Friday, May 29, 2015

Day Trip to Whidbey Island

It was time to tend the garden again at the cabin on Whidbey Island.  We have been busy, and will be busy, so we decided to just make a day trip out of it.

We were up early since we both found ourselves wide awake at 6:00, even though we had gone to a soccer game the night before and were still tired.  Leaving by 7:30, we were in the rush hour traffic on the freeway through Seattle, of course.  But we made the 9:00 ferry at Mukilteo, where the fog was just beginning to clear.
It has been so very dry and the garden was looking sad.  We spent several hours clipping and weeding and eliminating.  Then we began setting sprinklers to bring some life back to the thirsty plants. 

It was about noon as we sat on the bench here in the front garden to rest and to talk about what changes we might make in the future to accommodate climate change, with dryer and warmer weather.  This garden doesn't get regular tending or watering, so we will need less needy plants.  Much of what we originally planted here were starts from our garden in town, which were free, of course.  Now, over these ten years, we see what does well in this sandy, often dry soil, and what doesn't. This fall we will have to start making some changes.  Things will be pretty burnt up by then.

That work done, we had the afternoon to relax and play resort.  The sun was shining and the temps were rising. I took a walk on the beach.
 An immature eagle was sitting on an old piling.
 It didn't appreciate my intrusion, so it took off.  I only had my iPhone 5 with me, so the pics aren't that great, but you get the idea. 



After lunch, we took a walk on Sunlight Beach Road. There's always something new to check out along the road in our beach neighborhood: new construction, a new remodeling job, new landscaping, something in bloom. 

This home recently added a very cute greenhouse in their front yard.
 The winter tawny color of the wetlands is now replaced with new green cattail growth. 
 We love the poppies on this above ground septic system. 
 The tide never got high enough to fill the lagoon today, so there was no sky mirror. 

I spent some time sitting on the deck in the sun reading and some time in the cabin with the breeze blowing through the open doors. It was a lazy afternoon. 

About 6:00 we rounded up our gear, stopped in Clinton for dinner, and then caught the ferry to return home.
The day felt like summer.  It was wonderful. 



15 comments:

  1. I so enjoy these trips to Whidbey Island! Truthfully, I wouldn't know where to look, first. :) So beautiful!

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  2. It certainly has felt very much like summer these last couple of days. The garden is pretty now, but without watering over the summer it will get crispy. You're smart to try to think of what changes to make to it. I love your Whidbey Island posts, your time there always seems so relaxing.

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  3. Sounds idyllic, always a wonderful time planning changes.

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  4. It certainly did feel like summer yesterday. And it's downright scary to think what it will be like in August, if this is what we get in May! :-(

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  5. You made a lovely day of it.

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  6. Definitely sounds like a wonderful day. You are fortunate to have a cabin on Whidby!

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  7. You and Tom make every day special. It is so pretty on Whidbey Island.

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  8. Busy people feel full of energy and are satisfied at the end of the day.

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  9. You are so lucky that you can go out there to the island and enjoy all that beauty. The garden looks pretty lovely too me.

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  10. What a lovely escape home you have and it is refreshing to see you just kick back and enjoy. That beach has the best driftwood and I can't imagine being that close to an eagle.

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  11. We are enjoying the beautiful weather in Port Orford on the southern Oregon Coast. We've been here a month and every day has been sunny. The last few days we've had fog just offshore in the mornings. I will miss the walks on the beach when we leave on Monday. You are so lucky to have your own beach house. The garden looks great to me!

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  12. I am certain you know what plants work and which ones struggle, maybe a few less plants and more mulch:)

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  13. Such a pretty house and yard...

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  14. What a lovely place to head to and by ferry !

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