Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Voyager

I am a Trekkie. Have been since James Kirk fought his way across the galaxy. I have enjoyed all the Star Trek movies. The TV series; Generations, Deep Space Nine, Voyager.
Now, while we have been here on San Juan Island, I have had access to the entire collection, all seven years of Star Trek Voyager. Captain Janeway, Tuvok, Ensign Kim, Paris, and my favorite Seven of Nine.
If you are not a trekkie, or have forgatten, the starship Voyager has been thrown a gazillion light years away from home. Janeway and her crew are traveling through uncharted space encountering unknown aliens and un-thought-of situations along the way back home.
This morning as I was walking the girls, I came to the conclusion that R and I are a lot like Capt. Janeway and her crew. We spend a lot of time alone in a far away place, meeting new people, eating new food, visiting strange lands on our trips to and from our homeland.

We are fellow voyagers!

Live Long and Prosper!

Monday Oct 25, 2010

Our first Monday off duty.

The other volunteer couple, who were parked nearby, left the island Saturday. It’s lonesome around here. They took the early ferry to try to get the jump on the winter storm that was threatening NE Utah and southern Wyoming as they traveled I-84 and I-80 heading east to Michigan. Today should be their crux travel day. Because the elevation of the Interstate is over 6000 ft for the whole state, it the weather can play havoc on travel through that area from now until late spring. It is bad enough traveling in snow and ice, but doing it with a large trailer attached to you makes it even more interesting. Good luck, Bob and Mary.

The rainy weather is upon us. Saturday was actually quite nice, with lots of sun in the morning, almost warm but becoming mostly cloudy, cool, and windy in the afternoon. Listening to the weather forecast made us expect rain and wind for the whole day so when the forecast was wrong, nobody complained. The wind, however, did pick up during the night. It blew in about sunset and left before morning, but it made the darkness even darker with its ebbs and blows during the time in between.

This morning, Monday, as I said before is our first Monday off. Prior to this, we worked Sat, Sun, Mon, & Tues. and Bob & Mary worked Wed, Thurs Fri, & Sat. That way there was a volunteer couple at the VC to augment the ranger staff. Now that one couple is gone and we leave on the 31st and the visitor count has dropped considerably, the winter schedule has been put into effect. The VC is closed Mon & Tues. and hours cut from 8:30-5:00 to 8:30-4:30. Wed. R and I start our last four day stint. It has been a good run.

We have learned a great deal. We had never been to the San Juan Islands and had not even heard of the Pig War or the politics of the time in this area. Learning the “story” and the history of the place is always stimulating. But the real fun comes in learning what Paul Harvey used to call “The rest of the story”. The pleasure was in the finding out about the small stories that occurred behind the scenes, the characters that were players in the drama, and the seemingly innocuous occurrences that changed everything or prevented a larger possibly disastrous event from happening.

Examples:

One of the rules of the joint occupancy was the limit of 100 soldiers from each country on the island at one time. So when the British Engineer came to English Camp to survey the site for the placement of buildings, he came in civilian clothes so he would not affect the count.

The arbitrator sent by President Buchanan, General Winfield Scott was selected because of his successes as a negotiator in previous actions. But the poor man was not fit to travel especially in those times. To travel from the East to the West meant a journey by ship down the east coast, a hurried 5 hour train trip across the Isthmus of Panama (hurried because of the fear of getting yellow fever), followed by another ship journey up the west coast. The trip took six weeks. Scott was a big man! He stood 6’5” and weighted 385 lbs. He suffered from gout, pleurisy and had broken his collarbone falling off a horse a short time before his trip west so he was probably not happy to be selected for the task. Because of his mobility issue, he never set foot on land while he was here and did all of his negotiations aboard ship. Going from one ship to another required climbing ladders which was not possible so he was lowered in a basket from one to another. Even with all his physical difficulties, General Scott was able to negotiate with British Admiral Baynes and James Douglas, Governor of Vancouver Island, to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. No war.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Fog


The word for today is fog. (The picture was taken on a better day.) It was a star filled sky when I walked the girls last night. The fog moved in overnight and was a thick as soup this morning for our walk. Morning fog is not unusual this time of year, but at 2 pm it was still thick enough to prevent us from seeing the nearby prairie, let alone the water. Watching the boats trolling back and forth along the coast is a what makes sitting at the breakfast table is a treat. Not today. I had to imagine that I could see even a tree.
I am writing this at 4:14 from the library and it is still foggy out there. No relief today. The weather is going to get wetter and windier through the week-end. Winter is getting closer.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

A Fall Morning


The walk to work in mid October. The air is as still as a church on Monday morning. The birds are still having their morning coffee. The sun is drifting through the fog looking for the ground. It is going to be one of those days that you would like to bottle up and save for the middle of January.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Rosario

What is Rosario?






