Mukilteo Musings

Our Half Day Vacation

Yesterday was an enjoyable but typical Sunday for us. It seems that in the past year after moving into our house with a view, we have spent weekends painting or planting. Yesterday, I wanted to do what used to be our usual. Late morning after paper reading and coffee drinking, my husband, my daughter and I set out for the ferry. The Mukilteo ferry is only 6 or 7 minutes from our house. We see it everyday to the north crossing the water to Whidbey Island. Farther to the south, we see the Edmonds ferry crossing the water to the Olympic Peninsula.

The Mukilteo to Clinton ferry is about a 25 minute crossing. Even after all of these years, I still find it fun to take the ferry. We lovingly call them "poor people's yachts"! It was a sunny day and I never travel without binoculars. The gray whales are seen more on the other side of the ferry crossing so I am always hopeful. Our destination was Langley. It is a small town on the edge of the water on the Island only about 15 minutes from the ferry.

Langley is known as an artist's community with antique shops. We looked in the stores and the galleries; I found some antique furniture I wanted that was about $1000 too much. My husband discovered a fabulous rosemary bush that he wishes he could replicate. All three of us tried not to laugh at one artisan's jewelry made out of beetle eaten bark. We looked without success for whales from the overlook. The coffee shop was crowded so we entered a little cafe and ordered Penn Cove mussels for a snack; we figured they were better for us than an ice cream cone. The mussels are from Penn Cove which is on Whidbey and they were so fresh. Mmmmm--I am still thinking about them; we tried to get the cook to tell us exactly how he prepared them but he was secretive. We understood.

On the way back toward the ferry, we stopped at the Whidbey Island winery which is one of our favorite places. They have a really neat old dog and we like tasting their wine; it is such a peaceful place in the countryside with lots of trees, grass, flowers, and grape vines. On the ferry ride back, we stayed in the car rather than go upstairs because they parked us in a lovely spot where we could see north and the Cascade Mountains. I made my husband lay back a little so I could see over his head with my binoculars. The three of us were quiet; it had been such an enjoyable day.

All of a sudden, Kaley said, "I wish I had $5000 so I could buy that painting of the pear! I liked it." We had seen a wall sized vibrant colored pear in a gallery. After a few stunned quiet seconds my husband said, "If you like pears!" I don't know, maybe it was the wine but I laughed; that moment was hilarious. No, I never did see any whales but the day could not have been more perfect.