September 11 dawned bright. We were up and at it early so we had time to clean the house and prepare for our day’s journey, which would take us from San Juan Island, through Anacortes, WA on Fidalgo Island, to Deception Pass State Park and then Coupeville before over-nighting in Oak Harbor.
The map on the left shows our route. The first leg, from Friday Harbor to Anacortes, was on a very large Washington State Ferry. I thought for sure that the M/V Elwha was one of the biggest boats in the system. But according to the WSDOT website, there are five that are larger. It’s hard to imagine bigger ferries. The Elwha is 382 feet long and 73 feet across!
Unless you’ve seen tractor-trailers, school buses, RVs, etc. boarding easily and walked around its multiple levels and decks, I think it is hard to imagine the size of the vessel. You’ll just have to trust me when I say it is really darn BIG.
We got to Friday Harbor early enough that Annelies and I had time to shop while the boys waited in the car, which we’d parked in the ferry queue. We had time for some pictures, too.
Those flowers were outside the public restroom, inside of which occurred one of the most-amusing moments of the trip.
Let me just say, it’s a little disconcerting when your friend, who has already told you she really needs to use the bathroom, is in a neighboring bathroom stall when she laugh/squeals then exclaims, “Oh my GOD, I have got to take a picture of this.”
My first thought, of course, was an interesting piece of stool, which even I would NEVER photograph. I was very relieved when this was the image I saw…
That IS pretty funny.
Some other pics we captured in Friday Harbor…
We bought some souvenirs and picnic provisions and then headed back to the car as boarding time was imminent.
I will never tire of riding ferries, or any other boat, among the San Juan Islands.
After disembarking, which happens surprisingly quickly, we headed to Deception Pass State Park. Part of the park is on the southern tip of Fidalgo Island and the other part is on the northern tip of Whidbey Island. A famous bridge connects the two islands at Deception Pass.
The Deception Pass bridge is actually two bridges, there’s a small island in between the two spans, that connects Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands. In total, it’s 1,487 feet long (Canoe Pass span: 511 feet, Deception Pass Span: 976 feet), with a road width of 22 feet and 3-foot sidewalks on each side. The cantilever bridge is approximately 180 feet from the water (depending on tides).
Currents through the Deception Pass strait are quite impressive. The tidal flow beneath the twin bridges is very strong and the current reaches a speed of about 8 knots (9.2 mph) during ebb and flood tide.
We stopped on the Fidalgo Island side first.
After admiring the bridge up-close, we continued on into the Whidbey Island side of the park.
We spent a lot more time at the park than we’d anticipated, so we had to boogie to reach our hotel before nightfall. Plus, we were all getting hungry.
After quickly checking into our hotel and off-loading some stuff in our rooms, we continued on to Coupeville.
We chose Toby’s Tavern based on Yelp reviews which summed the place up as quirky a local favorite with good seafood. That’s where another favorite vacation moment occurred. Yves had ordered mussels. When he grabbed the plate being passed across the table by the waitress, the bowl slid a bit and brushed his hand.
“Ooh,” he said, “it’s hot.”
“Well, yeah,” said the waitress without hesitation, “if it was cold, you’d bitch.”
Hysterical. We all cracked up, then assured the slightly concerned waitress that she hadn’t offended us. We all laugh a lot when we’re together, which is one of the reasons we all love each other so much.
It was the perfect ending to a perfect, but long, day. Sadly, it was our last full day together of the trip.
Up next, we continue south and meet up with some family.
TRIP Re-cap
Installment 1: In the Beginning (Friday, August 30 – Monday, Sept 2)
Eric and Kelsey came down for a visit on Sunday and stayed through Monday.
Their visit had NOTHING to do with the stinky linens, by the way. I just wanted to share these pics, too. To remind y’all that I do have a human family, too.
It was a nice visit. They were kind enough to bring my favorite pear cider. Sunday night, we went to El Toro Mexican Restaurant for dinner. Afterward, while Hubby was watching football, the kids and I even got to play a fun word game.
