Yes, literally! I attended a kite flying festival on the coastline beach this past weekend at Grayland, Washington, sponsored by the Westport Windriders. Even if one is not a kite flyer, the assortment of kites of all different shapes and sizes riding on the breeze will bedazzle both young and old. There were tigers, teddy bears, snakes, horseshoe crabs, octopi, jellyfish, parrots, sharks, a dragon, and the ever popular, giant arch kites. What a fun, photo opportunity!
After I had my fill of sand and kites, I drove to Westport, just a few miles down the road, and stopped off at Westhaven State Park to watch the surfers. The locale is a haven for surfers, and this weekend was no exception, with the weather forecast calling for exceptionally warm, sunny weather.
And if kite flying and surfing is not your thing, then how about a visit to the the very popular Westport Winery Garden Resort, for a little wine tasting or for a bite to eat? Well, actually, the winery is not located in Westport, but some miles up the road along Hwy 105. On your way there, if you like Oysters, stop at Brady’s Oysters for fresh oysters and other fresh seafood. And if you like smoked sausages, Bay City Sausage. They also have smoked salmon, smoked turkey legs, and a variety of cheeses. I remembered to bring along my travel cooler to bring home with me some of these delicious food items. I also packed some items, to take back with me, from the Westport Winery’s Sea Glass Grill. I absolutely love their four layer Trail Mix Carrot Cake with pineapple, dried cranberries, almonds, and Amaretto cream cheese frosting. Not your cup of tea? Then how about their four layer lemon sponge cake with lemon curd and lemon zest cream cheese frosting? Mind you, it does have a bit of a bite to it!
When at the winery garden resort, take a stroll among the beautiful gardens. Lots of beautiful, summer blooms are exploding with color! One of my favorites is the lavender garden. What a lovely place for an intimate wedding gathering!
There are several other garden types to stroll throughout the resort grounds, along with many garden sculptures created by local artists. If you’re visiting the greater Seattle-Tacoma area, it’s definitely worth the time and mileage to visit. It’s a very pleasant drive, once you leave the busy freeway corridor.
All images property of Peggy A Thompson
northwestphotos 
The kites are such fun and the garden looks glorious. It’s no mean feat to get white flowers looking so beautiful in such contrasty lighting.
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed the kite and garden photos. Yes, it was such a bright day and I did worry about the color exposures. I’m always looking at the sun’s position and taking it into account when photographing. Sometimes we just have to do with what Mother Nature gives us at the time and make the best of it. Sometimes we are pleasantly surprised!
Quite a rich variety of kites!
Oh what fun! The kites are so much fun to watch and such an incredible variety of shapes and sizes. We are vaguely thinking of heading north perhaps in September. I’ll be thinking about some of your suggestions.
If you do ever travel up this way into Washington, it would be really fun to meet up with you. I do not have a problem with driving to the coast from the Puget Sound area, where I live, as long as the weather is good!