way back, when i told my coworkers i was moving to seattle, one
said the san juan islands were the most beautiful place he'd been. OK!

after a chill weekend on lopez at heike and terry's, i accompanied sarah to friday harbor, where the 5 o'clock clipper would take her back to seattle. time to spare, we hoped to see orcas from lime kiln point state park, but no such luck. then i had 45 minutes before my interisland ferry back to Orcas (the name is misleading, having nothing to do with whales), so i sat in the sun at a little cafe where i was the only one being serenaded by a local singer with a silken voice. i clapped after every song and he asked if i had a request for his last number. after a couple of misses, we hit upon Rainbow Connection, which he gamely played as i ambled back to the truck, his voice receding in the distance as my boat pulled up to the dock.