Celebrating our Independence Day

To say the weather over the 4th was incredible would be an understatement. Just look at that blue sky...

There were few days last summer on Shaw when the temps went above 80...and for the most part, that's fine by me. While we were warm on Shaw, Vancouver was cooking in the mid-90s.

There's Randy behind the wheel of Ed and Cheryl's boat. Randy, in case you didn't know, likes to sail.

(This tea basket was one of the raffle items at the Community Center...more on that later. I really liked this.)

This year we had high 70s at the shore and low 80s inland from the time we arrived last Wednesday through yesterday. It really was an amazingly beautiful week of weather.

The 4th is a huge day here on Shaw...very much like many places in the US. Here are the Grand Marshalls from the parade along with Dot. Dot walked around making people sing patriotic songs with her...she was very good at getting full participation!

These hand-stamped towels were part of the silent auction held at the Community Center...our friend Jan made them. The picture really doesn't do them justice...they are very cute. There's the parade, trophy presentation, market day, kid's fish pond, root beer floats, bbq lunch, raffle and silent auction, baseball, ice cream...all in the course of 5 hours. Here's the basket of flowers and greens that Joann won...it was beautiful, locally grown and delicious. We had a big salad along with crab pasta for dinner on the 5th...we were celebrating Ed's birthday!

This basket of chocolate was one of the items up for raffle...mmmm...I would like to have had that; however, it would probably be a year's worth of Weight Watchers points.

Ed wanted this crab pot...well, he really wanted the 100ft of line. He was going to donate the pot and bouy to the Cedar Cove house!

If you're not exhausted by 5, there's something seriously wrong. These little animals were for sale at the Market...pretty cute, right?

I'd made a wall hanging for the raffle and I'm happy that it was won by a woman who during the school year is a professor of architecture at the University of Oklahoma. She's planning to hang it in her office as a constant reminder of her home here on Shaw. We met her last summer and I was happy when her name was announced.

Of course, Randy bought raffle tickets and we placed our tickets in a number of different bags. These bundles of lavender were locally grown and smelled oh-so-wonderful. After we'd used all of our tickets, Randy told Ed that what he really wanted was the apple pie...and yes, he got it! It was made and donated by an Islander whose baking talent is very well known. We had a lot of hungry looks following us out the door! Ed won a cordless drill/flashlight combo. He charged it up at the house and was ready to use it the next day!

Bill and Joann were in charge of trophy presentation for everyone who participated in the parade. Everyone who participates gets a trophy...

We didn't go to the baseball game after the Community Center events but opted for a sail with Ed and Cheryl. The weather and water were just too inviting! Ray was still feeling a bit under the weather and stayed on board his boat for the day. We checked on him periodically and by the end of the day, he was doing much better. (Update on Ray: he just called from Anacortes. The dr. there said he has a severe sinus infection. Ray's gotten some antibiotics for that, and said he'll be back here on Wednesday.) This picture of Randy and Ed looks distorted...I'm not sure what happened but I may have to do a bit of Photoshopping to make it right. We feasted on pork loin, corn on the cob and yes, the apple pie for dinner! And the sky provided us with our own fireworks display...beautiful! And thanks to Skip for having that boat - the shot just wouldn't be the same without it.

Another great day with friends...on a pretty special island! Thanks for sharing it with us.

July 3...the party begins!

Well, the long 4th of July weekend is over. Cedar Cove looks so bare without Ed/Cheryl's boat and Ray's boat moored out there.

We're very tired and really need a day to recouperate...still, I miss our friends. It was a great deal of fun to share Shaw Island with them, and to see and visit with Shaw Islanders we met last year.

It all started Friday night with a dance at the Community Center. The Community Center really is the heart of Shaw. Pretty much every activity is held there and everyone knows where it is (well, it certainly doesn't hurt that it's right on the main road, but you know what I mean). Earlier in the day, we'd been out sailing on Ed and Cheryl's boat. It was a beautiful day with temperatures on the water in the mid-70s. We were discussing the dance that evening and Ed wondered aloud if there would be a line dance because he always thought they were "cute."

Randy hopped right on that one and let it be known that they wouldn't be doing any "cute" dances. Of course, he'd already pointed out that he had a "hot spot" on his foot so he certainly wouldn't be able to dance. Ray was feeling a bit under the weather so he got an automatic pass. Ed, who had one hip replaced this winter, was having a difficult time coming up with an excuse...Randy told him he'd played the "hip card" all last summer, and with the hip replacement, he really had no excuses so he would be dancing. I don't think Cheryl believed it.

Bill and Joann joined us for dinner and the guys talked Desolation Sound. About 9, we all headed down to the dance. Then, it happened. Just 10-15 minute after we arrived, the DJ announced the line dance! Randy grabbed Ed, who grabbed Cheryl, who grabbed me...and out to the dance floor we went. Luckily, there was a young woman in the line just ahead of us who understood (and could see) what the DJ was showing us to do, so we just followed her. And after a few turns, we pretty much had it down. Of course, we were laughing pretty hard, too.

At 10:30, we headed back here to the house for apple crisp that Cheryl had baked earlier in the day. It was a great day and we were all exhausted by the time we said good night.

Day 1: Shaw Island

We left the house at 7:15 yesterday morning and arrived at the ferry terminal 2 hours before ferry departure. We'd actually arrived in Anacortes with well over 3 hours to departure so spent some time picking up final items and having lunch.

