Gig Harbor Washington (Sunday, April 29th, 2018)

After leaving Point Defiance Park, we made our way to Gig Harbor.  This is the toll bridge to Gig Harbor.  You can cross for free, but you have to pay if you want to come back.  I think the toll was $6 cash, or $7 credit.

Gig Harbor is one of those quaint little towns where you have to get out and walk to really appreciate its charm.  The first thing we saw as we starting walking was this really strange tree.



These are the branches.  So pretty!

A statue in the town center of a fisherman pulling in his net.

And beautiful views of the harbor.

It's bright!  We didn't expect this much sunshine, but we'll definitely take it.

It is low tide, and this little building is completely out of the water.

In one of the little boating shops, we found these plastic "crystal" glasses that looked so real.  Loved them!  They would be perfect for around the pool back home.

This is one big boat tie down!

I loved this house, with all of it's walls covered in beautifully manicured vines.

And this much larger house with its beautifully manicured flower beds.

We walked up around the corner of the harbor, toward the residential section of town, looking for a good place to eat lunch.  We were all in the mood for seafood, so we decided on Anthony's.  It is a chain here in Washington, so we'll see what we think.

We chose to sit outside on their balcony, and couldn't believe that we were the only ones out there.  The weather was perfect, and the views were amazing!

This seagull even decided to have some crab for lunch.

Steve's chowder and caesar.

My shrimp stuffed avocado and bowl of caesar.

Our son (in-law's) fish and chips.

Our daughter's crab salad and chowder.

And for desert, rhubarb slump split four ways because fresh rhubarb is in season at Richter Farms in Puyallup, Washington.  It's basically a rhubarb cobbler, but the cobbler is more of a sugar cookie crust.  Very yummy!  We totally enjoyed our lunch, but the atmosphere of the balcony probably didn't hurt.

As we made our way back to the car after lunch, we could see the tide coming back in around the building that was completely out of the water before.

On our way home from Gig harbor, our son (in-law) took us on post so we could see Ft. Lewis up close and personal.  We even got a tour of the commissary (grocery store) and the PX (department store). We bought some fresh strawberries at the commissary along with some other stuff, and then when we got home, our daughter realized that she already had strawberries.  So, when life gives you (too many) strawberries....make strawberry margaritas!!!

And then enjoy them on the balcony in the beautiful Washington sunshine!



Cheers to an amazing day so far!  We love you guys so much!  Thanks for the tour of base, and the tour of your house, so we could see where you both work and spend your days!

After enjoying our strawberry margaritas and guacamole, we headed back to the cute town of Steilcoom for dinner at the Topside Bar and Grill.



The deck was a little too cool and wet, so we opted to sit inside this time, but the views of the sound were still great.

We really enjoyed the food too!  We each started with a side salad ($3.50).

And then once again had dinner tapas style, sharing several different selections from the menu.

Steamed clams

Fried calamari steak and crab cakes.

And a big bowl of chowder to share because when in Washington, you must gorge yourself on chowder!

After dinner we still had some daylight to burn, so we strolled around Steilacoom by the sound.  What a beautiful and relaxing place to spend an evening.  I hope the kids visit this place often and just enjoy everything it has to offer.

Wow!  Today was such a busy and memorable day!  This was the day that we really got to see what our kids do on a daily basis, and really enjoy the places that they enjoy.  This is what we came out here for, and we were definitely not disappointed!  Thank you both so much for showing us around and letting us into your lives here in Washington!  We've had a blast!