Saturday, August 29, 2009

Rosario Place Names

We wanted to visit Rosario Resort on Orcas Island while we were staying on Whidbey Island. But I read in a 2009 visitor guide that the resort was closed for renovations due to a recent change in ownership. Imagine my surprise today when I looked at the web site (www.rosarioresort.com/) and found this statement:
"We are excited to announce that Rosario Resort on Orcas Island in Washington State’s San Juan Islands is now reopen for its Centennial year."

What a disappointment! I don't know if we'll be able to get there now that we're another ferry ride and most of the length of Whidbey Island away from the ferry that goes there. It would be over 3 hours to drive there, not counting the added time to arrive early for ferries, and even more to accommodate their schedules. Oh, well, we'll just put it on our "bucket list" for another time. In the meantime, we've thoroughly checked out the web site.

By doing further research, we were able to answer the question "Why was it named Rosario Resort when it was built by Seattle Shipbuilder Robert Moran?" I can only guess that it was named after Rosario Strait, although I couldn't find specific reference to that.

And here's how the strait was named, from Wikipedia:
...in 1791 Francisco de Eliza gave the name Gran Canal de Nuestra SeƱora del Rosario la Marinera to what it now the Strait of Georgia. In 1792, George Vancouver explored the region and gave the Strait of Georgia its present name. He did not provide a name for Rosario Strait. In 1847 Charles Wilkes, during the Wilkes Expedition, gave Rosario Strait the name Ringgold Channel after one of his officers. Then in 1847 the British Captain Henry Kellett reorganized the British Admiralty charts, in the process removing the "pro-American" names given by Wilkes and affirming pro-British names and Spanish names. He affirmed the name Gulf of Georgia (Strait of Georgia) given by George Vancouver and used a shortened version of Eliza's name for the Strait of Georgia to replace both Wilkes' and Eliza's original names for Rosario Strait.

We did see several other instances of the name Rosario in this part of the world, however. In Anacortes, I happened to spot Rosario Market as we drove by, and I barely got this not-so-great photo.
From Rosario Place Names

We found Rosario Rd, just off SR-20.
From Rosario Place Names

Rosario Beach was nearby...we saw it on the GPS before we saw the sign...
From Rosario Place Names

From Rosario Place Names

...so we drove to it and walked around. It's a small beach, but fairly clean except for these remnants of an old dock.
From Rosario Place Names

Walla Walla University maintains a Marine Lab there.
From Rosario Place Names

And the best thing: locals all knew how to spell our name! They didn't always understand the addition of "Del" in front of "Rosario," though. I had to make a quick trip to a dentist with a broken crown, and I became "Rosario, Sharon Del."

We finished this beautiful day with a pretty sunset.
From Whidbey Island

Catching Up

Don said if I didn't catch up on my blog, we'd have to put all our adventures on hold. Or, to quote him, "All fun will be secured until morale improves." (That must be a Navy thing.) So, this blog will be a summary of what we've been doing for the past couple of weeks.

On our way north from Sutherlin, we stopped for lunch in Salem with good friends Art and Caroline Fennell. They have a home in Salem, but they travel extensively in a huge 5th wheel towed by a medium duty truck (MDT). They're very active in the Escapees RV Club, including the Elk and MDT BOFs (Birds Of a Feather groups). Art and Caroline serve as Volunteer Club Representatives (VCRs) for the Escapees, and Art was particularly helpful and supportive with wisdom and advice during the time when I was President of the Escapees SOLOs, and both of them have been good friends for several years. It's great when these connections can be made along our travels, and I'm glad we caught them at home and free to meet us.

From Friends & Family

We had a nice stay in Portland, Oregon, where we parked at the Town and Country RV Park on 82nd Ave. I've stayed there before, but it was a few years ago. The place has gone way downhill, and it wasn't that great before.

From Portland to Seattle

The manager sets quite a poor example of how important the rules are, by not only letting his own dog run loose, off leash, but also by allowing her to annoy guests while they're trying to check in. After getting jumped on, slobbered on, and scratched by this uncontrolled animal, I had to go wash my arms and legs and change clothes. Several of the long-term residents, of which the park is mostly composed, also let their dogs run loose, so walking Shadow was quite a challenge as the dogs would run toward us and cause Shadow to turn into his 'Rotwiler mode.' The weeds and dead grass, as well as broken concrete and gaping holes in the pavement, serve to complete the 'ambience' of this park, which is now marked off our list for places to stay. Too bad, because it's a great location, very close to my sis-in-law Jennifer Halverson's home, and in the midst of such places as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Fred Meyer, etc.