On Monday, I joined the kids for a delicious lunch at The Bridge.
Then we went home. Which is when I encountered that odd stench I mentioned.
Here’s When Things Got Stinky
Saturday, while at the WV Place, I pulled the linens out of that coat closet with the walls that need to be replaced. They weren’t wet-wet. They were barely damp. But I figured I’d bring them home for laundering just to be safe.
I tossed all of the linens into one of those heavy contractor bags. Just before we left, I grabbed our boots and shoes, which Hubby had put outside last weekend, and tossed them in the bag, too.
If I remember correctly, Hubby twisted the bag closed, compressed it, then crammed it into the trunk, which is below the bed of his truck. When we got home, I carried the bag upstairs and plopped it in our laundry room, open.
Today, after lunch, I decided to wash the towels. As I leaned over and started pulling stuff out of the bag, I was assaulted by an awful smell. Awful and strong.
No way linens would get THAT stinky, that fast. Or was it the shoes? I figured it had to be the shoes.
After removing all of the shoes and linens, I started sniffing the towels and sheets. None of them stunk.
Then I looked at the shoes.
UGH.
There was a dead mouse hanging halfway out one of Hubby’s shoes.
Good thing I’m not the squeamish type. Poor mouse. Based on where the shoes were sitting — close to one of the girls’ favorite hunting spots — I’m guessing they chased him/her into one of the shoes. It probably hid from me and then became trapped in the bag.
Of course, I had to take it down to the basement to show Hubby. Seconds later, K and Belle came flying into the workshop, noses in the air, looking for their mouse! LOL!
I was nice enough to let them both see the deceased before giving Mr. or Mrs. Mouse an abrupt burial at sea.
Let the Laughter Begin
Monday night, after the kids left, I went out to see a movie (August: Osage County) and have dinner with friends.
Kelly Ann captured this shot at dinner. L-R are Kelly Ann, Donna, Janet, Dottie, and me. The movie was awesome. Dinner was good. But the best part? We laughed. A lot. This is a fun group of ladies. 🙂
And that was my Monday.
Today should be sort of eventful. We’re supposed to get a good bit of snow. It JUST started, so I am anxious to see how much we end up with. The more, the better, if you ask me.
It pains me to admit that I was a bully as a kid. Really. I was terrible. I often wonder about the kids I terrorized — mostly boys — and how I impacted their lives. It’s the sort of thing one wonders about, but doesn’t really want to know for fear of what they might learn.
I didn’t just pick on boys. I was mean to some girls, too. There is one, whose name at the time was Diana Kunkoski, I am actually still friends with, believe it or not. We met in second grade. I used to take her into the girls bathroom to torment away from adult eyes. I vividly remember cornering her in the bathroom at one point, literally, telling her if she wouldn’t be my friend, I would keep “beating her up.”
I don’t remember ever hitting her, by the way. Just making her think I was going to hit her.
She and I have had very different paths in life. Her mother married multiple times, so they’d move away for a while and then come back. We spent second and third grade together. Then she moved. She came back during fourth or fifth grade, so we were together again for a while, but then she moved to the state of Washington.
We kept in touch through the years. She returned to Baltimore briefly during our teenage years and, for better or worse, attended the same high school as me during tenth grade. After that, it was back to Washington. She ended up attending and graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in broadcast journalism. She worked down south for a while then returned to Baltimore for good.
She dated off and on for a while, but always seemed to hook up with some of the oddest guys. In all honesty, we never thought she’d get married. But she ended up marrying a wonderful man — Brian — and having two kids. She’s the first person I knew to have a Match.com success. And Brian is a great guy. Mike and I actually attended their wedding in Charleston, South Carolina.
I tried photographing her kids back in 2008, when they were about 3 and 6, but they were feeling very cooperative and would NOT sit for a pose. So we let them do goofy stuff. That’s when I captured this shot of them, which is my favorite from that day.
Since we’re at different stages in our lives, we don’t see much of each other. But we do still keep in touch.
