So we went to San Juan Island for 4 days for a mini-vacation.  (Warning, there are lots of photos in this post.)  We took the ferry from Anacortes on Monday.

And we got the front of the boat.

Here we are coming into Friday Harbor.

And we checked into our Vrbo rental.

On Tuesday, Tom took the beagle out to check out English Camp

and American Camp.

Meanwhile I attended a fiber retreat about Gotland wool put on by Deborah Robson at Lakedale Resort.

We met back up at our rental, and this is the view from the hot tub.

This was Ryeleigh’s favorite spot.

The next day Tom and Ryeleigh checked out the lighthouse at Cattle Point.

While I had this lake view while we were dyeing Gotland wool.

Tom went to Friday Harbor and got this photo of the ferry coming in,

While we were drying out dyed wool.

He also went to an alpaca farm and bought me these socks and skeins as early birthday presents.

Back to our rental,

where the wood stove came in handy for drying my dyed wool.

I took the beagle on a walk (giving Tom a break) down to Snug Harbor,

Then she watched us from the deck as we hot tubbed.

It was a bit surreal watching the news about the Ukraine war in this peaceful environment.

On Thursday Tom and the beagle went to Lime Kiln park while I had the last morning of my retreat.

Then it was time to relax on the couch.

I participated in my monthly A Taste of Old Colony History zoom making Marlborough Pie,

with ships going by.

Tom had been enjoying cider from the islands with these but also another one from Waldron Island.

Then I spun while we watched Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen.  Unfortunately they lost.

This morning I took the pup on yet another walk and saw our cottage from another view.

We checked out, and Tom brought me to see Lime Kiln park, his favorite from his explorations.  Here are some shorebirds,

and the view with the Olympics and the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

Then we headed to Roche Harbor for lunch and another beagle walk.

Then we headed to Westcott Bay Cidery and Distillery for tastings.

Then we headed to Friday Harbor to catch our ferry back home.

We were quite ready to return home to our farm, critters and especially Steve.  But traffic slowed us down.

But we are now home, and I have Steve and Ryeleigh sleeping next to me.  We had a great vacation, but it made us appreciate home even more.