Spring is definitely here. The days grow incrementally longer and brighter. The mood of the country is more positive too as more folks become vaccinated and the states begin to open up more.
Everywhere around us nature is emerging into its colorful palette. I looked forward to my walks, my step light and bouncy, noticing the new growth and blossoms en route to Tugboat Park: cherry blossoms, magnolias, rhodies, azaleas, crocus, and the bright and happy daffodils .
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| cherry blossoms |
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| my favorite magnolia tree |
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| rhododendrons |
Even the landscape seems to look more vibrant. I never tire of gazing out along this stretch on my way to the beach.
Along the forest trail Michael saw skunk cabbage in bloom on his runs.
Towards the end of March, it was once again time to exercise Alpine. We stayed at Fidalgo Bay RV Resort again, close to home yet far enough to give the diesel engine a good run. Michael planned a route through the Skagit Valley fields where at this time of year the daffodils were in bloom. What an amazing sight it was to see the bright piercing fields of color.
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| the bright yellow color was almost jarring to the eyes |
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| one of many fields of daffodils |
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| front row seat at Fidalgo Bay |
Easter arrived early this year. I embroidered several towels as gifts and created a small wall hanging in the hoop for us.
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| in-the-hoop wall hanging, this year's "painted" Easter eggs |
As the weather improved, we began to enjoy being outside more often.
April 6th marked a year since we arrived home from Arizona after the pandemic hit. It is hard to believe that a whole year has passed already, in isolation without face to face social gatherings. Now that we "oldies" are fully vaccinated and more protected from the virus, we have finally started to see family again.
Our son in law, Aaron, has become the family tree keeper and sleuth on Weitz genealogy. He discovered that a relative lives in Anacortes. Chris, the widower of Michael's 2nd cousin was our first visitor. We have learned all sorts of things about different branches of the Weitz family that Michael never knew. It turns out that he has quite a clan, most in South Africa of course, but several in other parts of the world too.
Chris brought me flowers and thus started a new tradition. Alstroemeria were Chris' wife's favorite flower and now they are mine too. I will continue getting them throughout the summer because not only are they pretty but they also last a very long time.
Our next family visitors were Michael's sister Pam and her hubby Gary. What a treat it was to spend time together and also show them around our new town. By far their favorite activity was walking to the beach and sitting on "our" bench or on "our" log.
We walked the trail in Washington Park and enjoyed the spectacular views across to the San Juans.
We went to Whidbey Island and walked across the Deception Pass Bridge, then continued on to the State Park so that we could take a photo of the bridge that joins Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island.
We sat and enjoyed the sun and the scenery on West Beach.
Every April the Skagit Valley hosts a Tulip Festival that attracts thousands of visitors to the area. Here is more information about the thriving bulb industry in the valley:
We took Pam and Gary to Tulip Town to tip-toe through the tulips. It's the first time that the fields were open to the public since the pandemic. Everyone wore masks and to keep the crowds down, we had to reserve a time slot on a particular day.
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| one would think we arrived in Holland |
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| a filed of multi-colored tulips |
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| Van Gogh couldn't find better subjects |
On the way back home, we passed a field of daffodils that were still in bloom.
The museum houses a small but special collection of vintage aircraft, all of which still fly. William (Bill) Anders, astronaut on the Apollo 8 moon mission and who still lives in Anacortes, founded the museum with his wife. Two of their sons now help run the museum. Anders and his sons often fly the aircraft in the museum in tandem.
Here is a link to the museum and slide show of the aircraft:
I'm not the family plane nut and don't share the same level of appreciation for the various planes but I do learn something during these visits. The most astounding moment was to realize that the outer material covering the skeletal framework of the earlier planes is actually fabric that is covered with layers of a special paint called dope. I remembered that the craft built by the Wright brothers was covered in fabric but did not realize that later planes also used fabric to cover the frame because it always looked smooth and shiny like metal. I learned that the dope coating dries like lacquer and the finish becomes a taught covering over the airframe while being light yet durable to withstand the demands of flight. If you carefully flick your finger against the side, you will hear it echo like a drum, not metal.
Another fact I learned is that the famous Earthrise image was taken by Bill Anders from Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve in 1968. The camera he used to take the photo is in the museum.
While Pam and Gary were here, Michael decided this would be the perfect occasion to do the "unveiling" of the TV. Every since the TV was delivered back in the fall of 2019, he has left the plastic protective covering on the screen, just for larks. Funnily enough we didn't see any change in the quality of the image.
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| Ta-daa... the protective plastic finally being removed |
Now that we are fully vaccinated, we are braver about venturing out to do our own grocery shopping again. And now that the state is in phase 2 for reopening and hair salons are once again doing business, I made an appointment for a haircut with my stylist. My last haircut was in Arizona in February 2020, right before the pandemic! Ever since we have been in isolation and lockdown, Michael has trimmed my hair and I have trimmed my bangs. He obviously did a good job because a few months ago when I went for my dental appointment, a woman who sat down next to me in the waiting room, masked and 6 feet away as was the protocol, told me that she really liked the way my hair was cut and asked me if I wouldn't mind sharing the name of my stylist. She had recently moved to Anacortes and was looking for a good stylist, one that would not simply give her the "typical old lady cut."
Well, I burst out laughing and told her that I would be happy to give her the name of my stylist but I had to confess that my present cut was due to my husband who has been trimming my hair during lockdown. I wasn't sure if he would be willing to take on new clients but could ask!
My pandemic hair experience was very different and I realized that Covid has complicated all that we simply took a lot for granted before. I arrived at the salon and waited in the car for a text to let me know when to come inside, was met at the door by my stylist, then immediately sanitized my hands on entry. My stylist and I both wore masks the entire time. When she needed to cut my bangs and the hair around my face, she asked me to pull the mask off to one side and hold it in place, then repeat on the opposite side. She sanitized the chair as soon as I left. I realized just how much extra work was involved to keep herself and everyone else safe. She was, however, very glad to be able to get back to work again, grateful to provide a service to her clients whom she had missed. Despite the government stimulus aid, things have been tough for her and her daughters yet she remained upbeat and optimistic that the situation would continue to improve. How fortunate for us that we are at the stage of life where we are no longer dependent on jobs for our income during the pandemic.
I shared my story about the good cut my husband has been giving me for the past 14 months (and let her know about the lady who asked for a referral). She was very impressed that Michael had been trimming my hair all these months and declared that he had done a very good job considering he was a male, then asked what career he had previously. She expected I would tell her his work involved precision cutting, like a carpenter, but never an accountant. It made me wonder if perhaps Michael had missed his calling.
My sewing and embroidery projects continued. I made a blanket for our neighbor's first baby:
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| a dog theme seemed appropriate for a little boy who will grow up with a family dog |
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| label created in the Bernina digitizing software |
A couple of bags:
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| embroidery added to the flap |
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| phone bag created entirely In-the-Hoop |
And a patch (digitized with my awesome software) to cover a large rip on the sleeve of Michael's favorite hiking jacket:
As Spring continued to unfold, walks to the beach included sightings of poppies and tulips along the way. There was color popping all around.
The first weekend in May is the official start of boating season in Washington state. To celebrate the day, Skyline neighborhood where we live, held a dinghy parade. We watched the parade, cheered the boats on as they sailed up the channel then turned around to return, and enjoyed the weather-perfect afternoon at our favorite beach park. Spring was definitely in the air and with it a renewal of hope and better days ahead.
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| small boats and dinghies in the channel celebrating the start of boating season |
Tomorrow we will head off to Fort Casey again for a couple of nights. It's time to give the Alpine a run again.