Yesterday was a HUGE day. One of those days that has enough going on you could post about it twice. Or perhaps even thrice? 😂

But why do that? 😁

Celebrate - Kool and the Gang = yesterday’s theme song. 💃🏼 🎉

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Yesterday I took the day off work to celebrate a birthday. 🎂

Mine. ☺️

Making a VERY important wish. 😇

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But let’s start with Thursday

Thursday was my last day at work for the week. But it was a SLACKER day. First, I got in pretty late. Next thing you know it was time for birthday lunch. The crew from my old department continues to celebrate birthdays together. Birthday boy or girl’s choice on location. Everyone else pays.

The Crew. Selfie taken by work mate. A. Thavis

We dined at an Italian spot called Mamma Melina. (They have a GREAT lunch special.) We had wine. There were cards and a gift. We shared a tiramisu.

All the things.

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Yesterday (Friday) I took the day off. Because working on your birthday is for chumps. 😄

We spent the day exploring Whidbey Island.

Google Maps screenshot.

Whidbey Island is the largest in Washington State’s San Juan Islands chain. The island is 37 miles long and creates the northern boundary of the Puget Sound. The terrain varies from forests to farms. Whidbey’s beaches bring visitors for swimming, clamming and whale watching. While several small towns across the island feature boutiques, art galleries and farm to table dining.

We took advantage of it all.

Whidbey is accessible from the north via a bridge at Deception Pass or from the south via ferry. We decided to take the ferry from Mukilteo. It is a short crossing, less than 30 minutes. We timed our arrival perfectly, so only waited for the ferry about 5 minutes before boarding. This is unheard of during the summer - especially on a beautiful sunny day. 🌞

Driving onto the Kittitas.

View of the Mukilteo Lighthouse as we pulled away from dock.

Those views!

Adventuring! 👩🏻🧔🏻

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First stop - Langley, WA

After disembarking from the ferry, we drove to Langley, a darling town on Whidbey’s eastern shore. The city sits on a bluff above Saratoga Passage, but the beach can be accessed by steps via Seawall Park. We explored the park and beach as our first activity.

Looking towards Saratoga Passage and Camano Island.

Guide to potential wildlife viewing.

You ring this bell if you spot a whale from shore.

Totem poles mark one of the beach access points.

Walking the seawall behind the Inn at Langley.

Finally on the beach. The tide was quite high. There is also a decent amount of quicksand in the area so keeping closer to the bluff side of the beach is advisable.

It is apparent the bluff is slowly being eroded into the sea.

Art carved into the seawall.

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After enjoying the shoreline, it was time to head back up into Langley proper. The historic downtown is just a few blocks in size. It is very walkable and while small, there are several quaint alleyways to explore.

First Street

Hanging flower baskets decorate the streets.

Bunnies must be a thing in Langley because we saw several just hopping around town!

Firehouse turned glass blowing studio.

Flowers adorn another of Langley’s lovely shops.

Breakfast for lunch at the Useless Bay Coffee Co. We dined alfresco with the pooches, who werenot to happy when “dad” went inside to order our food.

Street art and the King of Cheese. 😄

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Next stop: Double Bluff Beach.

Located on the south western side of Whidbey Island, I had heard from friends that Double Bluff Beach had a a fantastic off leash dog area. With our dachshunds Jasper and Kodi along, we decided to check it out. Turns out the beach is beautiful for dogs and humans alike!

GORGEOUS! So gorgeous I forgot to take pictures of the dogs having fun. They frolicked, splashed and sniffed plenty of other dog’s bums. It was a great time for all four of us.

A line of summer homes along the southern end of Double Bluff Beach. Look at all of their America flags. Quite a patriotic display. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

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After a quick stop at another beach called Freeland Park, we continued our drive towards the north end of the island. After about five minutes on the road a sign grabbed our attention. It was for a place called Meerkerk Gardens. Having never been nor heard of the garden, of course we exited of the main road to investigate.

I am so glad we stopped!

Main entrance to the garden.

Meerkerk Gardens is a 53 acre ornamental garden filled dog friendly trails! Admission was only $5 per adult (kids are free). The garden is open every day from 9am-4pm. According to their website:

Meerkerk Gardens are renowned for its amazing collection of cultivated and species Rhododendrons. Growing in the shade of ornamental and native trees it is one of the must see places on Whidbey Island. It makes a great day trip from Seattle or the Peninsula. Bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful view of Puget Sound. No need to leave your pets behind - we are pet-friendly.

Definitely a hidden gem of Whidbey Island.

The rhododendron season has ended in Washington, so all of the plants had lost their flowers. A visit in late May or early June would be breathtaking. While the rhododendron show had ended plenty of other flowers were in full bloom. The flowers attracted a plethora of bees and hummingbirds.

The purple bloom in the lower right was a favorite for the garden’s bees. 🐝

The garden was massive, so we only explored a small area before getting back on the road. Our next stop was Greenbank Farms. Another short drive north.

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Greenbank Farm was established in 1904 and was once the area’s largest grower of loganberries. Today the farm is a popular stop for locals and visitors alike. The facility features art galleries, several shops (including a cheese shop), cafe, trails and a demonstration garden.

Former barn.

Views around the grounds - a pond, shops and stylized owl.

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Next stop, Coupeville.

Coupeville is located on the east central portion of Whidbey Island along the shores of Penn Cove. The entire town exists within Ebey’s National Landing Historic Reserve. This reserve was set aside by Congress in 1978.

Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve preserves the historical, agricultural and cultural traditions of both native and Euro-American – while offering spectacular opportunities for recreation. Source

Coupeville Wharf

We parked our car several blocks out of the historic town center near Coupeville Town Park. Within the park we discovered a lovely shaded trail which led us directly to Coupeville Wharf. The peekaboo views along the walk were stunning. We saw sailboats, our first glimpses of the wharf and even spotted two blue herons sunning themselves on the rocks.

So many boats it looked like a mini regatta!

Historic buildings line the shores of Penn Cove.

This northwest Native American inspired wood carving depicts five orca whales, indigenous to the area.

Coupeville had several interesting / unexpected shops. One store we spent a lot of time in specialized in Japanese antiques. The shop had a section with kimonos and hand carved wooden furniture. The girl working the cash registered was excited to show us cell phone photos of her two dachshunds, which just happened to be a matching pair to our boys. We also stopped in at A Touch of Dutch. The shop was filled with blue and white Dutch pottery as well as treats from all over Scandinavia. Surprisingly, they also sold one of my husband’s favorite Australian lollies, a chocolate covered black licorice know as a licorice bullet.m

One of Coupeville’s many specialty shops.

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After a full day, it was time to leave the island.

We continued our drive north to Deception Pass. Deception Pass is actually a straight that separates Whidbey And Fidalgo Islands. The pass was named by Captain George Vancouver during his 1792 expedition through the area. A bridge crosses the straight giving cars access back to the mainland.

The Deception Pass Bridge.

The currents passing under the bridge are so strong that class 2 and 3 rapids form with the changing of the tide.

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We arrived home around 5pm (we had left just after 9am). Everyone was exhausted. BUT THERE WAS MORE TO DO!!! After a cheap and easy McDonald’s dinner it was time for presents. 🎁 I was thoroughly spoiled by my family.

All the goodies.

A sampling of the goodies unwrapped. First off... a Lego man in a BANANA suit!!! Shut. Up. 🍌 Then some treasures of the silver persuasion. #steemsilvergold, these will get their own post!

And finally we return to the cake.

All in all a fantastic celebration of another year in the world. ☺️

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All photos taken by me (unless otherwise noted) July 19 and 20, 2018 on an iPhone 7.

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