And Willie Said: What a Day! -- 9/1/2014

Our plans for today include -- a welcome visit from Anne on R-29 Cascadia later in the day -- and now a long walk from the Shaw Island ferry landing up the highway which follows the coast of Blind Bay. Herb beaches Jake's Ferry on the gravel and ties her off to await our return.

Then up the trail with strategically placed rocks for easy climbing.

At street level we see a store near the ferry dock and a bulletin board with a cat's bowl of milk underneath.

At water's edge is a lovely small park with Adirondack chairs and picnic tables. Visitors' view is Blind Bay and Harney Channel. A split rail fence encloses the area which is floored with cedar chips.

As we continue our walk along the highway, I look back to see the cars already lining up to catch the Anacortes ferry.

Time permits us to walk halfway around Blind Bay and we find Willie's Tug....

The locals we meet are friendly and have a sense of humor.

Lock your car! Zucchinis abound!

Park bench with a box of books to read while resting

Burls nature made and man planted

Most delightful is visiting with Janis, Herb's friend he met yesterday!

We see her picking fruit, which we assume are the apples on the trees near the fence. Herb calls out, "Is that you, Janis?" She replies, "Is that you, Herb?" We promise to stop on our way back from the walk.

Janis is proud of her three point.

As we return, Janis is still picking fruit and we visit over the fence for quite a while. She tells us she is a retired school teacher and grew up in a house up the hill, but now lives farther down the inland road. Her family has owned the property for over a hundred years. She keeps busy pet sitting, as there is no kennel on the island, running a mail route, and picking her fruit.

She hands us a large bag and puts handful after handful of Italian prunes into it. She has more than she can use and gives the rest away. People ask why she doesn't sell any, and her reply is that others give her vegetables and she gives them prunes and apples. Now and then we see a ripe apple fall to the ground for the deer.

Soon it is time to head back toward the ferry landing and Willie's Tug to wait for Cascadia to arrive.

I check eMail to learn she has just left a nice visit with Jim and Joan at Friday Harbor and is heading our way. We tell her where we are and she says, "I don't know where Blind Bay is, but I will find it."

That's our Anne.

We barely make it back when she comes around the Shaw Island ferry dock. We hastily put out fenders in case she wants to raft, but she prefers to anchor.