It is the name of the place, a resort on Orcas Island that dates from the early 1900’s. Robert Moran was a man who owned a ship building company in Seattle. He arrived in Seattle penniless and built a shipbuilding empire along with his two brothers. Moran become Mayor of Seattle in 1888, after the Great Fire had destroyed the downtown district. He dealt with the problems of the city while building his shipbuilding business. Through his outstanding efforts the city rebuilt better and stronger and he was easily re-elected. His company built all sorts of ships from fishing vessels to warships. The high point of his business career was when his shipyard built and launched the flagship of the Navy's "Great White Fleet", the USS Nebraska built in 1904 and used through WWI.


In 1904 Mr. Moran health was in danger. The doctors gave him only a few years to live, so he gave up the business life and moved from the city to Orcas Island where he started to complete his retirement home which he named Rosario. It was hub for visitors, congressmen and business alike. Rosario became known as a resort for the rich and influential. (Incidently, the island life was good for him because he lived until 1943).





Today it is still a resort. http://www.rosarioresort.com/ You can still stay at Rosario. You can get married there. 22 “rooms” are available. All of the accommodations are detached but close to the “house”. Some are motel suites. Others are individual home units. All have gorgeous views of Cascade Bay and the surrounding hills.





The main building houses the offices, meeting rooms, and a couple of restaurants on the main floor and a spa and pool in the lower level. The second floor has been left mostly like it was when Mr. Moran lived there. Stained glass is dispalyed in the windows and lighting. The woodwork is amazing! The floors, built-in drawers, even the doors with their unusual hinges reflect the attention to detail that is prevalent through out the structure. The second floor also contains an auditorium that contains a huge 1900 Steinway Grand Piano and an enormous pipe organ dating from 1913. Free concerts are held in this room at regular intervals that feature both instruments. During the fall the concerts are held at 4pm on Saturday. It would be a joy to attend.

It’s a Thursday. Laundry Day so as we sit and wait for machines to do their thing, R reads and I write. At least for a time. It is a late morning so we will have to go for lunch before long. Maybe to try out a new restaurant. It might be a good day for fish and chips. You would think that on an island, fish would be easy to find. I have heard that in the summer you can purchase fresh fish on the docks. But like everything else, the off season has affected the number of fishermen in Friday Harbor. Now is a good time to come to the island if you are trying to get away from the summer hoards. No lines at dinner. No long wait at the ferry landing. Empty roads and beaches. No reservations are needed at the hotels and probably the B & Bs. Of course the temperatures are cooler and the sun is more hidden, but this area does not compete with Cabo or Rio for warm sunny days during any time period.

You come here to get away. Maybe it is from the hustle and bustle of Seattle. Or the signs of corporate or commercial America, the Wal-Mart’s, Home Depots, McDonalds, or Starbucks. Maybe it is for the beauty that surrounds you. Maybe it’s the water, which also surrounds you. Whatever the reason, it is a special place. Not only this island, but any of these San Juan Islands and any of the other island that dot the charts of this area. The people who live here are different. Different from you and me. Different even from those who have a “place” on this or another island that they come to occasionally. I’m not sure if I can explain, but they look at things just a little differently. If you were to move here, it would take quite some time for you to be truly accepted as an “islander”. All of that being said, as we have roughly two weeks left on our "duty" here, when the time comes, we will be ready to "move on". I'm ready to be on the mainland again. I'm ready to resume our water aerobics routine. I miss our Wednesday night dinner and a movie. It will be nice traveling with out planning around the expense and limited time frame of the ferry. I miss Costco hotdogs!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Sunday at American Camp















It’s Sunday morning. There are four of us here at the Visitor Center waiting for the first person to come through the door. Three of us have set up a guess as to when the first person will walk through the door.



RW 10:15

JB 10:25

JW 10:35 (ps RW won. It was 10:10)



Hopefully we will actually have some visitors today. Since the calendar has switched around to October and the weather has switched around to fall, our attendance has dropped off dramatically. September was still good. R& I were stationed at English Camp on Sat & Sun and had about a hundred visitors each day. I really enjoyed being there. It has a totally different “feel” there. It’s much more scenic and serene and more historic buildings (four). Building and keeping up the fire in the fireplace at the barracks was a highlight for me and visitors too. Many of them commented on seeing the smoke from the chimney and smelling the fire drew them in. When you think of it, open fires are becoming a thing of the past. Most fireplaces are being ignored or are converted to gas. Gas fires are ok but they don’t crackle or pop or smell like real wood fires.











