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!