It’s sprinkling as I leave the boat to go paddling, but I can see clearing all around, and sure enough, by the time I reach English Camp, the rain has stopped.

I spotted a small blue heron fishing on the beach.  He was so intent on getting breakfast, that he paid me no attention at all.

I landed my kayak and set out to see what I’d missed yesterday.  This totem was interesting, but has nothing to do with the English Settlement. It was dedicated by the Lummi and Saanich Nations in 2016, and depicts traditional reef net fishing, which was practiced by the Coast Salish people.

Once the Pig War dispute was settled, the Royal Marines departed.  In 1875, William and Mary Crook laid claim to the property through the Homestead Act provisions.  They started living in the buildings left by the British.  They had lots of buildings to choose from, since there were about 28 buildings in all.  Eventually, however, William and Mary Crook’s son, Jim Crook, built a beautiful home on the property.  That home, unfortunately, like most of the buildings, has not survived.

This afternoon, I heard an airplane engine.  I grabbed my camera and was able to get photos of the floatplane that I photographed yesterday taking off.  It’s scary how they take off between boats.

The sunrise this morning was spectacular.

I don’t want to be late for Al’s Sunday morning breakfast, so I’m up and on the water by 0650 hrs, headed for English Camp, in Garrison Bay, where the Royal Marines were garrisoned from 1859 to 1872, during the Pig War, which settled the territorial dispute between the U. S. and Britain over where the U. S./Canada border would be established.  Twelve years later, Germany, the aribitrator in the dispute, determined the border to be at the 49th parallel.   The U. S. won, so now the San Juan Islands, including the English Camp, are located in the U.S. 

The English Camp is a National Historical Park.

The Royal Marine commander, William Addis Delacombe, was accompanied by his wife and three children.  The commander ordered a beautiful house and formal garden be built for his family.

The officers had it pretty nice too.

The only quarters still standing, however, is the barracks.

This was a pretty cushy posting….beautiful quarters, gorgeous views.  When the British lost the war, these guys hated leaving.

On my way back to the boat, I spotted this private float plane tied up to some local’s dock.  Must be nice.

I paddled over to the oyster farm early this morning, hoping to buy some oysters.  Unfortunately, the oyster farm doesn’t open until 1100 hrs.  So, I paddled around the whole bay, looking for public beach access to the road.  I had hoped to be able to walk to Roche Harbor.  No such luck.  All I saw were “Private Property” signs. 

The best thing about Westcott Bay so far is the flat water.  Very relaxing after the washing machine waters of Blind Bay.

This has been a very bouncy, rocking anchorage, due, in part, to the Washington ferries which arrive and depart every 15 minutes, creating huge wakes.

So, we’ve decided to move on.  

One nice thing about the rainy weather was this beautiful double rainbow.

It’s less than 15 miles to Westcott Bay, on San Juan Island, so we were able to have a leisurely breakfast before heading out in the rain.

We set a course that would take us first to Roche Harbor.  We were curious to see if Roche has changed since we were there years ago.  It has, big time.  The marina has really grown, and seems to cater to larger boats and megayachts.  We continued on to Westcott Bay.

The large oyster farm in Westcott Bay, which in years past took up a large part of the bay, has almost disappeared.  I look forward to checking it out in my kayak tomorrow.

The Shaw General Store is the only game in town for groceries.  We are down to our last 3 apples, and our only other fruit is dried prunes.  We need fresh produce.  So, we launched the dinghy and headed ashore.  

The Shaw General Store has changed since our last visit many years ago, and not for the better.  However, I did manage to pick up 1 yellow onion, 2 tired bananas, 8 Gala apples (one of my least favorite apples), 4 mangos, and a pineapple. 

The wind blew over 20 knots every day, making it impossible to take photos from my kayak.  And then, the rain came. 

Even though the wind was still blowing 15 knots, gusting to 25 knots, I finally decided to go kayaking anyway.  The tide was pretty low, which is usually good for finding wildlife.

I spotted this pair of blue herons fishing along the shore.  

I would bet that this beautiful house is probably one of the original houses here.

It seems like you just can’t get away from politics these days.

In the distance I saw some little birds and decided to check them out.  They kept paddling just a little faster than I was paddling.  I think they were having fun with me.  I finally gave up and figured this was as close as I was going to get.

This is berry season, and there are lots of blackberries growing along the road.  These boaters are probably thinking about making a fresh blackberry pie.

The sun was just rising when I set out paddling.  I noticed something move on the beach behind the boat and discovered this deer grazing along the shore.

I paddled for a couple hours this morning, but the wind was gusting up to 15 knots at times, making it difficult.  I hadn’t seen any wildlife, but if I had, it would have been impossible to get a shot in focus, due to the rough water.  So, I headed back to the boat.  Just behind the boat, I spotted a heron on the beach.  The water was calmer, so I paddled over to try to get a shot.  That’s when I noticed the juvenile mergansers, probably the same group that were here before.  They toyed with me for at least 30 minutes, coming close enough for a shot, and then diving just as I had them in focus.  I wound up getting lots of exercise, and not much more.

A blue heron was also fishing. This must be a hot spot today.

Then, three other herons flew in to do some fishing.  The original heron was not happy with the interlopers.  They definitely ruffled his feathers.

