Saturday, September 28, 2013

Tunes in the Dunes - Ukulele Camp 2013

It's off to Camp Westwind and the Tunes in the Dunes ukulele camp weekend!  We have no idea what to expect, so with the spirit of adventure...off we go.  How could we go wrong?  A weekend on the Oregon Coast playing ukulele with new friends and great instructors?


The beach at Westwind on the Pacific

Here's a seaweed we've never seen before!

 Our first ukulele camp adventure starts on September 19th as we drive to the Oregon Coast.  The day is totally glorious: sunny, warm and easy driving.  We arrive at Lincoln City, Oregon about four, check in to the Anchor Inn and go in search of dinner.
 
 We find Mo's ....a legendary seafood restaurant, yes, right on the water in Lincoln City.  It's a perfect fit as we have tickets to the uke concert at the Lincoln City Cultural Center starting at 7:00 sharp!  Steve keeps saying..."I've never seen such beautiful weather on the Oregon Coast!!"  Hum....what could he mean?  Turns out I have no idea!  But I figure it out!


Outside Mo's Restaurant....the coast beach!
 The concert, featuring our uke instructors for the weekend, was great.  We get an idea about what is in store for us for the next two and 1/2 days!


Then it's back to The Anchor Inn for the night.  This is a one of a kind sorta place.


Hanging from ceiling in community dining room....

Ok then.  Right at home, as this same life raft is attached to the top of Western Prince II, my whale/wildlife watching boat in Friday Harbor!  Let's just say, everywhere you look inside the inn and outside the inn...there is a surprise around every corner!


Community deck upstairs at the inn....have a sit...and a beer?

Upstairs lounge room, with lots of photos from days gone by.

Popcorn machine in main entry area!



Suite bedroom area

Sitting room area of suite room!
 The grounds are just as interesting as inside the inn lodge.  There's a spot for a photo op....a boat, with, yes, an octopus at the steering station!  Oh, and an octopus on the rail...and...
Outside grounds...."Trouble in the wheelhouse!"  

Yikes...what's that climbing up the side?

Where the breakfast eggs aare delivered!

The  (Historic) Anchor Inn is an adventure all of it's own, but we loved it.  The room is comfy and clean, the breakfast is fresh eggs or Swedish pancakes...all served at big tables where it's easy to meet other guests.  Some are attending the same uke camp we have come for!

Soon it's off for the river landing where we meet up to transit over to Westwind Camp on the Salmon River.
Check in before crossing the river to camp.

Steve dressed in rain gear with uke, ready to go!
Human baggage chain.....

We're pretty efficient...really!

Our chariot arrives....chorus everyone: "Oh the River is Wide..."




Ok...take us away!

Once we're on the other side of the river, life jackets off, we get to the "dune" part.  It's a hike through the sand up to the lodge area.  Fortunately, our bags are transported on the luggage wagon with a tractor.



On the other side....it's hike up to the lodge.

They told me our accodations would be "up the hill."  Ok, I think, a hill, I can do hills.  But.....here's a view of the "hill" from the bottom....it's 312 steps UP cliff...on this path, over tree roots....and thankgoodness for the head lamps we remembered to bring!!  Dark, dark, dark....at night.

The Path of Pergatory.....????

Then we arrive at the "Highland Cabins".....which turn out to be good shelter as it's RAINING....and there is an electric light inside....but...yes, the outhouse is outside...and down some dark path with steps...and it's always darker at 3:00 a.m.  Did you notice?


Home....for two nights.

After getting our gear up to Bagpipers Cabin in the Highlands....we return to the lodge (two trips!!!)...and it's lunch time!  The food here is spectacular, local, sustainable and prepared with care on site.  Yum!


Our camp schedule calls for two or three workshops per day, and a jam session or two....all uke all the time.  The instructors are fabulous!!!  It's so hard to choose which workshop to attend.  Steve and I split up most of the time, choosing something that seems to fit our fancy...of the moment.

The weather on Friday is RAINY.  Fortunately, we have both worn rain pants, rain jackets, and OR rain hats!!!  Yay for us!  We are dry.  Our sleeping bags and clothes stored in travel bags are dry, but clammy....you know what I mean?

On Saturday....breakfast at 08:00 sharp!  We are there, ready for coffee.  Down 312 paces on the steep woody path...into the warm, comfy lodge, with breakfast and warm fire in the fireplace.

After breakfast we make our own lunches, store them away...and at lunch time have the opportunity to hike up the Westwind property to "the tippy top" of the southern bluff.  How could it be that much further than the Highland cabin???  (ohhh.....wrong!")  But in the sunshine...who notices?

Steve starts up the path.... 
Nan half way up....



It's a 1/2 hour trip, up, up, and up some more....through fabulous forests, past a lake, out to an overview, continuing up, up....to a beautiful open meadow...called "High Meadow."  Of course.  

