B was writing a letter. But not just any letter. This letter was special. This letter was “magical with its possibilities.” It was going to be put inside of a bottle and set adrift out to sea.
Nov 112011
Nov 022011
Could you ever imagine a more peaceful place on earth? This is the garden at Doe Bay on Orcas Island. Our Airstream is very nearby and one morning B and I awoke to the most beautiful sound. The sound that we heard was angelic in nature and it was very distant. We were curious so we decided to go for a walk and see where it was coming from.
We approached this sign . . .
The music was coming from here. From the garden. They play beautiful music for their vegetables and flowers. Everyone was happy here and the sun was shining. We were warm. Happy. Relaxed.
B was in awe with the Black Star hens . . .
Every single little baby sprout is meticuloulsy taken care of here. Every. Little. One.
Heather is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to gardening and taking care of the hens. She has taught B how to collect the eggs and keep track of them as well as givng me some great pointers to use in my own garden come next summer (can hardly wait!).
I have died and gone to tomato Heaven. Really. Truly.
Peace on earth.
Oct 212011
Orcas Island’s Farmer’s Market . . .
Exploring around the Island . . .
The sky was amazing in Olga on this particular day . . .
Reflecting on the most amazing breakfast on the Island (here is our review).
Oct 102011
We are excited. We are happy. Finally we are back in the beautiful San Juan Islands in our Washington State. We caught the early morning ferry in Anacortes and arrived at our destination: Orcas Island — specifically, Doe Bay Resort.
We are excited to explore this part of the Island. As you may recall, last year we were here. As much as we miss it there, it is nice to explore new grounds and learn new things. I prepared a simple Italian dinner of gnocchi with oven roasted tomatoes and home made tomato sauce from my garden last year. Here are some pictures of my home garden where you can see how many tomatoes I had one particular season. I roasted almost all of them in my oven with garlic and olive oil. Alongside this dish was sauteed sole in butter. That’s all. So simple. Oh and a little gourmet salt of your choice (we like crunchy Maldon Sea Salt). The recipe for this dish will follow shortly, but please feel free to email me in the meantime for an email version if you can’t wait :) xoxo
It is very peaceful here. Could you guess?
I hope that if you ever visit Orcas Island you will visit beautiful Doe Bay Resort. If you do come, plan on leaving very relaxed. This is where Heaven meets the Earth.
Jun 112011
It was time to bring our Airstream back home and I knew this was going to be a difficult trip. Difficult emotionally. I have become so attached to these beautiful San Juan Islands. The way of life here, so relaxed, so easy, so calm.
We planned to have breakfast in Eastsound at one of our favorite spots, The New Leaf Cafe and then take one last stroll through this quaint little town that is full of unique boutiques, fine dining and so much more. My previous post here goes into greater detail and photography in regards to the beauty and charm that can be found here.
We had breakfast at the New Leaf where almost everything is homemade from the smoked salmon to the homemade breakfast sausage. Their bread of choice is brioche and basically, their menu was amazing.
If you visit Orcas Island, please do stop by the New Leaf cafe in Eastsound. I promise, you won’t be dissapointed. Hubby and I ordered our usual “smoked salmon eggs benedict.” and B got his usual “french toast.” Oh and make sure to order the freshly squeezed orange juice . . . I’ve never tasted juice so good!
Bon Appetit!
Jun 112011
As we stroll along a stretch of beach that the glaciers have carved, tides have sculpted and weather has eroded, the artistic beauty of nature can be captured in a moment or absorbed throughout one’s life.
There are hundreds of miles of coastline to explore in the San Juan Islands. Whether one takes a morning beachcombing walk or spends a lifetime sailing the coast, there is an indelible imprint recorded by your senses. The elements become the paint brush and the ice carved islands the canvas.
These are the images as seen through Monica’s camera lens on a quarter mile stretch along an Orcas Island beach.
Jun 012011
At about 40 feet tall, Cascade Falls is the largest waterfall in the San Juan Islands and is located on Orcas Island within breathtaking Moran State Park. Moran State Park was established in 1921 and named after Robert Moran who was the original owner of the land. Mr. Moran’s former residence is known as Rosario Resort and Spa.
We have been wanting to take this hike for quite some time and we finally had our chance. To have as a snack on our hike, I made some chocolate granola in the Airstream’s oven and it was so good. Crunchy, toasty and sweet – but not too sweet. What a beautiful day for a hike, photography and just absorbing our most beautiful surroundings.
May 172011
Besides hiking, fishing, wild life watching (the list goes on and on) Orcas Island offers up some amazing kayaking adventures. Driving back to our Airstream we spotted an incredible array of bright orange, blue and red kayaks and I couldn’t wait to check them all out. Apparently these kayaks are so sturdy and never tip over that couples have taken their wee little ones out with them.
Kayaks and our Airstream, what an adventure that will be! We can not wait :)
May 162011
After our delicious breakfast of strawberry pancakes, we decided to take a stroll through beautiful Eastsound.
Eastsound is the main “hub” of Orcas island. This is where you will find adorable boutiques, book stores, garden and plant nurseries, unique toy stores for the kiddos, art stores and my favorite place to shop for fresh local ingredients —> Orcas Homegrown Market. If you ever come to Orcas, you will fall in love with this little town. We sure did.
May 162011
Sometimes it is just the simplest things in life that can bring so much joy to a child’s life. In B’s case, this morning it was his bubbles. It is really such a heart warming experience to watch your child get so excited over bubbles. It makes me think to slow down in my own life and to try and enjoy these things too. Luckily he rubbed off on me and we both blew bubbles and had some funny laughs. I eventually made my way back into the Airstream as he continued blowing his bubbles so I could prepare breakfast.
I picked up the most beautiful and sweet deep red strawberries from our local market to prepare a strawberry pancake recipe I thought up. I was so happy that my recipe turned out exactly as I had hoped. It was again, simple and delicious and B and hubby ate every last morsel.
For the recipe, I used my blueberry pancake recipe I made while were on vacation in Tofino, BC. The recipe is here and the only difference was that instead of a handful of blueberries, I added a handful (and a little more) of sliced strawberries. I also sliced a vanilla bean pod open and scraped out the seeds and added that to the batter as well. I served it with hot maple syrup that I heated up in a small saucepan with more sliced strawberries. Delicious!
