08.30.08
Raspberrying at Graysmarsh Farm
Graysmarsh Farm, in Sequim, has lovely U-pick berries of all stripes. Today we slipped in for the last of the raspberry harvest. There’s something very soothing about harvesting by hand, unhurriedly, in the warm sun and cool breeze. And there’s something very satisfying about getting 11 lbs of berries for $19!
08.29.08
Restaurant Review: Edna’s Beach Cafe
This place glows, especially on a drizzly twilit evening. Perched on the hillside, you can look out the perfectly charming windows and see the mist rising from the water off Point White. The food was really perfect; between the three of us (me, B, and B’s mother) we enjoyed the black tiger shrimp, a caesar salad, the pork chops (which come with to-die-for rotkohl, if you’re into that), the grilled salmon, and the parmesan-herb ling cod. The desserts were fantastic, too.
I’d take an out-of-town visitor here again in a heartbeat. The only thing I’d do differently is eat outside on the stone patio, weather permitting.
Blueberrying by the harbor
This afternoon, we picked a few pints of blueberries and enjoyed the local shorebird parade.
This is, I think, a lesser yellowlegs. Or a greater yellowlegs. Or a yellow lesserthangreaterlegs? Well, anyway, it has yellow legs. Here’s a helpful identification page on Puget Sound shorebirds. Now I know this bird is not a sandpiper, which is what I’ve been wrongfully calling it.
P.S. The blueberries are on late this year, and there’s plenty left to pick!
08.24.08
Running in the rain
My path:
This is the Arch of Arachne, aka The tunnel where you have to employ preemptive spiderweb swimming. Unless you like cobwebs across your face.
The rain I don’t mind. It fell on me and I caught it in my open eyes.
08.16.08
Sculpture garden on San Juan
The Westcott Bay Sculpture Park was another delightful afternoon, this time traipsing through 19 acres of fields and woods, heading for the next big outdoor installation or being surprised by diminutive sculptures nestled amongst the ferns and trees.
This is the kind of museum made for kids: they can respond authentically to the art, without having to be quiet or still.
We did attract the attention of the resident mosquito population, hungry little buggers. Here, I’ve found one on my cheek when I got to this installation (way out at the end of the park, turned so cleverly away so you get a nice surprise).
These were some of my favorites:
Brian Berman, “Genesis II”, Indiana limestone
Georgia Gerber, “Loons with Chicks”, bronze
Sabah Al-Dhaher, “Resurgence”, marble
Tom Small, “Window”, granite
And a really gorgeous specimen of my favorite tree, the pacific madrone:
08.15.08
Whale-watching on San Juan island
This was without a doubt the most rewarding event of our week-long camping trip. We took our kayak along, intending to paddle out among the orcas, but in the end found that we had a better view from Lime Kiln State Park (which was the first dedicated whale-watching park!).
The first day we trekked out to the point it was sunny and beautiful, but alas, no whales.
The second day, we went back with a picnic lunch and intended to stay awhile. Before we even got to the park, we saw cars and cyclists pulled over to the west side of the road, binoculars out, arms waving, shouts of excitement audible. Whales!
We sat on the hillside and were treated to a half-hour show of breaching, spy-hopping, and spouting. It wasn’t easy to capture with a camera (which I’m sort of perversely glad for: you had to be there in person:) ).
ETA: the whales were from the Southern Resident L pod.
08.06.08
Busy day at the beach
Yesterday, hot and sunny as it was, drew lots of beachgoers. I didn’t make it to the group outing at Point no Point, but we did hang out at our very own Fay Bainbridge again.
Overheard: (from a shivering would-be swimmer): “I’m from Minnesota, and this is damn cold!”
Once again, my kids don’t care. They just run right in, and when it dawns on them that it might be a little chilly, they hop out and roll around on the warm sand.
Yesterday’s beach snacks: blueberries and lychees. Can’t ever have enough.