We’ve decided to move on to Blind Bay, on Shaw Island this morning, before we grow to the bottom here.  So, after breakfast, Al fired up the engines and we headed out.  We didn’t have far to go.  After about 90 minutes, we were pulling into Blind Bay.  We could not believe the number of boats in the anchorage.  I counted 60 boats!

I was paddling by 0630 hrs this morning, headed toward Spencer Spit again.  I paddled for two hours and didn’t get any photos.  The otters from yesterday made a brief appearance, but didn’t come within range to get any photos.  So, after two hours, I headed for the launch ramp to haul out and  go for a walk.  It was a lovely walk, but once again, no photo ops.

While I was gone kayaking, Al got his workout replacing teak plugs on the foredeck.  

The temperature only got up to about 75 ^oF today.  We’re loving it, since it was still in the hundreds at home in Redding.

It’s going to be a hot one today, probably in the high eighties, and there isn’t any breeze.  But, it’s better than being home in Redding, where it’s over 100 degrees.  

Al is still sleeping when I go paddling at 0700 hrs.  I can’t paddle too far today, probably only a couple of hours, since this is Sunday, and Al’s fixing biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Can’t wait.

I headed toward Spencer Spit, figuring to paddle for an hour before turning around and paddling back to the boat.  

I noticed some disturbed water along the shore and zoomed in with my camera to take a look.  Otters!  There were six of these clowns having a gay old time.  I followed them.  They’d haul out and play on the rocky shore for a while, and then head back to the water, swimming a little farther north.  

When they got to a dock, they had to check it out.

And, then they had to check me out.  I call this “otter rubbernecking”.  

I’ve found that otters get bored very easily, so once they’d climbed up on the dock, checked it out for about 30 seconds, they were on to the next adventure.  It turned out that their next adventure was onshore.  I watched as they scampered up a sandy beach, headed for the trees.  Well, it was fun while it lasted.

By now, it was time to head back to the boat.  On my way I came across this blue heron on a rocky shore.

It was getting late, so I didn’t have time to take a lot of photos.  I did stop long enough to get these shots of a couple of juvenile mergansers.

Al hailed me on the radio to tell me, “The biscuits are in the oven”.  I started paddling faster.

After a delicious breakfast.  I was looking out the window when I saw a fellow and his dog on a paddle board.  I thought he was probably taking the dog ashore to do his “business”.  But, no.  He was taking the dog for a paddle.  

The dog looked pretty bored, probably wondering, “Are we there yet?”

Another sunny day in paradise.  The weather just gets better and better…not too hot, not too cold, and no fog.  A lot of other boaters are enjoying this beautiful weather also.  This being the weekend, the bay is full of boats.

The blue heron was back this morning, fishing at the head of the bay, and the catching was good.

I decided to head out toward Spencer Spit, where I’d seen the eagles the other day.  Well, I didn’t find any eagles, but I did find this kingfisher way up in a tree.

And, also way up in a tree, I spotted this blue heron.  He’s not going to catch any fish up there.

Down on the rocky shoreline, this sandpiper made a brief appearance.

I found another couple of blue herons.

While I was looking up in the trees for herons, this hawk flew way up to the very top of a tree. 

I’d been paddling for a couple of hours, so I decided to head for the launch ramp and get in some walking.

I walked up Islandale Road, where I’ve been walking for the past few days, and decided to try a road that piqued my interest, named North Star Road.

I hadn’t gone 100 feet when I stopped to change the setting on my camera. When I looked up, there was a deer heading into the underbrush, about 50 feet in front of me.  By the time I got my camera adjusted, he was gone.  But, on the other side of the road I saw some movement in the brush.  I zoomed in, hoping to find him, and there he was staring back at me!

And, beyond the deer, was a cow staring at me.

Actually, there were two cows.

Not only were there two cows, but there was a white horse checking me out also.

When I zoomed in to get a photo of the house, I found another horse.

I’d discovered a whole other Lopez Island that I’d never seen before.

On my way back to the boat, I spotted a deer grazing along the shore.

The beautiful weather continues.  I was up at the crack of dawn, as was this blue heron, who was breakfasting on the tiny fish that frequent this cove. 

The tide is low this morning, and since we’re getting closer to the next spring tide, sea stars and sea cucumbers are starting to be exposed at low tide.  

These sea cucumbers (cucumaria miniata) are spectacular in the morning light.

And, I found my first purple sea star of the season.

This kingfisher perched long enough for me to get these shots.  

And, then he was off in search of more fish.

And, I was off to the launch ramp to take a walk ashore.  

After changing into my walking shoes, I headed up Islandale Road, looking for photo ops, and getting some much needed exercise.

This fire hydrant caught my eye.  I guess these houses do have running water.  Judging from the size of the hydrant, water is probably pretty precious.

I stopped to enjoy the view.  It is such a beautiful day!

I noticed this unusual cardboard box attached to a tree, and decided to check it out.  Apparently, they have a problem with Gypsy Moths on Lopez Island; or, they don’t want to have a Gypsy Moth problem.

I’d been gone for three hours, and I still hadn’t had breakfast, so I headed back to my kayak for a quick paddle back to the boat.  Thankfully, there wasn’t any wind this morning, so paddling was much easier than it has been.