A Beautiful Whidbey Island Day!

What a day on Whidbey Island!
My swim this morning was fantastic.  Coach Kristi puts a lot of creativity into the work-outs she plans for the Master's classes.  We stumble into the locker room at 5:10 a.m., then drop into the pool by 5:20 to start the warm up.  Each lane is like a mini a team, supporting and even teasing one another.  We swim hard and make it fun, but All of us agree that we feel best afterwards, in the hot tub!

By 9 a.m., I was at Useless Bay Coffee Co. to meet up with my singing buddy, Ann from Albuquerque, who happens to be in Langley this weekend.  We sang together for two years, until they sold their Langley home and moved to New Mexico a year ago. You just never know who you'll run into at the Maxwelton Parade!  That's how I found Ann, after she'd sent several emails about their planned island visit. It's like the Clyde Theater.  Everyone runs into everyone else there.  You've never heard so much talk talk talk, back and forth and across the aisle before a movie begins.  When you move here you become part of a small town.  No one is a stranger, whether you're at the theatre, standing in line at the grocery store, or at Maxwelton Beach for the annual 4th of July parade.  If you've lived in a small town, you know exactly what I mean.


Next, I drove up to Zylstra Road (almost to Oak Harbor) to see my daughter ride her horse in a dressage event.  Kate was marvelous. Albert got a bit skitterish during his debut, but Kate kept calm and pulled him back in for the finish.  I am so proud of Kate! I arrived early enough to watch her preparation of the horse, then herself, and her attention to every detail.  It was something to see.  Mark, her partner, was there to support and encourage her. He will be there for her all weekend during his busiest work time of the year. I'm so happy for Kate.  She has built up a good life.  To top it off, at every turn in the road heading home tonight, I was struck by the beauty of mountains and water.  Sheer joy!