To celebrate the Labor Day weekend, on Sunday we went to the Kelpers Parade in nearby Pacific Beach. Originally, the parade was intended to show how people and floats could be decorated with kelp. But it seems that kelp smells pretty bad when it's draped around your body, so the parade has evolved into an opportunity for people to dress in their wackiest costumes, and to give recognition to the various activities and industries in this part of the Washington coast.
It's well-known why Washington has earned the label "The Evergreen State." It's green here because it rains. We've been lucky to have fairly nice weather during our time in the state, but it rained on our parade. That didn't keep anyone from having a good time, however, even though observers and participants were equally soaked. Here are a selection of photos from the event. (I took most of these from my relatively dry place under the eaves of a building, so they may not be as clear as they might have been.)
This little guy seemed to be leading the parade. Was he the Parade Marshall?
We saw several pirates.
I didn't know pirates rode bicycles.
There were tributes to our troops.
No parade is complete without a King and Queen. We met them later in a nearby restaurant (where the power was off due to a lightning strike).
I couldn't figure out the theme of this 'float' except maybe the people were 'floating' after drinking beer from the keg all along the parade route. They shared it generously with the crowd, too.
This float recognizes kite flying activities and competition held on the beaches.
I'm sure these participants wished it wasn't raining, but they had fun, anyway! I want a T-shirt like hers.
Nice buns!
More nice buns!
Finally, something sane and sensible. There are lots of farms in the area.
Great car! We spotted it later at a local watering hole. Hope the officer didn't get a DWI.
There's a rich Native American history here.
Tryna got lots of candy, beads and a T-shirt (rolled up) for her enthusiasm as an observer.
And Lena did okay on beads, too.
A unique transport for a kayak.
Which brings me to our Monday activity, kayaking. We went to Duck Lake, part of 26 miles of fresh water on the Ocean Shores peninsula. Don led me under the first bridge to reach the main part of the lake.
We saw a total of 7 deer in this house's yard and the one next door, just relaxing in the sunshine.
There were some big houses...
And small ones with simple fishing docks...
The owners of this house found a clever way to keep geese and seagulls off their deck. Note the tiny picket fence.
Here's a beautiful yard and deck, but I'll bet it requires some work to keep it looking great all summer.
There's a lot you can do with waterfront property--these people even have a greenhouse!
And my favorite: a really nice deck with only an RV on the property. We learned that most lots are restricted to having an RV parked on it (without a house) for a maximum of 90 days per year, unless you're in the process of building a stick house.
Think they have enough boats?
Don had to stop paddling to stay within the 5 mph speed limit under this bridge.
This is to prove that the photographer was also kayaking.
Now that Labor Day is past, the restrictions are lifted for how far you can drive on the beach, so we had to do it once more before departing the area tomorrow.
