A yakking they will go, a yakking they will go...

some of you might remember that one of Cara's goals for this trip was to learn how to sea-kayak. Unbeknownst to us, the weather intended to to it's best impersonation of winter for the first couple of weeks we were here. Cold weather and cold water don't make for a optimal sea kayak learning environment.

However, we finally got out in some beautiful weather today and on a kayak trip around Sucia Island, just off the north side of Orcas island. It was about a 5 hour trip and we paddled all the way around the island. We saw a couple of bald eagles, some harbor seals, and these wicked cool birds called oyster pickers that have these long beaks for doing just what their name implies... picking (and eating) oysters out of their shells.

Some firsts:
1. Cara and I in a two-person kayak. We had been nervous to try such a thing, but we did awesome.
2. We decided that this doesn't actually count for Cara "learning how to sea kayak" since our "learning" was a brief run-through on how to exit the yak if it tipped. So the goal gets an asterisk, but not a completion.

What we learned:
1. My tall and wide frame does not fit easily into a kayak! It wasn't horrible, but it was enough to learn that while I loved the experience, I can find other ways to enjoy the sea.
2. Ocean tides and currents are amazing things... those of you that live by the sea (rhi/dan - I'm looking at you) are not so taken by tides are we are (strike that... as I am). The daily high tide and low tides can differ by as much as 8 feet (2.44 metres) here. Crazy!

OK, that's all i have.

WHALE WATCH 2008!

As part of Homeland Security's on-going effort to secure the borders, they are enlisting civilians to help watch "less-obvious" targets. We found these suspects not more than a couple of hundred feet from the Canadian border. Sure, they were frolicking and and acting cute, but I'm pretty sure it was a diversionary tactic.

Here are some pics. You be the judge:



Ok, so these targets are salmon vacuums, not really interested in us. But they sure are magnificent creatures. We were following the K Pod just northwest of San Juan Island. Apparently, there are 3 pods (the J, K, and L Pods) that are known as the Southern residents that show up around the Puget Sound this time of year. The K Pods has 13 members (I think). Apparently, all the whales have unique markings, so they can be individually identified. [ If you care, here you go The Center for Whale Research ].

The day was glorious and the whales were spectacular. The boat ride in the warm evening sun is a remedy for all that ails you. Plus seeing the sight of these guys will warm you up! Seriously, if I could keep a Harbor Seal in our backyard, I would.

it is not summer here.
it is 52 degrees this afternoon.
that is awfully warm and balmy
compared to what the weather has been like.
oh yeah, and the sun doesn't like to shine here.
that may seem like a no-brainer,
being that we are off the coast of seattle,
however, there is something called a rain shadow
that Mt. Rainer is supposed to produce
that apparently shields the islands from
most of the gross, grey weather in seattle.
I think Mt. Rainer and it's rain shadow might be
on a vacation.

they probably went somewhere sunny.
i don't know, like, maybe, denver.

here are some other random facts:
* we are currently line-drying our clothes in the living room
and kitchen because it is too cold outside to dry them.
* we may need to build a fire to get this job done.
* craig & renee's apartment has a long hallway
* we know this because we went to seattle last weekend
* there is not a stop light on orcas island
* last year, the brakes on the ferry boat went out
and the captain was not able to stop the boat before it
crashed into the dock.
* nobody was hurt, but
nobody left the island with their car for 3 months
while the dock was being repaired.
* this story alone was enough to confirm that we are
not going to move to an island.
* the library smelled like incense today.
* there was a teenage boy playing the guitar
in the lobby of the library.
* there is a man on this island who drives
a red beat-up volvo wagon.
* he has a long red beard and slicks back his hair
* when he wears his black & white striped shirt
and his black leather vest,
he looks like a pirate.
* except on the days that he rides his weird bike
with an enormous front tire
* it is called a a Penny-Farthing.
* then he just looks like a guy with a long beard
on a really big bicycle.
* there is a community garden here.
* all three women who work at the coffee shop are sisters
* their mother died a few weeks ago
* she had been sick for a little while.
* one of the sisters is saving money to go visit her
grandchildren.
* the sister who owns the shop just had cataract surgery
* her daughter comes by and fills in sometimes when
they are short staffed.
* she has two little girls.
* they are playing soccer this summer.
* sometimes i wear my headphones but don't play music
* it is much easier to eavesdrop on people's
conversations that way.
* i have been eating gluten-free
* well, trying
* there is gluten in everything.
* after a little research, it turns out I probably have not
gone gluten free one single day!
* did you know that rice milk contains gluten?
* so do jr. mints
* modified food starch is a form of gluten
* jr. mints contain modified food starch
* i enjoyed some jr. mints last weekend at
craig and renee's house.
* natural flavoring can mean gluten
* the FDA requires that manufacturers list every
ingrediant found in the food
* it does not, however, require that manufactueres list
ingrediants found ON the food
* so a lot of foods are dusted with flour
before they are packaged
in order to prevent the pieces sticking together.
* it is a crazy world out there when a girl
can't figure out if she is eating gluten or not.
* looks like someone is going to be cooking
a lot more when she gets home!
* i did perfect a gluten free fruit crisp
and i am working on getting the
flourless chocolate cake recipe just right.
* the coffee shop doesn't have a bathroom
(or trash cans or accessible outlets for plugging in computers)
* herb and cara are doing well, enjoying each other and their
modified honeymoon
* after all, we all need second chances from time to time

The Harjes Family Band

We didn't have a flowered-covered school bus or an old VW bus... we just have a Mini... which is actually Ok since the Harjes Family Band only has two people in it.

Coming to a interstate near you....

one day i will learn to use photoshop . . .

but until then, here are some pictures without much editing.

(oh, and for natalie . . . as you can tell, i have already had my roots touched up! they were almost an 1/8 of an inch and dark dark dark. so a lovely woman named justina fixed me right up on friday night.)


steak tostadas on the grill
herb and cara on the trail
sleeping loft 1
sleeping loft 2
view from sleeping loft
looking at herb from the sleeping loft
fruit bowl
scallops on farm fresh greens
kayaking cara
cute little nook at coffee shop

cute herb outside

working with what you've got

it was sunday night
and the girl nor the boy
had made it to the market.

but they were hungry.

"what shall we eat?"
said they.

if they were in denver,
the question would have been different.
"what do you want from Spicy Basil?"
or
perhaps,
"do you mind calling Pasquini's this time?"

but the restaurants are 8 miles away
and probably don't deliver much anyway.

but that didn't even cross their minds.

"i have steak in the freezer,
tortillas from thursday,
cheese from the taquitos,
mango from the scallop dish,
a peach left over from the fruit crisp,
green onion from the crab cakes,
red onion from the blue cheese steaks,
cilantro from the dressing last week,
half a jalapeno,
and one avocado that just never got used."

and in no time flat,
they were sipping french wine,
leftover, of course,
and eating tostadas by the sea.

life, in fact, can be splendid.
and what you need to make it that,
might just already be in your fridge
or somewhere else nearby.