A Very Special Hour

Yesterday morning, I noticed an eagle sitting on a large rock alongside Viking Star, on the spit exposed by low tide.  At nearly the same moment, I saw a dog and his family ambling towards the eagle.  QUICK!  Grab the camera!  But this is the ONLY shot I got off. I was disappointed.

This morning, Al got out of bed before me, made coffee, and brought me a cup.  But when he returned to the main cabin he said, "Your eagle is back!"  He took several shots, of which this is my favorite:

Then Al relinquished the camera, and I spent a most wonderful hour watching this beautiful bird.

Once, it appeared he was gazing at his reflection!

But, he was grazing for breakfast!  Got it!

It's a running joke that I have pictures of a lot of butts, especially bird butts.  But I love this one!

A raven even came to peer over his shoulder.  See how far the water has fallen?  This hour has passed so quickly.

And it all happened, right outside my door!

Where Ferries Go to Die??

While in Friday Harbor last winter, Kristi and I enjoyed keeping track of the ferries as they came and went.  They became friends, and we could start to tell them by sight or Sound.  Yes, we know why there is no ‘T’ in Sealth!  So it was interesting to come across two out of service Ferries the other day while motoring around South Sound.  One obviously an old Washington State Ferry and another with what looked like a fringed roof!

We first spotted Olympic listing on a receding tide on the NE corner of Ketron Island.  Looking sad but not too far gone?  Researching the web (Great site:  www.Evergreenfleet.com) reveals she was one of two ferries purchased from Chesapeake Bay ferry service in 1954.  Both were pressed into a quickly expanding Washington State ferry system while newer ferries were being built (the 1st being one of my favorites ‘Evergreen State’).  The other ferry purchased in 1954 was not a Sistership but more of a Cousin.  And this vessel, the Rhododendron, interesting enough was also heavily involved in the ending point of Olympics’ career.  Read more here: www.evergreenfleet.com/olympic.html

It is interesting to note that the newest class of Washington State Ferries being built are named the Olympic Class (144 car ferry).  I wonder why no mention of m/v Olympic is made in the new ferries web site? : www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2012/06/19_OlympicClassFerries.htm

The next ferry we came across was Ocean City nosed into shore in Oro bay.  Again, a vessel with a long history – and an end that involved a dream.  And again, this ferry began her life on the East Coast and was transported to the sound – though this time it was after her retirement from ferry service.  Purchased by Tom Palmer to be converted into an excursion boat specializing as a kind of ‘floating campground’ for RVers while touring the Puget Sound.  What a fun idea!  I found two sites with some history:

news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19981222&id=HVdWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oOsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5060,6219817

www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=97&t=53458


All things come to an end.  And it seem the South Sound has its share of ending work horses of the water.  Kristi and I ran across a couple of old wooden tugs, and one other ex-military looking vessel (minelayer?), nosed into shore in someone’s back yard here in Mayo Bay.

A Dinghy Adventure

After a pleasant morning in Oro Bay, we decided to move on to another location.  We would like to cover all the places we really want to see in the South Sound in the next two weeks.  We are expecting some company soon!

Al was on the bow dealing with the anchor, as usual, but this time I kept the helm (all the way to Penrose State Park!)

Can you hear me singing?
This is the way we steer the boat,
Steer the boat, steer the boat
This is the way we steer the boat,
So early in the morning!

I steered the whole way, until I asked Al, "What IS that floating in the water up there?"  He said, "Birds."  Okay.  And a minute later it was "Hold on...that's an OTTER!"  Al called him Oscar, and he was HUGE.  Do you think he was a sea otter?

We don't usually like to tow the dinghy, so most of the time it is up on the boat.  But we decided that we would tow it in Carr Inlet to explore a few places.  First stop was Mayo Cove.  We found the state park dock and got out for a hike.

I think this is the first Trillium I have seen.  It appears the bloom has already formed a seed pod.

