Happy Birthday JAKE!!!

Half man, half alligator, Jake is well known in the Northwest as a weird but lovable creature thing whose birthday is coming up on August 7 and 8.  Obviously we HAD to stop in and sing Happy Birthday to this mummified oddity of nature!!  He was acquired by Marsh's Free Museum for $750 from an antique store in 1967.  Everyone knows Jake ... just ask!!!

There are some other weird things around this little beach town, including the largest frying pan in the world!!  This reminder of the razor clam festival was forged in 1941 at the behest of the Chamber of Commerce.  Unfortunately, it is no longer the largest, as other towns now have bigger pans!!

Yes, Long Beach Washington is a rather unique town with it's idiosyncrasies, but stop in and stay awhile ... you'll grow to love it!!  A typical tourist town, it's full of crazy painted buildings and stores you won't find anywhere else!!

Long Beach began when Henry Tinker bought a land claim in 1880, created a town and named it Tinkerville.  From 1889 to 1930, a narrow gauge railroad ran up the entire peninsula from Ilwaco.  In 1922 it was incorporated into Long Beach and became a huge tourist attraction with the longest beach in the world.  Not much has changed since then as it is still the destination of tourists looking for cooler temperatures.

This is Lewis and Clark Square sporting one of many statues on every corner of town.  Bring your camera and your credit card and just have fun!!

Thanks to the recommendation from fellow RV'er Betty Graffis who lived in this area for many years, we stopped in at the Cottage Bakery.  On the right as you enter the door, they make delicious sandwiches, like turkey with cranberry sauce and cream cheese, and turkey with bacon and swiss.  I guess you know which one Dan Chance ate!!!  The sandwiches were delicious and the bakery goods looked even better!!

This seahorse statue is carved from wood and is pretty amazing.  Be sure to get a family picture with several of the statues around town!! 

Just down the block from the bakery is Marsh's Free Museum, home of Jake.  Called a tourist trap, it does have lots of touristy junk to purchase, but it also has great T-shirts and sweatshirts, along with a ton of oddities well worth seeing!! 

Get your passion on and test your passion factor by sitting in the chair.  You can't miss it ... just listen for the annoying music going off every couple of minutes!!

Here's some of the cool stuff ... they have MANY coin operated machines from WAY back, some of which I've never even heard of ... like this Bimbo 3 Ring Circus.  Almost all can be operated by depositing a nickel or sometimes a dime in the slot.  Bring a pocketful of change and you could spend an entire afternoon being entertained!!

There's a stuffed lion and cobra here, along with a 2500 year old Oriental shrine, carved in the 8th dynasty!!  If it's odd, they have it!!

And what could be more interesting than a wildebeest along side a two headed calf.  Plan to spend most of the day here, as it will take you hours to see the entire place and all of it's weirdness!!

You can even weigh yourself on this Health Meter to determine if you are healthy or not ... but beware the old machines don't weigh like they do today!!

Once back at the rigs, I spent some time with Nick Russell as he explained all things amplifier/router/antenna in order to hopefully get better internet reception with my Sprint MiFi.  I keep it for one reason ... it's the only one I could buy without also getting a phone.  My AT&T phone has unlimited data, which I refuse to give up.  As for getting WiFi on my AT&T plan, they will only hook me up if I ditch the unlimited package.  Not gonna happen!!

I think I have all that sorted out now and know what to order.  Then of course the conversation turned to kites!!  In the meantime, Miss Terry was cooking ... which means there was a pot of something absolutely WONDERFUL on the stove.  Lucky for me, I went home with a bowl of homemade minestrone soup made by the Queen of Cooking!!!  Guess what I'm having for breakfast!!