Grays Harbor

Indeed it is quite grey here. Although that’s not the origin of the name in Grays Harbor. The harbor and the county are named after Captain Robert Gray, an American sea captain who explored the region’s Pacific coastline in 1792. There is officially no apostrophe in the spelling of Grays Harbor County. This is purposefully done to simplify the name. (Much like how there is no space in our family name VanLaanen.) This is where Nana and Grandpa have their winter base camp. Lake’s mummy and uncle’s adolescence were spent in this area. So this weekend we showed Lake the sights. 

Lake loved every minute of it! This morning we went out to the Bowerman Airport in the city of Hoquiam to hike the Sandpiper Trail. It’s the access point to the bespoke National Wildlife Refuge. The Audubon Society loves this place. It is a migratory bird haven and birdwatchers’ heaven. We passed by uncle Peter’s old high school, Nana’s middle school where she taught until retirement and the Seabreeze Oval running track where mummy used to run. I ran rather fast the 800 and the 1600 meter races and the 4 x 400 meter relay as a tween. This day today has been windy and rainy by turns, and a nice trip down memory lane. We had a pretty clear window of time in which to walk out to the end of the boardwalk. The rain hit us with another squall just as we were arriving back at the car. 

The people are what really provide the bright spot in Grays Harbor. Lake attracted some very special visitors. Our old friends Karen and Chuck were among them. Nana and Grandpa were supremely attentive hosts. Even though it was a weekend full of rain, we were able to enjoy heartwarming times by the fire. Grays Harbor was full of vibrancy in spite of the grey conditions. A motto for life.