Speaking of buildings, American Camp is about to increase its number of buildings by one. Currently there are two historic buildings on site. The laundress’ quarters and one of the officers quarters. The laundress was the wife of a soldier who was paid to do the laundry for the soldiers. A portion of each soldier’s salary was deducted from his salary to provide her pay. It was hard work but it provided a nice boost in income to the her family. She was required to be married. If her husband died she had 60 days to remarry or she would lose her position and her house. With all the unattached men on a military base finding a new husband would have not been a challenge.




Here you can see the officers quarters, the laundress house on the far left and the visitor center in the background.






The other building on site is one of the officer’s quarters. It is a duplex in design with a hallway in the middle and a couple of rooms on each side. The outside is has been restored and painted white. The interior waits for its time. An extensive white picket fence surrounds the entire camp area but the building sits by itself. But not forever. Soon, another building will be placed next to it. Currently named the Brown house because of the man who purchased it long ago, it sits on a corner in downtown Friday Harbor. Since being moved from American Camp in the 1870’s it has had many uses, being remodeled and added on to several times, finally ending up as an art gallery. The owner of the building wanted a new building so instead of just tearing the building down, contacted the NPS to see if they were interested in it. So the NPS is getting the historic building by moving it off the property and the landowner does not have to pay to have it demolished. It will sit right next to the existing officer building. It’s truly a win-win situation. The moving day has not been given, but it will be a momentous occasion.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Foxes






If you love foxes this is the island to come to. The fox is not native here. They were introduced to produce furs, but when that fizzled the foxes remained. They are beautiful creatures, but man has spoiled them. The foxes here at the park are used to humans. Too used. The public has loved them so much that they have fed them to get them to come close enough to get good pictures. But...a fed fox is a dead fox. Because when the winter comes and the tourists don't come, a fox used to taking scraps, will starve. So feeding wild animals is not a good idea.



That being said, red foxes are fun to photograph. There are two color variations that I have seen around here. One is more of the traditional color of red. The other is what is called, a silver fox; black with silver or grayish hair on its flanks. (You can click on the picture and bolw it up to see it better)




The rain woke me up this morning. Rather the plop, plop of rain drops on the roof of the trailer. I love the sound of rain on the roof. It makes me want to cuddle. But I am less fond of the plop, plop of drops of water falling off the tree canopy overhead. In an open area, you know when the rain starts and stops. You know when it increases and decreases. Under a tree canopy it is similar but different. The drops are delayed and extended. When the actual rain has subsided, the drops continue; plop, plop.



Walking the road in the morning after a rain is time to count the worms as they do their stretching exercises. I hope they are done and have gone back underground before vehicle start using this pavement.



This moisture was predicted for today. 40% the NOAA weather report said. That part was correct. But the forecast also predicted winds last evening and through the night with gusts up to 35mph. On that item the report was full of hot air.



Yesterday was the first Thursday of the month, which meant that the San Juan Island fiber group met at the library. Spinners. When we get to a new area, I am always on the lookout for a spinning/weaving group. Being a guy interested in fiber makes me one of a few, but it’s ok. The females are tolerate of us males.



Usually, the gatherings are just that; gatherings of fellow spinners who get together to spin and talk about what they are spinning, etc. This group is that and more. They are actually interested in increasing their knowledge of new ideas and methods using spinning wheels. There was a short presentation about Mohair; what to look for, different types, etc. Mohair is the fleece from an Angora goat. (Angora comes from an Angora rabbit).



The second part of the program was an explanation of the making of Boucle’ Yarn. Basically it is fuzzy, bumpy yarn that is fairly expensive to buy in a yarn shop. After the presentation, the group was given access to a large amount of Mohair fleece which we carded and then proceeded to play with. I borrowed some thread and spin it, allowing the loose fibers to adhere themselves onto it as it wound into the spindle of my wheel. The next step would be to run that thru the wheel again, spinning in the opposite direction, while plying a binding thread onto the yarn. The end result is boucle’ yarn. I need much more practice; much much more practice.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Neighbors



We have neighbors. Actually they have a nest nearby, that has yet to seen by me. Ranger Josh claims that it is nearby, but he is somewhat vague as to its actual location.




The other evening, as I stood and talked to the other volunteer couple, who have a trailer parked in the same area as ours, a sound was heard that stopped the conversation cold. It was ths sound that only an eagle could make. After some searching in the treetops over us we spotted the originator sitting on a branch enjoying the sunshine on its feathers. So now, where was the mate? We searched high and low and eventually found it sitting in the same tree about six feet higher. Notice his one foot perch.




My day was made.

