We did it!

For those of you who haven't been following my frenetic facebook photo posting, here are a few pics from the wedding.  We had a wonderful time!

One week and counting down!

Well, folks, it looks like it's really going to happen.  We've got a marriage license, a venue, food, drinks, a cake, and a whole pile of RSVPs to prove it.  We have actually put together a real wedding reception.  And it looks like we'll end up married after all is said and done!  Now we just have to finish writing our vows, clean the house, put out the guest beds, clean out the cars, make reservations for our honeymoon, shop for Jon's shirt and tie, get food for the refrigerator at Guemes House, put the kayaks and the bikes on the car, pack all that beer into the back of the Subaru and .... HIT THE ROAD!  Wooohoooo!

We're hoping to go to Tofino, B.C. for our honeymoon trip. It's a little town on the west coast of Vancouver Island.  Lots of kayaking and surfing to be enjoyed there.

Cox Bay and Clayoquot Sound, Tofino

We ordered three cakes from the North Hill Bakery, Jon's favorite bakery on Capitol Hill: a coconut cake, picutred below, a raspberry mousse cake, and a lemon chiffon cake.  We decided against the crazy stacked up wedding tier madness in favor of more yum and less $$$.  

And we're really excited about the caterer we found, too.  Deception Cafe has a special place in our hearts, as their little restaurant has supplied us with noms on the way to a some excellent kayak adventures at Deception Pass State Park.  And the best part is, they're totally local, from the free-range chickens and locally caught salmon we'll be having for dinner, to the boss herself -- Kathy, the owner, lives right on Guemes Island!  Short commute for her next weekend!

Kathy's Grilled Salmon with Herb Butter

And, of course, we're really excited about all the great friends from near and far we'll get to catch up with, and about seeing our families all together in the place we call home!  We'll all have to raise a glass (and fire up the webcam) for my sister, however, since she won't be attending.  She went and got herself pregnant with twins, yes, twins, and now she's on bed rest while she waits to deliver!  We will miss her dearly, but are so looking forward to meeting the two little snugglers come October.  Say a little prayer for her and the babies, and for Scott, her husband, who, right now, I suspect, is acting as butler, housekeeper, and entertainment committee for my somewhat stationary sister.  

Just for fun, here's a link to Leslie and Scott's maternity pictures.  Hope you don't mind, Les!

http://www.whitleykay.com/?p=468

Here's to family, friends, food, and fun!  T-8 and counting!

Island Activities For the Sunday Bunch

If you're coming in from out of town, chances are you'll be staying on the island with us on Saturday night. Since we'll all be hanging around in one of the most beautiful spots in the Northwest on Sunday, I thought I'd make a few suggestions for ways to enjoy it. Leave a comment if one of these options really sounds good to you. If enough folks are interested, we'll make an organized trip out of it. And if you're not staying on the island with us because you're lucky enough to live here, you're welcome to join in the fun, too. The more the merrier!

Here are a few suggestions for Sunday activities:

A 1.5 hour kayak tour around Deception Pass State Park. $25 for children, $35 for adults. Deception pass is one of the most beautiful parks in the area, in my opinion, and the 1.5 hour kayak trip requires no previous paddling experience. Jon and I have spent many happy days here, exploring the tide pools and kelp beds in our own boats. It's a great way to get up close and personal with the waters of Puget Sound.

A 3 hour kayak tour around Burrows Island. $59 for kids, $74 for adults. This is a longer trip that starts in Skyline Marina in Anacortes and explores the coastline of Burrows Island. I've paddled around Burrows a couple times as well, and have often seen harbor porpoises in the open water and giant starfish on the rocks, among other things. This is a really cool place!

Deception Pass Boat Tour. This is a little more "touristy" option for those of you who are interested in lounging on the deck of a jet boat for a gasoline-powered sightseeing trip. The boat has an open deck for 360-degree views of the pass, and the one hour tour costs around $25 per person.

Shellfishing at Clark Point on Guemes Island. Seriously! We can dig for clams and shuck oysters and eat them for dinner! A one-day license is available at the Ace Hardware in Anacortes for about $16. Bring shoes that you don't mind getting muddy!



