A good way to end the year . . .

We had house guests last week, people who were easy to be around, interesting, and interested. We had too much rain, but on this particular day we were out and about, exploring Whidbey Island and Fidalgo Island.

Our first stop was this wharf, at the end of Penn Cove, home to Penn Cove Shellfish Farm. No wind, silvery water, blue light, and pretty clouds. Ahhhhhh . . .

Later in the day we explored a bit of Fidalgo Island, where I zoomed in on a very cool letter "R" on the large fishing boat "Traveler."

Outside the nearby net sheds we poked around the back sides of buildings to find and photograph piles of fishing nets and floats, including some buoys and coiled lines that looked brand-new.

And finally a drive around Washington Park where I photographed this unidentified bird hanging around with some towhees -- shot from the car window.

A fun day, a few decent photographs, and laughter with friends.

And now it's on to 2019 . . . may we have more of the same.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

An afternoon in Anacortes . . .

Crabbing season began about 10 days ago -- always exciting!

Crabpots are stacked up, spiffed up, ready to be loaded onto fishing boats. Not the mass quantities and dramatic vistas we had in Oregon, but I take what I can get and am thankful.

Piles of fishing nets always provide good photo opportunities. "Want to buy them? They won't fit in my net shed." Sure. Five hundred pounds of fish nets. You haul.

It's hard to miss the bright red Arrow Launch/Marine Services boats in the harbor. And they look even better up close.

We walk down one of the docks where I photograph the aft section of a fishing boat from Kodiak, Alaska -- love the texture on this one.

When the weather is good, this is what we do -- get out and explore, wander around, and feel so lucky we can do this together.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.