Nan reaches the tippy top!


And then there's the view.  The View!  Oh the open Pacific...and the place to scan for Grey whales.  That's what got me going in the first place....maybe there will be Greys going by.  (I'm a gambler.)

View from High Meadow

Stop for water and cookies....saved from lunch!

And the ocean and beach below....

Beauty

And he remembered his uke....

A few go on to hike to "The Thumb".....
We arrive back at camp in time for afternoon workshops and a little bit of the after lunch sing along on the porch.  We are so happy that yesterday's rain...is...well, so yesterday!

This night there is a fantastic salmon dinner and then the group preformances.  Gulp.  But we all are successful....however you measure that.  By the fact that it was fun?  It was!

Instructors getting ready

On Sunday the rain returns.  Dang!  This time we are experienced travelers...and we wrap ALL our belongings in garbage bags.  Even the uke cases and overnight cases.  And ourselves...every inch in waterproof clothing.  "The Way In, is The Way Out!"

Everything in reverse.

Roll along bag placed in raincoat!



Packed up and ready to roll.

Amazingly ....it is even wetter on the way out of camp.  We do the same hike through the sand, schlep the bags from the cart to the barge, get on the life jackets, get on the barge, get off the barge, do the human baggage line thing, in the sideways rain.  Sorry, no photos! But I do remember it.  Steve gets the car, we load our stuff and begin the drive back to the north....headlights on...pointed toward Washington.

Tunes in the Dunes 2013   (Tall peeps are in the back...way in the back!)


Our first ukulele retreat was full of new experieces, new and adventurous music, great community singing, wonderful preformances, a few challenges beyond the comforts of home, and we return richer for the opportunity to learn, meet new folks, see new territory and be surrounded by rhythm and melody for two days!





Sunday, September 22, 2013

Got Uke?? Will Travel!

Sparky and Skipper....wondering...

Hey!  What's going on here?  Travel duffel bags are rolling out...and where are those two going with ukes in the car?  And what does "Aloha" mean?

So, Saturday we say Aloha to folks and dogs at home and leave the island on the afternoon boat.  Two duffel bags, two carry ons, and two ukes....two printed boarding passes for Hawaiian Air flight #21, boarding at 8:00 a.m. Sunday.  That means an early morning airport arrival.  All so much more complicated than the RV or Amtrak, but no way to drive or ride the rails to the Big Island!  

We haven't flown in three years, so complying with all the details of one carry on (all containers with only 3 oz. of liquid in clear plastic bags, only 3 per bag, and what needs to be in the checked bag and what needs to be in zip locks in there....and how not to take too much of anything...(pack and then take stuff out...and then add something else...like that)...leaves me liking road trips and rail trips.  We make it through checking our duffels, and the counter clerk says: can I see your carry ons?  We hold up our small cases, but, um, leave the uke cases on the floor...out of sight.  "Great!" She says...and off we go.  We are counting on the boarding area letting us take the ukes aboard as the one "personal item" even though it is 7 inches too long to qualify as carry on.  ( over the phone they said we should buy a seat for each ....hum...$600 per seat....nooooo). 

At rhe gate desk they announce there is very limited overhead space on this aircraft.  If anyone will volunteer to give up personal items or carry ons to be taken as gate check items, come to the desk.  So we do, and they see the instruments and say...well maybe, but we don't want to handle your instruments, so let's see if they fit in the overhead areas first.  If not bring them to an attendant.  Perfect!  And, yes, they DO fit!

So, now, the six hour flight is almost over.  I note early on that 8 of the 12 children on board are in seats surrounding us.  Into the 5 th hour they are getting antsy.  The attendants are passing out welcome to Hawaii drinks (with alcohol) and I'm thinkin' the kids need two each.  Or maybe I do!  



Tomorrow we will be arriving at Kailani Retreat Center, near Hilo for the West Coast Ukulele "Camp Uke-Ooo-Lay Lay Hawaii" first annual retreat.  The schedule for the next 6 days looks awesome, with fabulous instructors, special events and jams.  Won't it be fun to find out??


Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Oh, It's Good To Be Back Home Again.....

"Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend...yes, it's good to be back home again."  In the words of John Denver...it's good to be back home again.  After a month up north aboard Kairos we are back in the ebb and flow of San Juan Island in no time.

It is time to get the field cut and baled.  The giant rolls weigh about a ton and our field yields 10 - 12 bales each year.  One of the local farmers arrives, cuts, comes back and turns the grass for more drying, and then returns to bale and finally another trip to pick up.  They get the hay, we get our field cut and a few great photo ops!

2,000 pounds of hay in one place!

The front field turns into 11 big bales!

