#26 THE SILVERDALE WATERFRONT

 My wife and I recently had the opportunity to spend 10 awesome days visiting a couple of my kids and their families in Bremerton, Washington where we used to live. We got to see our newest grandchild as well.

We had a lot of fun times playing with the boys and picking them up from school, going to watch their hockey games and picking up my son, who is hockey director at the Bremerton Ice Center, where he is growing the hockey program. What better place to have your dad work than the ice rink where you play hockey.

One of our favorite places to go while we are in the city is the Silverdale Waterfront park. When we lived here, we would often go to the waterfront and just sit and hang out, sometimes for hours.

This area is so serene and calming. There is something about the water and the waves that relaxes you as you take in the beautiful blue of the ocean. Even the smell of the saltwater air has a calming effect on my body and mind as I sit and ponder.

I love to see the boats out on the water. Always dreaming of what it would be like to own a small yacht or cabin cruiser that you could use to spend multiple days at a time out on the water with your family, enjoying the sun and the water. The constant rocking of the boat and the slapping of the waves against the hull have always given me a rush.

Seeing other people enjoying the water in their kayaks is cool also. This is something that my wife and I would like to try as well. We have done some investigation into pricing of solo and tandem kayaks, and lots of talking to people to figure out what might be the best option for us as beginners in the sport. We also figure it would be a great way to get the much needed exercise that is required that many of us fail to do.

The other cool thing to see is how many people come to the waterfront just to walk on the beach. We used to take the kids on Sunday afternoon and walk the beach collecting Sand Dollars and shells that my wife would use to create some fabulous shadow boxes (she is very creative that way). She has made several for her friends that they are very fond of.

My other favorite part of the waterfront is to see the difference in the dock height by the pier between low and high tide. It amazes me that the gravitational force of the moon has such an effect on the ocean waters. I hope everyone gets an opportunity to enjoy the water.

The Silverdale Waterfront makes me happy.