Home Again

The trip from Seattle went well until we got to Charlotte. It seems that the east coast had some "weather" and schedules were all akimbo. Our flight was delayed, so I go to check on other options. Since we had planned to drive from DC to Staunton and stay in a motel there, E got busy finding a new place closer to Dulles and shifting the car.

In the Air

Today we are headed east to Virginia to see friends on the East Coast. We've had fun exploring Seattle and getting to know Seamus. This week, we had some sun for a few consecutive days (!) and could see all the mountains arounds. This is a beautiful place filled with friendly people. We're going to have a great time living here after our travels to Australia are over. Which is not to say we are going to come back and just sit. We will continue to travel and house sit, but having a "base of operation" here will keep coming back to experience the best Seattle has to offer. (Looking forward to the opera and the symphony.)

A Peek at Seamus

Seamus wa sitting on Dilly's lap with his feet towards her. She started playing with his left foot with her right hand and out came the camera.

La Conner

We drove about an hour north to the small historic settlement of La Conner. It is near where one can drive to the northern end of Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island without requiring a ferry. It is in the Sagit Valley. As you can see above, the farmland gives way to the Cascade Mountains. In the distance on the left hand side, you can the white peak of Mt. Baker towering above the rest at about 10,000 feet.

A Celebration of Fatherhood

I began mentally planning an all-male family to-do to celebrate Seth's recent entry into the land of fatherhood. Last Saturday it finally happened. We had a collection of McDonaghs, near-McDonaghs, and honorary McDonaghs on hand to smoke a cigar, lift a glass of fine scotch or bourbon, eat, and tell stories on Seth.

Picnic Point Beach

I wandered down to Picnic Point Beach the other day just to have a look about. I arrived at something like low tide and was able to walk out pretty far on the seaweed covered rocks.

Dilly reporting in from downtown Victoria, BC. Anyone up for a beaver tail?

Syttende Mai

Norwegian Constitution Day, the 17th of May, is a celebration of the signing of the constitution declaring (among other things) the independent country of Norway in 1814. This separated it from Denmark to avoid being ceded to Sweden after Denmark-Norway was defeated in the Napoleonic wars. This celebration in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle claims to be the largest celebration outside Oslo. We stood in the street at the turn in the parade to enjoy the people and the show of Norwegian pride.

Mother's Day

Mother's day really has to start with a child and in this household, there is on one that counts this year. Seamus started the day all bright eyed and happy. then came a busy round of photos.

Callie

I was finally able to get some photos of Callie, the resident dog at the McDonagh home. She was rapt in the deliciousness of a bone.

A Visit to Seattle

Jeanne came to visit and, of course, we had to take her downtown for a bit of the city. Second stop was Pike Place Market. On the way into town we had to make a stop at the REI mother ship. That's a place we'll have to visit regularly.

Out for Lunch

We headed out for lunch in Woodinville today with Anna, Seamus and Kathleen, a friend from DC. We went to the tavern at the Woodinville Whiskey Company for a sandwich (and a good one it was). After lunch, we stopped in the tasting room of the distillery so that Kathleen could buy a bottle of their find American Whiskey to take home.

Today was sunny (imagine that!) and warm and we ate outside. A wonderful time. Sorry there is no photo today, we were too busy having a great time together.

More Seamus

Seamus is growing and we spent some time with him while his mom and dad did some shopping.

Planning for the Future

We are shifting into planning and preparation mode as we think about our upcoming travels. Soon we'll be heading to the Shenandoah Valley for a visit, but then we are off to Australia again in June.

Live Long and Prosper

Here's a shock: it rained here last night and today we are going to visit Seamus. Seamus is not Vulcan, but he probably knows one or two of them. I expect him to be doing the Time Warp soon.

Bald Eagle

Seth and I went for a walk down the beach in the afternoon. To our surprise we found a Bald Eagle perched on a low branch in a tree. To our even greater surprise, he was perfectly happy to sit on the limb while I shot away and walked all around him.

The Main Attraction

Of course, while we are Lummi Island we are also enjoying the company of our beautiful grandson. As he grows, he tolerates having his feet uncovered better and I can finally get a few photos.

The Blue Heron in Breeding Plumage

As the sun shines and warms Lummi Island, the wildlife some out for the usual spring time activities.

Out and About

Shortly after the sun came up on Lummi Island, we caught a few glimpses of sun in the east. Yet, we could still not really see anything of the mountains. So we left the island to explore the old town in Fairhaven.