Leavenworth, Washington

We have spent the last 3 days in Leavenworth, Washington, Bavarian capital of the US, I guess. It's a very quaint town with a downtown area that looks like it came directly from Germany. We've had a great time. I've been able to learn a little more of my ancestry and what being from Germany is like. Ok, maybe not. Mostly we've been eating our way through town. I've had schnitzel and spatzle and rotkraut and saurkraut and knockwurst and bratwurst (I've come to the conclusion that I don't like bratwurst) and other types of sausages and cheese and wine and beer. Or bier as they say here. Come to think of it, I really didn't hear a lot of people speaking German. But who cares when the food is good. And then we got apples and apple cider (real apple cider, the kind with the apple pulp still in it.) All in all, we've had a great time and are making plans to come back for either Oktoberfest or the Christmas tree lighting. Or both. (Our timeshare has a property here.)

We spent a nice weekend with Bill's Aunt and Uncle in Duvall. We went to the Issaquah Salmon Days Festival on Saturday. It POURED. But the festival was really neat. It was huge. A lot of vendors with glass and pottery and food. Always food. (I was supposed to use this trip to loose weight, but instead I think I've gained it. My doctor is NOT going to be happy with me.) Bill's Aunt Rosemarie outdid herself with the cooking. She made breakfasts and dinners and had tons of food for us. Man, she's a good cook. Thank you Aunt Rosemarie and Uncle Jerry for such a great time!

On the bird front, there have been many birds around. Mostly the same birds we have in Alaska, but now they are here on their migration. But I have seen 2 that we don't have in Alaska. California Quail and a White-Headed Woodpecker. There are a ton of robins here. I'm not sure if it's normal, but it sure is neat to see them all.

I've been informed that we have to get moving. We're headed out of Leavenworth and going to start our journey to Oregon and California. I do have some pictures of Leavenworth which I will post as soon as I can. My computer cannot be fixed as far as the wireless switch is concerned, so I have to go with the AT&T thing and since I hate AT&T, I've been using Bill's computer.

Until later....