A Little Island Cruise

Get Away!  Why not?  And we do.  departure on a Wednesday headed for Stuart Island, one of our favorite spots for over 30 years.

Provost Harbor, here we come.

No matter many time we tie up or anchor here, there's always something new or something to revisit.

Here's a little map to help you visualize our time out of time, in Stuart Island.  See Prevost Harbor?  County Dock?  Trail to lighthouse?  School?

Shore leave for the pups, always a first.  Both Skipper and Sparky are dog crew for this trip.  

Sparky the Wonder Dog in the sunset light.  Smiling?

A hike out to the lighthouse at Turn Point is the big activity today.  Steve and Sparky await a deep ocean ship turning the corner to Boundary Pass headed for Vancouver.  As the motto says: Turn Point Lighthouse, turning ships and heads since 1895.

Big water out there...and a BIG cliff!!

While waiting for the docent lead tour of the light keeper's house, we visit the museum.  

Sparky has to wait outside.  Sadly.

We have admired the big light keeper's house for years and years.  Now we are getting to go inside the carefully restored beauty!

The land for the light station was acquired by the Bureau of Land Management in 1893.  They set right to work building the keeper's station and house.  It was operational on Nov. 30, 1995.  

This banister has just been installed, built in Spokane by a lighthouse docent as a replica of the original.  

The house is divided into two separate dwellings as there was also an assistant keeper and his family that lived there.  The first half of the house has been renovated with all furnishings dating 1950 and before.  

The keeper's housing was said to be the most fancy housing on the island...and probably many surrounding islands!  All the latest and greatest for these folks.  

Next year the museum part will be moved to the light station building on the point.

We'll be back to see this!!

The next day we are up for the hike up to the school, which operated on Stuart from the early days of 1897, until just two years ago, when there were suddenly no children left to serve on Stuart.

The school is always fun to visit.  A few memories myself as I was a substitute teacher here for one magical week.  Another time the school district sent me up to give the standardized tests.  Jessica even got to go to school here for a week when she was in 5th grade and our close friend, Nancy, was the teacher for a year.

There is also the local retail store to visit...which is a big treasure chest filled with the latest Stuart Island t-shirts and cards.  Shopping!!!

Lots of stairs on the way...like 125.  I know this when going up especially!

The school bell...no longer rings each day.

This small building was the first school.  I gave the Iowa Test of Basic Skills here in maybe 1987.  Then I walked to the air strip and sat down and waited for the little plane to pick me up.  It was very lonely sitting on the ground at the airstrip, hoping they didn't forget me!  No cell phones in those days!

On the way back we see the local barge company delivering a truck to the island filled with building supplies.  Building on a non ferry served island...complicated.  

In the evenings we have great ukulele time..

More dog shore call...and a little walking around the amazing shoreline...thinking about...GEOLOGY!

Check out that uplifted sedimentary rock layer!  uP!

And then it was most certainly FOLDED....

Leaving it now day, thousands of years later, to chip off.

These two geologists are fascinated for sure!

Three days are gone too soon.  Time to head back to Friday Harbor with the ebb tide.  

Time and tide, wait for no man.  Or woman.  

Escape TO Paradise

Summer slips away fast at some point.  This summer especially, because there seems to be no end to wonderfully sunny days and light lasting long into the night.  

For the first time in many many years, Jessica comes up to paradise for the San Juan County Fair.  All those days of showing her horse at the fair come flooding back as we visit the fair almost every day.

Steve pulls in some ribbons for his veggies.  Here are the lemon cucumbers.  How do you judge lemon dukes?  We have no idea!

First you pick them from the hoop house garden.

Lots to choose from this year.  

This one might be a little on the big side?  Again, how are cucumbers judged?  No idea.

Jess and Mom ready to go check out the ribbons!

Lemonade and ice tea break time.

Each evening we have some fabulous sunsets, absolutely requiring a drive out to the west side of the island.

Then there is time for Friday night dinner at the yacht club and a walk on the dock at the Port of Friday Harbor.

Another lovely evening.

Jessica's friend, Pam, arrives on Friday night after an adventure in traveling, she comes through the door about 2:00 a.m.  Guess that's really Saturday!

We get everyone going on the paddle boards out at Sportsman's Lake by early afternoon.  Cloudy, but lovely.

Jess and Pam getting ready for their first paddle.

Rescue crew Steve and Sparky....no rescue needed!

She's UP and paddling away on the first try!  Go for it, Jess!!

Another approach....

They're off!  

All good things come to an end...so the next good thing can begin.

Later a visit to the island lavender farm.

Stop to smell the....um...lavender, Pam?

With the new ferry reservation system in place, we know we have the whole day to continue island time together...without waiting in line or shuffling cars!  It's off to Parks Bay on the boat.  

Crew Jess and Sparky

Back in Friday Harbor, with 40 minutes until ferry departure, and they drive over from the port and are swiftly in line.  Such a remarkable difference from the old system where you probably spend two to four hours in line on a Sunday....hoping you were "on the boat!"

It was a great week in paradise!