"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Anniversary On Vashon Island ~ ( Where you don't need an Invisibility Cloak ! )

 My husband and I celebrated our 42 years of marriage this past week. He gave me a dozen gorgeous red roses before we took off for Vashon Island.
 We have been wanting to re-visit Vashon Island for awhile and decided to spend our anniversary on the island.  Of course to get to an island you need a bridge, a boat, or a BIG boat ~ a ferry. We got in line for the ferry at Point Defiance , WA  (about a 45 minute drive from our home ) very early in the morning and enjoyed a thermos of coffee and the view while waiting for our ride to the island.
 Here she comes !

 We were happy our car was parked at the front of the ferry so we had an unobstructed view of the short trip from our truck. The ride to the island from Pt. Defiance is only about 15 minutes give or take.
 We had a small list of places we wanted to visit on the island. It is a small island and there are few businesses, but after some research on-line this was one of the places recommended. The Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie. Here is the shop's coffee roaster on display. The shop smelled fantastic and is attached or next door to a few other shops. We'll never go back. ( warning : negative experience and review )
 We walked into this roasterie expecting good coffee and friendly service. We might as well have been invisible. The shop was not full , or too busy. But the shop had a lot of unfriendly gossiping locals. Tuesday morning, slow business, and we couldn't get anyone to sell us coffee in spite of that. No one said "hi", nodded at or acknowledged us. We waited at the counter for awhile for someone to sell us the pound of expensive coffee we were buying. We needed coffee at home or would have left without purchasing anything. At least the guy at the counter said "thank-you" when we paid for the coffee.

We then went through an adjoining door to another shop where the lady clerk was gossiping ( in the true sense of the word) with another apparent local and although we were the ONLY shoppers in the store selling local crafts and produce, we got nary a smile , glance our way, or "hello". Same thing in the next little shop there. Good grief, we really weren't wearing our invisibility cloaks , I promise. Not sure what was going on but this small , VERY small shopping area in Vashon is not a place we'd ever go back to. We had planned on buying some of the local produce and items but decided our presence, therefore our money, was not needed or welcome. There are other places on Vashon to purchase the local produce, coffee, and arts & crafts so this little spot can be left to itself if you are considering a visit to Vashon ( BTW , there was a new shop Treasure Island , selling antiques, vintage stuff, etc. we stopped to check out and were delighted the owner welcomed us and answered any questions we had. Give her a visit if you're passing through. Someone there appreciates customers ! )
 We had a lovely time on Vashon in spite of our first stop. We decided to have lunch at a restaurant called The Hardware Store. This is a real hardware store creatively transformed into a restaurant  YES!!! Do stop and eat there if you are on Vashon. The food was delicious, the service was friendly. They are apparently popular with locals and tourists , sitting room is scarce around lunch even on a Tuesday. We'd definitely go back here if we're in the area.
 Best fries ever ! Thin, crispy, just perfect. And the burger was mighty tasty too.
 The Hardware Store  ~ Vashon Island, WA.
 We had to stop at a nursery because the name Kathy's Corner was too good to pass up a photo op ( maybe a good name for a future blog ? ) and the plants and flowers were stunning. We bought some Elfin Thyme and sedums from Kathy herself , then continued on our way around the island.
 We had coffee from our thermos while we sat on a bench near the lighthouse. We saw a seal fishing in the water and watched birds.

Home again after the return ferry ride. We each bought a book at a book store selling new and used books near The Hardware Store and decided we'd had a very good day. We are blessed . We drove around a scenic island, enjoyed a very good lunch, each bought a book we are excited to read , and are still in love after 42 years of marriage. Don't you love the miniature orchid my husband bought me ? Roses, books, orchids, a day together in a beautiful place...he sure knows the way to my heart !

18 comments:

marlvs2sing said...

A treasured time that will bring lovely lasting memories for you both. Thank you for sharing your beautiful time (mostly)with us who love to read your blogs! Robbie and I are so enjoying your wonderful eggs! Mmmm! Thank you for those, too!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Happy 42nd Anniversary!! You had a lovely day together in spite of the unfriendly experience at a couple of shops.

