As forecast, we woke to light rain this morning. That made it easier to take off back to Whidbey Island for a quick "fix-it" trip.
This fix involved a tall step ladder, which meant taking the van.
We had previously replaced a remote that controls one of the fan lights, and in making the switch, code confusion meant that we could not turn it off and on. The fix was to get to the control in the base of the fan, read the pre-set code, and then re-set the remote.
I held the ladder.
That done, we took a short walk down the beach road, stopping to check on the bay view. The tide was out, and the rain had stopped.
Down at the end of the road we said hello to the girls.
For those of you who are attracted to Whidbey Island, I have a property to show you. The lot is 50 feet wide by 400 feet deep, no bank, great views, and offered for only $1,200,000. It's just down the street from us.
Our cabin is a replacement of a very old structure and the property has been in Tom's family since 1965, and it is on the lagoon side of the road, not the bay side, which makes it about half the value. Even with that, I'm sure glad we're not trying to buy property now.
Unfortunately, not everyone who buys can continue to hold on to their vacation property. This cabin, on the bay side, is in foreclosure. No neighborhood is exempt.
About noon we headed back to the ferry, where we had a lunch cruise with our packed lunch as we made the crossing back to the mainland.
About 2:30 we were back out in our yard working. I got patio furniture scrubbed and cleaned up some seating areas. And then I took a few minutes to just enjoy the garden as the robins serenaded me.
And yes, these really are called 'Princess Irene' tulips. They are blooming in our yard now as well as up at the cabin. Of course we first bought them for the name, but since then we grow them every year. With that glowing combination of orange, pink and lavender, they are beautiful reminders of that other 'Princess' Irene.
By Tuesday afternoon our garden shopping done, and the sky cleared of rain clouds, we took to our hands and knees for the one big job of spring gardening that makes more difference than any other, edging the law.
There is nothing that sets off a garden as much as clean cut edges. The shaggy look that develops over winter and early spring was really bugging me. Finally it was warm enough and dry enough to get the job done.
And today it was sunny all day long! With the lawn freshly mowed, the whole garden suddenly took on a finished look.
Of course it never stays that way. After the initial cleaning up and planting, it is that maintenance that is what gardening is all about.
Today I worked on my patio pots, filling them with a combination of perennials and annuals. It's still a bit cold for petunias, but we're pretty sure we've seen our last frosty night for this season.
Showers are in the forecast for the next five days, so we'll dodge them and work outside when we can. It's back in the blood now.
Sunny Sunday gave way to rainy Monday, but I was determined to not let it get me down.
We drove north up Whidbey Island, enjoying the new greenness, eagle flyovers, and the scenery at Deception Pass. Then we crossed over the Skagit River into the Skagit Valley.
The tulips are late this year, so there are still fields of color to be found, but it was raining hard, so we headed straight for one of our favorite places - Christianson's Nursery.
We managed to easily spend an hour in the beautiful place, checking out the gift shop and all of the plant-filled greenhouses.
When the rain let up for a bit we checked out the plants not under cover.
We bought lots of plants. This is just part of the haul.
You never know when treasures will find you, and this one jumped out at us in the gift shop. It's a beautifully illustrated Mother Goose. We have a weakness for lovely children's books. This one came home with us.
While Tom paid the bill I took a few macro photos of tulips, thinking they might be all I would get to get up close to.
We headed to Mount Vernon and found a coffee shop/deli for lunch. Across the street we saw these antique shops. It was still raining and indoor activities sounded like the way to go. So we did dilly-dally in this lovely shop.
I liked it so much that I was pleased when I found another treasure to buy, this 1940's McCoy jardiniere to add to my pottery collection.
We checked out the shop next door,
and then drove a few blocks to an antique mall we remembered from some years back. Antiquing had replaced tulip touring and we were having fun.
By now it was after 3:00 so we went to find a few flowers.
I love how this house uses tulips in the landscape. It probably belongs to one of the bulb farm owners.
We passed up the display gardens, not wanting to pay the $5.00 to slosh around in the rain. Instead we drove around and I hopped out to take a few more photos.
Notice the yellow tulips blossoms on the ground? As a variety begins to fade, it's off with their heads, so all the strength can go into the bulbs.
We stopped by the barn where I had taken my photo contest winner two years ago.
On that day it was sunny and warm, and the barn was surrounded by tulips. Bulb fields are rotated each year and have to wait at least three years before they can grow bulbs again.
It was time to head home and as we left the rainy valley we captured this field of daffodils and the sodden skies.
The farther south we went, the better the weather got. My eyes sought out the beautiful greens in the greenbelt along the freeway south of Seattle.
It was dry and almost sunny when we got home at 5:00. Good. Tuesday we begin our spring gardening. We have lots of plants to plant.
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.
