Whidbey Island

Today I went for a drive.  I was going to go to the beach.  A quiet restful place to be alone in my thoughts.  I drove to Whidbey Island.  I took some knitting and just planned to find a spot to sit and enjoy the water.  All was good for a while.  I sat in my car and knit for a while when I realized I had not shut off my headlights.  Of course, I ran my rather weak battery down.  Rather than panic, I just decided to take a walk along the beach and hope my battery would recharge on its own.  I did and it didn't.  Weighing my options, I knew I could ask other beach goers if they had jumper cables or I could call for roadside service.  Chose the first option and the second person I asked was able to accommodate me.  I had really wanted to stay there and see if I could get a good sunset picture.  I decided however, that given the fragile state of my battery it would be prudent for me to head home before it was completely dark.  I had not told anyone I was going.  It was just a spur of the moment decision.  I did have my phone with me so I was not in any real danger. As I started driving home I noticed my speedometer had quit working. Driving on the Island is a drive that must be done without speeding at all.  What to do, what to do?  Just paced myself with other traffic.  If I felt cars were piling up behind me, I increased my speed a little.  Seemed to work.  Made it off of the island without incident.  Still had several miles of freeway to navigate also.  That was easier though because you can pace yourself with the cars around you.  Not the same as driving on a two lane winding island road.
Stan said it could be related to the bad battery.  I really need a new car.  We do not need a payment though.  The solution is for Stan to drive my car the three miles to work and I will take his car.  It will work for a while.

There were 6 deer feeding in the open field as I rounded the curve and dropped down the hill at Ft. Casey.  They were not at all threatened by my presence.  Very used to human interaction.

This ship passed through the passage between Whidbey Island and the peninsula.  It was headed North out of Puget Sound.  I like to think it is taking things to Alaska.  Something that may even find its way into Tricia's home. 

Took just a short walk along the beach.  Liked this tree lying there.  I always wonder where it may have floated from.  What storm tore it from its spot in the forest.  The way the kelp is lying across it, I think that probably some children placed them there.   

A pile of logs being held captive by the tree in front of them.  Maybe they are being protected by it.

An old dock no longer in use.  A safe resting place for the Comorants.

Looking across the sound to the Olympic Peninsula.  The Olympic Mountains in the  background.

The path I returned to the parking lot on.

After I left the Ft. Casey area I drove down a road I had not been on before.  This huge house looks like it has been abandoned.

Directly across the road from the highway was this barn nestled into the hill.