Week 41 was a particularly special week for me here in the pacific northwest. I had the pleasure of spending the last 6 days living and working on a farm run by nuns on one of the San Juan islands. The beauty and diversity of the trip made it impossible to choose only 7 photos this week: so you get my favorite 44 instead! I won't be posting next Monday, since I'm having surgery on Thursday, but I hope to be back online by Monday, May 10! Enjoy!
Highway to Heaven. Driving through the reservation on my way to the farm.
Anacortes. The view under the passenger walkway to the ferry.
Expanse of Blue. Mount Baker from a new perspective.
Giraffe of the Sea. A heron tiptoes in the water.
On Board. Passing another ferry on our way West.
USPS. The adorable, moss-covered Shaw Island post office.
City Center. The island ferry dock, post office, and general store.
Open Sesame. The entrance to the nun's farm.
Delicious Driveway. The gorgeous view upon arrival.
Chapel Outside. Bell tower on the left, Japanese-inspired garden with bamboo fence in the foreground.
Chapel Inside. I love the beautiful glowing wood, and the continuation of the bamboo.
Secret Garden. The nuns are semi-cloistered, and these unusual walls separate visitors from the nuns' garden and home.
The Schedule. I only attended the 8:15 communion service, where I enjoyed hearing the nuns singing and praying in the traditional Latin.
Dusk. The guesthouse, with a small greenhouse on the right, and red-roofed sheds on the left.
Guesthouse. Our living room and dining room (the nuns eat alone).
Dreadlocked Sheep. This guy was full of attitude, and easily won in a staring contest with me.
Poodle Style. Llamas are some of the funniest looking creatures I have ever come across...
Barn. The barn smelled wonderfully of old wood, horses, and hay.
Horns. I was very impressed at the size of these things--and this is a female!
Llama After Party. The guy with his head under the hay trough must have had a particularly rough night.
Sunrise. Waking up early to another day on the farm.
The Only Way to Ride. The view from my perch on a hay bale in the back of the nuns' pick-up truck on our way to feed the cattle.
Yum. Chewing, with a crowd of llamas observing in the background.
Busy. An intern waits outside the barn for a nun, a dog, and their fancy transportation.
Who, Me? The pursed lips, bug eyes, and decoratively placed hay strands strike me as bizarrely comical.
Heading North. An island road leading toward the farm.
This Seat is Taken. Flowering vines suggest that no one has sat on this bench for a long, long time.
My Favorite Color. A beautiful wild flower I've never seen before.
Water. The view from the University of Washington Biological Preserve property on the island.
Soft and Squishy. The rocks along the shore here are covered with a delicate moss that feels delicious underfoot.
Planting Finished! Over the course of several days, I helped hoe, compost, and plant snap pea seeds. Here, one of the nuns poses triumphantly next to our nice straight rows.
Misty Morning. Looking out of our dining room window, I was amused to see the sheep walking around in this orderly fashion.
Babies! Two young lambs stick close to their mother.
Stuffed Animal Cute. This adorable black lamb was too shy for me to squeeze, or I would have!
Fence Shadows. Two of the farm's pastures.
Nun Plus Dog. One of the nuns driving, with Bella the Portugese Water Dog looking on.
Raw Milk Central. Our two milkers: Babette and Dolce. Raw milk is amazing....
Boat with a View. An abandoned boat sits on the beach: a popular bird-watching spot on the island.
Mother and Child. A short while before I arrived on the island, this adorable calf was born. I took way too many photos of her, and this is my favorite.
Oyster Hunting! One afternoon we went down to the beach at low tide to look for oysters, and found about 10 each! Dinner was delicious baked oysters.
7 PM. A nun does the nightly milking, with new puppy Coco curled up next to her in the hay.
New Arrival! 80 new chicks arrived in the mail this week, and are hanging out under heat lamps until they are a little older.
Loading. Waiting for the ferry to begin loading back to Anacortes. Happy to be going home, but sad to leave new friends and the farm behind.
