A sensory treat steeped in gray

Rain and fog bring out the best in Orcas Island. Mist and gray expose a unique subtlety of color and texture, a softness not revealed under the glare of a summer sun. The imagery is seductive, the absence of sound sedative.

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Big picture, little camera

I’ve learned it is better for me to observe than capture. Besides the fact I am utterly helpless with even an automatic camera, look-at-me moments happen frequently here and quickly – very quickly. By the time I’ve grabbed the camera, (or found the camera,) adjusted a setting and flung myself to the nearest vantage point, the moon usually slips behind a cloud, an eagle passes, the seal dives, the rainbow softens.

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Whale Writer, the unexpected chapter

I can see with my own eyes now an extension of black form leaping from the water; an orca whale is breaching. It’s like the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Fourth of July fireworks and Christmas lighting ceremony all rolled into one. “Wow, wow, wow,” are the only words I can muster, the only words that fit the moment.

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Kayaking experience provides the detail

When I look out beyond the calmness of this bay, beyond the protective arms of the Point, I can see the ripples where wind meets water. I feel both exhilarated and anxious at the same time and for the same reason: the unknown. We’re kayaking new territory, crossing a channel that demands respect.

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Introduction to harbor seals

The seals apparently use the Peadpod Rocks as a haul-out site for its proximity to food, sun, good visibility and secure access to the water. Plus, I think they like to watch the daily activity of tugs, barges and boats that thread the channel between Cypress and the Rocks. Harbor seals are much more fun to watch than elephant seals. For one thing, when they haul-out, they don’t wallow on top of each other in obese, blubbery colonies grunting and farting like their counterparts.

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