Jen was busy getting ready for sister Nancy White's visit, so our time with her was brief, and we missed Nan entirely because she arrived after we left Portland. Since Nan now lives in Las Cruces, NM, we saw her a few times before leaving our winter home in Benson, AZ in early May. and will see her again this fall. Jen shared some of the wonderful goodies from her garden with us, and we enjoyed seeing her. Sorry I forgot to take a picture! Jen and Nan are both sisters of my late husband Bill, and I value their continued friendship.

Don's niece Caren Del Rosario lives in Beaverton, just west of Portland, and we got to see her a couple of times and meet her boyfriend Matt, a very nice young man. I was impressed by how well these young adults are managing their lives and work. Caren owns a beautiful townhouse, a short distance from her job.

From Friends & Family

While in Portland, we managed to connect with full-time RVing friend Carol Hinkley, who was staying in Seaside, Oregon for a week or two. Carol owns an RV transport business with an office in Portland, which she manages while traveling in her 40-ft. motorhome. I'm amazed at how well she juggles her business life with the full-time RV lifestyle, and handles such a big rig by herself, towing a car similar to ours as well. She has become a special friend through our connection as (former, for us) members of the Escapees SOLOs. She served as President of that BOF after me, but we became close friends long before that. In fact, she was there when the sparks between Don and me first started to fly at a bluegrass festival in Kendallville, Indiana, and I remember asking her, "Do you think he's interested?"

From Friends & Family

She drove over from the coast for the day and we had lunch at the Portland City Grill on the 39th floor of this imposing building in downtown Portland.

From Portland to Seattle

The views were spectacular, and Don got to see more of the city than ever before, both on the drive into downtown, and from our vantage point in the restaurant.

From Portland to Seattle

We also linked up with another RVing couple, Jerry and Sue Little. I got to know them through the Escapees Boomers BOF, and visited their beautiful home in Blue Grass, Iowa (what a great name! near Davenport) a couple of times. After having a great Italian lunch, we visited the West Marine store. While this shop is primarily for boaters, they carry some gems that work well for RVers, too. I bought some sturdy plastic wine glasses and a collapsing basket for the back of the car, to keep groceries from rolling around.

From Friends & Family

We then visited an overlook of the Willamette Falls Locks and the Oregon Trail Interpretative Center, where the trail ended. What an interesting historical site! Too bad it will be closing next month, due to lack of funding. As a private enterprise, it doesn't receive any federal or state funds, and a drop in tourism has forced them to close their doors.

From Oregon Trail

Click the above photo to go to the web album and see several more photos from this center.

The temperatures in Portland were climbing to triple digits, and Don had managed to get us a reservation in the FamCamp at the Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island, WA, so we started moving north again. Don got to drive the first part (we take turns driving the motorhome because we both love it), through Seattle. Even at mid-day, traffic was fairly heavy. It might have been better to take I-405 around the east side of this metro area, but, oh well! When we reached the city center, traffic started moving along.

From Portland to Seattle

We stopped for lunch, then I got the easy part, with only a short time on Interstate 5, then beautiful 2-lane roads through woods, fields and small towns. I was a little nervous crossing the bridge at Deception Pass, which spans from Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island. It's narrow, crowded, and very high! Here's a photo I took from the tour boat several days later.

From Whidbey Island

We enjoyed a beautiful view from our campsite. Most of the RVs parked backwards in the sites on our side of the park, in order to have the best view. Hookups were 30 amp electric and water, so we had plenty of extension cords and hoses to reach from the services on the other side. We didn't need air conditioning here; temperatures were cool enough to wear socks and lightweight jackets.

From Whidbey Island

On Friday, we met good friends Larry and Carol Jennings in Anacortes and took the ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Larry and Carol have been friends with Don for many years. Their sons went to high school together in Hawaii, and they both lived in the same marina community, Makani Kai, in Kaneohe. Carol is now the Escapees Club Commercial Members Manager.

From Friday Harbor

We shopped around town a bit, and enjoyed lunch on an open deck overlooking the docks.

From Friday Harbor

The ferry ride was fun and gave us a chance to visit with each other while we watched the beautiful shorelines of the San Juan Islands, and observe the various boats on the water and in the harbors.

From Friday Harbor

During our stay on the island, in addition to the boat tour of Deception Pass, we visited Fort Casey State Park, including the Admiralty Head Lighthouse...

From Whidbey Island

..., had a delicious romantic dinner at Captain Whidbey Inn...
From Coupeville

...and toured Oak Harbor and Coupeville, including its wharf and Front St.
From Coupeville

On departing from Whidbey Island, we took the short ferry ride from Keystone to Port Townsend, on the Olympic Peninsula. It was again Don's turn to drive the motorhome, and we unhitched Carrie (our Honda CR-V), which I drove, in order to pay a lower fee. Don said it was a little scary driving on and off the ferry, and his spot on the ferry was so close to the wall he couldn't open the door. He didn't scrape the mirrors, and we both emerged on the other side safe and sound.

