Beautiful Orcas IslandJun 9, 2012
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After walking up many stairs in the park
Looking eastward over the bay
Cooking dinner with little cleanup
| It was great spending last week with my daughter, Jennifer, even though the rainy weather kept us inside much of the time. One afternoon Jennifer had to run an errand to downtown Seattle and instead of battling the traffic and parking, she and I took the bus. Mass transportation in the Seattle area is really great. Buses run every 10 minutes or so and it's easy to get to your destination in little time. Thursday night we ate at a tiny restaurant that is also a seafood market. It was not nearly as good as the seafood we had at Pike Place Market last December. John is still dealing with his sight and balance issues. One evening Jennifer and her boyfriend, Tom, took us to a city park located on the beach of the sound. It was really a delight for both of us. The park is huge with a lovely paved walkway along the beach and hills above that allow a beautiful view of the water and surrounding islands and ferries. We all helped John climb up the steep stairway from the beach to the hills above. Yesterday, Friday, we left Jennifer's home and hooked up with my best girlfriend and her husband who drove up from the Portland area. The 4 of us took the ferry from the mainland over to our family's cabin on Orcas Island. On the ferry, it was heartwarming to see many fathers with their little girls. Tim asked one of them if they were all together, going on a camping retreat. They were. It was through the YMCA. There must have been a hundred of them, at least. A Father/Daughter weekend. Wish my girls would have had that experience when they were little. After we arrived on Orcas Island, it was then a 45 minute drive to the other side of the island to our cabin. On the drive, all of a sudden a large bald eagle flew down on the side of the road, right across from our cars. We slowed down to watch him - he was eating something - but then he realized that we were looking at him and he flew off. I've never been so close to a bald eagle before. It was really cool. I didn't have time to get my camera out, so no photo of it. After we got our things packed into the cabin, Tim made a nice warm fire in the wood stove and it warmed up the cabin wonderfully. We all went down to the beach and decided to make a beach fire and roast hot dogs for dinner. Love hot dogs cooked that way. As Tim was looking northeast across the bay, he said "Look at that rainbow." Over near the mountains, cradled in the clouds was a vibrant rainbow. It stayed there for the longest time. I tried to take a photo of it with my phone but I'm not sure whether or not you can see it. It's very peaceful here. My whole family has grown up with this treasure and it holds a special place in our hearts. Nearly 60 years ago my parents and 9 other couples purchased this land and gradually built their homes or cabins on their piece of land. They named the bay in front - Buoy Bay - if you look on a map you'll see it. No one else is up yet this morning. Just a few minutes ago I watched an otter munching on a little fish and swimming right in front of the cabin. I also watched a deer over in a field across the way, have a leisurely breakfast of field grass. Several years after my Dad passed away, Mom had this cabin built. I can't think of any member of our family that doesn't love coming here. Some of them have boats and are avid fishermen. Besides fish they also catch crab, shrimp and scallops. If you like seafood, it is the best, right here. I'm sure I'll have more to say and show in the next couple days as we enjoy the beauty God has placed here on Orcas. Thanks for traveling along with us. |
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