It was really fun watching this raccoon family (mom, dad and two babies we assume) playing in this tree in the campground.

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We were thrilled that Amy was the Friday night entertainment here at the park. Over the years we've become friends and she often invites Al to join her for a few songs. She has just finished producing her 3rd CD so we get to "take her home" with us!

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The Anacortes Arts Festival is the city's biggest annual event and one of the largest art festivals in the Northwest with some 250 artisans. This year there were "balloon fairies" who were animated and very entertaining.

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Our friends from Sun Lakes, Carol and Roy Finch, are visiting Washington for the first time so we are attempting to show them some of our favorite places in this area. Today we took the ferry through the San Juan Islands to Friday Harbor. The day started out foggy but turned sunny with blue sky. It was wonderful seeing Mount Baker so clearly.

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Today found us heading to Whidbey Island. Regardless of how many times we see it, we never tire of gazing at Deception Pass Bridge.

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Port Townsend was one of the leading cities on the Puget Sound in the late 19th century. Today it is more of an art colony and owes much of its charm to an impressive collection of Victorian-era architecture. The historic downtown district is filled with homes displaying turrets, pergolas, towers, and gingerbread trim as well as original brick buildings dating back to the late 1800's. Carol and Roy were taking it all in!

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We discovered this bronze statue in Langley on Whidbey Island many years ago and try to go back and see it every once in a while. It was done by Georgia Gerber and given to the city in 1986.

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Al had read that Cloverdayle, a country western group, would be performing in Anacortes' free concert series so off we went. The venue was perfect as was the weather - as for the band, umm we left a little early!

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Our destination today was Mount Baker. We stopped in the small town of Glacier for lunch and noticed these ice skates thrown over the wires. We've seen tennis shoes before but never ice skates!

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The falls are on the north fork of the Nooksack River. The water flows through a narrow valley and drops freely 88 feet into a deep, rocky river canyon.

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We were thrilled that the road was open all the way to Artist Point (two years ago we were only able to go as far as Heather Meadows due to snow).

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This is Mount Baker at her best! The mountain is some 10,770-feet and is the third highest mountain in Washington. It is the most heavily glaciated and the second-most thermally active crater of the Cascade Range volcanoes.

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Mount Shuksan stands a bit over 9,100-feet and is said to be the most photographed peak here because of its reflection in both Baker and Picture Lakes. This is Picture Lake.

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The campground we stay at as well as all the surrounding area is part of the Swinomish Reservation. This weekend they were having their canoe races down the Swinomish Channel. It is a competition among different reservations and very serious. They had numerous categories for different size canoes (these were 6-person canoes) as well as for age groups and gender. It was fun standing on Rainbow Bridge watching the race.

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We have a primo campsite that overlooks the water so we can actually sit in the coach and watch the sunsets develop. I won't even tell you how many sunset photos I've taken but suffice it to say, this one seemed to be the most brilliant so I'm including it here. This might actually be the prettiest sunset photo I've ever taken!

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Not only does our campsite overlook the water, but we also have our own crop of blackberries. Needless to say, Al's picking and I'm baking cobblers almost non-stop.

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My high school friend Sally and her hubby Paul came for a visit so they could enjoy our "perfect" campsite and join us for dinner (yes I cooked!). After a meatloaf dinner, dessert was - you guessed it - blackberry cobbler!

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Our friends Barbara and Rudy (we met on our China trip) took us on another adventure in their boat.

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Our adventure took us past Port Townsend and the Point Wilson Lighthouse. The United States Lighthouse Service built the Point Wilson Light in 1913. At a height of 51 feet, the beacon is the tallest on Puget Sound and marks the entrance to Admiralty Inlet.

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Our destination was Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, located near the mouth of Discovery Bay in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We hadn't seen this many bald eagles, both mature and immature, all in one place since our trip to Alaska!

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This 364-acre island is covered by grass and low brush, with a small timbered area, high sandy bluffs for seabird nesting, and low sand spits on two ends of the island. We were hoping to see the puffins but alas we only saw pigeon guillemots. About 1,000 harbor seals depend upon the island for a pupping and rest area.

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Our return trip back to shore took us by the Admiralty Head Lighthouse. Built in 1861 and rebuilt in 1903, the lighthouse guided tall ships toward the Whidbey Island shore where they could fill their sails with wind. It was the last brick lighthouse designed by renowned German architect Carl Leick. Its walls are 18-inches thick - built to withstand the earthquakes that shake western Washington. Admiralty Head's Fresnel lens was extinguished in 1922.

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Amy Hindman invited us to attend her CD release party where we got to hear her backed up by the musicians from her new CD. What an incredible experience for us!

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The fire ban was finally lifted so on our next to last day here, we broke out the wood and enjoyed a fire and our view with friends Clare and Orin from our camping group at home. Great visit with them but I just couldn't provide an incredible sunset which was unfortunate.

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