Hiking in the Anacortes Community Forestlands: Just across from Guemes Island, on the mainland, Anacortes has some of the best municipal forests I've ever seen. There's something for everyone there. You can drive to the top of Mount Erie for amazing views of the San Juans and Puget Sound, hike to the top of a whole slew of little peaks for the same great views, take a short woodland walk or long trail run, or even go cliff-diving at Whistle Lake if you're brave! Ask Jon about that sometime... he's not scared of heights!

The view from Mt. Erie!

Townie stuff -- if you haven't gotten enough shopping in, there's always Anacortes just across the channel, and La Conner, which is just across the channel and down the road a piece. Bookstores, museums, restaurants and galleries galore!

Or... Just hang out at the Resort! They've got rowboats and sit-on-top kayaks, and there's lots of beach to comb for agates. You can enjoy the views from the top of Guemes Mountain if you're feeling like a short hike.

The Reverend Phillipa

This is our dear friend, Pip Gordon, who will be our "mistress of ceremonies," and Jon on the beach in front of Anderson's General Store on Guemes Island. She's been officially ordained through openordination.com and is therefore fully qualified to get us hitched! We're thrilled to have her playing such a central role in our special day. When not performing her ministerial duties, she spends her time putting the Iowa theater scene on the map as the director of the Orpheum Theater Center in Marshalltown, Iowa. A woman of many, many talents! Hooray for Pip!

Anyone have a croquet set?

The Guemes Island Resort has a lawn. And it's nice and flat. And there's a great view of Mt. Baker and Puget Sound and the boats and well, it all just makes me want to play croquet. Or Bocce. Or throw a few horseshoes. There are horseshoe pits at the resort (and kayaks and rowboats, too) but as far as I know, no croquet or bocce set. Anyone have one that they'd like to bring along and share?

Our Favorite Best Road Stops

If you're driving up from Seattle, and you want to take a more scenic ride than highway 20, the best road is... Best Road! You'll get great views of the Skagit Valley and its scenic farms with Mt. Baker for wallpaper (if the weather cooperates), and you'll pass by some of our favorite valley pull-outs.

Hop off I-5 at the Conway exit (221) and turn left onto the Pioneer Highway. Just past the overpass, take a right onto Fir Island Road and cross the South Fork of the Skagit River. The Conway Muse is on your left. I've never been, but I hear they have good food and good music!

Keep following Fir Island Road when it takes a sharp right about 5 miles in. Heading north now, you'll pass Snow Goose Produce on your left in a couple miles. It gets its namesake from the thousands of snow geese that winter here every year, though you won't see any in August. The snow goose has local organic produce and locally caught seafood in season. They also have enormous ice cream cones!

I also LOVE the Rexville Grocery, just a few miles past the Snowgoose in the tiny town of Rexville. It's an old country gas station that's been converted to a store, and they sell Biodiesel at the pump! They have a great selection of gourmet foods, local brews on tap, and a patio where you can enjoy a bite to eat from their cafe. To get there, go 2 or so miles past the Snowgoose and take the hard left onto Best Road. Pass over the the North Fork of the Skagit River and the Rexville is on your right.

After filling up on cheese and smoked salmon, head toward LaConner on Best Road. It's a quaint little town on the Swinomish Channel with great shops, restaurants, and galleries. Good beer there, too! We've got 2 favorite restaurants there, The LaConner Brewing Company on 1st Street, and Nell Thorn, an tiny little pub with great food tucked away up a hill on Washington Street. Stop off at the Museum of Northwest Art or The Next Chapter Bookstore (also on 1st Street) to feed your mind, too.

If you're not full of noms and beer yet, follow LaConner Whitney Road north to Highway 20, head to Anacortes, hop on the ferry, and join us for more!



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Jane

The Dutchtub!!!

O.K. So maybe I'm the only one who's excited about this, but I think it's cool! The resort has this wood-fired saltwater hot tub that you rent for the weekend, and we're renting it! So bring your swimsuit... or your birthday suit if that's your preference... and get ready to soak. You can cool off in the refreshing waters of Puget Sound and then go back for more. It even has cup holders!