~Sunday, October 2, 2022~
Day 840
What a great spot this turned out to be camping on a 40-acre apple/pear orchard. In the end, there were about 7 of us taking advantage of our Harvest Host memberships. With no pressure to leave, most people took their time with departures. It was very nice of the owners to allow us one extra day on their property to experience their Sunday Market, but mainly to take care of tire business on Monday. But the Sunday market would have to be missed since my priority was getting all of our overdue errands complete being that we were near a large city. Bellingham was about a 40-minute drive (if you consider that close) with a Fred Meyer, BevMo, Costco, and my all-time favorite….Trader Joe’s. I must have been grinning ear to ear upon seeing those big red T-R-A-D-E-R J-O-E letters. Why is it that almost all TJ’s have horrible parking lots? I must have circled 3 times to finally find one big enough for Hank, and even that one was a challenge getting into. I later found out what all the craziness was about. With the Canadian border about 10 minutes away, many Canadians make it a point, especially Sundays, to do their shopping, keeping in mind they’re not allowed to bring in poultry and eggs. But honestly, I’ve never seen a Trader Joe’s that busy. Even the employees had a hard time keeping things well stocked. It does seem a little crazy to deal with a border crossing just for grocery shopping; not to mention their dollar is weaker than ours. But maybe TJ’s prices make it all worth it.
It was also quite refreshing to see lower gas prices, though they still break the bank. Costco gas was about 25 cents less a gallon than anywhere else at $4.75/gallon for diesel. My celebration would be short-lived once I found out that the liquor tax in Washington is a hefty 20.5% as well as an 8% sales tax on top of that. I guess with no income tax, they have to make their money somewhere.
Having completed all my errands, I finally arrived back at the farm around 7:30 where I found Jeff and Sadie walking the property. As Jeff put it, 41 acres is a lot of property to maintain with this one having a long way to go since the owners took over ownership a year ago. It’s sad that many of the trees look diseased and badly in need of pruning. And it appears the weeds are winning, likely taking most of the nutrients in the ground. It’s easy to understand how the property became neglected once Jim Bill was stricken with cancer. Hopefully, Tina and Tom’s newfound interest in reviving the property will become a dream fulfilled with determination and hard work. Wishing them the best of luck!