When Tom and I go exploring, we try to pack as much into a day as we can. Last Wednesday was one of those days.
I had heard an ad on the radio about the Tulip Festival Street Fair being held in Mount Vernon, so after leaving RoozenGaarde Gardens, that's where we went.
Mount Vernon is the county seat of Skagit County, and the chief commercial and social hub of the valley. A river runs through it.
The Skagit River.
After driving through the main part of town, we saw a sign advertising the street fair for ....next week. Darn. So we parked and explored the Riverwalk Plaza.
We found a couple of antique stores that we checked out.
This pottery caught my eye, of course. I bought the Weller vase on the top, right. It is now sitting on my kitchen counter.
When we were driving up island that morning, I saw the sign to Rosario Beach, part of Deception Pass State Park. We had never been there, and I have decided that when we have time we need to go to places close by where we have never stopped before. So, on the way back to the cabin, we did.
It's a beautiful little peninsula jutting out into Puget Sound, with a calm cove on one side and the open sound on the other.
On a summer day this place will be packed, but it was very quiet and peaceful this spring day.
The Maiden of Deception Pass watched over us. I did not take the time to read the legend on the signs.
We went on the trail to the right until it appeared I might need to have mountain goat hooves, so we turned around and took the trail to the left.
There was a warning here, but it looked easy.
We retraced our steps when we got to the "hazardous" part.
It was a great little diversion, and a place to tell our grand kids about when they would like to go exploring while staying at the cabin.
We stopped in Oak Harbor for dinner at 6:00, and got back to the cabin in time to watch the sunset over Deer Lagoon
and Useless Bay.
It was a great day!
Thursday morning was bright and sunny. The heron that frequents the piling out in the lagoon loved it.
But we had obligations at home, so we couldn't stick around long. We left the heron to his reverie and headed to the ferry. It was a great little trip away from the usual routine.
"For the beauty of the earth...
"Lord of all to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise."
Just a few of the scenes of great beauty that I have experienced in my time on this wondrous Planet Earth.
Our big blue marble is precious and vulnerable. If we love it, we must protect it.
I'm going to think of just one small change I can make in my lifestyle that will help. How about you?
The Skagit Valley in northwestern Washington State is one of the major tulip and daffodil bulb producing regions in the world. In April people flock the The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, and aside from the rainbow fields scattered around the valley, the premier viewing place is Roozengaard Display Gardens.
After driving up Whidbey Island, over Deception Pass, and traversing Fidalgo Island, we had crossed over the Swinomish Channel, we had arrived at the Skagit Valley, where we spent two wonderful hours at Christianson's Nursery, as I showed you in the last post.
Now it was time for some serious tulip viewing. But it was well past 1:00, so we took time for some lunch first.
When we're out exploring, we don't do fancy. :-)
OK, get ready for a photo dump!
New this year is the use of Crown Imperial Fritillarias.
There will be plenty of blooms yet for next weekend.
Princess Irene tulips!
These fringed tulips were very intriguing.
Not just doubles, but triples.
Hearts!
Stars!
Bulb fields are rotated each year, so it's only about every three years that we have growing fields right behind the display garden. It's the best!
Expecting muddy field conditions after days of rain, we were prepared, with our Muck Boots on.
Here we go, into the fields.
Back in the display garden.
A Muscari (Grape hyacinth) Seahawk!
We didn't spend much time in the gift shop. We were color saturated and beauty satiated. There is another great visitor place, Tulip town, but we didn't need it. We were ready to move on, but not to quit. We had more exploring to do!
