Ferry to Bainbridge Island

More family to see and today a trip on the Washington State Ferry out of Seattle over to Bainbridge Island is our start. The skies are relatively clear for this area's standards and the route over presents some beautiful city scapes. It is truly a gorgeous sail.










Celeste's nephew, Sal, meets us at the dock on the Island side and begins a grand class tour of his haunts. He is an expert guide and I really enjoy this little town. Very green, very pretty.





The views of the Olympic Mountain range are evident everywhere and Puget Sound spectacularly frames. I'm thinking this is the best of both worlds here. A charming island, beautiful landscape, water and a quick ferry over to Seattle - this is the place!


We have a little picnic at a charming waterfront park and continue our afternoon back at Sal's home where we meet the ruler of the nest, Rocky, an adorable parakeet who entertains us thoroughly.


We're soon joined by yet another nephew, Tony, and the party begins.


Sal's adorable girlfriend, Demi, is the birthday girl today. Sal decorates her cake, we all gather and head to meet a great group for a celebratory dinner. A great, fun crowd and we all enjoy thoroughly. Celeste is in her element with all of her family around.

It's another full day and evening and we just miss an earlier ferry, so we have a bit of a wait to return to the mainland. (This, I guess, is one of the downfalls of this otherwise perfect place.) The lighted skyline welcoming us back is all we've heard rumors of and certainly worth the late hour.

We've managed to have the perfect send off for our ultimate journey ahead. Bags are packed and Vancouver is our destination for our sail away to the start of the ultimate Alaskan adventure.

Can you believe it? We're almost on our way!!!!

Streets of Seattle

Seattle is a delightful city and we take time this first morning to do a little exploring of the downtown area. We're told that a very interesting little tour of the underground is a must see and get a bit of history as well. There is more to Seattle than initially meets the eye, it seems.













































After the tour, we find more interesting sights before locating a small Irish pub to quench our thirst. This touring can certainly wear you out! Local brew and fish and chips gives us revised energy and we continue our explorations.





































Bonus today is meeting up with Celeste's nephew, Vince, and partner, Kyle. Both are absolutely adorable and the Pike's Market area a bustling and fitting place for a visit. We enjoy a rooftop experience before a rain cloud chases us away. The surrounding market and view of the sound both remarkable backdrops. Fun time catching up, laughter and a cocktail make for the perfect Sunday afternoon!





















Our stroll back to base camp provides a few more interesting scenes and we find that we have enjoyed our leisurely day in Seattle quite a bit!

Family Ties

Leaving the Connelys is bittersweet, but we're off for more family interaction so all is well. Michigan is our journey's destination today as Celeste has a multitude of family members in this great state. Our first stop will be to see her Mom, it's been six months and she is more than anxious for this visit!

A quick stop for lunch in Toledo at Tony Packos is great fun and produces the excellent hot dogs for which it's famous, as well as breaks up the trip perfectly. Crossing the border into Michigan follows and we are at her Mom's place in no time. It is a wonderful reunion and mother and daughter enjoy their visit hugely.

We are spending our time here at her sister Jan's home, which is only minutes away from her mom, and before settling in this evening she treats us for dinner at Lucky's along with her son, Jim and daughter-in-law, Melissa. Dinner and the visit are very fun and we eat well before continuing our catch-up back at Jan's. Celeste is beaming to finally have Palazzolo time and it's a joy to watch this close knit family instantly bond once again.









Our next day's activity includes a cookout at her niece's Andrea's home, which includes sisters, Elizabeth and Rebecca, and all of their offspring. The young cousins enjoying their time is a joyous sight and again this amazing family shows what family ties are all about. It is a very enjoyable outing and yet another fun dinner. Thanks, Andrea for the feast!

Jim and Melissa add to the cookout musts in Michigan and host a wonderful evening, as well. An incredible slide show of their honeymoon in Hawaii is one highlight and additional grilled items and laughter complete the fun. A late visit by her other sister, Celia caps off a great evening.



We are treated to complimentary and much needed haircuts from her high school friend, Kelly, before meeting up with a few more of their crowd for one more cookout at her dear friend, Brenda's home. This group defines fun! Much drinking and laughing makes for the ultimate high school reunion get together - yet another bond that is a delight to witness. Great food and warm, welcoming people abound in Michigan and once again Celeste is incredibly happy to have this time!

A bonus discovery that one of our fellow New Lifers, Susan, lives only 40 minutes from Jan allows us a quick visit to her lovely home in Rochester. She prepares a delicious breakfast of Eggs Benedict (my favorite) and we enjoy a leisurely dine with great New Life stories, plus reports on our subsequent and future travels. We enjoy a great walk into the darling downtown area which is just a few blocks away while Susan plays tour guide. This is a beautiful and charming area and we enjoy our few hours with our new friend immensely.


One final get together occurs back at Jan's, with another son, Ricky, and his two beautiful boys, Alex and Dylan. Grandma Jan is in heaven with her beautiful boys visiting. Celia arrives with her two offspring Rebecca and William, and grandchild, Anthony. Jim and Melissa join again (they can't miss a party!) and this last evening is once again evidence of true family. It's an amazing group and I feel quite privileged to have been included so warmly.

Celeste is able to have daily visits with her Mom, time with a huge part of her family, and a reunion with dear friends - it is a perfect Michigan getaway.

A special thanks to Jan for providing wonderful accommodations for our time here and much love to all of this Michigan family! What fun we had!!!!