Early last year, she told me she and Brian had bought an investment property in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. She asked if I’d like to join her there for a visit. Of course, I agreed. She said it would have to be in the off season, as the house would be rented out during the summer months. So, back in October, we finally managed to get away for a weekend together.
It was fun catching up. Just like old times. Except we’re much older.
And that pitcher of delicious margaritas we drank during the Friday happy hour at Dos Locos, had us both feeling a bit, um, sluggish, for most of the day on Saturday. So NOT like old times.
We did eventually get moving and had a fun, laid back, relaxing sort of weekend.
But I’ve gotten ahead of myself…
I drove from my house in Virginia to Diana’s home in Crownsville, Maryland, just outside of Annapolis. She drove from there to Rehoboth. On the way, when we passed this yard art mecca. I was THRILLED when she turned to me and said, “Wanna stop? It’s not like we’re on a schedule.”
From there, we moseyed on to the beach.
Their house is located just off of Rehoboth Avenue, about six blocks from the waterfront. It has a great sitting porch, above the garage, which we used quite a bit.
At my urging (begging!), we stopped at Dolle’s upon arrival. I HAD to have some fresh, hot, caramel popcorn. YUM. Diana, who led a sheltered life, apparently, had never eaten Dolle’s caramel popcorn. How much you want to bet it becomes a regular stop for the family?
It really was a nice, slow-paced, relaxing weekend. Aside from the aforementioned happy hour, that is. We just meanderered about, chatting and catching up on each other’s lives. And enjoying the scenery, which I captured on camera to share later.
I love, love, love Fall. The light is amazing.
I couldn’t end this post without a selfie, could I?
Sunday came far too fast. Diana and I decided we should make the Rehoboth trip an annual thing. Looking forward to doing it again in 2014.
But wait, there’s more…
On the way home, we stopped in Milton(?) to visit Peggy & Jim, who adopted Maddie, a former foster dog of mine.
Maddie, formerly known as Lizzie, won the forever home lottery when Peggy and Jim adopted her. They are absolutely delightful people, and perfect dog parents.
All in all, it was a fabulous weekend.
I am so glad we were able to reconnect. And I really am looking forward to seeing her again soon.
This post is for all my friends who have no interest in cute painted furniture and other home decor items so get bored with me talking about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP).You can paint anything with that stuff. Really.
Read on to see how I’ve proven that there are NO LIMITS to what you can transform with ASCP.
It really is magical stuff. It sticks to anything, can be used to achieve some really cools effects, and truly is quite transformative.
A few weeks ago, my friend Janet (the local ASCP stockist and guru) and I went to see the movie, The Conjuring. It was based on a true story, and was SCARY. It’s one of the cases handled by the husband and wife team of Ed (a demonologist) and Lorraine (trance medium) Warren. The movie began with the story of a doll named Annabelle, before proceeding to tell the story of the Perron family, who claimed they lived with and were being tormented by spirits in their Rhode Island farmhouse.
Don’t believe the movie is scary? Check out the official trailer.
The movie was set in 1971. I couldn’t help but notice all the cool, old vintage furniture. You know, the sort of stuff ASCP fans like to transform with paint. So I wasn’t at all surprised when, as we were leaving the theater, Janet said something like, “I don’t know about you, but I saw all kinds of cool stuff screaming out to be painted.”
She was right.
I have quite a bit of stuff in my to-be-painted queue here at the house. After I finished my bathroom cabinet and, more recently, my shelf curtain (pictured below)…
… I embarked on a new and very different project.
When my brother and I helped Dad clean out his house earlier this year, we each left with some vintage items.
That’s my brother with a slightly creepy doll I bought when I was about five years old. My Dad kept it around for two reasons. One, he liked that it creeped people out. Two, he thought it might be worth money one day. I brought the doll home, telling my Dad I’d see if it was worth putting on eBay. It wasn’t. It just looked like an old, nappy-headed doll. It’s pretty cool that it’s life sized though, right?
