August 16th – 24th ~ Spent with family on Whidbey Island, Washington
Joanne picking blueberries
Our air quality had been poor for some time due to the many fires in British Columbia. After disappointing photos, and diminished views of the mountains, we decided to say goodbye to Canada and headed toward the border back into the USA.
These large boulders along the Columbia Parkway were our sendoff committee
Flower or weed? Both graceful and sinister in appearance.
Making a diagonal trail across British Columbia from Jasper to Vancouver, we had one overnight in Kamloops where we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Terra Restaurant. This excellent restaurant is known for creating a new menu every month to highlight what is in season. The beet salad was outstanding.
Beet salad at Terra Restaurant
After making a list of all of our fresh produce ahead of time and presenting it at the border our crossing went smoothly. The agent requested we donate our remaining bell pepper and green onions, then we were on our way.
My sister, brother-in-law and his mother live on Whidbey Island in Washington State. We had long-planned on stopping there to spend a few days on our way south. We were just a couple of weeks earlier than anticipated.
One of the best things about visiting this area in late summer is the fresh berries. We managed two outings to pick both blueberries and blackberries.
Blackberries were just getting to the sweet stage. All of the berries were carefully washed, laid out to dry and then frozen on baking sheets. Once frozen, they were packaged in freezer bags to be used over the coming months. We did of course keep some fresh that we greatly enjoyed over the next few days. Jan even treated us to a fabulous berry pie!
Tim picking blackberries
Tim woke me up before 6:00 one morning to make sure I did not miss seeing this spectacular sunrise:
Sunrise on Whidbey Island
But even the daytime view from their deck is pretty amazing:
View at low tide
Our favorite place to eat in Oak Harbor is a seafood restaurant called Seabolt’s Smokehouse. We try to get at least one meal here each time we come for a visit. Everything is fresh, well seasoned, and cooked to perfection.
This time we made it more than once and I got to try their mixed shells (Penn Cove Mussels and Manila Clams steamed with garlic, white wine, lemon & butter) combo on one trip and the calamari and sweet potato fries on another visit. The crab cakes are another excellent choice. Tim is particularly fond of the wild salmon sandwich.
Crab cakes? Nope, homemade falafel salad my sister made
Another benefit to arriving back in the state two weeks early, was that we would be able to see the total eclipse. But I’m going to save that side trip for our next post.
GRATITUDE MOMENT: I am always grateful to be able to spend time with my sister and her family. We are so fortunate to have a close, kind, and supportive relationship. Jan got the brains in our family (PhD in Geophysics from Stanford) and is a fantastic cook on top of that. I’m a very proud big sister ❤
A Note From Abroad 
Love Whidbey Island and those berries too. Fond memories of taking my mom there for R &R during her final illness. Wish I could have seen you two on your way back south.
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Mike, we would have loved seeing you as well. Next time we are up your way, I’ll try to make that happen. Our reunion may come first though.
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Reblogged this on DrWeb's Domain.
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Thank you for sharing!
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Another great story. Wow, the photos just put this as over the top super. Thank you. Looking forward to your next post.
Petrina
New York
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Thank you Petrina. Appreciate you checking in with us 😀
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Great food photos! 😀
Sorry you couldn’t spend more time up here. (right now we’re battling smoke from two directions, the Interior and Washington) … maybe next time. 🙂
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The wild fires have been intense and air quality horrific.
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Amazing photos! I am over on Vancouver Island and also have poor air quality here. Now following your blog 🙂
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Welcome! I hope the air quality continues to improve for everyone.
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Love it! We picked blueberries in Enumclaw, WA, in early August. We just finished eating them last week.
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I hope you froze some to enjoy this winter, but can certainly understand if they are gone. They were fabulous!
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We are now near Bangor, Maine, about half way around the US on our planned trip. Our plans will be affected by the hurricanes, though.
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The hurricanes are causing major travel challenges for many, but my heart sure goes out to those who have (and will) suffer tremendous loss. I hope that otherwise you are enjoying your fantastic adventure!
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Wow what an amazing sunrise and a great photo!
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It was pretty spectacular to wake up to!
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Wonderful fresh berries. I would never had been able to fill a basket, most would just go straight into my stomach. This looked like an unbelievably good time. Can you believe you missed the fires that are going on right now, it is terrible. Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Canada in flames. So sad.
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Those were the best berries! The fires are horrible. Sure would love to see Mother Nature help us out with some good rain storms – without any lightning, of course.
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I love fresh blueberries. Are those bushes on your sister’s property? I love blackberries too, but more in pie. Yum. I bet your glad that Tim woke you up for that sunrise! I don’t think I have ever seen anything so beautiful. Sounds like you had a great visit with your sister’s family! That’s awesome that you have such a close relationship.
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The blueberries were fabulous. No, they are on a farm a short distance from their home. Tim was hesitant to wake me up, but I’m so glad he did. And yes, we are so fortunate to have such a close relationship.
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Glad you guys had fun. Can’t wait for the next post! 😀
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Thank you so much for joining us!
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My pleasure!
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How nice to visit family, and just a bonus that live in paradise! That sunrise…OMG! And the berries and food look amazing too 😀
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Wasn’t that sunrise magnificent? I was so happy that Tim woke me up to share it.
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