When I got off the ferry last weekend to go shopping on the other side, Kurt pointed out a flyer in the ferry terminal advertising the Coupeville Mussel Fest. Being avid seafood lovers, we decided to go.

Kurt had duty yesterday, so we had to go on Sunday. I also tried to get him to come home as early as possible because the ferries from Port Townsend to Keystone on Whidbey Island didn't run very often -- about once an hour to an hour and a half. Plus the fest ended at 5pm on Sunday, so we really had to get going yesterday morning.

I was really afraid we were going to be late, but fortunately we got to the ferry dock about 45 minutes early, and that's stopping for gas along the way as well! I'm so used to the huge ferries plying the water between Seattle and Bainbridge Island and Bremerton, and the Edmonds/Kingston ferry that I was surprised at how little the poor little MV Klickitat was!! On the larger ferries, there are four center lanes, two portside lanes, two starboard lanes, and two lanes each port and starboard on the upper levels. The Klickitat had nine lanes, I believe, on the bottom level, and the whole level was open -- no walls separating the center and the sides, like there are on the large ferries.

Kurt and I decided to head up to the passenger area so we could see where the ferry was going as we'd never been on that route before. Imagine our surprise when we were treated to a free Celtic harp concert given by a Port Townsend musician!! I enjoyed his playing so much that I bought two of his CDs, which promptly put Miss Gracie to sleep on the return ferry ride home.

Once we got to the Mussel Fest, it was time for lunch!! So we headed for the Beer Garden tent, where we each had a bowl full of mussels and some dark, crusty bread to sop up the juices. Every other time I'd had mussels, they'd been rubbery and hard to chew. These mussels were heavenly -- they literally melted in your mouth! I thought Gracie was going to have problems eating them and worried she would choke due to the rubberiness, but she had no problems at all. I think she ended up eating most of my mussels. She's a seafood lover just like her parents!! Otherwise, we'd have to disown her. :o)

Then it was on to the mussel chowder tasting!! We headed to the main hall to get our ballot, and then made the rounds of the town to sample various styles of chowder. I loved the creamy versions of mussel chowder, much like the New England style of clam chowder. Kurt loved the first chowder we tasted, which was reminiscent of Manhattan clam chowder, as well as this funky version that I thought had a lot of dill in it. Come to find out, it wasn't dill -- it was Mike's Hard Lemonade!! The flavor was just a bit too odd for me, but Kurt loved it.

Most of the chowder sampling sites were in the downtown area, but a couple were a ways away. Grace had started to get grumpy, so I put her in my backpack in hopes she would fall asleep. (Futile hope, I know.) Kurt saw a few more chowder sampling sites on his map, and we headed out. The first two weren't too far away, just a few blocks. But then we kept walking... and walking... and walking... and walking... I'm sure the last two sites on the map were well over a mile from downtown, and that's with 27 extra pounds on my back!! Once we got to the farthest possible chowder site, we realized there was a free shuttle carrying people from downtown to these far-flung sites. At least we didn't have to make the trek back!!!

We'd learned our lesson by then, so for the very last chowder sampling site, we got in the car and drove. The map had said it was 2.6 miles from downtown, so there was no way I was carrying Grace that far. I'm glad we did; there was no sidewalks on the way, so it wouldn't have been safe. The last site was a place called the Captain Whidbey Inn, and they served one of my favorite chowders. It was rich and creamy, but red in color, almost like a jambalaya. We planned to stay and have a late lunch/early dinner there, until we realized the entrees ran at least $35 each. But the old inn was great fun to poke around in, and the scenery around the inn was just lovely.

We headed back to downtown so Kurt could turn in his ballot, and then we decided to find some place to eat. The whole day had been sunny and fairly warm for an early March afternoon; in fact, I had been very comfortable in just my long-sleeved tee shirt all day. We were loving the beautiful weather. But when we got back to town, the sun decided to go behind some clouds and the temperature plummeted. I was glad we were done walking at that point!

We got lunch/dinner at a place called the Knead & Feed, a kitchen store with a full-service cafe on the bottom level overlooking the water. I had shrimp bisque and a turkey-cranberry sandwich, while Kurt had a salad with Greek dressing and a pastrami sandwich. Gracie had their homemade bread with creamery butter as well as bits from our lunch. She especially liked the shrimp bisque! Then for dessert I decided to be really bad and get a slice of blueberry pie with ice cream! Our waitress was so enamoured of Gracie she even gave me a free second scoop of ice cream for Grace! Sometimes it's great having such a cute kid!!!

It was time to head home... and after all that fresh air, and walking, and great food, and home cooking... Kurt and I were beat. Both he and Grace passed out on the ferry ride home, while I enjoyed the Celtic harp music and watched the dark clouds skitter across the night sky.

All in all, a great day. (Photos up on the website; click on the Flickr badge on the left hand side if you're interested.)