The doll is still here. It’s in my basement workshop, where I do my painting and sewing. While transforming one piece of furniture or other with chalk paint one night, a lightbulb went off.
Maybe more people would be interested in the doll if she looked as creepy as Annabelle from The Conjuring. Since ASCP sticks to just about everything, I thought perhaps paint would help the doll.
And I figured painting the doll might be entertaining. On a whim, I painted her lips, fingernails, and toenails, just to see if the paint really would adhere. It did.
So I decided to transform the rest of her.
I consulted my copy of “Color Recipes for Painted Furniture and More” by Annie Sloan to see what colors I should mix together to update that old-plastic-looking skin. I settled on Old Ochre and Graphite.
There were a few weird moments during the painting process when I couldn’t help but laugh at myself, but I pushed on. And I was quite delighted to see that the paint adhered beautifully.
I had to sand it a bit, to get rid of some brush strokes. I was emulating skin, after all. Then I mixed some Old Ochre and Primer Red to get a slightly pinker cast to the skin. I add some highlights here and there, too.
Once the paint was dry, I covered the entire doll in the all-important coat of clear wax (to seal the paint) and then used dark wax to add some age.
That dark wax is awesome stuff. Here are some close-ups so you can see how well the aging process worked.
I’m really tickled at how well the transformation worked.
I tried a new outfit on her…
…but decided the flannel nightgown looks best. Although I think it’s due for some distressing, too.
I think the dogs were impressed.
Now I just need to list her on eBay. Oh, and find a box.
What do you think? Were you surprised at how well the transformation worked? Do you like the flannel gown or new outfit better?
Hubby and I have been very busy lately. With work, various events, personal to-dos, etc., I am woefully behind on blogging. Reading other peoples’ blogs has fallen by the wayside, too. I’m not ignoring y’all. Really.
I’ll get caught up eventually. Maybe. For now, here’s something I just had to share.
This past Wednesday, May 15, I was headed to Sibby’s during my lunch hour to take some food pics for their web page. As I walked down Main Street, I noticed a Suzuki adventure-type bike (motorcycle) loaded down with gear. Odd to see at that time of day during the week for sure. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a local guy embarking on a journey or someone just passing through.
My curiosity (nosiness?) got the best of me so I crossed the street to look at the tag. I was very surprised to see a British Columbia plate. Based on where it was parked, I figured the rider was inside my favorite bakery — Great Harvest Bread Company — and I just had to go say “hey.” I was right. The guy was seated at a corner table finishing up a drink.
I didn’t think twice before pushing past the potato chip man (he was stocking the shelves) to say hello. It’s not often we get people passing through town, and adventure rider at that, from a place like British Columbia.
His name is Matthew Myers. As he described in an e-mail…
I’m on a trip from Vancouver, BC to Prince Edward Island, Canada, where I grew up. It’s a one way trip for now.
Vancouver and Prince Edwards Island are on opposite coasts and he took a VERY scenic route. He sent me a link to his Spot Adventure site, which shows a map of where he’s been. Have a peek, it’s incredible to see the miles and places he has covered.
I could’ve sat and talked with Matt for hours. But since I had an agenda, I just recommended a local detour for him and then went on my way. I sent him West a little ways out of town and up Leeds Manor Road to Hume Road, my two favorite Fauquier County roads. We’d just ridden through there on Sunday and I told him about all the Texas Longhorns we’d seen, the Marriott Ranch, etc. As it turns out, despite having ridden the entire way across Texas, he hadn’t seen a single Longhorns Steer.
I think the prospect of seeing Longhorns is what convinced him to take that detour. In fact, I’m pretty sure of it based on an e-mail he sent me that evening, which said, ”
That was an awesome ride through the country. Thank you sooo much for the tip. Got to see the longhorns up close too!!”
One of these days I’ll get to peruse through all of his albums. He may still be around DC and is heading north through MD and PA. He’s traveling on the cheap and seeking yards with space for his tent. If you’d like to offer up a spot for him to stay, send Matt an e-mail. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to hear from you. Don’t forget to tell him ToadMama sent you.
