I think I will begin this post as a continuation of a post back in June where I spoke about pebbles. No, not Fred and Wilma’s daughter Pebbles, the pebbles we find on the beach.

Like many people I have always collected rocks. They are satisfying, varied, abundant, and comforting to hold. Whether on the rocky coast of Oregon or Washington, or the flat sandy beaches of North Carolina, I cannot help but fill my pockets. The beauty of beach pebbles is there is no definitive collection; there are always more fantastic specimens to gather from the shore. While friends Pete and Sari travel Europe, they have promised to bring me home a small collection of stones they have collected. I can’t wait.

Choosing the right stone is a bit of artistry in collaboration with nature. I’m always looking for the next best stone. Below is this weeks shared collection.

These small stones were taken from Rosario Beach, a ten minute drive from our home in Anacortes. At some point in their creation, the fracturing of the rocks allowed the black mineral to fill the breaks and form the veins running through them.

The same action that created the stones above also created the stones below, although quartz dissolved into the cracks and mended the stones.

The bands that compose these small stones reflect the subtle rhythms of the sea, river, and winds that lay sediments down.  Over time, the sediments build up into layers, each made of slightly different minerals.

In all my research I’ve not been able to learn how the little chiclets formed to make these stones. Maybe Brian, my geologist friend, can tell me?

Lisa’s sister’s Kate and Christine, and Christine’s husband Dave, came out and spent a week with us. Other than walking the docks and seeing the local sights, this visit Lisa coordinated a flight around Orcas Island on a float plane, a 1958 De Havilland Beaver. See pictures below.

While the girls hung out, I took Dave to the shooting range and Ian took us crabbing.  

 While the crab pots were in the water, we took a detour to La Conner.

Tied up to the dock is John Wayne’s first yacht, the Norwester.

John Wayne bought the Norwester from his manager in 1955. La Conner’s Visitor Center Director, says she heard the legendary actor had to buy it after damaging the 76-foot long yacht.

“John Wayne wasn't a very effective captain,” she said. “Might have had something to do with the alcohol.”

Wayne not only traveled aboard the Norwester with his family, but also invited several notable Hollywood actors aboard. Cary Grant and Gary Cooper were among the famed guests.

Lisa and I took our guests down to our beach house in Greenbank. While there we spotted a rare Piebald Blacktail deer.

Below are additional pictures from our week.

 

Sunset viewed from Washington Park

Being in charge of feeding 17 people on a young men’s outing is a good amount of work.  First comes deciding on the menus for eleven meals, then purchasing the food, hauling the food home, then to the boat, then ashore, then cooking the food, and finally cleaning up.  It makes me tired thinking about it, let alone doing it all with Ian.  That is how the week, and Ian’s week, went.  Ian was in charge of his ward’s (church) young men’s high adventure outing.  He asked me if I wanted to go and help out.  Little did I know what “helping out” meant when I accepted.

On Monday morning we filled up four shopping carts of food from Costco, following our carefully developed list of items (thanks to Kaylene and Lisa).  Ian and I transported the food to our garage and garage refrigerator.  Off we went next to Safeway and filled up two more shopping carts of food, and then back to the garage.

On Tuesday morning we hauled all the food, cooking grill, pots/pans/utensils to the boat in La Conner.  We then drove back to Anacortes, picked up nine kayaks and delivered them to the ferry dock where the boys were waiting for them (the boys took their kayaks of the ferry to Orcas Island).  Kaylene then drove Ian and me back to the boat in La Conner and dropped us off.  We then piloted the boat to Orcas Island to rendezvous with the boys.

Once the boys had their kayaks off the ferry and in the water, we headed to Jones Island Marine State Park, located west of Orcas Island.  Ian and I transported food and gear on the boat’s dingy to shore and went to work on the evening meal while the boys set up camp. The next morning, while waiting for a favorable current, we combed the beach, snorkeled, and dug clams. See pictures below.

I always look for rocks I can polish when I walk a beach. This rock looks ancient. Look at all those wrinkles (ha, ha).

It was early afternoon before we got on the water, heading for Sucia Island north of Orcas Island. On our way to Sucia, Ian and I made toasted cheese sandwiches, passing them on to the kayakers while they were in the water. Now that’s service! While our group was getting fed, another group of kayakers came by (a young men’s church group from Lynnwood, WA) and we also ended up feeding them. They were very appreciative.

Below are pictures from our stay on Sucia Island.

 Harbor Seals

 Camp site

 Lucas, Ian, and Tim

 Crabbing with Ian and Lucas

 Breakfast

Pacific Madrone tree

 Dead Pacific Madrone tree

 On the hiking trail

Never know what you will find walking the trail.

 Dinner

 River Otters

 Sucia Island is known for its sandstone formations.

How did this coconut end up on a beach in Washington? 

A storm nixed plans for kayaking to Doe Island, our next planned stop southeast of Orcas Island.  As such, we stayed on Sucia Island a few days longer. Since kayaking from Sucia home to Anacortes in one day was not possible we pulled the kayaks behind the boat.

A couple of miles from our destination the boat’s electronics went out. Then a hundred yards out from the dock at Washington Park the motor quit. Luckily we had lots of boys and kayak paddles. The boys paddled us to a point just off shore. It was low tide and we couldn’t get the boat close enough to the dock so we hauled all the equipment from the boat to the dock through the water. It was a memorable way to end the trip.