We’re here (because we’re not all there)

On our way...

We are home. We want to sleep. Our heads are still spinning. We have so much to do now. We are in the beginning stages of  putting our book together. This Blog needs to take on a whole new life. As of now we don’t know what that means but it will not die. I think it will morph into something new, something wild. For now, we are here in Santa Barbara and with the love and amazing support from Family and friends we have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and we have temporary work. The next adventure is right around the corner. don’t go away.

Love, StarFin

Trying to get out of San Francisco

Our one and only ride with a trucker! Thanks Javier.

Contemplating...

Culture shock

Olga store

Wild Flour

Boat with Mt. Baker

We left Orcas Island with some trepidation. We spent Eight lovely days absorbing the serene and unique qualities of Island life on Orcas. Imagine no fast food chains, no Walmart, and no housing developments. Imagine beautiful old lazy farms where sheep, Goats and Horses graze with Deer. Imagine breathing air that smells of Pine and Blackberries all the time. We fell in love. We fell in love with the locals and their relaxed and trusting nature. We fell in love with the Olga store, which is presently for rent…. We fell in love with the newly opened Wild Flour Bakery, owned by Ben and Megan. Ben’s masterful and one of a kind pastries and Breads are seriously the best we’ve ever had. They are also due to give Birth to their third child at any moment. Of course we are anxious to hear when he or she arrives. Speaking of family, Shawn’s family joined us on Orcas for three days, which went by way too fast but it was a good time, as always.

We will miss you Orcas.

Now we’re back in Seattle, a bit of culture shock but we will acclimate. We woke up in the Sheraton Hotel where we had spent the night with family. We went to take advantage of the pool and Jacuzzi on the 35^th floor. Completely relaxed and feeling good we got on the elevator back down and suddenly it started violently shaking like there was an earthquake or one of the cables had broken. We saw our lives flash before our eyes. It stopped, then very slowly descended to the first floor. We’re still alive!

Embracing the lingering Summer and will continue moving south.

Until next time…

Street scene

Top 5

It’s always good to know the Top 5 things to do when you’re planning on visiting a new place.  Mind you, we have 5 days left on Orcas so we may add to this list…

Other than renting a Kayak, these are all free things to do and are a great way to spend your time here. It’s approximately 58 miles around the entire Island so it’s not hard to see it all by any mode of transportation. We encourage you to hitchhike as it has been the most hitchhiker friendly place we have been so far.

Top 5

1) Climb Mt. Constitution for the amazing view of Mt. Baker

2) Kayak at Sunset

3) Jump in a lake

4) Take in the multi-faceted local Art scene

5) Visit the Saturday Farmers market

view from Mt. Constitution

West Beach, Orcas

Jump in the lake from this tree

Wood carving

Orcas Farmers Market

Whales and tales…

Lighthouse

Thursday we arrived, by ferry, at Friday Harbor, San Juan Island. We were Instantly taken in by its small town charm and the friendly folks who inhabit the island. Arriving just before dusk, on a beautiful cloudless evening, our first mission was to find a place to pitch our tent before dark. We walked toward the forested hills and found a perfect spot overlooking the harbor. We shared the woods with the many Deer who live there and the sneaky little critter who got in to our Goji berries. Awoken to a magnificent sunrise and started our day with our typical breakfast of Oats but spruced it up with wild Blackberries. We figured out a destination and stuck our thumbs out and within One minute we had a ride all the way to Lime Kiln Park. A must see if you are looking for Orcas, which we were. Their graceful Black and White tales soaring in and out of the water. They frolicked, spouted and kept the onlookers entertained. We hitchhiked all over the Island and never waited more than a few seconds for a ride. The people we met on the Island maybe the most amiable yet. Last night we ferried over to Orcas Island and once again waited only a moment for a ride that took us all the way to a campground. We slept well among the very tall trees and now we’re off to explore Orcas Island. We’ve already been invited to stay on a farm tonight. I think I Love it here.

~Fin

Sea Grass

Lavender farm ~ For Morgan

You don't need a car here...

San Juan farm, from the back of a truck

Urban sprawl….

Urban sprawl

What do you get when you put an Israeli, a Canadian, a Brit, a German and Two Americans in a room? A hangover.

We will be short and sweet today.

Vancouver was more than kind to us, once again. It’s been nice being free from Automobiles for the last few days. Wandering and ending up in wonderful places.

We say good-bye to the big city, to the constant hum of traffic, the piercing sound of sirens and people who won’t look you in the eye, what is with that?

We are off to the San Juan Islands, hello Nature, Whales, sleeping under the stars and the silence of pure beauty.

Blur

stark raven

wired

sunset house

~~starfin