Enjoy your Friday! I’ll be having a very busy weekend, but GOOD busy. 🙂
This past Friday, May 3, was the 7th annual International Female Ride Day (IFRD). A day when women around the globe celebrate being motorcyclists.
I had grand plans for the day. I made a very special 2:00 appointment, finagled the afternoon off from work (after working lots of extra hours the week before), mapped a route, and prepared to set out. I also had to go to my Dad’s in Baltimore on Friday evening. Preparing to ride meant packing an overnight bag, loading the bike with luggage, camera equipment and tunes, and donning the gear (riding pants, boots, jacket, and helmet). After attaching my IFRD flyer to the windscreen, I was all ready.
I climbed on the bike, hit the starter, and was dismayed to hear a click, click, click as opposed to the motor purring to life.
I frantically did some troubleshooting to see if I could get the thing going, all the while being mindful of the time. That 2:00 appointment was an important one I did NOT want to miss. Finally, I decided to remove all the gear, transfer my stuff into the car, and roll.
I called Jeff, the man I’d be meeting, to let him know I was running late and see if that would be okay. He said it wasn’t a problem, so off I went. My destination was Walnut Hill Farm at Elm Springs. It’s about 33 miles southeast of Warrenton in Stafford County, Virginia.
Walnut Hill Farm was established in 2000 on a 38-acre parcel of ground, which is the only remaining land in agricultural production that remains from a farm originally established in 1843. It’s owned by Jeff and Ginny Adams. (Visit their About Us page if you’d like to learn more about the people and the farm.)
I first met Jeff at the Warrenton Farmers’ Market. I sent him an e-mail to let him know I’d mentioned him in my blog post. And to say, “If you’d like a full post on your farm, I’d love to come out and meet all of you and see your critters.”
Y’all know I love farm critters, right? Especially cows. I’ve been wanting to see a real farm for the longest time.
Jeff wrote back saying a visit would be fine, but he’d prefer to schedule a visit in May. “I would like to wait until the poultry is out on pasture and the grass has grown,” he explained. “Emerging from winter is not always easy on a farm.”
In the weeks that followed some interesting events transpired on that busy farm. The most exciting, to me anyway, being the birth of a new cow. A male American Milking Devon (that’s the breed) named Charlie. After a very difficult birth, his Mama decided she doesn’t care much for motherhood, and she refused to feed her baby. So he needs to be bottle-fed. In a newsletter, Jeff invited folks to come feed Charlie.
You know I HAD to jump at that chance, right? As it turns out, when I called, the first available appointment was on Friday.
I was beyond excited. Really.
I have long wanted to experience bottle feeding a baby cow.
How cool is that? Jeff was even kind enough to take pictures for me.
Is that the cutest thing ever?
As exciting as that was, there was more excitement still to come. I didn’t expect a farm tour. I’d just gone down to feed Charlie. But Jeff had other plans in mind.
You think feeding Charlie was exciting? It gets better. For serious.
There was a chore Jeff needed help with. He did say Spring is a busy time, right?
He’d gotten a shipment from the Post Office that morning that had to be unpacked. He was kind enough to save that “chore” for me.
This was no ordinary package. It made noise. I followed Jeff from the farm store into the stable and did a very good job NOT squealing loudly in delight after he’d removed the top of the box.
Oh. My. Gawd. Cute overload!
I watched as he started lifting the babies gently from the box, placing them in the special brooding box he’d set up in advance.
“Can I help?” I asked. He answered with, “Sure, if you don’t mind getting your hands dirty.”
Silly man. Me NOT touch those downy little bundles of joy?
I actually got to lift a bunch of babies out of the box. I was thrilled.
We watched for a little while. Then Jeff showed me the other poultry that had arrived previously.
It was awesome. As soon as they’re old enough, all of the poultry will be released into pastures, so they can range freely and grow into happy, healthy, birds that will one day make a very special dinner for some lucky folks.
