Anacortes Art Festival

Nonie and I ventured north last Saturday and had a lovely day in Anacortes. It was the weekend of the Anacortes Art Festival. Several blocks along the north end of Commercial Street were blocked off and there were a variety of vendors, selling everything from soap and candles, to jewelry and table clothes. I recognized a few old friends from the Edmonds Arts Festival but many were new to me, which made for lots of surprises. The weather was perfect. There were lots and lots of people there and it seemed like the sales were pretty good. Nonie bought several things, including an especially fine blown glass jellyfish. I will be interested to see how it looks in her home. I know it'll be stunning

We had a delicious lunch at a restaurant new to both of us called Adrift. I had a lovely Vietnamese sandwich, a bahn mi, with marinaded tofu instead of the traditional pork. Yummy! We sat at the luncheon counter and it was great fun to watch the kitchen staff in action. They danced around each other, efficient and graceful, and turned out one spectacular looking plate after another. I must go back and try some of the other yummy-looking menu items. The wait staff were happy, friendly and fast and proficient. It seemed like a place where everyone enjoyed their work and each other and the vibe was really welcoming and high energy. If you are in Anacortes I would strongly recommend a visit! If you go, be sure to check out the fishing rod/order ticket device they have installed in the kitchen----it's fun and it works well.

Even the iced tea was especially tasty.

Elsewhere, Anacortes sported many beautiful flowers but it was the hydrangeas, those late summer stunners, that caught my eye. Even my hydrangeas at Grant Creek are beautiful this year. (It's only taken about eight years for them to really get established and to start blooming profusely.)

Hydrangeas always remind me of my first trip to Japan, back in (I believe) 1983. We stayed a night way up in the mountains, near Fujiyama, and the hydrangeas were everywhere and the most heavenly shade of blue. I've never forgotten that little village although the name of it now escapes me. It took three or four different trains to get there, the last one a cog railroad line. I wonder what it was called???? Hmmmm....getting old!