The variety in color, size, and shape of stones we find on the beaches here on Fidalgo Island and in Washington is amazing.  Here is a photo of stone I recently polished.

Our cat Vivian has loved to sit on the window sills and look out at the wildlife in the backyard.  She does this during the day when she is not sleeping away the hours.  She also does this at night, looking out at the darkness below.  To give her a taste of freedom Lisa and I have allowed her to spend supervised time on the deck, but each time we have done this she has attempted to take off.

Vivian now has a new enclosure on the deck and it is her favorite nighttime location to hang out.  We installed a cat door in our bedroom sliding glass door and a cage opposite on the deck.  The first time Vivian spent time in the cage, she came out and rubbed herself against Lisa and me, as if saying, “Thank you!  It’s about time you figured this out.”  She has never displayed this behavior before.  Now Vivie can satisfy her deeply-ingrained nocturnal habits and prowl the night in her 10 square foot enclosure.
 

A sister missionary who served time in Anacortes a couple of years ago recently got married.  Emily, and her new husband, Austin, were driving from Utah to Alaska and stopped and spent a couple of days with us.  Austin will be working in Fairbanks, Alaska for the summer as a tour bus driver.

What do you get a person for their birthday, someone who has everything they want?  That person would be Lisa and she is extremely difficult to buy for.  So I made her something she didn’t have… a new mahogany floor grate for the master bathroom shower.  Lisa has never liked the tile floor in the shower and this is a much better solution than re-tiling the floor, and much better looking.  Don’t you agree?

Lisa and I love this time of year, springtime, when the trees and bushes bloom and push out their new leaves.  I see this simple but beautiful view each time I walk to the mailbox.

It is unusual for us to see a sea lion so close to the shore here in Washington Park.  In fact, this was the first time for us this afternoon.