He introduced me to a few sheep, too, then we headed out into the pasture to meet his adopted Belgian mare, Nellie.
Nellie used to live at Mount Vernon. She’s spending her retirement years at Walnut Hill Farm. Jeff obviously is very fond of her.
After we’d greeted Nellie, Jeff said, “Charlie is like any other baby after it’s said.” I looked where he pointed to see a full-bellied Charlie…
…lounging in the sun.
Charlie can’t be pastured with the other cows. He’d try to feed off of every cow, male and female, which would just make them angry. Angry enough to beat up on the baby.
He’ll need to be bottle fed for at least four months. If all was well and he was living with his mama, he’d nurse for about nine months. That will keep Jeff and Ginny busy. As if taking care of all the critters didn’t already mean enough work.
Speaking of the other critters, our next stop was the cow pasture. I just followed along listening as Jeff shared all kinds of info with me. I didn’t think twice when he opened the pasture gate, and motioned me through.
We slowly made our way across the pasture as he explained about different cow breeds. These are American Milking Devon cows, a heritage breed that first arrived in America in 1623. You can read all about them here if you like.
I listened closely to Jeff as we strolled across the pasture, interjecting with questions periodically. We’d only made it about halfway across the pasture when he sat down. It was a lovely, warm Spring day, so I sat down beside him.
Now, y’all know how I have always wanted to sit in the middle of a cow pasture, right? I would never have said, “Hey, Jeff, can we go sit in your pasture and see what happens?” That just seemed too frivolous when he was expending so much time and effort sharing knowledge with me.
I watched the cows as we chatted, and sure enough, they started moving closer.
Ena, I think that was her name, was the first one to get really close to us.
I did finally say, “You know, I have always heard that if you sit or lay in a cow pasture that the cows will come over to investigate. Is that why we sat here?”
He just chuckled and said he thought I might like to take some more pictures. He has obviously read my blog. Lol.
It was funny watching them nonchalantly ambling over. As if they didn’t want to appear too curious and risk spooking me.
I can’t remember this cow’s name. It may have been a bull.
The younguns were the last to come over. Jeff and I chatted away as they ambled over, checked us out, then went on their way.
At least I though they’d gone on their way. After about 20 minutes of sitting, when we went to stand up, I was tickled to see they had all lined up on the hill behind us.
That’s not a great shot. I was looking into the sun. But it should give you an idea how close they were standing.
I captured the second image as Jeff and I moved away.
From there, we headed over to the next pasture to meet Jeff’s two Milking Short Horns, the oxen team, Chip and Dale.
As cows go, the American Milking Devons are on the smallish side. I think the big AMDs weighed about 1,000 pounds each.
These guys, the oxen, run at about a ton. Yep, 2,000 pounds each.
I remarked at their size as we approached, and Jeff told me that they are even more gentle than the AMDs.
Then he showed me a picture of someone riding one of the oxen. I don’t know if that was a coincidence or he’d realized folks who’d been told I had an appointment with a cow on Friday had been making fun of me, saying I’d probably be riding someone’s cow!
These guys really were very gentle. I can’t remember if that’s Chip or Dale, but I really had to chuckle to myself when Jeff started removing the crust from around the animal’s eye while saying he was clearing the “eye boogers.” That’s the same thing I say when I’m doing that to my dogs. So this cow is just a pet on a much larger scale. Don’t believe me? Check this out…
Yep, that 2,000 pounder loved having his chin scratched!
After meeting the boys, we made our way back to the barn. At that point, Jeff had already spent about an hour and a half with me. He still had more work to do, remarking that if he didn’t get busy, there’d be no ground beef for the farmers’ markets the next day.
There’s more to the farm to see, but I’ll have to save that for another day. I did not want to impede production.
Here are a few more pics I captured of some of the other critters.
Ride or no ride, it was an all-around fabulous day. I really do hope I get to go back soon. I still haven’t met the pigs. And there may be some burros. Plus, I have to tell you all about the sheep.
So, what do you think? Was that an amazing treat for me or what? 🙂