Back at home, back in isolation, life continued pleasantly much as before we left. Normally we would be traveling in the Alpine to the southern states at this time of year, following the snowbirds on our way to warmth and the sunshine, leaving the cold and wet behind.
But this is not a normal year and with the pandemic still raging, this is not a good time to be exploring and adventuring. Many places of interest and museums remain closed, as are national parks. Remaining isolated within the confines of the Alpine and distancing ourselves from activities with others didn't make much sense. We chose to stay home where we could remain isolated in more spacious comfort. So until the virus is under better control and we can get vaccinated, home is best. This year we would experience our first fall in Anacortes.
The weeks clipped along. It began to feel more like fall every day, that time of year when pumpkins appear on porches, when wreaths fashioned with red and gold leaves hang on front doors, when days grow shorter and the temperatures begin to drop.
With Halloween only a couple of weeks away, several homes decorated their front yards with all things macabre. I especially enjoyed walking past this Halloween house on my walks to Tug Boat park. It was quite a display.
With the pandemic in full swing, we wondered how families would celebrate Halloween this COVID year. The CDC discouraged large gatherings and warned to be careful when handing out candy. We prepared for possible trick-or-treaters and rigged a creative chute out of the kitchen window to distribute candy without having to make contact with anyone.
A couple of trick-or-treaters came by and their parents chuckled and applauded our inventive candy dispenser. It was a different Halloween this time but at least we were all kept safe and we got to see a few cute costumes through the window.
Television became a focus during the longer evenings. We became avid fans of all the PBS murder mysteries, and because we are able to get Canadian shows, we caught up on various seasons of The Murdoch Mysteries.
We got into the habit of listening to audio books while eating breakfast. A while ago, PBS aired a reading list of the top 100 most popular books in its show "The Great American Read", and this past fall we "read" several: The Count of Monte Cristo, Bless me Ultima, Beloved, Catch 22 and a couple of Alex Cross mysteries. Typically we would listen while on the road but this fall we are home.
Depending on the weather, we continued our walks and runs. 
We anticipated days of rain but were pleasantly surprised that most days it was sunny and dry, definitely incentive for walks to the beach park and a pleasant diversion.
Even on cloudy days, the scenery remained riveting.
The deer that entertained us this past summer had grown and matured. The older males began sporting their antlers and looking for mates. We crossed paths with several during our walks.
We survived the weeks leading up to the November election and were relieved when the process was finally over. As if the pandemic was not troubling enough, the constant turmoil and divisive presidential elections leading to more riots only underscored how angry and unsettled various factions of the population were feeling.
I suspect that the frustration was only heightened by having to remain isolated and indoors.
The days grew shorter by a minute or two daily and after the time change, it was dark by 4 PM and remained dark until 7 AM the next day.
We enjoyed several pretty sunsets from our living room windows, a palette of pinks and mauves tinting the clouds, the sun casting a golden glow before it dipped below the horizon.
A blue moon is the second full moon in a given calendar month. Hence the saying "once in a blue moon". Typically they occur every two or three years. We witnessed a blue moon on Halloween night making it an even more rare event. The next blue moon on Halloween won't be until 2039. During blue moon, the tidal action was particularly dramatic, the water almost covering the pylons, the waves lashing against and over the rocks.
Fall brings windy weather to the islands and this was our first experience with just how windy it can be in Anacortes. Many homes in this area have personal weather stations linked to the Weather Underground website so Michael was able to keep track of the wind speed and stronger gusts. There were times when the wind howled and whistled as we watched swaying treetops and the white caps in the bay. On one such day we set off for our walk. There were times when I had to stop with my back to the wind until the gust passed so as not to be blown over.
Our calm beach looked very different, now strewn with deadwood washed ashore and piled up in jumbled heaps. We watched the waves rolling in furiously. The houses right on the beach had their windows shuttered and boarded to protect them from the wind and the water spray.
The wind was gusting so fiercely on this day that I felt like I could easily take off with my arms outstretched.
Several storms rolled through, leaving a lot more of the beach exposed, the logs and driftwood piled high against the rocks.
Michael wanted to scout out possible future trails for his runs. One afternoon we went for a drive to explore Rosario Beach. There are a couple of trails and some lovely views out towards Deception Pass.
There is also a statue honoring the Civilian Conservation Corps. The camp members were responsible for the development of the park, construction of the campgrounds, trails, picnic areas, a boat dock and ranger stations on Whidbey Island.
Spending more time indoors gave me the opportunity to focus on sewing. I tackled quilting with rulers (also referred to as rulerwork) in earnest. There were several webinar sessions I watched to learn more about this method of quilting on a domestic machine. Zoom sessions and YouTube remained my link to the sewing world.
Rulerwork is not as easy as the ladies demonstrated during the webinars. I learned that quilting an entire quilt takes time and patience and cannot be accomplished in just a few sessions. No wonder so many quilters choose to "quilt by check" by sending their finished quilt tops to quilters who do this for a living on their long arm quilting machines.
It will take time and much more practice to feel more confident or proficient. But I did complete the quilting on two of the tops and felt a great sense of accomplishment creating the quilts from start to finish.
Seasoned quilters always wash their quilts before using them or giving them away. I was warned by experienced quilting friends that red fabrics tend to bleed into other lighter colors. I had chosen red as a backing for both my quilts and followed their advice.
There are several products that are recommended to help set the dye and prevent further bleeding. Nervous of the outcome, I used several sheets of Color Catcher and also a few drops of Retayne. The Color Catcher sheets started out snow white and ended up a deep wine color. It was advice worth following. The quilts washed beautifully with no bleeding.
My machine embroidery was primarily focused on In-the-Hoop projects, another new technique to me.
Here is a reversible pumpkin placemat, all constructed in the hoop on the embroidery machine.
Those were so much fun to make that I couldn't resist a couple of Xmas placemats next.
'Twas the season to also embroider several Xmas kitchen towels for gifts.
I made us quilted placemats and practiced quilting circles with my ruler.
The jelly rolls I bought in Arizona last winter came in handy to make a runner for the dining area. The colors are perfect and suit the wall color.
If I wasn't sewing, I was knitting. Hats are simple and easy, even with the television on. Michael continued to bake and tried a couple of new recipes. My favorite is definitely the braided Swiss breakfast bread called butterzopf. It reminds me of a bread we called kitka in South Africa, known as challah here in the US.
Once Halloween was over, I began decorating our new home with all things Xmas. The last time the Xmas boxes were opened was in 2015. After we sold the Bellevue house, they remained in storage during the years we full-timed in the Alpine.
It was fun to pull out the familiar decorations and reminisce. Each ornament has a specific memory and a place attached to it.
Old cherished decorations were displayed again in a different home.
It seems that most folks were decorating early this year. The Xmas lights and festive décor brought cheer to a year fraught with worry, concern and fear about the pandemic and also the contentious atmosphere created by police brutality, the ongoing rioting, and the election.
It was uplifting to switch on the lights every evening. Xmas certainly took on a different feel and meaning this year.
In every house, one could see Xmas trees lit up, our beacons of hope as the next year approaches. |
| our downsized tree in the living room window |
By the beginning of December, it was time to take Alpine out for its exercise routine. Tomorrow we will head to Fort Casey on Whidbey Island for a couple of nights. It's close to home yet far enough to give the engine a good run. And it appears that we will be lucky with the weather which is pretty hit and miss at this time of year with the storms rolling in.
Depending on the weather, we continued our walks and runs. 
