Doe Bay at night

We're back home after a 12-hour day on the ferry and freeway, but a good three to four hours of that time was spent visiting Jamie and Jordan at their new home outside Lacey, Wash. It was nice to drop in and see how they've set things up in their little duplex on a horse farm. We joined them in walking some of the trails behind their home and then took them to a Thai restaurant for dinner.

As tiring as the return trip home can be, I can't say it took away at all from one of the best and busiest visits we've made to Orcas. Aside from the kayaking and Open Mic Night mentioned earlier, we squeezed in a short hike at Obstruction Pass State Park; shared a delicious dinner at the Saturday night community potluck; took a canoe out to Eagle Lake; and met our Portland friend, Beth, for lunch in Eastsound. Beth and I are teammates on the Broken Taco Shells bowling team and it was great to check out the beach rental she procured for her family for the week while also bringing her up to our cabin for a quick tour. Though I wouldn't trade our location or cabin, I can see that just about every place on the island has its own charm.

Each time we visit, we fantasize about whether we could actually retire up there. It's just so relaxing and safe and nourishing for the soul. The highest posted speed limit is 40 mph but almost everywhere we go, it seems we're doing 10 to 15 mph slower-- and that can only be good for the mind and body.

I think the indelible memory of this trip will be Doe Bay at night. I took the above photo just before 9 p.m. last Thursday. Our next scheduled visit: Thanksgiving. We hope that Jordan and Jamie, plus her parents, and Nathan will be able to join us in celebrating the many good things in our lives.