We stopped briefly at the Shaw Island PO to say hi to Bill the postmaster and let him know that we'd forwarded our mail. He welcomed us back and made a note to watch for any mail. Next we headed to the kiosk to see what was going on around the island. It's going to be a busy summer! While there, we heard a "Glad to see you guys are back!" and turned to see Jan, another Shaw Islander we met last summer.

At the house, we unpacked and put things away...and rearranged the living room. We've gotten used to being next to the large windows while we work.

Never mind that flash in the upper right corner of the screen...it's just the flash from the camera; there are no flying saucers here!

At 5:30, I mixed up G&Ts, Charli grabbed her bumper and we headed to the beach. Bill was on the dock so we went over to say hi. Joann came down, too, and said they'd been waiting for us; they wanted to invite us to dinner. They are such nice people and we consider ourselves very lucky to count them as friends and not just landlords.

It was a wonderful dinner with them, Joann's Mom and another couple from here on the island. We ended up visiting until almost 10! Charli had sacked out about 9...it had been a very long day for her and she was ready for bed.

Time goes too quickly here.

Of course, sunset was absolutely beautiful.

I only shot 30 photos.

I could have shot more but I'm trying to pace myself. It is only the first day and Randy assures me there will be more beautiful sunsets to share. This morning as I was checking email, a bald eagle flew past the window and landed on a tree branch about 30 feet from the house. This was the only picture I got before the batteries died in the camera...I hate that!

And now as I write this, another eagle is circling overhead...they are beautiful to watch.

We've had our first morning walk - a short 1.5 mile journey on the north end. Randy is anxious to get the boat in the water so he's working on that. Charli is napping. Me? I'm just enjoying the day!

One day and counting to...

Tomorrow...we can hardly wait! Tomorrow we leave for Shaw Island. This week we got haircuts (and one of us got a color although I'm not saying which one!), we bought groceries, we relicensed the boat...and today we're packing. All in anticipation of leaving for Shaw tomorrow. The weather, you ask? Well, thank you for asking! It looks to be sunny and 75 on Shaw for the remainder of the week. Beautiful and absolutely perfect - that while it's 90 here in Vancouver. Maybe I'll have time to blog more while on Shaw. For sure, I'll be posting pictures!

Countdown to Shaw

Eight...count 'em....8 days until we leave. I really do need to start getting organized!

I get shivers...

right to the core of my soul when Roberta Flack sings. She has one of those pure, beautiful and haunting voices that I remember loving back in her heyday while I was in high school. Here it is some 35 years later...and I still love her voice. Want a reminder - just listen to The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face or Killing Me Softly with His Song and tell me it doesn't send shivers all the way to your core. (And in case you didn't know - or didn't remember - Killing Me Softly... was written about James Taylor...another favorite of mine from way back.) I'm glad some things never change.

Away too long...

I know, I know...I've been away far too long. But I've been busy. Really. Winter was a madhouse of activity. I expected Spring and Summer to quiet down. At least for a little bit. That didn't happen...not at all. In fact, I think we got busier. Sailing club activities always kick in during early Spring. Randy is busy racing and I try to get out for a "Susan Sail" periodically...and actually did get out a couple of times. A Susan Sail occurs when the winds are light, the weather is warm and the sun is out. It's not Randy's favorite time to sail because we're not heeled over to one side, holding on for dear life. During a Susan Sail, I'm in charge of gin & tonics for everyone on the boat. And I make a pretty decent G&T.

Also, there's yardwork. Here in the PNW, it seems yardwork starts mid-January and goes through the end of October...or November if you're like us. Since we'll be heading to Shaw next week, we've been busy pruning, cutting, pulling and hauling. We brought it all on ourselves...we were the ones who wanted the pretty landscaping.

Now, everything is mature and needs attention...constant attention...constantly...over and over and over again. When we finally get tried of pruning it, we just cut it off at the ankles. We did that this last weekend with two Leyland cedars. We planted them about 6 years ago and they were 5-ft tall. Randy has topped them for the last 3 years and we finally took two out on Saturday. Even topped, they were well over 30-ft high. That's a lot of tree by anyone's standards. And it's also a lot of tree branches to haul up a hill, lift into a trailer and haul out to the garden debris recycling center.

And I've been trying to get some quilting and knitting done. I working on another entrelac scarf. This one is going better. The pattern is easier for me to follow and I like the yarn. I'll post a picture when it's done. I'll also post pictures of the quilts, wallhangings and pillows I've almost completed. I've got the binding to sew on the wallhanging for the Shaw Island silent auction, and the openings on two pillows to sew shut. The pillows are for sailing friends. And I've got two other quilts that are still a secret. I'll post pictures of them when they're done, too.

But I digress. That happens a lot, too. Especially as I get older. My mind wanders...I have no control over it.

I have had a lot to say (and consequently, a lot to write); but as you've read, I just haven't had the time to do it. I'm hoping that once we're back on Shaw Island next week (did you hear the shouts of joy go up from my house - oh, wait, that was me, wasn't it?), I'll have the time to blog again.

There'll be pictures and tales of island life.

The internet connection there goes live June 30 and friends will be sailing in 2 days later.

Have I said lately how much I love that little island?