This August we continue to work with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network by responding to stranding calls.  A "stranding" is any marine mammal reported to be stranded on shore anywhere in San Juan County....pretty much the San Juan Islands.  There are stranding team members on each island.  Our first call this year was for a "fresh dead" adult Harbor seal on the west side of our island.  The second call is for this little seal pup on the rocky shore of a private beach on the north end of the island.

Little seal pup 
The owners of the beach house call the hotline and we respond by going out to the site and determining if the animal is alive, injured or dead. (condition)  If it is alive, we must leave it for 24 hours after the reported sighting to see things will sort out.  This little one is definitely injured on the right side, but how badly we cannot determine.  If the injury appears to be caused by human interference we have an obligation to pick it up if it is still there in 24 hours.  We leave our number and talk with the folks who called it in, but we don't hear back from them the next day.

After the standing call we stop by the lighthouse research station to visit with Bob Otis before his research shuts down for the summer and he returns to Wisconsin.

Nan and Bob 

This year the Resident Orca whales sightings have been very scarce compared to other years, especially within the reasearch sighting area and times.

Research data for 2013 May - Aug. 3, 2013
Each "0" translates as no pass by in the study area from 9 - 5 p.m. on that date.  I wind up putting in the 0 for Sunday, August 4, 2013.  We believe this all balances on the lack of Chinook salmon this year.  Especially those Chinook that are supposed to be returning to the Fraser River in Vancouver, B.C.

Not so much whale watching from the lighthouse this summer, but lots of whale talk and education going on.  They also keep a running list compiled by visitors from foreign countries on how to say "Killer Whale" in their language!  Here's the top part of the very long, long list!


Part of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network work is to help with the necropsy's of stranded and collected animals here in the Salish Sea.  Lucky for us this science is done at the UW Labs right in Friday Harbor.  On this day in August we go to help.  The necropsys are preformed by Dr. Joe from Sea Doc Society and today we have some high school biology students observing.  He explains the speciality whiskers that Harbor seals have to track their prey in the water.  Steve does the photos and I do the recording of parts taken for samples and where the samples are sent.

Fisrst the seal pup measurements are taken

Steve does the photo detail

Joe explains whiskers as the opportunity to teach arrives!
I am always amazed by how much I learn by just "helping out."  The cause of death of this little pup will take some time to figure out.  Every bit of information helps determine not just the health of the marine mammals, but the entire Salish Sea as well.

South end of Lopez Island
There are some foggy days in August, that's why the nickname "Fog-ust."  Most of the fog clears away by 2:30 p.m. which is great for my days on the water with the whale watch business.  More photos of that to come in the next blog post.

It's never good when the phone rings in early morning hours for Steve from IOSA (Island's Oil Spill Association."  This Saturday at 4:30 a.m. they are calling to respond to a major fire on the waterfront at Downrigger's Restaurant.  It is right above the main pier area and the concern is that debris or oil will get into the water.

Steve's photo from 5 a.m.

Nan's photo from the same afternoon
The IOSA team stands down around 8:00 a.m. and returns home.  Steve checks back several times during the day.  The fire is put out (YAY!  Volunteer Fire Department) and the restaurant and businesses underneath no longer have a building for operation.  And ....our whale watching crew no longer has a happy hour spot for Thursday nights.  :(    It is all very big news and sad news for Friday Harbor.  55 jobs alone in the restaurant are suddenly...gone.

Pete and Nancy's beer!
So, no time to waste.  We arrange with our buddies Pete and Nancy, who live on their fishboat (turned live-aboard) in the summer here, and who make their own beer, to get....lessons!

The school room!

Heating and stirring....and waiting...and watching...

Lots of instructions to follow

Professor Pete and a job well done!

We spend a Sunday morning aboard the Sandra Jean learning something about the process of brewing beer.  Of course we had a few scones and fresh blueberries too!  Serious business this beer making.
I'm not sure how soon we'll get into the whole thing, but I'm thinking about it....probably for next summer.  Meanwhile, I better sample a few more brews to see just what I want to create!

Bowler girl Nan
Did I say we moved Western Prince happy hour to the bowling alley last week?  What next?!

Sparky investigate the booty!
The Saturday Farmer's Market in town is great this year.  The tomatoes, cucumbers, flowers and breads are not to be missed.  Sparky agrees!

This week our nephew, Andrew, from southern California is paying us a visit.  Lots of good times, including a picnic dinner on South Beach and a hike up Mt. Young.  Funny, you need some "company" to get out there and do things like this on the island!

We always, ALWAYS, go along!

One of many pancake breakfasts! (Steve, Rob, Andrew)

Picking the campfire / picnic area at South Beach

Brothers put burgers (veggie) on the grill

47 fish boats are there when we arrive, and 2 when we leave!

No, he did not forget the uke!

So, we're keeping busy that's for sure.  Anyone stopping by San Juan Island....you know where to find us!

Top of Mt. Young Hill....looking out over Haro Strait