PORT TOWNSEND

Whenever we want a quick getaway from the hustle of Seattle we hop on the ferry to cross Puget Sound and head up the Kitsap Peninsula to the serenity of Port Townsend, a small city located near the entrance to Admiralty Inlet, the main shipping channel to Seattle and Tacoma.

After coffee in Port Gamble on our latest journey we took a detour before reaching our goal by following a wild turkey in the bicycle lane. It was striding along in a determined manner toward the junction to Marrowstone Island just south of Port Townsend. Nordland, the “capital,” would be a good place for lunch (not turkey sandwiches), but we found the town consists of a general store combined with a post office boasting a sign about a nude beach. If you want rural this is your ideal location.

Not wanting to expose our delicate bodies on a cool day we turned back to the main road and lunch in one of the many good restaurants waiting for us. One of my favorites is Sweet Laurette, a funky cafe/bistro where you can sit outside. It was market day next to the bistro so of course we loaded up with fresh produce for snacks.

Port Townsend is full of interesting shops, bookstores, restaurants and water-oriented activities. Fort Warden State Park is ideal for walking along the beach when the fog is lifting to see the Point Wilson lighthouse first erected in 1878 as a wooden tower and later replaced with its current iconic shape,

or visiting the two small museums devoted to marine environments.

One hidden gem located near the massive Civil War-era parade ground at the fort is the famous Copper Canyon Press where some of the country’s best poetry is published. They have a small bookstore if you are in the mood for shopping after your beach walk.

My other favorite bookstore is Insatiables which is full of weird and wonderful old books. Original editions and offbeat oldies cram the shelves. I could not resist What a Woman of 45 Ought to Know by Mrs. Emma Drake M.D. part of the “Self and Sex Series.” It was published in 1902. I think the good doctor would die of a stroke if she could see us now. Lars Porsena or the Future of Swearing by Robert Graves, 1927, was my other choice before my husband grabbed my wallet to prevent further crazed shopping. The book is part of a series all with Latin names published in England during the period. I wonder what Lysistrata, or Woman’s Future and the Future Woman would have to say. Or Pegasus, or the Problems of Transport. Maybe they will be waiting for me on the next visit.

This window shows an entry into a wearable art competition – a winner as far as I was concerned. I especially like the bread wrapper and closures used as decoration around the over skirt and sleeves:

A stroll on the town’s waterfront, a block from the main street shows another side of Port Townsend: that of a marine-oriented city.

And, reminiscent of Boys in the Boat, crew is also popular with the shells stored in a new facility adjacent to the boat building workshop.

By the time our first day was nearing afternoon-tea (or drinks) time, we checked in to my favorite hostelry: Ravenscroft Inn, where I could happily stay and write for weeks on end in their lovely rooms.

We’ll be back soon.

All photos, except the exterior of the Ravenscroft Inn, copyright  Judith Works
Exterior of Ravenscroft Inn, copyright Ravenscroft Inn, used courtesy of innkeeper