Fort Casey, WA

It's Saturday morning, and a perfect time to go to a farmers market. Just a few miles down the road, I made it to the Bayview Farmers Market, and found excellent parking. It was a good time to pick up some fresh lettuce, zucchini, raspberries, cherries, and baked goods, and a glass sculpture for my garden. There was a group of marimba players http://www.rubatano.com that set a festive and lively tone to the shopping. Along with the typical market food, I bought chicken and beef samosas. It was fun getting a taste and variety of this area.

I headed further north and after a brief stop at Driftwood County Park to seek out more seashore agates, I met and spoke with Norma and Barry, who live about an hour away. They really admired the Sylver Gypsy. I wound up at Fort Casey State Park. Of course all the state park campgrounds are completely booked up for the next several days, but as usual I inquire about a waitlist status. I continue to be lucky, as there was space for me today. So I'm parked within view of the bay and the incoming ferry in the town of Coupeville.

The campsite is within walking distance to Fort Casey, a historical site, basically...a fort. At the turn of the 20th century, the U.S. Army opened a newly built fort that was to guard the entrance to Puget Sound and the naval shipyard in Bremerton. Located on Whidbey Island, the fort was named “Fort Casey” in honor of Brigadier General Thomas Lincoln Casey, the last U.S. Army chief of engineers.

There were several large cannons and several cavernous concrete rooms in this very large complex. The little boys and girls loved running in and around these rooms. Before I knew it Barry and Norma's head popped up from inside one of these dwellings, as we all watched and admired a submarine that was floating through the Puget Sound Channel.

All the while the weather's been rather sunny and a perfect mix of cool and heat. From a distance I saw kites flying, and once I approached, I realized that they have been anchored into the ground, unmanned and simply fluttering about effortlessly. It must have been the perfect mix of wind for these kites to remain. There was also a reenactment of the soldiers bunkers, with a soldier dressed up who actually spent the night. There were newspaper articles and artifacts displayed and locker/trunks with personal belongings. 

There's an upper level and a lower level to the fort so while I was at the lowest level, don't I run into Barry and Norma yet again? Well three times a charm, at this point, we had to take selfies and a group shot, and invited each other over to visit whenever we are in each others town. The whole time Jo Jo is snoozing and dozing in his pouch, in a carefree dog's world. 










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