You make a lovely couple. Keep making memories every single day.

Love, hugs and prayers ~ FlowerLady

Deb said...

"Happy Anniversary" to you and your husband. Hugs, Deb

Deanna said...

A VERY HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO YOU!!!!! Wonderful that you are celebrating married life together. Happy for you! Many more years together.

It's times like the unfriendly clerks and shops that adds warmth to the places that do have nicer people to say hello and smile.
The little town I live in is not always very friendly...bah humbug.

The flower is most beautiful,
d

Anonymous said...

A very happy anniversary to you! Looks like you had a great day after a slow and unfriendly start. Your food looked delicious!

Debbie said...

Hey! I sure enjoyed spending your anniversary with you and riding on the ferry. I've only done that once in my life up in Wisconsin. I'm want to wish you many more happy years together!
Hugs to you both!

Lisa Smith said...

Kathy, Happy 42nd Anniversary to you and your husband! It was so enjoyable to "ride along" on your special day. I must say, 42 years is a wonderful thing to celebrate. My late husband and I were married 19 1/2 years before he passed away. We owned a small gift shop in a very small town on the central coast of Calif. We loved meeting and greeting tourists from all over the world, and always went the extra mile to make each and every person feel welcome. I was appalled to read of the local shopowners' unfriendly attitudes! I'm so sorry you had to experience that.
Congratulations to you both on your special day, Lisa in Lake Oswego, Oregon

A.K.W. said...

My brother and his family used to live on Vashon Island, WA! Now he lives in PA though so we get to see him every once in awhile since he's a bit closer to us now. We went to Vashon Island in August of 2014.

Amy

Buttons Thoughts said...

Happy 42 that is incredible. Oh you deserve that trip after all the hard work you two do. Looks like lots of fun. Hug B

Susan said...

Hi Kathy...Happy "late" Anniversary to you and your sweetheart. The excursion, despite the gossipers, sounded lovely. At least you encountered some "nice" people and experiences as well as the yucky ones.

Thank you so much for your visits to my blog. I always love to see you have stopped by. Susan

Anonymous said...

Hi Kathy,
Belated anniversary wishes to you two. We occasionally encounter folks like you describe here. Thankfully, you did enjoy the scenery and a few appreciative business owners. May God richly bless you two.

Antiques And Teacups said...

Happy Anniversary! We are on our 42nd year too! Haven't been to Vashon...have no idea why not. Don't you love the ferries we have for transport? Looks like you had a wonderful trip!
Ruth

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Just stopping by to say hello; I visit but haven't commented in quite a while. Happy Anniversary to you and your husband! 42 years of marriage is a marvelous achievement. I'm glad you had a good day out despite the gossiping and unfriendly locals early on. I don't know if I will ever visit Vashon Island (it's a very long way from Southern California) but there's always hope! You have given some good recommendations of places to visit (and avoid). Sara

Theresa said...

What a wonderful time together:) I know you will remember your time together forever! Have a blessed day dear friend, HUGS!

Connie said...

Sorry to hear about the negative experience at the coffee shop and other shops there. Otherwise, though, it sounds like it was a lovely day. Happy Anniversary to you! It just so happens that my husband and I are celebrating our 30th anniversary today. :)

Stella Jones said...

Happy Anniversary to you both. Much love from here in England x your trip sounds a wonderful way to celebrate. Shame about the response in some places, but it's the same over here. In fact I have to say that in general it is far worse over here with regard to welcoming customers and I don't often run us down, as you know. When I was in America, I found the shopkeepers very welcoming for the most part. They could certainly teach us a thing or two.
Many more happy years together both of you.

L. D. said...

The whole place looked so great to see. I must have been fun to do and them remember later. We use to go to live on a lake in Minnesota. The town made a lot of money off of us outsiders but they verbally told customers that they would be glad when we all would go home. I had forgotten about that rudeness until you shared your experience. I really still would love to visit that island.

Deborah Montgomery said...

Happy anniversary to you. I love that picture of you, and have to say you are my inspiration in growing my hair out long and dye-free. It will be a couple years before I get there. You look beautiful.