Smugglers Cove Whidbey Island

Missing the buds.  Just sayin’

Look at those deer on the beach.  Yesterday, we came across them as we drove to the new rental.  Yes, we found a new rental and it will be good!  It has a huge (1/3 acre lot) yard for the dogs to run.  It has a deck in the sun.  It is light and bright, which we came to realize the last rental was not.

We are close to the harbor in the above photo and that will be good.  The weather in the Pacific Northwest has been beautiful.  We have had over 40 days with no measurable precipitation.  Since we have been in a state of flux, that has been a good thing.  I look forward to the next week of warm weather and then the rains may commence.  I am ready for a cozy chair, a book and quietude.

Back to the deer.  Do they frequent the beach?  I have no idea.  Are these young deer who thought they happened upon a lake?  Again, I am clueless.  Do they love the beach as much as our dogs?  Winter will be spent reading about the Island and the intricacies that surround us.  We want to know the history of the Island and the history behind the names of the bays and harbors and towns.

These are the things we want to explore.

I tried to get the blog caught up, but so much happens every day, that I just need to move on and add past stories here and there.

I could talk about repairing my mother’s metal cat wind chime and hanging it up outside for the first time in ages.

I could talk about the pileated woodpecker I saw or the Kingfisher perched on a power line next to the sea.  I could describe the sea urchins we walked by at the dog beach.

I could talk about so many things, but in the midst of a wonderful afternoon, the world took a turn and we have to move with it.

That cat sitting there in the window has caused quite a stir.  We will now pull up stakes and move to another house.  We are on the hunt.  I don’t think you will see loving photos of the new place.  Instead, I feel I need to refocus all of my energy into getting the new house on track.  Not only does the cat need and deserve a wonderful window in which to lounge, but we need our own place.  We need a home.

Wood is just gorgeous.  The grain, the color, the richness and the aesthetics.  This little gem was at our favorite Habitat for Humanity thrift store.  Circular edges fold underneath each side.  It’s old and a treasure and it’s ours.

Some of the things we are buying will go back to Habitat when we move into the new home.  This will not be one of those items!

We haven’t lived in an actual neighborhood for ages.  Luckily, we are on the outer edge of this neighborhood, directly facing a wonderful large piece of undeveloped land.  Next door we have a small empty dwelling.  This seems to be a very transient neighborhood and the homes vary from million-dollar digs to small log dwellings interspersed with foreclosures.

Everyone jogs, walks, walks their dogs, bike rides, etc.  It’s neat to see that activity.  Our bikes are currently being tuned-up.  They spent quite some time in the barn gathering dust.  It’s time to climb back on and ride around the neighborhood.

Wheeeeee!

Remember all the stuff we gave away?  Loads and loads and more loads to the thrift stores.  Well, we are now in the process of buying some of it back.

Our favorite quality furniture thrift store is Habitat for Humanity…we love their projects, their philosophy and their furniture!  Look at those chairs!  It said comfort to us.

But, I am kind of a freak about used upholstered items.  After thoroughly cleaning both of these chairs, I just could not use mine.  I needed a couple of days to stalk it.  I needed a couple of days to ponder its use.  I was just silly and not at ease.

Finally, I sat.  And…it was good!  Ha ha!  Love the thrift stores!

I didn’t see this sign the first time we drove to the rental.  It’s a bit disconcerting, don’t you think?  This is one of the reasons we did not look at beach-front property…well, the other reason is that we are not millionaires.

I look forward to some wild winter storms and driving down to the beach.  Some of the homes here are smack dab at ocean level.  We see the massive log driftwood piles and wonder what kind of storm drives that wood to high ground.

Look how comfortable some of us are!  It really doesn’t take much.  We also needed chairs.  So, I set off for the thrift store and found nothing.  I went to the next thrift store (we are fortunate to have many of them on the Island) and there were two lovely green plastic outdoor chairs for $3 each.  Done!

We laughed because our standard of living went from not-so-good to phenomenal with the addition of two chairs.

Since that day, we have scoured the thrift stores for occasional treasures.  For so many items, buying new is stupid.

Disaster averted!  Mark found a house!  He came back to the hotel and took me to see it.  I had to peer through the windows, but I was sold!  He was going to go back to the hotel to fill out the paperwork…but I suggested we go directly to the realtors, so we didn’t lose out.  In 4 hours, we went from impending homelessness to success!

Houses are posted and gone in hours…we are proof of that.

The house needed a few repairs, carpet cleaning and house-cleaning, but we started moving in that afternoon.  The aforementioned jobs were all completed within short order and we are now living in the southernmost tip of the Island.

Life is good.

We are in yet another dog-friendly hotel on the Island.  We have two nights and then we have to leave.  This is the “high” season on the Island.

We have a brand new tent and two nice new sleeping bags.  We also brought the blow-up air mattress.  Is that to be my new home?

After touring the property and receiving a reality slap-upside-the-head, we came to the conclusion that a trailer won’t work.   We either find a house to rent by 11 the next day or we move into the tent on the property.

Motivation…are you kidding me?  Craigslist and the on-line newspaper are perused.  Remember, this is the tourist season and many rentals are for the summer.  It’s July 12th (yes, I am behind on posts) and many of the housing rentals are month-to-month for tourists and very expensive.

E-mails are sent and phone message left.  We decide to drive-by one house from Craigslist.  The price and location are okay.  We drive-by.  Let’s just say the tent would have been better.  Panic starts to set in.  This is so not good.  This is so not what we planned.

We head back to the hotel and a realtor calls about a possible rental.  I stay with the animals and Mark heads off to see the next house.

I wait.