Well, I can't believe the weekend is over. It just seemed to fly by. We'd planned to go camping for 3 days, possibly in eastern Washington at Sun Lakes. But, when I checked out the weather there, it was simply too hot, in the 90's. I couldn't imagine having any fun camping. I'd just want to lay down and try to breathe.

So, I checked out western Washington, Ocean Shores. There, it indicated rain all weekend with temps in the upper 50's! I could just imagine trying to stay warm and dry while trying to cook a meal. Rain would mean putting up canopies, tarps. Just so much work.

That left going south toward Portland, and I recall most of the campgrounds along the way were packed with people, noise, overflowing garbage receptacles, and reservation-only camping. That is not our style - we prefer wide-open spaces, no fee-camping, and plenty of solitude.

I called George with the weather reports on Thursday, and we decided to stay home. The temperature for Tacoma was just perfect - mid 70's, overcast with a bit of morning rain, then sunshine. We decided to settle for good weather here, and just be spontaneous, see what we could come up with.

I closed the door to the garage (and all the camping gear waiting to be loaded up), and I drove down to Ruston Way on Thursday. The Tall Ships "Parade of Sail" was just about to begin, and I had a good view from one of the piers. The ships would sail by within one hundred feet! (I didn't take my camera. Didn't want the distraction of picture-taking.)

It was a parade of vintage sailing craft, such as the Bounty and the Eagle and other famous sailing ships. Two canoes from the Puyallup Tribe, the "Thunder Spirit" and "The Spirit of the Wolf Protects", offered an exchange of gifts in a ceremony in Quartermaster Harbor. Then the Tacoma Fire Department fireboat crossed Commencement Bay and entered the Foss Waterway, where many of the sailing vessels were moored. There, they were available for tours.

At the "Parade of Sail" I enjoyed listening to the cannons and whistles and watching the crowds scan the water for the next ship. Everyone would wave and hoot as the tall ship would approach, its sails so glorious, and the shipmates would wave and shout greetings. The excitement was so spontaneous and fun.

I decided that I wanted a closer look at those magnificent ships. So we went to the Festival of Ships the following day and milled around. There, the Maritime Museum was open, and we spent all afternoon touring the exhibits, listening to live music, and enjoying the ambiance of a summer festival. There were booths featuring crafts and food.

This ship is the USCG Eagle, a three-masted barque built in 1936. It is known as America's Tall Ship, and serves as a training vessel for the U.S.Coast Guard Academy. There are 20,000 square feet of sail, 5 miles of rigging, and 200 some lines to teach seamanship, leadership and teamwork.

The Bounty was my favorite - quite small I thought, but beautiful with it's green and gold, it's history as the ship built for the film "Mutiny on the Bounty" by MGM. She is set up with a full crew, and sails primarily on the East Coast.

The Marine Museum featured shipbuilding, with shipwrights building a boat on the premise. The woman who set up the display here was part of the crew, and had just finished putting these items on the wall days prior to the opening of the Festival.

All of the moored ships in the Thea Foss Waterway were open for tours, complete with crews. These guys were part of the music festival on the lawn. The young man on the left had a fantastic swagger that just seemed so in keeping with his buccaneer costume.

George and I enjoyed a barbecue on the 4th of July at my former husband's home in Gig Harbor. He and his wife had recently gone on a photography safari in Africa, and he had some 300 photographs to share. He and his wife went to Tanzania, had luxurious accommodations, met the local people, and got up 'close and personal' with a wide assortment of wildlife and birds. Just a fascinating photo-journey! My oldest daughter Laurel and her husband joined us, so we all had a chance to catch up on the latest news.

I'll have to admit that I had a few dollars burning in my pocket when I realized that we'd not be traveling/camping. I figured I could put it to good use - I bought this conical Tagine, a ceramic round grill, and a cookbook "Flavors of Morocco: Delicious Recipes From North Africa" by Ghillie Basan. In addition to classic chicken pies, fava-bean dips, and flatbreads, there are essys on the Dadas and the traditional kitchen; Berber traditions and tagines; the art of making Couscous; souks and spices; and hospitality and the serving of teas.

I've been experimenting with Moroccan cooking and had read so much about the Tagine. It's conical lid causes a continual basting of the stew inside the pot, causing the flavors to intensify and the sauce to caramelize and thicken. I prepared a simple "Chicken and Lamb Tagine with Apricots, Prunes and Almonds", and added a few (American) vegetables. Then I let it simmer slowly over the charcoal grill. A thick tasty stew just packed with flavor was the result. I was simply delighted. I served warmed flat-bread to go with this stew.

We had time over the weekend to paddle a portion of Mason Lake up in Kitsap County, not far from where George works. The lake is huge, with a lot of big homes and powerboats (something we tend to stay away from). But, there are several peaceful 'arms' and offshoots that provide a gentle intimacy and interesting paddling. These homes were at the entrance to one of those arms. We paddled along the shoreline, passed submerged logs and noticed the deep sediment (a serious hazard for swimmers).

We took along ham and cheese sandwiches, some dessert, and a thermos of hot green tea, and ate lunch as we paddled along.
The end of this arm had lots of deadwood and submerged logs.

George suggested ending our weekend with a hike at Towano State Park, my favorite campground in this area. We hiked the trail through the forest. Last fall I camped alone during the day here and George joined me in the evening after work - this State Park is just a few miles away from his work. When I saw how the crowds had emptied out of the campground there Sunday evening, I will have to admit that I wondered if I'd made the best decision not to camp. I considered mid-week camping, though, acquiring reservations early in the day should we decide to camp here.

So, when our weekend drew to a close we had enjoyed local festivities and recreation closer to home, and, vicariously, a safari to Africa. I was able to do some fun cooking, and my little Tagine (George calls it a 'Ka-ching') is now resting over spent coals, ready for me to play with it again.