Mom’s house listed last Wednesday, and there were open houses Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Now it is mostly a waiting game (although we still have plenty to purge). Her neighbors had generously offered us the use of their vacation home on Whidbey Island, so we took them up on the offer and are having a lovely little getaway.
The first day we were here it rained all day long, so mostly we just hung out at the house and read, and napped. I did take a short walk out to the neighborhood beach and found a few shells. The picture is from the next morning when it wasn’t raining.
Since the weather broke, I have been visiting all of the local beaches and collecting cool rocks, shells, and agates when I can find them. So far, I have found three agates. They definitely are not as plentiful in Washington as they are in Oregon or Minnesota.
Yesterday I went to Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve, parked up on the bluff and hiked down to the beach. It was a sunny, beautiful day and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I also checked out the exterior of the Jacob Ebey house (it doesn’t open for the season until Memorial Day weekend). Jacob Ebey was one of the first white settlers on Whidbey Island, after he and his wife Sarah followed their son Isaac out in 1854. This home was built in 1856. Isaac Ebey was murdered in 1857 by one of the tribes in retaliation for the murder of 27 tribal members the year before by the U.S. Army. He was basically in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is an interesting and tragic story if you want to explore further.
The Ebey’s had a land claim on what is probably the most beautiful and fertile land on Whidbey Island. This land has been preserved since the original 1850s, and many of the farms have never been subdivided, so the views are incredible and the history is so interesting! There are also two blockhouses (built in 1857) and a pioneer cemetery with graves of many of the original settlers up on the bluff. I have visited here before, but it had been a while, and usually I park down below to go to the beach. It was worth the hike!
I have also had several afternoon naps, and finished the book I started right before I left Minnesota three and a half weeks ago. The Monuments Men was such a good book! I found a Little Free Library just up the street from the vacation home which has a good selection, and I picked two books as my next reads. There is never a shortage of books in my life.
We were originally going to come home on Monday afternoon, but with the encouragement of our hosts, we finally convinced mom to stay and relax a bit longer. I think tomorrow we are going to check out another one of the little tourist towns down here, and I’m going to make a stop at the beach where I found two agates a few days ago.
We head home Wednesday morning and then it will be back to the grind of cleaning out the pole barn. There is never a dull day when you are moving. Meanwhile, I have one more day to enjoy!
Wine and History Visited 