Much to look at, little to read.

The Metrics:

62        =  The number of pictures taken during my travels

4          =  Forms of transit used in arriving at Doe Bay

8          =  The assuredly non-fire-code approved occupancy of our Cabin

2          =  The number of coffee cups in the afore mentioned Cabin's Kitchenette . . . curious

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 Hiyo All,

Whit's internet access has been further delayed, so I'm afraid you all are stuck with me for while longer yet.  On the upside I just returned from the Pacific Northwest, where I was visiting my Sister, Brother-in-law and Nephew, and attending the wedding of a longtime family friend. Since the recent posts have been heavy on the talk low on the pictures, I've decided to reverse direction and post some of the MANY beautiful pictures from my recent trip.  It'll be light on narrative but I'm sure you won't mind ;).

The trip began with a few days in Portland visiting the familia, including my increasingly bipedal nephew Ollie.

Another difficult day at the office for Ollie.

Fortunately he has his assistant Ez to help keep him up to speed
with the days memos.

After a few days we made the rather epic trek to Orcas Island off the coast of Washington, north of Seattle.  While you won't see it in picture form there was a 5 hour drive from Portland to Anacortes, the main ferry port for the San Juan Islands.

This is a panoramic shot of the ferry loading zone, there were easily 12+ lanes of cars waiting to make the crossing.

Yup, the cars got to make the journey as well. I'm sure they
enjoyed the experience of something else carrying them
for a change.

Ollie handling the travel like a champ.

Me having fun with my phone's panoramic function again.  This is just the tip of the iceberg for the beauty of the region.

Once we made it off of the ferry, it took about 50 minutes of additional driving to make it to the wedding location: Doe Bay.

The two bedroom cabin we shared.

putting the doe in Doe Bay

In addition to a whole lot of natural splendor there was a lovely
little garden, as well as a clothing optional hot tub and sauna
. . . for other forms of natural splendor ;).

The next day we back tracked to one of the larger towns on the island Eastsound to have a look around.

Ollie, ready for a day full of adventure!

Nothing pretty here. . . move along . . .

Ollie, recovering from a day full of adventure!

That evening was the wedding itself and everything went off without a hitch . . . or I suppose in this case with a hitch by design.  They couldn't have asked for better weather, it was a cool clear evening, perfect for an outdoor ceremony and reception.

The reception pavilion couldn't have been more than 100
feet from the waters edge.

This was the back drop for the ceremony . . . yup.

The next morning while the rest of the family headed back to Portlandia, my Dad and I stuck around Orcas island for an extra day before heading back to our respective Midwestern homes.

A short hike at Obstruction Pass took us down to the shore.

Not exactly sun tanning beaches.

I think we interrupted something intimate between these two
starfish.

A small panorama from the top of the highest peak on the island, Mt. Constitution . . .
yeah the name leaves something to be desired.

Dan, pinnacle of Constitution . . . *cue laugh track*

Another short hike around part of Mountain Lake.

We spent our last night in a comparatively posh suite in
Deer Harbor, making a subsequently easier travel day.

Finally our time to depart the island came, but nature offered a fitting send off . . . with a ham and cheese croissant no less!

The Orcas Village Inn where we grabbed a bite while
waiting for the first ferry of the morning.

Sunrise on Orcas Village.

Now that I'm back home things are starting to pick up with school so look forward to an update on that front, and hopefully we'll find a way for you all to get some the many amazing stories Whitney has been accruing while getting settled down in Fukuoka.

Until next time, thanks for reading, and don't forget to feed the fish!

DW