While John and Jackie were visiting, we took a whale watching cruise with Western Prince.  We chose Western Prince for two reasons.  First, they get the highest ratings of any of the whale watching tours on San Juan Island.  Second, they had spots available! We went out on the Western Prince II on Tuesday afternoon. …

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On Tuesday I got to participate in the second best 4th of July parade ever.  The best was in 1976 in my hometown of Lexington, Ohio which was very fun and patriotic.  The one in Friday Harbor on Tuesday was second to that, but not by much. The Friday Harbor 4th of July Parade is …

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This last week has been a busy one, partly because of the holiday but mostly because John and Jackie came to visit!  They were here from Saturday evening until Wednesday morning so we got to spend all our days off with them.  We tried some new restaurants, showed them the sights on the island, and …

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On our adventure day last week, Tom and I headed to Lopez Island with Johnny and Val.  If you are walking-on the interisland ferry, there is no charge.  A great deal!  So we decided to take our bikes and get around Lopez Island by bicycling.  After all, we heard Lopez Island was the flattest of …

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When Sandy and Eric were here, almost a month ago, we hit just about every tourist spot on San Juan Island.  One of the interesting places was the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park located at the entrance to Roche Harbor. There are many artists on the San Juan Islands.  The San Juan Islands Sculpture Park …

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In reading the last two posts, you might think that we only saw gardens and museums on our recent trip to Vancouver Island.  But you would be incorrect – and you should know us better than that!  Although we spend four months in one place while we are working, we can still sight see at …

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On our second day on Vancouver Island, we decided to visit the Royal British Columbia Museum.  The Royal British Columbia Museum is the only natural history museum in the province.  It is a huge, three-story building with outlying gardens and an IMAX theater.  The museum anchors the Cultural Precinct in Victoria and is located between …

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On our last three-day “weekend,” Tom and I with our friends Val and Johnny, headed west on the ferry for Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  Vancouver Island is the largest island off the west coast of North America.  It is about the size of West Virginia.  We decided to check it out and explore the southernmost …

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Jackson Beach is one of those beaches that the locals don’t like to put on the map.  It is a long, sandy curve of beach without the steep climb down that characterize many of the beaches here.  Most of the beaches are also rocky instead of sandy. Jackson Beach will never be mistaken for a …

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The very first day we worked, we had some unexpected visitors in the Visitors Center.  English Camp, where Tom and I work, is a historic 1868 building.  The only electricity is for the gift shop (cash register and two display lights).  There is no heat or air-conditioning or running water.  We have a fireplace and …

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