A Capitol Time

Zachary and his grandparents were getting on so well that Meh and I were able to go take a quick 2-day mommy and daddy getaway vacation to our state's capitol -- or rather to an incredibly cozy bed and breakfast just outside of the city. Huge thanks to friend I, whose own stay there last month led to the recommendation!

I'd forgotten just how close Olympia is; the drive down was under 90 minutes. We started our trip by actually passing the city and driving to visit a very special sanctuary for wolves, many of whom are endangered, and most of whom were raised in captivity (zoos, private owners, etc.) and reside here because they can't be released to the wild. Fear not, only about 75% of the other tour participants were raving Twilight fans -- I heard a few speculative mumbles about Jacob Black candidates among the wolves we saw, and one tour participant was even wearing a shirt whose back listed all of the vampires in the book series, like some kind of literary band tour. But I suppose the fandom can be only a positive for a non-profit like Wolf Haven, and this sanctuary goes even further, with "howl-in" evening events on summer weekends. The guide was silly and she clearly loves working with the wolves. The wolves (and a pair of coyotes) themselves were lounging (quite a few up on the roofs of their dens), strolling, stretching, and in one case actually howling a bit at us -- he was apparently a recent addition who had been rescued from poor conditions and was still a bit wary of a pack of human tourists:



From there we headed to the B & B, which was tucked away appropriately enough on the edge of a cove. The grounds were wonderful, with lovely views of the sound, multiple flower gardens, a fruit and veg garden that the proprietors pick from for creating their breakfasts, a large forward-positioned deck overlooking the Puget Sound, a forested path down to the cove and beach (with kayaks available for aquatic exploring -- we ran out of time to take advantage of them), and an amazing and perfectly situated house in the middle.

The house was incredible, with ample space for relaxation -- multiple sitting rooms, a library/study with floor to ceiling bookshelves (and yes, a rolling ladder on rails), the dining room, a living room, and a sunroom/solarium (where yesterday afternoon Meh and I had an epic Uno duel while sipping cocoa). We later learned the house itself had been substantially rebuilt after the Nisqually earthquake (the epicenter was literally a mile away), which had allowed the owners to invest in all kinds of fascinating details like floors made from locally grown renewable wood and transforming the house from brick into more of a wooden Tudor-style house. Which brings us to the suites, which were even cozier and more relaxing, fully furnished with indoor and covered outdoor seating areas, giant jetted tubs, large fireplaces, and a tremendously calming vibe. We took afternoon naps each day, spent a lot of time just lounging and reading, and really got to relax. We also took advantage of the time to enjoy two tasty dinners out, and even got to go take in a movie (in IMAX 3D no less, though it was only used for the coming attractions and the first 10 minutes of the film, which seemed a gimmicky way to bump up the ticket price; the film itself was great though!).

On our full day away, we also explored Olympia, with a small cute downtown and an enormous and impressive state Capitol building, featuring a *lot* of marble, all Tiffany lamps, and what the tour guide (whose tour we stumbled into) called the fourth largest dome in the world, with the largest chandelier Tiffany ever made suspended from it. I would not have wanted to be under that chandelier during the 2001 earthquake! The state senate and house are on recess, so the building itself was pretty quiet -- no thanks to me; when we went into the Capitol reception room, the guide wanted someone to play their piano to demonstrate how it resonates in the space. Meh volunteered me, so I sheepishly plunked out a few chords. The room also featured a fun 42-state flag used for the state's inaugural parade but never adopted by the US, who jumped straight from 38 to 43. After the tour, we even found Olympia's very own cute little tea house, which is in the central atrium of a tiny unassuming commercial building. The owner was so friendly and cordial, the tea lovely, and the foods were scrumptious!

The whole trip was wonderful and magical. As if to punctuate it, before heading to dinner on our last evening, we took a walk down to the cove and then along the Puget Sound beach. Suddenly, Meh spotted a young fawn beyond a fallen log. He walked right toward us and stopped about 10 feet away, looking at us for several minutes before turning and literally prancing away. We ended up having to take off our shoes and socks and wade through the inlet to the cove on the way back; the tide was coming in, and we didn't realize quite how quickly the small creek would become unjumpable -- for us, at least; that fawn would've had no problem, I'm sure.