Last weekend for Emily's birthday (!) we went up to Orcas Island. It's kind of hard to believe that I haven't posted about the San Juans before, considering I was a camp counselor up there for many summers and used to lead kayak trips all throughout the islands. It is a place that means a lot to me in ways that could not be properly explained on a blog.I'm sure that will not stop me from posting about it in the future.But right now I'm too busy — as demonstrated by my dismal lack of posts recently. It's weird, we moved back from New York to have more leisure time in the outdoors, and I've never been more busy in my whole life. I'm not complaining — I'm thankful for the work, I feel lucky — but it makes for somewhat detached and sparse bloggery. Anyway — for now — here are some photos from our weekend....Em picked me up Friday and we raced north.Of course we missed the ferry anyway so we had a couple beers (cask-conditioned Manny's) at the Brown Lantern in Anacortes.By the time we got on the ferry, the sun was setting.Red socks. What can I say, I likes to party.This is the view (the following morning) from our room at the Kingfish Inn in Westsound. The picture of Em sleeping on the dock in this post was taken on that dock several years ago.We walked onto the ferry to Friday Harbor (it's on a different island — you can hop the ferry to other islands for free).I remember admiring this boat a long time ago. It's a small ferry — it can hold maybe 4 cars — and the bow opens up so you can drive out onto a beach or boat ramp.Genius... Take us the f•ck outta here.Clark, Barnes, and Lummi Islands, with the mainland and the North Cascades in the distance — as seen from the top of Mt. Constitution.On the way back, waiting for the ferry, we killed time in this café, catching up on old magazines.

It was that kind of weekend, and it was good.