Island Life: Pre-Motorcycle, Post-Employment

Previous Location: Whidbey Island

Current Location: Lopez Island

Next Location: Seattle

Today marks the 6th day that Josh and I have been without a home. As of Tuesday, October 23rd, we have been staying with family as we make our rounds before heading off on our motorcycle. After a quick overnight in Leavenworth with Josh’s brother Tucker and his girlfriend Kaylin, we had a cozy stay at my in-laws’ Whidbey Island property. After toasty nights in the Dadu, Josh and I would dash through the dewey grass and warm ourselves inside the main house over a cup of coffee. After breakfast, we spent our time deep in conversation with his folks or ruthlessly defending ourselves in card games. Misty mornings and afternoon showers gave the island an endlessly dew-droppy feel, and the fall colors dripped off leaves like a softly painted watercolor.

On Saturday we made our way to Lopez Island, where my mother lives with her partner Alex. The property here is always getting updated, and since the last time I’ve been here the house has grown into it’s fresh yet rustic red paint, and the toilet gleefully gurgles with it’s new flushing capabilities. With deer as second residents, it’s a good thing that dozens of apples fall from the trees to feed all the guests, including us. We stay in the cabin about 100 yards from the main house, which boasts views of the ocean through the evergreens outside.

The days here aren’t too different than on Whidbey, and we are learning there’s a way to island life: sleep in, eat good food, and don’t piss off your neighbor. Here we like to curl up by the fireplace and drink our coffee, sometimes practicing magic tricks, other times doing some light reading or researching our travels. If the skies are clear (which they are for a few hours a day), we’ll take strolls along the island’s many walking trails which remind me of the coasts of Ireland and the English countryside. The greens here are more vivid this time of year than they were this summer, and I sometimes catch myself forgetting what part of the world I’m in.

Tomorrow we leave the island life, and I have a feeling the pace of the Seattle city will infiltrate our energy the same way the slow way of life here has made us feel so calm. Though our motorcycle trip hasn’t truly begun, there is a sense that we are beginning.

Until next time,

Rachel

for more pictures from our San Juan adventures, visit this link: https://flickr.com/photos/142291320@N08/sets/72157702971093325