Sunday, April 2, 2017

Lummi Island Sunday Drive

This Sunday was a rare, and much appreciated, sunny day in the extended cool and rainy spring we are experiencing.  What could be more enjoyable than to take a drive in the convertible?  We did.
After a bit of consideration, we decided on a short drive north to board a six-minute, 22-car ferry for a ride to Lummi Island.  Situated just west of Bellingham, the island has a land area of a little over 9 square miles with eighteen miles of country roads.  The island has a permanent resident population of about 820 people that doubles in the summer.  It offers two restaurants, a post office, one grocery/general store, a vintage 1919 elementary school, one church and a fire station.  Because of the short ferry ride, which operates on a regular and convenient basis for a round trip price of twenty dollars, this is an easy and affordable trip.

We drove along the coast on the almost empty road encircling the island with a stop at the Willows Inn for a light lunch.  Roasted vegetable soup and a boudin sausage consisting of pork, liver, rice and seasonings paired well with crackers, bread and French press coffee.  The food was delicious amid delightful furnishings with gorgeous views of the San Juan Islands beyond gleaming in the sun.  What better way to escape from weeks of remodeling and rain?

The trip offered views of bare tree limbs against a blue sky, miles of shoreline, and the slow awakening of trees and fields from winter's grip all gleaned from the unique experience of riding with the car's roof down.  Even an apple blossom branch in a vase provided inspiration-yet another subject to paint.  Life is good in the slow lane of Lummi Island on a Sunday afternoon.

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