge Island, we walked on this time as we didn't need our car in Seattle. We explored the pier, and spent hours at the Public Market, it was so much fun seeing all the vendors and going in and out of all of the shops. Unfortunately there was no fish throwing happening while we were there, which made Nancy very sad.
Of course the waters were busy with ships and birds. Nancy took an embarrassing number of pictures of the ferris wheel.
As we walked under this overpass we were intrigued by the vines covering it. The pier was lined with fisherpeople catching squid one right after the other. They really are kinda ugly, the fish, not the people.
More shots of the feris wheel
The squid is not any prettier in sculpture and the whale looks like it's crying.
You were warned that this blog was long and had lots of pictures, so if you are still hanging in and reading, the following are from inside the market area. Nancy took over 300 pictures this day and after weeding out the ones she didn't like she still had 100 left, it was hard to decide which ones to post!
Cool murals and beautiful fruits and vegetables.
More fish than we have seen in one place before.
The iconic market sign and pigs everywhere, this time of year decorated for the holidays.
Not sure how sanitary the place is but they do have cool murals everywhere and even Sasquatch hangs our here. Dave, Sue and Rebecca, (David John's girlfriend) came across to meet us for dinner, so we walked about 8 blocks to the resturant and enjoyed all the sights along the way.
The lights inside this building are chandeliers that look like fireworks, with the lights coming on and off.
Yes, more ferris wheel pictures, but really cool nighttime ones.
The ferry ride back was amazing, nothing better than a lighted skyline. Add an almost full moon and it is perfect.
Once back on Bainbridge Island we stopped at the Pint and Plate, a restaurant owned by the son of our good friend LeeAnne. Kevin wasn't in that night but we did enjoy some of his delicious desserts. Bourbon bread pudding - yum!We found the best Roadside oddities at Troll Haven, in Sequim, WA.
Trolls in every size, shape and color that we want to hang out with. 
Dragons, wizards, gnomes, eagles and chickens round out the menagerie.
Gates and doorways invite you to explore behind.
A Kokopelli statue and stone carvings depicting the story of the Changer.
This was such a wonderful stay, so much to see and do, RV repairs taken care of, some much needed rest as well, but time to hit the road again. Elma, WA is up next, with some visits to the coast and Mt Olympus.
Some last shots to leave you with - lumberjacks came to visit Dave's place.
Till we meet again....
Happy Trails to you!
Tips and things we have learned along the way.
~ If you are going to be spending anytime in an area that gets a lot of rain you really need to invest in a dehumidifier. RV's are known for getting damp easy, add rain and humidity nearly every day and you are going to run into moisture and mold problems. If you are running your heat on propane there is extra dampness being added to the air.
With so many types to choose from it was hard to decide but we went with a Davis Air-Dryr 1000. It does not have a tank to empty, which is perfect for us as some days we are gone 8 - 10 hours sightseeing, and the tank would be over flowing.It is very quiet and easy to use. You just plug it in and that's it. It pulls the moisture in and puts our dry air. The small size is also a bonus when packed away or for moving day. 
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