Beach Party in Review

Saturday J, Maricel, and I headed over to one of my co-worker's homes on South Whidbey Island for an informal get together.

I believe it was Cheryl who asked if this was nearby, close to where I live. The answer to this question is yes and no. To get to there it is at least an one hour drive north on I-5 and a 20 minute ferry crossing over to the island. To me this is not a long way away but to some it is.

Off we went Saturday afternoon. We were treated to glorious weather. Upon arrival at the Mukilteo ferry dock, one of the first things you notice is the Mukilteo Lighthouse. You can read about it here. Quite fascinating history in my opinion.One of the not so good things about glorious weather in our neck of the woods, at a state park, ferry terminal, and boat launch area is the parking situation.

We first parked in a vehicle/trailer section and were going to wing it. Then we thought better of it and J drove around the parking lot for at least fifteen minutes before we scored a free parking space along the day use, fence line.

Of course Maricel and I followed the couple all the way to their car and we were prepared to stand in the spot if need be.

Naturally a picture was taken to mark the occasion. It was that memorable y'all.

After the car was parked we grabbed some grub at Ivars. We didn't do the dining room but

rather opted for the outdoor Fish Bar because that is how we roll.

On a warm summer afternoon, after a some fish 'n chips, you just gotta' indulge in some ice cream right?

Here is J showing you how it's done. Washington state walk on ferry in the summertime style. Go J, go!

Of course you give me twenty minutes of downtime and I will use the restroom and start taking pictures. I won't bore you with the other random shots of the water and scenic byway stuff. Instead I give you Mo and Mars for your viewing pleasure. You can take the girl out of Texas but you can't take Texas out of the girl.

Once the ferry arrived, we had a short walk to her house. Her place is nothing short of a slice of heaven, both inside and out.

I just gotta' say who would not want this for their backyard view? File away the image of the boat you see out in the water for a minute ok?
You can sit and watch the tide roll in or out. You can watch the ferry boats go to and fro. You can just listen to the sound of the water. You can pick up shells. You can hunt for sea glass. You can watch the neighbor do his thing with his crab loot for the day. You can play in the sand. You can gaze at the mountains in the horizon on a clear day.

Simply put, you can JUST BE.

The above picture is mostly for Tina. I said I lived near a beach, which I do, not this one but another one, and wanted to show her it is not the beach she likes so much. Ours is filled with rocks, shells, and much darker sand.

Call us crazy but we still walk around barefoot. And even though it is not soft sand, I think it is pretty in it's own right.

Above is what I like to sum up as the quintessential Pacific Northwest image. A man, his dog, a beer, and boat.

Ok so the boat is a dinghy on the way to the bigger boat and the beer is for the guy helping get Lena in the dinghy. But hey, this is part of what you will see all up and down the waterfront this time of the year.

Speaking of the bigger boat. Remember the image from before? Can we say we sunk the boat by the end of the day? No joke peeps.

I present to you Captain B. He was gracious and took us out for a ride near the end of the day and was going to drop us off at the dock afterward. We were trying to go meet his friendly seal, whom by the time we made it to his resting place, was nowhere to be found.

On the way back, in addition to encountering a red tide, we encountered mechanical difficulty.

When I say red, I mean red, and when I say mechancial difficulty, we're talking about the kind where you're taking on water, you're calling the neighbor for a tow, and we are all thinking the water is plenty cold but the shore is close enough we can swim to it if need be because she's going down.

Luckily, we were towed back to Captain B's place in one piece. The boat was beached and the neighbor took us over to the dock on the Mukilteo side.

Thank goodness J is a strong man as the dock and the boat were rocking. If he hadn't been there to hold the boat while Maricel and I jumped onto the dock, I would have been in trouble. Trouble with a capital T.

We set out for adventure and good times. I believe it is safe to say we definitely found both along the way.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Hey blogger, I don't like you effing up the spacing on my posts. Mmmmkay?