Four orcas, two humpback whales, many harbor seals, bald eagles, pigeon guillemots, and a few European farrow deer. All delightfully observed from aboard our whale expedition yacht, aptly named the Odyssey. Orcas are highly intelligent, use language (clicks, whistles and squeals) to communicate, feel emotions, travel in small pods that are family units (a mother…
Afterglow Vista
Everyday on my morning walk, I’ve passed a sign pointing to the “Mausoleum”. I figured this mausoleum, that was apparently one of the island’s unique monuments, needed to be explored. A narrow path leads into the forest. I expected a big white marble building. Nothing like that in view. Not far up the path are…
The group kayak photo
Paddling with the fishes
With a little trepidation, some wringing of hands over appropriate attire and much enthusiasm, we four young-at-heart, adventurous ladies set out for our kayak expedition. We were to meet our guide at the San Juan Kayak Expeditions kiosk in Friday Harbor. “Look for the white picket fence and blue umbrellas” were the directions given. Our…
Rain, art, history
We awoke yesterday morning to a rainy day. And rain it did, all day. All the more reason to linger over hot coffee. But eventually, we did leave our nest to drive into Friday Harbor for a visit to a small art museum with an exhibition by photojournalist James Longley. Mr. Longley chose to document…
That poor pig
Off to a slow start yesterday (Wednesday), which feels luxurious. Coffee, bananas, yogurt with muesli and gabbing occupied the morning. Getting towards noon, the natives got restless. Time to DO something, like a hike. San Juan Island National Historic Park is nearby. Historic because of English Camp. On the map, you can see that San…
Off to the island
Talk about a flawless travel day…Margaret, Claudia and I check out of our hotel and get to the airport just in time to greet Nancy whose flight arrived exactly on time. An easy shuttle to the Enterprise office, our rental SUV is ready for us to pile in, and miraculously, we are able to cram…
Flying the Seattle magic
An on time flight from Albuquerque to Seattle yesterday afternoon with Alaska Airlines and the seat next to me was the only empty seat on the plane. Luck or magic? Claudia, Margaret and I converged last night at a Hilton right across from the SeaTac airport. In fact, just a 10 minute walk along a…
Next up: San Juan Islands
A reunion with three old university roommates in the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest (U.S). June 7 through June 14. Margaret, Claudia and I shared an apartment in Berkeley in 1970-1971. Nancy and I have known each other since the 4th grade when we were in Campfire Girls together. The last time the…
Color us home
With only minor ripples. Like, our flight from Lisbon gets held up on the taxiway at Newark because a stalled catering truck is blocking the way in. In Newark, we clear passport control in 5 minutes with our Global Entry but we needn’t have hurried. Our flight to Denver is delayed by 30 minutes because…
Photos: Lisbon
Photos of Lisbon gathered over the last week. There are a bunch. https://photos.app.goo.gl/7BpKUYVpmtpZtyVo6
Was it a good trip?
A resounding yes! Maybe part of the magic was simply being able to travel again and it would have been a great trip no matter where we went. But Portugal is a fascinating place. A month is not enough to really get to know a different world. But we got a taste and it was complex: savory,…
Wake up and smell the cheese
Sheep cheese. Or what was left of the creamy delight after last night’s snack. I told Ella that if she could smell it, she didn’t have to worry about stressing over the rapid antigen test we were to take later in the morning. My reasoning wasn’t comforting. As she pointed out, whether I was right…
Did I freak out? Moi?
Depends on who you ask. I might not have slept well last night…worrying. I might have sighed heavily when I couldn’t get the pick up location right for the Uber. Maybe I paced back and forth through the halls of the Fado museum. Did I raise my voice when Grubb wandered off to take pictures…
The eyes go click
Sort of the last day. Tomorrow is the real last day but we have to get our Covid tests and then deal with the results. Both of us feel absolutely fine but then so did Kamala Harris. But back to today. Turned out to be lovely. Weather wise and otherwise. The Museum of Pharmacology, a…