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.

The Orcas-Oregon connection

Megan

It's a typically mellow afternoon in Eastsound. We've just shared a delicious Indian meal served up at the Farmers' Market (chicken curry, black bean dal, biryani rice and assorted chutneys) and now I've come to the public library to "limber up" before joining in on a writing workshop focusing on memoir.

The last couple of days have been as pleasant as any we've ever spent on Orcas Island and I'm glad to say that Mr. Grumpy is but a receding memory. Part of it is meeting new people on the island with a connection to Portland.

Thursday we awoke early, took Otto for a little walk on a shady path near the cabin, then headed toward the golf course for a round of nine holes. On the way, we stopped to pick up a hitchhiker named Megan -- quite the sight in her lavender hues and carrying a bouquet of flowers -- and instantly took a liking to her. Her story's unique in the details but not so different in general from the assortment of characters we've come to know or cross paths with on the island. What they have in common is the ability to pursue their personal passions while also working multiple jobs to make ends meet. Call it Adventurous Spirit + Resourcefulness.

Megan told us she's an intern this summer on a farm while also working as a server at Doe Bay. Previously, she'd been a pastry chef at a dude ranch in Arizona. She's from Ohio and has traveled up and down the West Coast, including Portland. "Oh, you're so lucky to live there," she said. "I love Portland." She was on her way to a meeting with her yoga instructor (turns out she teaches yoga ,too) and that night we wound up seeing her again, working the tables at Doe Bay Cafe's Open Mic Night.

We had a delicious lunch at Allium, a new restaurant overlooking the water in Eastsound, and then walked it off as we played golf. I got off to my usual horrible start but finished with a par-three on the 9th hole. Yay!

Chelsea, Jeanne and Lori

That evening, at Open Mic Night, we shared a booth with a mother and daughter named Jeanne and Chelsea, who also had an Oregon connection. Jeanne teaches writing at an elementary school near Eugene and Chelsea lives and works in Portland, at a restaurant in the Northwest part of town. They were camping at Moran State Park and had spent the day bicycling at Lopez Island. We had a great conversation, sharing stories about island life. Seeing their tight bond made both of us miss Simone.

Friday afternoon we headed back to Doe Bay for a three-hour kayaking tour. (I can't remember spending so much time there in a single visit but, hey, I'm not complaining.) There was one other couple in addition to the guide and, sure enough, they too were from Portland. Their names were Garrett and Jill and they were pregnant with their first child, which became a source of nonstop chatter for the next hour as our guide -- an Adam Sandler look-alike and apparent wanna-be -- peppered them with name suggestions for their unborn daughter.

It was a leisurely experience for the first couple of hours as we hugged the shoreline and a more strenuous final hour as we paddled back across the open waters. Unlike other kayaking excursions we've done on the island, we saw hardly any marine life: just a seal pup sunning himself on some rocks and a couple of great blue herons who took off one after another as though from a landing strip. Always a majestic sight.

OK, time to go join in on the workshop.

Artsmith Salon Series

It's Monday night at Doe Bay Resort. Lori and I pull into the nearly empty gravel and dirt parking lot at 6 p.m. The sky is still light, the temperature is mild and we've arrived to have a light dinner before the start of the Artsmith Salon Series, a weekly get-together involving the literary community here on Orcas Island.

It's our first time attending one of these programs, though we've been here plenty of times before for Open Mic Pizza Night, a virtual grab bag of local musical performers.

Jennifer Brennock, the emcee for the night and someone I met last year during a writers' workshop she led), joins us for a quick bite and how-do-you conversation. She's an MFA student at Vermont's Goddard College, with both Oregon and California roots (Southern Oregon University, Saratoga High School), and worked briefly as a reporter for the island newspaper.

We bring an open mind to the program and leave feeling inspired, invigorated and even a little bit envious. If this is the qualtity of programming from week to week, boy, we're missing out on a lot that full-time islanders get to take in.

A local playwright named Bill Westlake reads two of his short stories -- both very well written with interesting narratives. During open mic, a guy named Carlos (at right) uncorks a wine bottle and pulls from it a scroll containing the short story he reads aloud. (He thought of the idea as a way to express his anti-Internet sentiments. How, he asked himself, could he formulate his story in such a way that it couldn't be replicated on the Web? Very creative.) Another guy recites a poem and a woman named Renee (sp?) reads three newly composed poems.

In between comes the program's highlight: a photographer and a writer from Lopez Island do a narrated slide show on their self-published book, "Hands at Work." A simple enough concept -- to portray in images and words the beauty, the dignity, the passion of what people do with their hands to earn a livelihood -- and one done with obvious respect for each of the subjects in the book.

Iris Graville reads from the book's introduction, plus three or four essays in the book, as photographer Summer Moon Scrivner projects a series of black-and-white images on the pull-down screen. Together, their words and photos convey the meaning and fulfillment -- and often a spiritual dimension -- that people find in their work. Some choices for the book are obvious: a physical therapist, a midwife, a baker, a weaver. Others, not so much: a vibraphonist, for instance.

What I enjoy most about their book and their presentation is knowing that every step in the process from idea to book is driven by integrity. The way they approach the subjects, reading each other's non-verbal cues during the interviews, editing the photos and words, framing and titling the book to give it a sharp focus -- all of this speaks to a coherent vision and an honest channeling of people's words and values.

I can't help but think of the contrast between a project like this, which involves so much human interaction, observation and engagement, and what we are subjected to nearly every day with the 24/7 news cycle, the me-me-me world of YouTube, the phoniness of "reality" shows and the shouting matches that pass for political talk shows.

As the clock turns to 9 o'clock, we get up to leave with nothing but good feelings about a great evening: A delicious seafood dinner, consumed at a table overlooking the water; a new friend in Jennifer; a pleasant introduction to the creative community on Orcas and Lopez islands; and a brand-new book, signed by Summer and Iris, to take back home to Portland before bringing it back up to rest on our coffee table at the Orcas cabin.

Photo: Photographer Summer Moon Scriven, left, and writer Iris Graville