Category: Day Trip

Port Townsend landmark

I found a couple of photos in my archives of the Post Office, Customs House and Court building in Port Townsend. It is an imposing sandstone block building that took about eight years to build. Plans changed. Final cost of the structure was just under $242,000.

Opened in 1893, it was the first federally funded post office in Washington state. In the center left of this shot is the entrance to the post office, one of the finer examples of a U.S. Postal Service structure I’ve seen in quite some time.

Here’s a link to more information on the history of this building.

Seattle ghost sign

I took this photo two months ago on a trip to Seattle. I took it out the window of the car as we undertook one of DH’s driving adventures. It started with “If we drive down two blocks here and turn the road will lead us right onto Aurora Avenue and then it will be a straight shot up to Edmonds.”

This was in one of the neighborhoods we explored while we searched for Aurora. It became sort of a magical mystery tour. When we asked for directions from a cop who was directing traffic around a street construction projects he responded, “I don’t know. I’m not from around here.”

Yeah. There were some tense moments. But we were speaking again by the time we eventually turned onto Aurora Avenue.

Ghosts of the past

The patterns on the side of a building in Victoria B.C. caught my eye while we were there last week. It took a couple of beats for me to identify just what I was looking at.

Another building apparently had been constructed onto the exterior of the building still standing. Interior walls of the former building remained attached when the newer building was torn down, revealing not only the building interior but ghost signs on the brick walls.

Murchie’s, Victoria

On Monday I showed you our morning scones at Murchie’s in Victoria. In addition to offering edibles on site, Murchie’s sells tea, coffee, and accessories. The tea choices are extensive and I’ve found enduring favorites. Boxes of teas are shown here along the wall to the right, and most of them share space with small, open jars that allow shoppers to sniff the various teas. Murchie’s has standard black and green teas along with blends.

For tea lovers who like to brew an entire pot, Murchie’s sells a selection of tea cosies, warmers to cover a pot. This is one of the cutest I’ve seen.

Of course, there’s also a nice selection of tea pots, cups, and mugs. One of these pots is going to come home with me if I’m not careful.