A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
We’re on our way! We left Samish Island at about 8:00 am to avoid the worst of the Seattle rush hour (didn’t help) and after a long, long day of driving we arrived in Missoula, Montana.
Read More “The Journey Home – Day 1, Samish Island to Missoula” »
And just like that, a year is over and gone. Well, not quite a year. We arrived in Washington on the first of September and we’re getting back to Greenville around the first of August. It’s close enough, though. We’re now on the road and headed back to the east coast.
Last weekend my nephew, Mason Taylor, married his sweetheart, Ashley Nell Buettner. Laura and I made the trek to Chicago for the weekend. It was the first time I’d spent any significant time in the city, apart from passing through airports. Even though it was in the midst of the turmoil of packing and getting ready to move back to South Carolina, we had a great time with family and friends.
Since I finally have a chance to catch my breath, I’m also catching up on a few blog posts. A couple of weekends ago I had the opportunity to attend the Skagit Valley Highland Games, sponsored by the Mount Vernon Celtic Arts Foundation. I almost didn’t go. We were busy packing and I’d been to the Greenville games so many times. I’m glad I did, and I wound up participating much more than I thought I would.
We’re in the final days of our sojourn here on Samish Island. The packing and crating went much smoother than I thought, so my anxiety levels have dropped considerably. I have actually had time to sit and read two books, and decided I had some time to catch up on writing.
Who knew that keeping a blog could generate such anxiety? Apparently it does. I need to take a step back for a bit. Exactly one week from today we leave for the return trip to South Carolina. There’s just too much going on. I will be taking a break until we return to the east coast.
With our time in Washington getting short I’ve stopped checking the newspapers and online sources for things I might want to do. Quite frankly, it just gets me depressed. There is so much going on up here and I can’t do it all. It’s best if I just don’t see it. It certainly makes no sense to get involved in yet another music group. However, there was one session that caught my attention and I just had to check it out. After our ferry trip to Friday Harbor I headed up to Taylor Dock in Fairhaven for Music on the Dock.
Less than two weeks!! That’s all the time we have remaining on the island. In reality, it’s less than that as four of those days will be spent in Chicago at a family wedding. Where did the time go? With the travel, packing, and squeezing in last minute music gigs, I have officially reached the freak-out stage of this adventure. We did manage t get in one last ferry trip to Friday Harbor, as well as seeing some elk along the Skagit River.
I had taken a couple of paddling trips, recently, but I was just not getting in the mileage I got on a typical trip. I was really craving an extended kayaking adventure. Duff and I had planned to do one this past Friday, but he had family plans interfere. I decided to go anyway, and decided that I’d head back up to Baker Lake. Despite it being the week of the Fourth of July, the timing turned out to be perfect, and it was a great day out on the water.
After my short jaunt on Lake Padden I wanted a longer paddling trip. I kept watching the weather and tides, things were just not working out. I got out on the water for one short trip that got cut short, and took another organized trip that also didn’t quite live up to expectations. Oh well. At least I met some neat folks and found some options for future treks. Here are the reports…