Blake Island

We signed up to be volunteer park hosts for a week in August. But when we emailed to confirm our arrival, the Ranger tells us that there isn't a host there and we can come anytime! So we headed in a couple of days early.

Then we learned that there wasn't a new host coming until the Thursday after our planned Monday departure, so we extended a few more days.  The Ranger's wife even brought us some fresh foods, which made our extension a bit more comfortable.

Once our hosting duties were taken over by the new couple, we stayed on as guests, waiting for the ship carrying son Micah to hopefully return to port.

Lots of small fry in the water alongside the boat

A friendly host at the store

Deer graze peacefully

A helpful host on the dock.  He makes sure all boaters get 'the Raccoon Speech'  

Al claims that Blake Island is the Ninja Training Ground for Puget Sound raccoons. Park Aide Brandon drew this for us, after a conversation where we said we wouldn't be surprised if the local raccoons would soon be 'rolling' the campers, dressing and coming to the window of the store to buy ice cream.  That day, one HAD run off with a lady's fanny pack!

Deer 'at home' on the foundation of the Trimble Estate.

The Argosy lunch cruise boat arrives, a Ranger boat approaches, a Navy tug is available for the oiler coming around Restoration Point

We spent 12 days as hosts on Blake Island, and stayed another four as guests.  There was a very significant storm on Saturday.  Luckily for us, the worst of the winds occurred during low tide, which had us tucked down into the bowl of the breakwater.

We went to Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island to re-provision and visit the coffeeshops.  Today we learned that USS John C. Stennis is back in port!