News & Muse (September 2021): Orcas Island, 25 Years of Marriage

Writing goes well, productivity is up quite a bit, and fall is in the air. Even when it gets warm, it’s a very different kind of heat when the mornings are crisp and the days are shorter. September is one of my favorite times of year in the Willamette Valley.

That’s a picture above of Buck Bay, or at least the part of it we could see from our cozy cabin in Olga on Orcas Island, where Heidi and I spent a wonderful week. We drove up from Oregon and took our little Nissan Juke on the ferry from Anacortes, bringing Rosie along for the ride. It was her first experience on any kind on a boat, but the ferry is so large I’m sure she thought she was just on some kind of island. Here I am trying to explain what an archipelago is to her. Or maybe I’m just pointing at a seagull, it’s hard to remember the exact details of our conversation:

The occasion was to celebrate 25 years of marriage, and we couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend a few lovely days. While we drove up Mount Constitution (picture below, the highest point in the San Juans, see if you can pick out Heidi and Rosie for bonus points), hiked Turtleback Mountain, walked around Eastsound, took Rosie out on a rowboat on Cascade Lake in Moran State Park (also pictured below), and had a wonderful anniversary dinner at the Rosario Resort, among other things, the best time for me was just spending many quiet hours looking at the bay with Heidi. What a special place.

Of course, the best part was getting to do it all with my best friend and the love of my life. It makes it a lot easier to leave home when you bring the best part of home with you.