Barbara and Doug
Trip Start
Nov 19, 2007
1
78
170
Trip End
Ongoing
Vashon Island,
Washington,
United States
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Carlee and Mercury stopped by the RV after some party time with friends, to discuss the plans for our Vashon Island trip tomorrow. Carlee's Mom, Barbara and life partner, Doug live on Vashon Island, about a 30 minute boat ride from here, Manzanita Bay. The plan is for Mercury to get up extra early and retrieve the skiff from Alec's doc before it is too low tide to do so. He will moor the skiff off the beach here until the rest of us are up and ready to make the trip. Estimated time of departure is 11:00am
July 20th
Carlee has the cooler ready for me, Jodie, to pack it with goodies for a picnic. Barbara will have beverages, watermellon and table settings ready at their cabin on the beach on Vashon Island. We all fuss around getting ready as Andy springs surprise gifts on us all, of stainless steel, 27 oz, water bottles with sport tops for easy sipping. How great!!! Just the thing for an adventure by sea!
All aboard and off we go. We head toward Blake Island (which some of you will remember from a previous entry where we enjoyed a salmon bake) then veer right to Vashon going by South Worth where we get close up to the Ferry doc and terminal
Making plan for Vashon trip tomorrow
. Very cool rubber bumpers for the ferry to moor safely.We spot Barb on the beach in front of their cabin(s) spying us in with her binoculars!!! She begins as a speck on the beach and gets more and more into focus as we approach. All out and greet with great hugs and love all around. It is a picture perfect day for a visit and a picnic with these fabulous farmer, beach, love children!
This beachfront property has been in Doug's family since the early 1800's. Barbara and Doug live in the same cabin his grandma chose as hers so many years ago. He told us a few stories about this totally amazing woman. There are 10 cabins in all, of which I think I only caught 9 on film. We will have to go back and search out the 10th!
After lunch we all climbed in Doug's truck and took off down the mile and a half private road that winds through his family's forest lands. What elegance!! Another mile or two and we enter The Farm! A 27 acre treasure of orchards, pasture and woods. I think I heard Doug mention at least three springs and few wells on this magical land. A vegetable garden with lots of work, great imagination and care, has been planted by Barbara and Doug. I could have stayed in there all day!
We took the tour of the property and projects that are actively being pursued on their Farm. From on-going maintenance of a specimen, wooden, two man rowing/sailboat to a biodiesel fuel processing plant, to a community space for events of day use or overnight camping, complete with outside kitchen, activity center, out buildings and space for doing whatever you need to do
low tide take off from Manzanita
. Next weekend Barbara and Doug will host "Family Camp" where families can practice Non Violent Communication or Compassionate Communication with the expert help of the staff members present. The energy and health fairly jumped off the place into my heart!Back into Doug's truck to be taken for a cruise through the quaint town of Vashon. A place where you can get anything you might need and also personally know who is behind the counter helping you. Nice! On to "yurtville" as Doug dubbed these yurts that are for sale and he is considering buying for The Farm. Very exciting to get to see alternatives to regular housing!
Back to home and a snack of snow peas from vines that were producing like crazy for our enjoyment! Mercury took the kayak out to get the skiff and pick up Doug from the shore. The tide is in and high, so Doug wanted help with getting his "new" doc attached to a closer mooring than where it was. As they were doing the rearrangement of the doc, Barb and I noticed a large land snail that apparently had been an unknown passenger as Mercury paddled the kayak to get the skiff. A land snail with sailor's dreams? A desire to be on the rolling seas? Barb and I figured the snail had probably had enough of seas for a good story to take back to his snail family, so I took him up to her garden for a snack among the peas.
After lots of goodbyes and gathering our stuff and getting our life jackets on....we boarded our skiff once again as the sun began its way behind the horizon. As we boated off towards Bainbridge Island we left Barb and Doug lounging on the beach in the setting sun. I will dream their dreams as we wind our way towards our new and yet unknown home in our future.
