San Juan Islands

We rented a house in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island

Marci and Bruce came for three days.  Scott and Ruth for two,

and Mel, Gary, Walt, and me for the full week.

 The house was right on the water

 Friday Harbor Marina

 Marci, Bruce, Mel, Gary, Walt, and I went on a 

whale watching tour the first full day while Scott 

and Ruth explored the island

 It wasn't really whale watching season but we did 

happen on a couple humpbacks anyway

you can see one of them to the left of the boat on the right

 Two of the whales between the boats

 They moved around and came closer

 Even saw it spout a couple times

 The day was sort of overcast but the tour people

assured us that that was the best whale watching

weather

Spent some of the time learning about whales

Walt's holding the feathery tooth from the whales 

mouth that catches all the krill when they blow the

water out

 and closer

 Stopped by a small island with seals

 Almost looks tropical

 The evenings were spent enjoying the view and family

 Couldn't stay at the beach without oysters on the half shell

 The house had lots of windows

 Sunrise

During the dispute over the boundary of Canada and

the US concerning the San Juan Islands, the Americans

had a military camp on the southern tip of San Juan Island

and the English had a camp on the northern tip 

 We could see the Olympic Mtns

 The island was being over run by rabbits so they 

brought in fox

 He's waiting for a rabbit to come out of his hole

 No luck and off he went

 Lots of small islands out there

 Cattle Point Lighthouse at the southern tip of the island

Closer view

 Mount Baker

 Grama's Cove

 Lime Kiln Pt. State Park lighthouse on the west 

side of the island

 Hike up to the Lime Kilns

 English Camp wildlife

 English Camp in a nice little cove

 Watching ferries from the deck of the house

 Couldn't have asked for prettier weather 

We had some nice sunsets

 After Scott, Ruth, Marci and Bruce left Tom and Sherry

came up for the last part of the week

 A cruise ship came in one morning

 This seal is laying on a rock until the tide came all 

the way in and washed him off

 An eagle waiting for the little ducklings below

to be in a position to grab...no luck tho

The cruise ship left that evening around dinner time

 Went up to Roche Harbor after the weekend crowd left

Brothers

 Old kilns for making lime

Used to be the power for the harbor

 More oysters

Beautiful day on the beach 

 An otter found a crab and got up on the dock to eat it

 Sorry we had to leave, but a good send off with rain

The house from the ferry 

(Funny we didn't even see that big yellow house on 

the right from our house)

We had a great time with gorgeous weather and

fun family time!!

Since we were going to be in Anacortes after the trip

to the San Juan Islands I got in touch with my newly 

found second cousin on my dad's side.  Her dad is 93 and 

he joined us for lunch.  I met his mother (Grampa Mike's 

sister Rose) and father (Percy) while growing up but

never met him or his family.  Grama and Grampa had 

a picture of his daughter as a baby in their stuff so I checked

out Facebook to see if she was on.  Bingo!!

Me, Jennifer, and Byron

 Rose (Grampa Mike's sister)1920