Meet Larry. With two different colored glass eyes, askew on opposite sides of his small head, he stares out at the world from his humble perch. He’s not glamorous, but maintains a sense of dignity. We first met Larry at an antique store in Anacortes. Lined up on a high shelf with other antiques, it…
The day glistened, with light dancing off Penn Cove’s deep blue waters. It was a cool afternoon on Whidbey Island, but the sun’s rays penetrated through the calm. Out on the water, looking at the rolling hills and tree lined land off in the distance, I couldn’t help but think of Grace. Grace, who set…
An early morning excursion brings us to the Coupeville ferry terminal, waiting for the next available transport off-island. Having passed the palatial farm estates and rolling fields along Ebey’s Landing, we drive by the glassy water of the National Historic Reserve. Driftwood and large rocks dot the shoreline, and the cool, misty morning conveys a…
The light clouds shield us from the sun, and a gentle marine layer hangs over Puget Sound. Down a nondescript, residential street, we had driven to a parking lot full of spaces for oversized vehicles, but empty in the early morning. We made our way a short distance, passing an abandoned general store, sagging under…
Vibrant warm colors, soft velvets, and intricate details. It felt delicate in my hands as I unwrapped it from the safe plastic box in which it was lovingly housed. Unfurling it, I tentatively held in front of me the unfinished quilt started by my fourth great grandmother, Sophia (née McBride) Murphy. It had passed to…
“You know you’re in a good place when you see ice cream everywhere.” Those were the wise words of a passerby, noticing the delicious ice cream scoops we were enjoying. A beautiful sunny day had brought us to La Conner, Washington, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Langley, up through Oak Harbor, and to the mainland….
The forest drives never fail to take my breath away. The raw beauty that surrounds the roads is something I rarely experienced in suburban Southern California. Weekend drives were usually spent going coastal or to the mountains, with the surrounding landscape a desert chaparral, filled with dark brown and grey hues. On Whidbey Island, the…
Originally from Ireland, unique circumstances brought my fourth great grandparents Francis and Grace (née Mullen) McCrohan to Australia and its New South Wales penal colony in the 1830s. Their daughter, my third great grandmother Elizabeth, was born in Australia and married her Irish husband Thomas Nunan there. By 1858, circumstances had changed and Francis and…
A yellow film coats everything, from the outside of the car to the windowsill. It blankets the driveway as a visible snow, floating lightly to the ground. Springtime and summer in the Pacific Northwest couldn’t be more different than Southern California. For those who are allergy-prone, this means bracing yourself for all that the seasons…
The first time I can remember crossing it, I was in awe. When I was little, I crossed over it many times and my mom would retell its story and the importance of it, just like her father did for her. I just never really focused on it as a child. It took on new…
We live on an island. One connected to the mainland by two ferry routes towards the southern and middle part of the island and a large, iconic bridge located to the north. Getting “off island” requires preparation, whether that’s budgeting time to travel the approximately 30 miles of state route roads to Deception Pass Bridge…
Coming to Whidbey Island, I knew there was a small-town appeal. Neighbors greeting each other on walks, locals enjoying coffee at their morning hangout, and a general sense of connection and support. That’s why, when we learned about the Welcome the Whales parade, there was no question about it, we were going to the annual…
Sunny skies greeted us our first week in Whidbey. Coming from Southern California, we’d been warned about drizzly Washington weather. Fully prepared for gloom, we were pleasantly surprised to experience back-to-back days of warmth and piercing blue skies filled with puffy, cotton ball clouds. As we continued to acquaint ourselves with the island, we decided…
After many days spent moving into our new house and figuring out a routine, we needed a vacation. Living out of a suitcase and traveling from hotel to hotel over the course of the past month had taken a toll and we figured we’d earned a day of play. We had also been introduced to…
“I always get where I’m going by walking away from where I’ve been.” — Winnie the Pooh They say to take the road less traveled. I’m not sure Interstate 5 qualifies, but that’s where we found ourselves in spring 2022, beginning a multi-day, three-state drive to Whidbey Island, Washington. Months of epic planning had brought…
It approached dusk and the daylight started to fade. With the recent memory of a delicious, warm meal of shrimp and clams on my mind and the melodic sound of the car wheels on the road, I sensed myself being softly lulled to sleep. Staring out the window, listening to Bruce Springsteen’s ballad to the…