I’m not ashamed to admit that when I arrived at my brother and sister-in-law’s place on Orcas Island, I stood for a while and shed tears—tears over the wonder and beauty of this amazing place. Of course, the cause of my tears was not just the wonder of God’s creation, but the wonder of His healing for my brother, Jim, from a critical illness that just about took his life some sixteen months ago. To see him fully recovered and enjoying the little paradise they have preserved and enhanced here is a joy. ”Bluebell Springs” is the name of their place, virtually at land’s end below the island’s Moran State Park. Here is how one flyer describes the island:
Art, activities and agriculture flourish on Orcas Island, the largest of the San Juans. The horseshoe-shaped island is a magical mix of lush forest, farm valleys, placid lakes and stunning mountains, all wrapped around a beautiful fjord.
It has been named by Readers Digest, Forbes, Island Magazine, and National Geographic as one of the top island getaways in the world. And at Bluebell Springs, the grandeur of it all comes together. Buzzing rufous hummingbirds, darting tree and barn swallows, crawking ravens, and grazing Columbia black-tail deer, keep you mesmerized near their home, and down on the beach where the springs finally reach the sea (the Georgia Strait), small waterfalls add their part to the symphony of lapping water and tumbling stones. In the meadows and on the forest edge, foxglove spires add their multi-colors fresh off the Creator’s pallet.
In the next few posts I will share photos from this place of wonder.
See you outdoors!
Dean
June 22nd, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Dean, Blue Bell Springs seems wonderful. Checked temps there and here (western NC) and you’re at 57 degrees, while I’m sweltering at 86.
Great news about your brother’s healing. I have to wonder if the geography he lives in has aided the process. There’s nothing like therapy from the outdoors for me when I’m ill. I’ve had a chronic cough my doctor hasn’t helped, but our week camping in the Smokies has “flung a healin’ on me.”
The pics are beautiful, and am waiting to see more. Thanks for the update.
Bob
June 24th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Dean,
As a lifelong resident of the Puget Sound area, I am pleased that you are enjoying the San Juans. I have traveled all over and never seen anything that is more beautiful than the Pacific Northwest in the summer. (Though I do admit to being biased.)
To be frank, you must know that this beauty comes with a price. To gain these three months of “paradise”, we submit to nine months of rain, rain, and more rain. That’s why everything looks so lush and green.
I’ve only been to the San Juans once. Spent a week on a sailboat exploring the hidden bays and coves. But I grew up cruising the waters of south Puget Sound in a 15 foot runabout – Carr Inlet, Raft Island, and Rosedale area. Many happy memories.
I do admire those hearty souls who chose to live year round on the islands. Those winter storms can frequently disrupt the ferry schedules. Last year the underwater electrical cable to Anderson Island broke. The whole island was without power for 6 months.
I enjoy your posts.
Mike
June 26th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Mike, you are blessed to live here—between mountains and the sea. My brother and sister-in-law learned early on that the long, gray days of late fall to early spring can get to you after a while; so they winter in the Palm Springs area. But as you say, mid-May to mid-September is awesome. If I lived here, I would probably do woodworking in the gray months.
Dean