Orcas Island















Thursday dawned bright and clear. It was a good day to travel so we didn't sleep in, but got up and made the 8:30 inter-island ferry to Orcas Island which is the other big island in the San Juan Island group. As the crow flies, it is about 5 miles from ferry landing to ferry landing, but because Shaw Island is in the way, it takes about 45 minutes to get there.



Although, Orcas Is. is about the same size as SJ ( actually a few square miles larger) I felt totally different there. Scenically, I believe it offers more to do than SJ, of example, the large Moran State Park and Rosario and Eastsound areas and several small village areas such as; Olga, Deer Harbor and West Sound. Because of the several large bays there is more shoreline on Orca also. Its population is 60% of SJ so it feels much more rural to me. The precentage of "normal" homes is greater on Orcas I bet. [ Normal being houses that are of normal construction and not designed by an architect, but still overpriced because of having to be brought from the mainland. Aslo normal houses are occupied by the owners full time and not just a "vacation home" to lived in for a a couple of weeks or months a year. ]





We drove up the great curving road to the top of Mt Constitution and took in the great views, snapping numerous pictures. The clouds cleared during the half-hour we were there. Mount Rainier was visible to the south and Vancouver, BC to the north. Mount Baker was almost touchable to the east.






Then it was lunch at the Olga Cafe. Good organic locally grown food, slow service, not inexpensive. On to Rosario. Rosario was the home of ship builder Robert Moran, who build the mansion with arts and crafts in mind. The craftsmanship is amazing, the woodwork beautiful, the stained glass fabulous. There are 22 rooms and suites available for rent, a spa, and restaurant. The building is over one hundred years old but is still quite beautiful. Walking around inside is like a trip to a museum.










Mr Moran donated over 5000 acres of his land to the state of Washington to become Maron Stae Park, the fourth largest state park in Washington. The parks contains many miles of trails and over two hundred small campsites.




By 4:00 we were in line at the ferry landing waiting for our trip back to SJ. A pleasant day trip.










Saturday, October 2, 2010

This morning

This morning I awoke around dawn to walk the dogs. It is a time when all is quiet and new. As I tried to move along, hampered by their frequent stops to smell and taste the environment, I enjoyed the clear skies and even spotted the silhouette of Mt Baker in the distance. It is the first time I have seen it in the morning. Fog or clouds usually prevent the sighting. The girls are done so we head back to the trailer. Its time for breakfast for them, one of their favorite times. Then back to bed for a nap.

I thought that going back to bed might not be a bad idea for me too. I glance at my bed. There’s someone in it! I’m sure of it! Wow! I quickly disrobe and slip in. What do I do next? As I lay there waiting for my breath to slow down, I slowly slide closer to the sleeping form. I snuggle up to her. She wraps an arm across me. Soon we are entangled, warm and close. It is a good thing. As I lay there, it seems that this woman is familiar. Her feel, her smell is something I remember. Then it comes to me. I have slept with this woman before! She may have even bore a couple of my children!

I fall asleep with a smile on my face





An Indian Summer day





Today we took advantage of the sun and went exploring the island. We stopped at the downtown market (Kings Market) to check on the selection of soups in their deli. The soup selection was depleted so we had lunch at the nearby China Cove. The Wednesday lunch special is Teriyaki Chicken. It was quite good.





After lunch R & I hopped in the truck and drove out north of town to find some unexplored roads. We drove down several always having to turn around because, other than a few through routes, most are dead end roads, ending at any of the many residential areas along the coast of the island. There are so many fabulous home sites here. One of the sites that many people recognize is the Lime Kiln Light. It is located on the west side of the island. That is Vancouver Island in the distance. The name Lime Kiln comes because lime was quarried on the island and burned. The powdery residue was lime which is the primary ingredient used in concrete. Much limestone was quarried and hundreds of cords of wood were cut to provide fire for its processing.





We did see our first raccoon today, hobbling from the edge of the road into the woods. We were driving out to the county park at the end of Rouleau Road. Reuben Tart by name. A tiny park almost at the end of the road. A steep walk down to the water. A small bit of grass, rock, and a gnarled tree pointing out into the sound. A secret place that most visitors do not know about.





I found a treasure today. We stopped at a local thrift shop on our travels. In a pile of recently donated pots and furniture, I spotted a folded rug. Its colors reminded me of something I had seen in Arizona. I picked it up and unfolded it. It was Navajo, an old one. I can tell by the simple design and earthy colors. Several holes in it that say that it has not been a just a decoration. I wonder what story it would tell me. I just had to have it.

Now the question, what do I do with it? Should I have it cleaned and repaired or just enjoy it as it is? I did run it for 15 minutes in the dryer at no heat and got a lot of hair and dirt out of it. I think it look pretty good, don't you?