Rain and Sun, Rest and Fun

 We arrived at our Whidbey Island retreat Friday afternoon. 

The weather was cold and windy and sometimes rainy. We settled in, greeted Jake, who was there for a short stay, and eventually went out to dinner. Then Jake went home. 

That night I had the best night's sleep I have had in a long time.

After a slow start Saturday we went to the Bayview Farmer's Market. Tom had a good time talking to vendors. I found a bakery stand that had almond croissants. I waited in line for one of our favorite treats.

The market is set up in a field and I struggled on uneven ground, but enjoyed myself until I needed to be done. We stopped at the nearby Goose grocery store then went back to the cabin for lunch and a rest.

One of the reasons we timed our visit when we did was because of this.

The Laburnum Arbor was in bloom!

Bayview Nursery created this arbor some years ago and every year these mature Golden Chain Trees put on a show.

Then we did some shopping, and yes, we bought a few things. We need to support local businesses, especially those who provide us with such beauty.

We went to another nursery, enjoyed looking around, bought one more plant, then were back at the cabin resting, reading and napping.

That evening we figured out how to watch the Sounders soccer match on TV using our laptop. The family decided to drop the cable there.  We lost the soccer match, but we had some good Tillamook ice cream to sooth us. 

Sunday morning was lovely. We took our time and had those yummy almond croissants for breakfast.  

Then Tom worked in the cabin garden, weeding and clipping, happy that some of the plants and seeds he collected on the island were alive and growing in the cabin garden. We are trying to change to native, water wise plants there.

I went for a walk on the beach road and enjoyed the "meadow" in the empty lot where sea thrift and lupine are blooming.

In the afternoon we took a little walk on the beach, cleaned the cabin and did more reading and resting before heading for home.

Now we are home doing Monday things, but vowing to go a little easier. We have lists of outside jobs and plenty of time to do them. Resting should be part of every day.

But that's enough rest for right now. The clothes dryer buzzer is calling me.