We knew there were various things in Bainbridge that we should ideally see before leaving for blighty. These included the art gallery, the farmers' market and there was also a quilt display by the local quilting group - something very American and much appreciated for its celebration of many aspects of American life and its artyness. The Farmers' Market was great - local wines, bread, cakes, veg and even a display of bees just for the wonder of it (not selling honey). I bought bread and cakes and some nice farm shop bags, and admired the slice of a hive on display. The beekeeper made the point that although the honey bee is prized for pollination, bumble bees are indigenous to the US, more efficient pollinators per bee (though much fewer per colony) and also tougher - coping with a wider range of weather conditions. Well it's not a competition and bee keepers love both - as evidently did the man showing the slice of hive. We the did the quilts - marvellous collection of the traditional and the adventurous. See photo. The art gallery had a set of varied exhibitions but I found the woodcuts my favourite - scenes of NW Pacific life - a rowing boat on the water....
After the art gallery we noticed the predicted rain approaching so we headed back to the tent - and I read the second half of The Salt Path by Raynor Winn, which was an interesting contrast to Simon Armitage's coast path book, paralleled by the Salt Path. It was the perfect book for someone who has just lived in a tent for three months. It does highlight homelessness but it also is a version of the story of the redemptive powers of nature. How redemptive nature would have been if they had continued walking into the winter isn't so clear. Reactions to their homelessness are mostly awkward - unsurprisingly I think for how do you deal with the presence of deep or desperate need? The camping hosts, Ken and Cathy, very kindly invited us over for our evening meal - a super vegetarian soup, wonderfully thick with lentils and veg, and then a cinnamon apple desert - and drunk with pumpkin ale and a Washington State wine - rather like a rioja, full of flavour. We fell asleep rather soundly. For the last time, we are here...