We hike back to the dinghy, and decide to stop at the boat so Al can change his shoes for a walk on the beach on the other side of Penrose Point to look for sand dollars.  On the way around the  point, we gave this guy a wide berth, thinking he may be perching on the spit.  Al says, "We've never seen a Jesus heron before!"

The guidebook said we could find sand dollars, up to 500 in a square yard, on Delano Beach south of the point.  I expected to find a sand beach loaded with them.  It also said they had reddish-brown flesh.  We noticed kind of orangish ones in the water below us.

Then we saw FIELDS of these much darker discs seemingly standing on end.  We first thought they were rocks, but Al was able to bring a couple up for a closer look!

More like it!!!

I picked up the big one to hand it to Al, and it creeped me out!  It felt like it was squirming!

They are velvety, and Al could feel the movement  too!

A successful outing!  But it's beginning to rain, so we head back going slowly and close to shore, mapping the sand dollar fields.  But wait, is that a huge fish?  No!  It's a seal, swimming below water, between us and the shore.  He scoots away, and surfaces a moment later, looking at us grumpily.  Sorry!  Then as we approach the Point once again, we discover the heron's secret!

Wildlife Disturbances?

We spent a VERY pleasant afternoon in Oro Bay, Anderson Island yesterday.  I did some sunbathing and I think I timed it just right ... what was just turning pink yesterday is browning up nicely.  My own touch of 'Oro'.

Al stayed up late (early?) playing with his computer project..

Soon after I awoke, I was laying in bed, and I heard/felt a thump.  What was that?  It came again!  Did something bump us?  It should be low tide....are we hitting a rock?  And once more a thump.  I look out the window and see that the water is low indeed.  And then I see a seal.  Was he playing with us?  Hmmm.  I did not hear the thump again.

I turn on the computer and check facebook, being quiet to not disturb Sleeping Al.  The coffee grinder would surely disturb him.

I look up, and again I see a seal!  He has a fabulous 'zen' pose going on.  I grab the camera, and when I open the cabin door, he looks over, but holds the pose with his rear flippers peeking out.

Mostly, he appears to be worshiping the sun, facing it with eyes closed, soaking in the rays...much as I did yesterday afternoon.  He had to have floated in this way for nearly half an hour!

After breakfast and a shower, I was doing dishes, and I heard a terrible sound.  It sounded somewhat like a woman screaming, but it was SO CLOSE, and if it was a person, why was she not using any words?!  I dried my hands and began looking around.  There were no nearby boats.  I didn't see anyone in the water.  Then I spied this fellow on the beach:

Watching his intended dinner swimming away...

I usually think of deer as silent animals, but I can tell you ....they can scream Bloody Murder when the situation calls for it.  This seemed such a small deer. I watched it worriedly, hoping for it to get to shore, and not be badly injured.  I needed binoculars, but it DID make it.  It had no spots, so it was a youngster and not a baby.  It did not take long for it to make a bounding leap up the shore.

The circle of life was not completed in this instance.

Where Are You?

It seems like that's the first question everyone asks us these days!

We got a call from our shrimping friends, Mark and Lauresa, last night.  They were in Friday Harbor, and wondering where we were.

Now, they aren't the only ones.  Even the kids, when I ask them if they've seen the blog lately, say "Well, when you post on facebook, I might look at it, but it's been a while."  I had anticipated the blog would be a fun way the kids and grandkids could keep up with what we are doing.  Eight-year-old Troy is old enough to  read, and I thought it would be fun for them to pull up maps and follow along.  Oh well.

So let me do it....

Add caption

OK.  We started this morning at Tolmie State Park.  It is on the left.  See those two little 'boat' symbols?  Those are mooring buoys, and we were on the lower one.  We ran the Nisqually Reach, which stretches between Olympia and Tacoma, Washington.  We went around Ketron Island through Cormorant Passage, and back around to Oro Bay on Anderson Island.  We are in the western portion, with a good view of Mt. Ranier.

And THAT is where we are.

Here are some pictures from today:

A 'gang' of seals'.  There were lots of seagulls hanging around for crumbs too.  I don't know how they managed to not get in the photo!

We saw several eagles off Ketron Island, but this one was sitting still, posing I guess.

