While the parents were visiting, we really wanted to get out on a whale watching tour. We managed to get booked on a perfect day; smooth seas, sun, weather in the 70s. We went aboard the Glacier Spirit, a lovely boat with an excellent crew who bake a mean Blueberry Buckle, and set off towards the San Juan islands in search of orcas.

And orcas we found. The whales were diving and blowing, and several were identifiable by name; we saw brother and sister Cappuccino and Raggedy along with Mega and many others. We watched them for close to an hour, entranced. Oldest child was amazed at the grace of these giant creatures. I was amazed at their playfulness.

Stellar sea lions basked on rocks in the sun while cormorants spread their wings to dry. Seals rested or swam. Jellyfish floated by and porpoises appeared briefly to perform their aquatic acrobatics before vanishing as quickly as we sighted them.

We stopped in Friday Harbor and climbed 78 steps up to the Cannery. Yes, we counted the steps. My mom pointed out the dedicated benches along the way and said, “See those names? Those are the people who didn’t make it.” Next bench; “There were a lot of them.” 78 is a lot of stairs, but we all made it and the lunch and the view from the top made it worthwhile.

After lunch we fell into a bookstore event horizon and came out the other side clutching bound and printed things. I do not know how we end up in bookstores no matter where we go. I also do not know how youngest child managed to spot and grab the only AA Milne book we didn’t already have in about two seconds. Life is full of mysteries.

It was a magical day. There was even a
double rainbow in the boat’s wake which made us look at each other and say, “What does it mean?!” Then the husband drove himself crazy trying to photograph it. Fortunately, he had better luck
photographing everything else.

Wishing you a belly full of blueberry buckle, a whale song in your heart, benches to rest on when life’s stairs are too many, the very book you needed, and a double rainbow while you’re surrounded by the people you love.