A slow start, a foggy morning, and camping biscuits and gravy occupied the entire morning. By noon we were ready to go out and explore. Our destination was beauty, so we ambled for as far as the road took us. On our return to the “main” road, we turned north toward Orcas Island Pottery, and hoped they might be open even though it is October and there are few visitors to the Island. Fortunately, the potters live at the site and are there year round to welcome visitors to their creative industry.

The place seemed like a fairy village with sheds and gardens and sculptures of every kind and description. There was even a tree house, which I forgot to explore since the beautiful pottery on every table and in every shed was consuming all my attentions. After much admiring and lots of time, we each selected a piece of pottery to take home with us, then pulled ourselves away from this delightful business.

We drove back across the Island to Eastsound where my driver needed to stop for some coffee. Surprisingly, the little coffee shop had internet service, and we spent a good amount of time there doing some emails and catching up on the news of the past two days. As my driver continued to sip his coffee, I went out into the streets and explored the crossroads and the tiny shops. Again, there was not much open, but I did visit a couple of galleries that had lovely items. I walked to the historic Episcopal church, located right on the water and walked their labyrinth. The sun peeked out and it was an altogether stunning place to stop and pray.

The little town began closing up shop at 4:00 and my driver called saying he had been chased out of the coffee shop. We found each other (which wasn’t difficult!) and opted for a hot meal at the local Mexican restaurant near where we had parked the car. It was open! So, inside we went. Needless to say, I don’t think there are many Mexicans on Orcas Island . . . but the food was hot and filling.

Returning to our little cabin, we read and knitted and spent the evening like pioneers. It’s amazing how far away we have come from quiet and simple pleasures. It was a lovely evening. I did go out and walked down to Deer Harbor in the post-twilight to see if I could capture some of the beauty. There is a quiet, peaceful, calm to this place; some might call it grace.