Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Sunny Sunday on Whidbey Island

As we left home Sunday morning we looked forward to a rare sunny day, and the prospect of some actual warmth!


We had a short wait at the Mukilteo ferry landing.  Here comes our ride!
We found a warm spot on the rail, out of the wind, and enjoyed the short ride across the sound.
We got off to an early start, so we stopped at several nurseries on the way to the cabin.  Bayview Farm and Garden Center has a wonderful selection of Japanese maples, especially beautiful in their new foliage.
We looked forward to checking on our cabin garden, to see how the tulips we planted there were looking. They were glorious!
 The Princess Irene tulips glowed in the sun.
All of these tulips are from our home garden. At home we have to treat them as annuals, as they don't re bloom well at all the second year.  So we bring the bulbs up to Whidbey, plant them in the sand, and they love it, coming back year after year.  We just have to keep the rabbits from eating them.  For the last two years, moth balls placed around them in early March have done the trick.


We weeded the garden, sat on the deck, and went over to Langley to visit the Chocolate Flower Farm and stroll the village.  After dinner at the cabin, we went for a walk on the dike beside the lagoon.
 It has changed since our last trip a month ago, finally going green.  In the evening it's a virtual bunny trail.
 The Scotch Bloom is beginning to bloom.
 Cotton tail rabbits nibble the new growth.
Red wing blackbirds sing as they sit on the still brown reeds.  In fact the evening was so still the abundant bird songs filled the air.
 I don't remember seeing Cinnamon Teal here before.
This Yellow legs was carrying on about something.  I'm not sure if it was scolding or courting.
Herons fished the glassy water.
 Over on the bay it was just as still as the sun sank without much show. 
On a piling in the lagoon, an osprey enjoyed an evening meal of fresh caught fish from the bay.


When we got back inside and turned on the TV it was just about 8:00, and we were startled to hear the Special Report about the capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden.  We were also surprised to see the celebrating.  It just didn't occur to us to celebrate. 


So many lives gone, and still the wars go on.  I'm still waiting to celebrate.

13 comments:

  1. That is just a heavenly retreat you have there. The tulips are gorgeous. I used to have beautiful tulips when I lived 70 miles to the south, but here--no luck at all.

    I was taken aback by the celebrating. It is not that I don't think bin Laden met a just end, but that the history behind it is deserving more sober reflection. Why do we treat everything like a sporting event?

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  2. Your tulip are just outstanding, Linda. And your pictures made me feel like I was there.

    I too am not celebrating the death of OBL, although I am glad he's dead. Like you I am amazed at my fellow Americans whose actions are so unlike my own.

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  3. Looks like a great weekend! Your photos are superb as always, Linda!
    No, I'm not celebrating Bin Ladens death although I'm glad he's gone, but now those same people have a reason for more revenge -- it just seems to go on and on. Hope your week is going well!

    Sylvia

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  4. Lovely photos around Whidbey Linda and those tulips are incredible, love your header. I'll celebrate when all our boys and girls come home.

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  5. I love seeing your pics on the island. It is wonderful there. The bunnies are so cute and fun to spot always. You know, the Japanese believe the moon has bunnies, not man in the moon.
    I look for bunnies there too.
    Thnx for the nice reminders always of this amazing earth home in PNW,,

    Ps. I didn't celebrate either????

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  6. The 'bunny trail' photo was unique!

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  7. Oh, those beautiful tulips!

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  8. Everything looks just beautiful. I love the orange tulips. Are they called Princess Irene? You have your hands full taking care of two gardens.

    I have to agree with you about Bin Laden. I think Olga hits the nail on the head when she asks why we (meaning the general population) treat everything like a sporting event.

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  9. gorgeous flowers, looks like a lovely time...

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  10. Fantastic photos, Linda. I'm trying to catch up. I couldn't visit anybody, first because Blogger was going crazy one night and then because we had an incredible lightning storm. Haven't had one this strong in ages. Anyway, isn't that actually called a Scotch Broom? Oops! Maybe you meant it was a flower bloom. Sorry about that.

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  11. @Kay - of course it is called Scotch BROOM. How funny! Thanks.

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  12. A ferry, a bunny trail, flowers and opsrey. I've said it before -- Whidbey Island is paradise!!

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  13. Wonderful pictures. There is nothing so grand as a nice day in Washington State. I love your tulips. The bunnies or moles or something ate all of my bulbs, but I will try the moth ball trick and try again.

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