From Pt Townsend Ferry

Now we're at the Escapees Coop in Chimicum, WA. It's one of the few parks that neither of us has been to previously. Don was the manager at Rover's Roost (Casa Grande, AZ) and Park Sierra (Coarsegold, CA) Coops prior to his late wife's passing. He's been to several other Escapees Rainbow Parks and Coops, as have I. We always get a warm welcome and enjoy being with other SKP members. Yesterday we drove up the mountain to Hurricane Ridge and saw some awsome sights that are hard to capture with my little camera. Last night was a "burn your own" dinner at the clubhouse, where we had fun renewing some old friendships and making some new ones.

From Chimicum

Monday, August 24, 2009

More Oregon

While we were in Sutherlin, we went to the Celtic Highland Games, sponsored by the Douglas Scottish Society, in nearby Winston, Douglas County. We enjoyed watching a few of the games, such as the Youth Competition and the Stone Throw. There was also a lot of music, some modern, some traditional.

There were a few very athletic people, and others with equal enthusiasm! Notice the woman wearing the kilt - more about her later.
From Scottish Games

Here's another enthusiastic contestant, but she didn't perform very well in the competition. Still, I admired her courage.
From Scottish Games

This group of women sang several traditional Scottish songs, mostly in Gaelic, a capella. Very enjoyable!
From Scottish Games

There were lots of pipers...
From Scottish Games

...and drummers.
From Scottish Games

It was interesting to notice various Scottish costumes people wore.
From Scottish Games

From Scottish Games

From Scottish Games

There's no doubt about this woman's heritage, based on her costume and that beautiful red hair! A sign at the entrance offered free admission between 9 and 10 am to anyone with natural red hair. As we arrived after 10, I overheard someone ask for free admission, and the answer was "Redheads now have to pay double." I'm sure glad my hair has turned gray, erasing any trace of red that was ever there! In fact, this time I qualified for the senior discount, as the age limit was a few years younger than 65.
From Scottish Games

The woman introducing the performers was also a redhead.
From Scottish Games

And here are another couple of obviously natural redheads.
From Scottish Games

Anyone without a costume could easily purchase one.
From Scottish Games

From Scottish Games

From Scottish Games

Or, at least a tie made of the clan's plaid.
From Scottish Games

This quilt was being raffled off. I didn't win. I guess you had to buy a ticket.
From Scottish Games

Various clans were represented. This is the one I belong to, as my Mother's maiden name was Donald. She was a natural blond, and her sister and two of her 3 brothers were redheads.
From Scottish Games

John Lewis was the Donald Clan representative, wearing one of the official tartans in his kilt. It's interesting to see the wide variety of names that belong to clans. A lot of them make sense, such as MacDonald, Donnell and Donaldson. But there are lots more on the clan list, including MacKay (my late husband's name, variant spelling McKay), Hutchinson (his birth name), and Isaacson (his mother's maiden name was Isaacs). In fact, there are more than 200 family names on the list of the Donald Clan!
From Scottish Games

A parade included lots of colorful outfits...
From Scottish Games

...and even a few Celtic dogs.
From Scottish Games

If you were interested in tasting, this fellow would let you sample Haggis, the food that everyone visiting Scotland must try at least once. If you want to know more about this strange and exotic dish, go to www.burnsnight.net/haggis/ and read what Robert Burns had to say about it. But be careful, you'll be surprised if you don't already know the ingredients!
From Scottish Games

We had lunch (no haggis) and I sampled an ale in the Crooked Kilt, off limits to children since they serve alcohol.
From Scottish Games

Finally, here's the same woman from the stone throw competition in the first photo. She's a member of the 3-person musical group called Golden Bough. They performed some beautiful Scottish music, and she was a great performer, managing to dance, play the fiddle and sing all at the same time. I think she also won the women's competition in the games. I can't say for sure, but I don't think the other woman is a natural redhead.
From Scottish Games

You may have noticed a new feature that's now on Blogger. It's labeled "Reaction" and offers a few options. I'll be interested to see if anyone reading this blog uses it. You may still add comments (and I love getting your comments!), unless you're having a problem like a few people who have reported that they can't add comments. I selected the setting for anyone to add comments, but it seems there's a 'glitch' in Blogger.

Also, I just learned of a free service for automatic notification of updates, called Change Detection. Since I'm very irregular in blogging, you may want to use this service to let you know whenever I've entered another post. Go to www.changedetection.com/ I haven't received any spam or experienced other problems in using it, so I think it's safe.

Until next time...