Island Hopping

We had planned to spend the weekend at the Whidbey Island cabin with Jill and the kids, but things got too busy here at home.  There were too many options.  So Tom and I made a day trip out of it today.


There was not much view on the morning ferry crossing.  The fog horns sounded as we were surrounded in white.

The fog had lifted on the other side of the island, so the lagoon was the mirror I love so much.

 There is still a bit of color in the late autumn.

 Flocks of ducks are returning, and other regular visitors checked in.

 A belted kingfisher,

 And a great blue heron.

 We came up to work in the yard and do some specialty shopping.  We arrived at the cabin, turned on the heat, and then spent about two hours working in the front garden.  Tom planted the tulip bulbs we had removed from our Seattle garden.  They only bloom one year in Seattle, but they love island sand and come back year after year here.  While he was planting, I was doing the fall cleanup, cutting back plants and removing weeds and debris.

 We were both working away when a car drove into the driveway and a women we didn't know got out and called us by name.  Surprise!  It was Mary Beth, a fellow blogger at SmallCityScenes.  She had been on the ferry with us, recognized me from my blog when I got out to take a photo, and knowing from previous descriptions where our cabin must be, she found us.  And of course I knew she was on the island to visit her mother.  Mary Beth lives on the mainland in Stanwood.  She couldn't stay long, but it was so great to meet her.


We got the work done, ate the lunch we brought with us, said farewell to the cabin,

 and took a few minutes to walk over to the bay side before leaving.

The sun struggled to burn through but couldn't quite get it done.  A raft of noisy brants settled on the water while we watched.

And then we were off to Langley, to visit some of our favorite haunts and do some hopping.

 Our first stop was the Chocolate Flower Farm shop, where we visited with owner Marie Lincoln and bought chocolate candles for the season.

Next was The Star Store, where we shopped for local Whidbey Island wine and other local products for gifts.

 We said 'Hi" to the boy and his dog statue at the park.

 We ended up at Useless Bay coffee Company to buy gift coffee and sit and enjoy a latte and a Seriously Chocolate Cookie.

Back in the car we headed back across the island to Bayview, where we picked up another gift item at the garden center

 and found more local wine at this tasting room.


This Saturday is Small Business Shopping Day, a day to support local business, but we did Small Business Thursday instead. And it's so much more fun than the mall.

With our purchases packed into the car, we returned to the mainland as the sky darkened.

It was slow going as we made our way back through Seattle, what with the usual traffic compounded by a football game at the stadium.  The Seahawks  were playing the Eagles for Thursday Night Football, with a start time of 5:30.  As we poked along, I listened to the first quarter on the radio, and then watched the rest on TV when we got home. And amazingly, the Seahawks won!


We heated up the last of the turkey soup I had made earlier in the week, fixed a salad, and had an easy but deliciously warm meal as we watched football. 


It was a great day!