Moving out...

C-Dory 25 Cruisers can hold a lot.

Oh sure, we use the truck as our "resupply vehicle," but it also held a lot of stuff that originally came with the boat (original helm seat, replacement parts, etc).  We started the moving out process this morning...

That was two of the full-dock-cart trips, and there are more to come.

Once all our stuff is out, the deep cleaning will begin.  Should be on schedule for the Saturday hand-over.

Our last cruise...

On Wild Blue, that is.

We untied the dock lines for the last time this morning; and a lovely morning it was.  Leaving Friday Harbor, heading for Anacortes.  Heading out of the marina...

We decided to head north out of Friday Harbor, and take the "scenic route" through the Wasp Islands, and over the north side of Shaw Island...

Little Izzy jumped up on the dash to feel some breeze through the center windshield...

I took a photo of Joan in the co-pilot's seat...

She took one of me...

Then, she came over and took a few selfies...

Even though we didn't need it, I fired up the radar, and double checked the rest of the electronics.  All systems go.  Some nice views...

Coming around the northeast side of Shaw, there was a sailboat with silhouettes in the background...

Joan made us a snack.  Little Izzy slid under her blankie...

One last opportunity to dodge the ferry...

Heading towards the back side of Willow Island (A National Wildlife Refuge)...

We saw a gaggle of Ranger Tugs heading towards their gathering at Roche Harbor.  (A flock?  A herd?  A pride?  A brace?  A troop?  A swarm?  A pack?  I don't know - there were a bunch of Rangers heading that direction.)

A beautiful day, looking down Rosario Strait...

Seeing some Orcas would have been a fine ending to the cruise, but it wasn't to be.  I turned the radio to listen in to the whale watch boats... yep, they were in the area, just not where we were.  I switched off that frequency... and enjoyed the cruise.

We called Cap Sante Marina on the way in... we had reserved a spot that would be convenient for off loading...

Tonight will be our last night on the boat.  Much of our stuff can't come off until we are ready to "move out."  Tomorrow.  Then, we check into a motel for a few days while we off load, clean, and give Tim and Mary any "familiarization" they want on the boat.

Hello, Dolly...

It's deja vu all over again.  (Yogi Berra quote)

South Padre Island was shown on the Today Show's weather segment today - Tropical Storm Dolly made landfall well south of the US border, just north of Tampico, Mexico.  Winds and rain, but not the hurricane force of either that is so destructive.

Those of us who live in that area remember a different Dolly... Hurricane Dolly made a direct hit on South Padre Island and Port Isabel in 2008.  LOTS of damage.

Joan asked, "I thought they didn't 'recycle' hurricane names?"

That is only if the hurricane is considered "devastating."  I guess that is a matter of "whose ox is being gored."  Hurricane Dolly in 2008 came in as a Category 1, but ramped up to a strong Category 2 while it sat right over the area for 24 hours.  Winds of 120 mph, and 22" of rain in that same time period.

Jim Cantori and other weather weasels stood on our local beach with their windbreakers flapping, videoed some of the damage, then moved on the next day.  For them and the rest of the country, the "event" was over.  For those of us who live there, the local flooding was an issue for weeks; repairing the damage to homes, condos, and businesses went on for months; some that suffered the most damage took a couple years.  Some were simply leveled, beyond repair.

Our home area received some wind, a bit of rain, and storm surge; on "the dirty side" of this tropical storm.  South Texas is experiencing a tough drought - it could use the moisture.  Nobody needs "another Dolly."

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We are spending our last morning in Friday Harbor.  After breakfast, it is time to undo the dock lines one last time.  The thunderstorms of last night have moved on; a sunny start to the day, with light wind and some local fog.

Should be a great day for our last cruise with Wild Blue.

After the storm...

The rain let up just before sunset...

Really warm light sliding under the dark clouds above the horizon to the west makes for a nice reflection.  Looking back towards the light source in the west sky...

That's the view from Wild Blue's helm - nice for our last evening here.

Then, the rain started again, but much lighter than earlier.  With that bit of sun at the horizon,  you get...

Rainbow!

The "end of the season" party for Roche Harbor employees is tonight at the Yacht Club (just up the ramp from our slip).  Yes, we could have attended, since I was employed at Roche by the Outfitters side of the company.  We can hear the music (and the hooting and hollering) just fine from our boat.  That works.  ;-)

Glad I'm not driving...

Yes, I drove the truck and trailer today.

We went to our "inland office" to drop off uniforms and pick up our last paychecks.  Some hand shakes and hugs.  Some "what's next" questions... and we're done.

From there, it was on to the storage lot to hook up the trailer.  Check tires, check lights - all good... a short drive to the ferry lanes.  There are still a lot of people heading off the island, but we were there plenty early to secure our place in line...

Time for a leisurely breakfast.  And a walk through town.  Then, onto the ferry.  If you couldn't tell from the above photo, it is a gray ol' day...

