bestowed upon me. So- on the first Saturday in June, we drove up to Anacortes to catch a ferry to a place I had neither
been to nor heard of before bidding on a week's stay there at a charity auction last fall, Orcas Island. This aution was
before I was pregnant, so a. I was a little tipsy and eager in the bidding, and b. didn't have any idea I would be eight
months plus pregnant on our trip. Turns out that neither factor was a factor- the place we won was a true prize, just the right size for our little family and our friends with their two little girls.
It was a guest house for what I can only imagine is a truly swanktastic
getaway home, just below. The house seemed to be newly redone, with slate tiles, a fantastic kitchen, a really oversized
tub surrounded by marble, a loft bedroom with twin beds (and intriguing little closets in the low walls, specially
designed to delight toddlers), a downstairs bedroom with a creaky queen, and even a laundry room. And, unlike other
getaway spots I have known, nary a taxidermic trophy to be seen. From the picture windows, and the big deck outside, we
spotted porpoises going by in the sound, as well as beautiful birds and hungry, ever-in-attendance black tailed deer.
Nevermind the staggeringly large slugs and snails (ah, the Northwest).
The first two days were sunny, and on the first day, we went to the Eastsound farmer's market, where carrying only locally
grown produce meant that there was, um, not very much produce to be had just yet.
Fortunately, the shaved ice crop had come in already! On the second day, Jim, Naomi, and I took a hike to several waterfalls in Moran State Park, then drove to the top of Mount Constitution for a really wonderful view of the San Juan Islands (of which Orcas is the largest, I believe). Through relentless conditioning, I managed to get Naomi to use a slow, booming, dramatic voice whenever she said "Mount Constitution".
It was pretty cool. After nap (which is something you say when you have tiny children along on your
vacation), the whole big gang of us went to Cascade Lake for some beach action. The water was too chilly for real swimming
(though I was ready, with my gigantic burgundy pregnancy swimsuit!), but the girls had a wonderful time digging in the
gravelly dirt that passed for beach sand.
We enticed them a little ways out into the water as well.
The next day marked the return of the clouds and showers that make Orcas Island the lush paradise where slugs the size of
your arm can flourish. We read books, played games, and ate a lot of overly large meals. The guys went out one afternoon
for a sea kayaking trip, of which I was intensely jealous, even as I saw the wisdom in sitting it out at this stage. The
girls hovered around the baby, played with all the pots and pans in the kitchen, and walked down to the rocky beach near
the house for some lessons in rock chucking from their dads. We took a short trip to the historical Moran mansion, where a
former mayor of Seattle and apparently huge Orcas Island fan recuperated from stress and just generally had a good time
(wonder if that huge bar on the main floor was open when he lived there?).
Our friends had to leave on Wednesday, but we decided to stay a little longer. We returned to Eastsound for lunch, some
groceries, and a visit to the free-wifi coffee shop (Jim's web surfing hobby having suffered considerably out at the uber
-relaxing, completely un-connected guest house).
On Thursday, we went in to town again, for pizza and gelato (can you
believe there is a local chain on the island- two coffee houses with tasty gelato?). That afternoon, we visited
Obstruction Pass state park, a place name not a little suggestive of gastro-intestinal difficulties. Oh well. The .5 mile
hike to the beach seemed a nice doable distance with a not-too-trail-hardy two year old, but it seemed much longer while
we hiked it. It was worth it, though, to find ourselves on the beautiful, sunny, rocky beach with a thick border of
driftwood.
As always, the hike back seemed shorter, though probably not for Jim, who was carrying the smallest member of
our party for most of the half mile. Unless you count the member of our party that I was carrying.
The return of the sun meant a beautiful ferry ride home on Friday.
Often a vacation can feel too short, or too rushed, or
too long, even, but this trip to Orcas Island, in so many ways, felt just right. We were sad it was over, but it felt like
it was over, not like we could go on staying in the "Tiny House in the Forest" (as Naomi called it) forever. Thank you,
Orcas Island, for a really wonderful week. Hope to see you again someday...
