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Friday July 25 2008

 

It is Friday and we are on the dock in Friday Harbor on the Island of San Juan. Many are asking, why I am not updating my blog? 

 

I think most of us live interesting lives. The hard part is describing the interesting stuff in a way so others may read and experience them. Most people, most of the time, are too busy living, having interesting experiences, to take the time to passionately write about it. Life is like a swift river where we are not in total control of where we go and exactly how we get there. So much life comes so fast it is not possible to write it all down. The vivid half life of a recent life experience memory is 12 to 24 hours.

 

John asked me to write one page looking back on my life addressing the question, “Was it all worth it?”; now that all the years of hard work are over and many of the benefits realized in retirement, the question is was it worth it? After some thought I can honestly say it was worth it, but the experiences and what I have learned from those experiences have been surprising, as I think it should be.  

 

We have been in the Seattle – San Juan Islands area for about a week now. The first days were spent in Elliott Bay Marina just north of downtown Seattle giving Bella Donna some needed TLC after the long passage across the Pacific from New Zealand.

 

We drove the Hummer from Reno with my new Hobie Adventure Island trimaran on the roof rack so we had oversized transportation in the narrow confused numbered streets, avenues and just plain streets of Seattle. I named the new boat HOBO, representing Hobie Boat. The decks of Bella Donna now transport our toys from destination to destination. There are now 3 bicycles, a kayak HOBO and a crab pot; it is crab season in the San Juan Islands. When you wake up in the morning you can tell by how much sun is filling the cabin and the sound of the wind on the rigging. If there is no sun and the rigging is singing, it will be cold and damp, too cold to play with the toys. However, all is not hopeless; there are vast numbers of boats this time of year cruising to the many destinations having small towns where you shop and visit the many coffee houses and taverns/pubs/brew houses available. On the other hand, if there is sun even if the wind is blowing the day will be warm enough to play outdoors and on the water. With the water temperature near 48° there will be no swimming.

 

Our first destination is Anacortes via an overnight stopover in Fort Townsend. We spent 3 days in Anacortes, 2 cold and windy and one flooded with brilliant sun. Next we spent 2 days in Roche Harbor Marina. Now we are in Friday Harbor, the largest and busiest town on San Juan Island.

 

We left Seattle about 11 AM last Saturday morning and dropped our anchor overnight in Fort Townsend. The wind and the sea state coupled with the bitter damp cold wind necessitated staying onboard even though there are places of interest on shore; the prospect of a cold wet dingy ride coupled with a rough landing was rejected.

 

We departed for Anacortes early Sunday morning to meet John and Carol Williams at their home on Flounder Bay; we arrived before noon. While John, Deborah and Isabelle sailed around to the other side of Fidalgo Island to Cap Sante Marina which is right in the heart of Anacortes, we had lunch at John William’s favorite pub in town, The Broken Lantern, and purchased a crab pot at the local Ace Hardware. On the one sunny day we rode bike and sailed HOBO around a course set up right outside the marina and bikes 7 miles along the coast on a recreational trail. Even on cloudy days we walked from one end of town to the other; we decided Anacortes was worth coming back in the future.

 

The sail to Roche Harbor on San Juan Island took only a few hours. Roche Harbor Marina is in a well protected Bay right in the middle of a resort complete with general store, restaurants, saloon, air strip, church and hotel. The place is run like a summer camp for adults and families; it is kind of like the resort in the movie “Dirty Dancing”. There is the loud speaker from the office announcing the emotional retiring of the colors ceremony that take place every night at sunset. The church plays songs with its bells at noon and other times on the hour sometimes lasting for 15 to 20 minutes.

 

Now we are around the other side of San Juan Island in well known Friday Harbor.

 

God Bless Bella Donna