Quintessentially Quilly

I left home without my camera.

Yesterday, all by my lone-self, I drove my car onto the ferry and rode to Anacortes. From there I drove to Seattle, had no small adventure in tears and frustration finding an address on the waterfront, then turned my car over to the shippers. It is on it’s way to Hawaii.

From the shipping office, I rode in a taxi to Kenmore Air on Lake Union in Seattle. I was an hour early for my flight, so I grabbed my novel — packed for just such an instance — and went down the street to Starbucks, were I sipped a latte, exhanged quips with a fellow coffee aficionado, then settled at an umbrella table on the patio to read my novel.

About 40 minutes before flight time I ambled back to Kenmore Air. I had no sooner settled on their waterfront veranda to continue reading, then my cell phone rang. It was my niece, Brooke. We chatted for a bit. After hanging up the phone I headed again for my book — and my flight was called.

I had been looking forward to this trip all day. I was to travel in a DeHavilland 8-seater, propeller driven float plane. I have wanted to fly in a float plane since I was a kid watching them land on, and take off from, Lake Coeur d’Alene.

I was the first one on the plane and I was strapped in a ready to go before the last passenger was seated — and there were only 5 of us. Take off was smooth and uneventful. The sky was blue and clear. Visibility was great and I stared down at tiny houses and villages as we sailed out to — and then over the ocean. We were close enough to the ocean that I could see the bottom from time to time. I was disappointed by the lack of marine life — no whales were spotted on this trip.

However, even without whales, it was a wonderful flight. The pilot put the plane down in Deer Harbor just as smooth as could be, and after dropping off a passenger, took it up again just as smoothly. I was wondering, as we lifted off, how much farther it was to Friday Harbor. I was hoping the flight would never end, but no sooner did the thought formulate then we cleared the top of the island in front of us and I saw Friday Harbor spread out before me. Deer Harbor is pretty much “next door.”

We coasted in to the dock and hopped off the plane. I said good-bye to my fellow passengers and started walking. They had luggage to retrieve. I had only my purse. Immediately I called OC to tell him I was home (on the island) and safe. He told me to wait there and he’d come get me in the row boat — but he was still in the lab and it was about an hour before his usual quitting time. I told him I’d walk home.

The walk took about 40 minutes. It wouldn’t have except one of the passengers from the plane hollered for me to wait for her. I had already climbed the stairs to the top of the cliff and she was still at the bottom. Her bag also slowed her down a bit. When she reached me she asked for directions to her Bed & Breakfast. I realized we’d be walking the same way, so we strolled together and chatted about the island.

When I reached home I joined OC in the lab — mostly melting into a chair and trying not to die of thirst while he finished up — then we covered the last several yards to our apartment and OC made me a lovely, yummy dinner of cashew chicken. After dinner we went to the point and OC played his trumpet until dark, then we climbed the hill to the apartment. Shortly thereafter I crawled into bed and slept like a rock.