The tip of Ketron Island, where Captain Vancouver spent his last night of exploration of Puget's Sound.

Our 'view off the bow' tonight!

Henderson Inlet to Tolmie State Park

We anchored smack dab in the middle of Henderson Inlet.

We entered and motored slowly down center, gawking around.  The shore on the north half was filled with houses.  There is a railroad spur on the west shore, where there are log booms and lots of seals lolling around, below signs that warn not to approach the wildlife.  Access to two creeks that empty here are thus blocked from dinghy exploration.

So we just drop anchor for the evening.  We do see several seals in the water, a few seemingly jumping for joy.  We saw our first loon since leaving the San Juans.

Al and I both worked for an hour this morning, and then prepared to move on.  Poor Al.  As we pulled anchor, the chain was loaded with mud.  He's been saying for some time that he wanted a wash down pump, and this is exactly the reason for it!  We had 150 feet of chain out, and it was rinsed -- bucket by hand-drawn bucket.  Only after the anchor was stowed did he tell me that the boat was covered in worms!  More rinsing ensued to chase them out the scuppers.

We enjoyed just moving slowly around Johnson Point.  Al made a comment that the South Sound seems to be all about houses.  THEN, we see this one:

And it's for SALE!  http://www.searcholympiaproperties.com/8343117_0-9934-Point-View-St-NE-Olympia-WA-98516-MLS-200987-RES_Detail.aspx

Only 4 bedrooms, but over 13,000 square feet, 5 fireplaces, and a 16-car garage.  Marked down to $5.9m. Maybe we'll start buying lottery tickets again....

Tonight we float on a mooring buoy at Tolmie State Park.

A Review of Olympia

Last weekend we spent a day driving around a bit in Olympia before we returned the car we rented for our trip to Portland.  We drove up to the Capitol building, where my mother worked in the secretarial pool in the late '40's (?).  We kept the boat at Swantown Marina, and drove past the boatyard there -- scoping out places to haul the boat this fall.  Moorage at Swantown is very reasonable, compared to the summer rates at most marinas in the area of the San Juans.  Plus, this is where Viking Star was hauled out before being put on a truck and brought down to Portland when Al first purchased her!

Last Friday, we returned to Olympia from Hope Island.  The refrigerator was nearly bare, and the shafts Al left at a machinist to be keyed were ready.

This time we enjoyed our stay at Percival Landing!  We had a great view of the Capitol building, and were just blocks from a grocery store , the Farmer's Market, the machine shop, a welder and much more.

Our visit got off to a good start when we went to the Community/Senior Center to use our credit card to pay for moorage.  We ran into a very friendly man in the lobby.  With just a few minutes of conversation, we learned so much about each other.  Roger had one of those sit-down walkers, even though he was only 50.  We suspect he had some sort of mild brain injury.  He is a self-described 'military brat', half Japanese, half Scandinavian.  His father was born in Canby, MN.  Roger moved here from Okinawa 5 years ago.

We picked up the generator parts.  We got lattes at Cafe Vita, and did some window shopping.  We stopped in at one of the MANY bookstores downtown and picked up a copy of River Horse, a book recommended by our friend Hira.

Saturday we went to Batdorf and Bronson for more lattes, and learned the legend of the Dancing Goats (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaldi )  A friendly customer outside with her dog recommended we also go to the Tasting Room just another block down the road at the roastery, so we did!  We sampled 4 brews and bought some beans.  Throughout the day, a soaking rain fell.  We walked to the grocery store and came back to fill the fridge. 

After dinner, the sun actually came out!  We took a walk along the waterfront at sunset.

Today we spent the morning at Starbucks, where I got my favored Chai Tea Latte, and also a Clover-brewed coffee.  We filled the water tanks, and motored up to Boston Harbor for ethanol-free gas for the dinghy and the back-up generator, and soft-serve ice cream.  Now we are at anchor just around the corner in Henderson Inlet.

Overall, we found Olympia to be a small town with just enough 'big town' touches for our satisfaction.