Nice to have someone else do the driving.  We were in the ferry lanes with the BIG guys, so we were off fairly quick when we got to Anacortes.  We parked the truck and trailer, then called for a cab to take us back to the ferry landing.  A pretty short stay.  ;-)

We used our last two bike multi-passes to get back on the ferry.  The lady tried to convince me that it would be less expensive to pay for walk-on boarding... "Uh-huh.  Except for the fact that we are out of here tomorrow, and I've already paid for the multi-pass."  Truth be told, the motorcycle/scooter multi-pass is very close in price to a walk-on.  They took it, we were happy.

We settled in for the trip back.  With some sprinkles falling...

Crossing Rosario Strait...

In the drizzle.  The light rain let up as we neared Friday Harbor.  Well, until we were ready to get off the ferry - then, it really started coming down.  Good timing.  Not.  I stopped at RoadRiggers (food truck) to pick up a burger; Joan got a slice of pizza.  Back to our boat in the rain; it was way beyond drizzle.  About the time we stepped into the cockpit, we heard the first of the rolling thunder... yeah, I'm REAL glad to not be on the water today.

We buttoned up the boat, had lunch, then settled in for what is left of the day.  The rain was pounding.  Joan and Izzy laid down - seems like a good thing to do on a rainy afternoon... especially one when you aren't working.  ;-)

A few minutes later, I was looking to the south and saw boats rockin' and rollin'!  Joan said, "Is that the wind I hear or more thunder?"

Before I could answer, the gust rocked us.  I would guess it was straight line winds of more than 40 mph... and it lasted for less than a minute.  We were both amazed that the satellite TV cube on top of the boat stayed up there.

Yep, really glad to not be driving a boat right now.

A few minutes later, the rain stopped and bits of blue sky appeared... and just a light breeze.  Odd.  I've seen a gust front hit before the rain squall... never seen it blow through after the storm.  Must have been a convective cell close by, and a quick down-draft.

Half the "shuffle" is done.  Tomorrow, we'll take the boat across.

The shuffle...

Not a dance.  Not what the boat crews call the search for wildlife around Spieden Island.

The scooters are strapped down in the cargo trailer, and we have moved stuff between the truck, trailer, and boat... getting gear where it needs to be.

Today begins our move off of San Juan Island.  We return uniforms this morning, then head for the ferry.  We could split up, with me driving the boat over, while Joan takes the truck and trailer... but, that's not our style.  Our plan for today is to get the truck and trailer on the ferry and to the mainland, then catch another ferry back to Friday Harbor.  Overnight on Wild Blue, then our last trip with her to Anacortes.

We'll check into a motel, get our personal stuff off the boat, deep clean it, then hand it over to Tim and Mary.  We plan to be available to familiarize them with the systems on the boat and answer any questions.

A bittersweet time, for sure, but we are ready for a change.  Wild Blue has taken us on great water travels, and we have many wonderful memories.

Time to make some new memories.

Sauntering...

That's what I call it: when pedestrians just wander slowly through the crosswalk.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that pedestrians have the right-of-way.  Remember, my home turf is in deep south Texas.  Pedestrians have no rights down there.  In fact, the general driver's thought process is: "If you don't like the way I drive, stay off the sidewalks!"

Ask my buddy, Herb, who got hit in a crosswalk there earlier this year.  And he was looking.  Not sauntering.  And he had his big dog, Jake, with him.  Had they not run like hell... well, the outcome would have been much worse.

We really enjoy our time in Friday Harbor.  That time is coming to an end.  The loading up process has begun.  Trips from the boat to our cargo trailer.  And a bunch of crosswalks to drive through on the way.  I don't begrudge the saunterers - couldn't they all get together and saunter across at the same time?  They seem to have this choreographed so that as one slow-moving group is about to complete their crossing, the next even-slower-moving group begins their tortoise-like trek across the street... those on wheels are stuck.

Maybe its just me?  Living where we do, when a driver actually stops for me when I am in a crosswalk, I give them a friendly wave and a "Thank you"... for not killing me.  And, I don't saunter; I move smartly, so they can see that I know their time is valuable, too.  Friday Harbor is a very pedestrian-friendly place... people step off the curb without even looking for traffic, because they just know the traffic will stop.  We have a name for people like that in Texas: deceased.

Down there, you look both ways, take two steps off the curb, and look again while you pick up the walking pace; a quick scan both directions to see if you just might make it to the other side without becoming road-kill, then you really step lively.  Here, they blindly step off the curb, look around at everything but the traffic while they saunter, pause just long enough mid-crosswalk so that anyone walking from the other direction will be able to take their place holding up traffic, and never make eye-contact with anyone in a vehicle.

I just know some of these people are from big cities where pedestrians are an endangered species, just like in south Texas.  There must be some internet site that lets them know pedestrians can roam freely in Friday Harbor... Sauntering.com?