I have lived on Islands most of my life, but my absolute favorite one is where I now live… Whidbey Island in the middle of Puget Sound in Washington State. I came to this island from another one in Hawaii, and before that Guam. I was 8. The island was covered with fir trees, and surrounded by beaches. I was in heaven. I could climb a tree, and climb a cliff, and pretend to fish, and ride my bike, and my mother never yelled at me to stay in the yard. I thrived here. There was snow in the winter, and clams in the summer, and fish all year around. And the lights went out every weekend. And we had to light lanterns to see, and build a fire to keep warm. It was GLORIOUS!
We left This wonderland when I was 10 and moved back to Hawaii and then to another Island in San Fransisco Bay, Alameda California. It just wasn’t the same. It was all citified, and no snow, and no clams and no trees to climb.
When I was 15, We got our orders back to Whidbey Island…I was ecstatic!! Back to my island!! Back HOME!! My family has lived here since, I was the only one who strayed. I too married a sailor and went to other places. 1 was NOT an Island.
Whidbey Island sits right in the middle of the upper left hand corner of the state of Washington. It separates the Straight of Juan De Fuca from Puget Sound. It sits in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains to the South west, so does not get as much rain and snow as the rest of the state. We only avg 17 inches a year. Because of that fact we are called the Banana Belt, and the US Navy built an Air base here in WWII.
The main income up until that time was farming. The Dutch and the Irish settled here first, and claimed the land for farming. When the Govt. took the land from them to build the base, they were compensated, and bought land other places, but the BEST land became the Air Station, and thus was formed the Dutch/Navy Feud. For many years, the Dutch reformed church was the ruling committee in Oak Harbor. The Navy was considered OUTCASTS. The girls in High School were not allowed to date the young Sailors, (we did anyway) and the Navy was fighting hard to make inroads into the community. It took 60 years, but now that Oak Harbor has grown from a little Dutch farm community to a 45,000 population City, the 2nd generation and the 3rd generation are realizing which side their bread was buttered on. There is a distinct possibility that with BRAC 2005, NAS Whidbey Island may go away. The entire Island is fighting that possibility.
There are still many fir trees on the island, although they are going down faster and faster, to make room for more and more people who are using the Island as a bedroom for Seattle, and commuting the 90 miles+ just to have a cheaper and a better quality of life than the Metropolis of Everett/Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia has.
My development is ½ way down the island, and faces the West/Southwest And most of the homes have a view of the water. I don’t. I can see the tops of the Olympic Mtns though. I live on the top right up against 100 acres of Alder trees and Fir which separate me from the main hiway up the island. I look out the back window and see the alder forest and thus all of the wildlife that live there. The deer can’t get to the roses, because of the fence, but they do walk around the block and attack from the front. The apple trees next door are a real draw to them. Along with my roses out front. It is nothing to come home from the Playhouse at 1000 at night and see the headlights shining into the 3 point buck that thinks he is invisible. (on the West coast, you count one side only, but if he was down south I think you all would call him a 6 point buck.) I leave him alone. I let him believe he is Invisible.
We have some of the most beautiful State Parks on the Island. So popular that you need reservations a year ahead of time to get into the campgrounds. Pity. The tourists have found us.
To the East and on the mainland is the Cascade Mtns. They run from British Columbia down through Oregon and stop at Mt. Shasta in California. Lots of Volcanoes there. Most of them dormant but like Mt. St. Helens, they are not extinct. Mt. Baker is to the Northeast from me, and sticks up its beautiful white head every cloudless day there is. I have a love affair with it and the Skagit River. The North Cascades National Park is one of the USA’s newest and most beautiful parks. Almost Alp-like. The Route over it closes every year because of snow.
To the North west is the San Juan Islands, over 150 islands of all sizes between us and Canada, The only way there is by Ferry, and can be quite spendy once you get there. My Son lives on Orcas Island. The biggest one. Only 45 miles as the crow flies, but evidentially way to far to go visit your Mom.
All of our beaches are rocks and driftwood, no sand. The rocks have not evolved that far yet, but they will. They are still on their journey from Volcano to specks of sand. We live about ¼ mile from the beach as the crow flies, but it is up a steep hill, and really hard on the knees.
Our gourmet culture goes to Fish and Sea Food, as you can tell by my blog entries. Salmon is the mainstay followed by oysters crabs and clams. There is not a day goes by that we don’t have some form of sea food. I LIVE for Salmon, smoked, dried, grilled, baked, Pink , Red, You name it. Yummy!! And the Dungeness Crabs are heavenly.
Flannel shirts and jeans and Birkenstocks with big thick socks are our every day clothes. LL Bean lives on my Coffee Table. As does Eddie Bauer and Lands End.
We drink TONS of coffee, and almost every corner has an Espresso bar on the corner, usually Drive through. I bought my Mazda MPV because it has so many cup holders in it. (Sad huh) There is Starbucks, naturally, and Whidbey’s coffee, and Millstone, and Peets, and Tully’s and any body else you can think of that wants to make a buck.
We all have wood stoves to heat the house, and at least 2 cords of wood stacked out back drying. Wood is 150.00 a cord cut and stacked. Used to be 35.00 10 years ago.
Oak Harbor, has 5 major grocery stores not counting the Commissary. And 3 big discount stores not counting the Navy Exchange. We have every Mexican restaurant in the world, and every oriental food joint, but we have No Italian, no Steak houses but we have Greek! Oh yes, and PIZZA!
2 BlockBuster video stores too.
It really is a great place to raise kids if you can stand the weather and the fact that the closest Mall is an hours drive away. Doesn’t bother us though, we’re used to it. Along I-5 there is anything you want!!!!
Most people who come here with the Navy are shocked to find out there is nothing to do here. I just shake my head in amazement, because there is Way more here than there was 60 years ago when I was growing up! They just have to look for it, It is there in the Forest, and on the Beach, and standing on a wind-swept hill looking out over the Sound, and seeing the Bald Eagles soar on the thermals and watching the Orca Whales breech on their way to join another Pod. It is there walking through the trees and catching a glimpse of the majesty that is the Olympic Mountains, and knowing that they were formed not very long ago geologically. It is there on the shore as the loons swim by and the seagulls yell, and your fishing line finally hooks into that bright silver salmon that you have spent DAYS trying to catch. It is there in the freshness of the wind as it smacks into your cheeks while the temperature hovers around 34 degrees. It is even there in the dampness of the rain and the quietness that the fog brings in. It is all around. You just have to see it with your Open eyes OPEN. (Thanks Robert)
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