IF I WAS A KID…

We stayed in camp yesterday, doing house chores and decided to pick more blackberries.

The berries are humongous. We try to pick only the ones that fall into your hand, no tugging. We took home enough to put some in our tiny freezer.

We took a walk around camp after dinner and the kids were loading into the hay wagon. If I was a kid, that is exactly what I’d be doing.

What I wouldn’t be doing is playing with an electronic device on a hay ride. Actually, the hayride had plenty of adults on board. They took four trips to fit everyone in. The ride around the park takes about 30 minutes.

The tide was out and we could walk over to the island and sit under this stand alone tree on the point. On our visit in 2009, we got a picture of an eagle in this tree.

If I was a kid, I’d be doing just what these girls are doing. Walking the driftwood balance bar. After all that talk yesterday about age, it kind of makes you yearn for childhood days. Momentarily, anyway. I wouldn’t want to relive it or go back.

On the point, the Swinomish have a co-operative where they take a salmon catch out of the bay and then they have a big feast, part religious ceremony and a division of food. Everyone gets a share. We were here and saw the salmon catch in 2009. Really interesting.

Thousand Trails leases this park from the Swinomish. And each park marker has a Swinomish painting. They are treated with great deference and respect.

At low tide, we walked to the opposite end of the park, to the adult lodge and then home. A beautiful evening after all that rain. This photo deserves a click to enlarge it. La Conner is a lovely park, quiet and woodsy.

 

BLACKBERRIES TRUMP RAIN.

Windows you cannot see out of greeted our morning, but Jim wanted to go to Mt. Vernon and find blades for his razor and pick up some drug store type items while I stayed and did some computer projects with a sloooow signal.

The rain lightened up and since I don’t melt, I decided to pick some blackberries we had scouted out the night before. I came back drenched but triumphant. And, I caught Jim  by cell and requested he bring home vanilla ice cream. Made a great lunch. My container filled six berry baskets.

I had mail to pick up at Anacortes Post Office, so we stopped at the Eagles for a beer before the Farmers Market opened. New friend, Johnny, claimed he stopped the rain just for us. Anacortes Erie is one of the friendliest clubs. Johnny told me he is a full-blooded Quinault Indian and he had great stories to tell.

The market opened at 4 o’clock and the first thing I saw was round eggplants…

…white eggplants…

…and varigated eggplants. I love buying them just because they look beautiful in my fruit bowl. And, I like eating eggplant, though Jim doesn’t touch the stuff. I bought the odd ones I’d never seen before.

Everything is so fresh and beautiful. I bought carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and peaches. I love farmer’s markets.

Another thing I like about the markets is the food. There were ten different dinner plates you could buy, different types of Mexican, Greek and salads. Another booth featured grilled sausages and hamburgers. At this stand a woman sold nothing but corn on the cob. If you like, she dresses it with whipped cream and cheddar cheese,  or chili. We were planning on a veggie burger at the Eagles and neither of us were hungry at that point.

A young musician serenaded the shoppers next to a “cafe” area of tables and chairs for people to sit and enjoy the food and music. Only one person was eating. It was only about 4:30.

The pecan tart looked tempting.

Home baked, the woman told me she makes her blackberry tart with a strong egg yolk crust and a crumble top. The desserts go before the entree  food offerings. I wonder why that is?

Flowers, at $5 a bloom can be like this one,  the size of your head.

The colors and size just knock you out.

My friend Pam gave me a foldable vase for the Motor Home, but space is limited and we only used it once. If the weather was nice, I could put a bloom on our outdoor table when we stay in one place for a week.

We went back to the Eagles and it turned out they were having a big barbeque this weekend, grilled silver salmon,chicken or ribs with home-made pies. They canceled their regular dinners to prepare the big feast. They suggested the Island Cafe close by. We passed this picture of Rudy Malland, Banjo King, father of Bev Malland, a good friend of Jim’s. He loves Anacortes and claims if he had to park and live permanently some place, this would be his choice.

When we returned to the motor home, the tide had just come in next to our camping spot.

A could see a light blanket of fog coming in too, and within ten minutes the whole area, including the camp grounds, was swallowed in mist.

 

 

 

 

BLACKBERRY PICKING, PLUS…

Norma, Jose and the kids missed the family & friends reunion, but we both were able to squeeze in an afternoon for a bit of berry picking and barbeque Sunday last.

Jose was scheduled to work, but decided he needed the day off more than the work. He commented on how quiet and peaceful it is here, especially when we walked up the canyon and got into the berry patch. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. Six year old Abbie got something picky caught in her sandals. Help dad!

 

The berries were fat and plentiful and early this year.

Doug and Jose did most of the picking and we put a quart of berries in my freezer, and another in Jose’s ice chest.

Anthony agreed that berries and ice cream is delicious.

Little miss Abbie had a  good time with some hair ornaments that were headed to the Good Will. She has the most beautiful, lush hair you’ve ever seen. Of course, I’m jealous since I inherited my father’s thin strands instead of my mother’s beautiful tresses.

It was nice to take an afternoon away from a far too busy schedule.  I’m still fielding work progress on the Oregon property. Yesterday, I did a final program on the Quyle Kiln’s 60th Anniversary for Public Access Television. Today, I’ll finish a written piece for Ceramics Magazine. I finished my inventory for insurance, a massive photo project, that took five days to complete between refining the watering system to withstand the water reduction requirements of the drought. (I always take on projects instead of saying no.) And, finally, I can think about what I’m going to pack to return to the Motor Home. I’m looking forward to being back on the road.