On To Washington State: Ridgefield & Vancouver

The day Lori and I left the Tillamook Cheese Factory on our trip last May, we headed up to Washington.
We have a cousin who lives in Ridgefield, Washington, and we got to stop and have a visit with her.
She took us to Battleground, and we had just barely enough time to visit a few shops there before closing time, including  Urban Basics And Company and Rusty Glamour. I loved every shop we went into!
Here is an article about our cousin Stephania that had JUST been in the paper the day before!

I can't even think about forgiving myself for forgetting to get pictures with her while we were there, but here is a photo of our dear cousin Stephania and her husband Richard:

 We had visited them back in 2007 when we went up there, but at that time they lived in Washougal. We also got to see our cousin Madeline (her sister) during that same trip at her studio and home in Portland, but I'm sorry to say that both Madeline and their third sister Mary Ann have passed away.
We didn't get to spend enough time with them, and I am truly hoping to be able to go back soon and stay longer.
Little did we know (although I believe I had a sort-of "feeling" about it at the time, so inside, somehow, I DID know, apparently), we were, literally, right across the street from where my friend Kari works! I mean, she would have been leaving work, and we were right there - it was nuts! I kept saying "For all I know, Kari could be right here somewhere...", and things to that effect. Well, she WAS, as it turned out. I was trying to reach here but I didn't know the name of her boss, nor the address where she worked. Oh, and in my haste, I was sending my texts to another friend, rather than to her! I didn't even know that at the time, because my friend was busy and didn't have time to reply until later. We learned all of this later, and it was an interesting conversation!
We had arranged to arrive at Kari's house right around the time she got home from work.
We were delighted to be able to stay at her home again (we'd been there 10 years prior, as well).
We had a great time with her. She's like the little sister I never had, me being the youngest.
We went out to dinner at Farrar's Bistro in Vancouver, and it was superb in every way.
We also went to a couple of thrift stores, and she even found some great, very reasonably-priced outfits for her office job.
(It was on that same day that I bought the skirt I wrote about back in this post.)
She also works part-time at the fabulous Heathman Lodge, and she took us there so we could see it.
What a gorgeous place!
Here's a pic of Kari and me that Lori took while we were there:

(I love that little gal SO much!)
We were there at just the right time to enjoy happy hour at Hudson's Bar and Grill, so we made that our early dinner that evening, and it was fabulous, too.
I mean, check out this menu. Yum!
I took this picture of a gorgeous Pendleton blanket we saw at the gift shop there at the Lodge - simply because I LOVE Pendleton!

 I found this little vintage mirrored advertising thermometer/picture at one of the thrift stores we visited:

I loved it - but Kari fell in love with it, too - and I mean she LIVES there!
So it stayed with her, and she took it and hung it up by her desk at work.
I like knowing that it's there.
And I hope to be able to go back and visit HER before another gosh-darned ten years go by, for Pete's sake!
(Please, Travel-Gods or whomever, help me save up enough dollars to make that happen - sooner rather than later!)