My, what a difference a day makes! The weather, as predicted, took a turn around midnight. The rain came in and wind was gusting into the mid teens. We have an anchor alarm but I was up a few times checking to make sure we were secure. Boats and rocks don’t mix well.
But we have good news! We still have no sign of leaks from our windows (yeah!) and Owen is coming to visit! The kids are catching an early ferry to Friday Harbor and making the drive up to Roche. We will move the boat to the guest dock this morning. It just makes life with a little crew member easier.
Roche Harbor has that old world charm that I love about the islands. Their niche, if you could call it that, is they magically couple that charm with un-paralleled customer service. Even in the off-season everyone is bustling. Shout out to Tony who always seemed to appear when we needed something and yet was never “too available” if you know what I mean.
Owen (Swab) arrived with his parents in tow around 10:00am from Friday Harbor. We got them all settled on board, made some lunch and set off for the park. “Mammy” had purchased Owen a bat and ball from Spring training so we spent about an hour chasing, Owen, a bat, and a ball around the grass while visiting with the kids.
Then we decided to go for a walk. Have you ever been on a 2 hour walk and travel about 300 feet? We walked up the hill where Owen found it fun to run up and down the wheel chair ramp. Mammy and Owen would both sleep well that night!
Later that afternoon we took the “Dingy Boat” over to a beach area that included swings, and slides. We had a lot of fun interacting with him on the various play equipment.
Saturday began as a Winnie the Pooh kind of day! The wind was whipping and had a cold bite to it. Mama nature through a few rain clouds into the mix just to spice things up! We decided a day trip around the Island was in order so we loaded up the truck and headed towards Friday Harbor.
First stop was the sculpture park up on the hill. This 20 acre park holds a wide range of items from statues to mechanical displays. Owen had a lot of room to run and interesting things to look at. He was a trooper but in the end I think the adults were overcome with cold.
We headed for Friday Harbor but it was really too early in the season for much to be open and honestly we did not feel like wandering around town. Carl pointed the truck south and we ended up at American Camp. It looked pretty interesting but the weather kept our visit short. Still had time for a photo opportunity however!
We headed back up to Roche as it was nap time for both Grampy and Owen. We saw the largest Eagle in a field beside the road. It was not an opportune time to stop for a picture so you will have to trust us on this one. It was this big <———————————————->!
After naps we jumped in the “Dingy Boat” for a ride around the harbor. He really does enjoy it. No, really he does!
After our tour of the harbor the ladies prepared dinner in the galley while Owen and Carl entertained grammpy to keep him out-of-the-way. We walked back overt to the park where we enjoyed the play ground one last time.
I had forgotten how much energy can be packed into such a small space! Up the ladder, down the slide……. repeat over and over and over!
Sunday morning came pretty quickly. The kids loaded up and left to catch the 8:00am ferry. Mammy and I prepared to move onto our next destination.
Keep your fork!
Walt and Linda
S/V Pellucidar
SV Pellucidar 