Getaway......Northwest Style

Stress............it can get to all of us at one time or another.

The dictionary describes stress as: constraining force or influence; physical, chemical or emotional factor that can cause bodily or mental tension; intense effort or exertion. Does that sound familiar?

I don't think that we can ever completely avoid stress or tension in our lives, but how we deal with it is important.......at least, we have found out in our lives, that if we can release some of the stress, dealing with the problems and trials of life can be much more endurable.

Friday, February 19th was a de-stress day. We just got in the car and started driving.....not really sure where we were going to end up, but it felt good to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and countryside.

We found ourselves in Skagit Valley again, walking the dike near the Bay. The air was cool but the sun was warm. The tide was out so we walked out as far as we could along the marshy wetlands.......got pretty muddy, but we weren't trying to be "pretty" for anybody. We scared up a few Blue Herons on our little trek, along with several ducks. After we got back to the car, we decided that we wanted to take the ferry from Keystone (on Whidbey Island near Fort Casy) across Admiralty Inlet, to Port Townsend. We stopped at a Seafood restaurant and got some shrimp and chips, then parked near Deception Pass Bridge to eat our lunch. What a view! The Bridge is beautiful anytime, but today the water was a deep emerald green with several boats passing underneath, the Navy Jets were practicing their takeoff and landings and the sun sparkled on the water.

We arrived at the ferry landing, and upon paying for our ticket, we were hurridly ushered on the ferry.....and literally within 30 seconds of boarding, the ferry left the dock. That was cutting it pretty close! (We would have had to wait over an hour for the next ferry.) We arrived at Port Townsend and drove out to Fort Worden at the tip of the spit where Point Wilson Lighthouse sits.

Point Wilson Lighthouse, with Mt. Baker as a backdrop.

We didn't have a schedule to keep, or appointments that we would be late for, so it felt so nice just being able to wander around on the beach or docks with no time constraints. The temperature was around 58 degrees, but it felt warmer than that with the sun beating down on us.

The view of the Lighthouse, Mt. Baker and the docks at the Fort Worden State Park.

It was so beautiful out that day.......that's why we live in the Pacific Northwest......we NEVER get tired of the view.

Ron and I played "chicken" with the seagull behind us..........we wanted to see how close he would tolerate us. We got about 6 feet from him, and he never flew away.

After a very relaxing day (I LOVE "Island Time"!) we got back on the ferry to go home. The sun was almost at the horizon, and everything had a warm pink glow to it. There's nothing quite like the color of the sun going down.

A sailboat along the waterfront of Port Townsend, as we left the dock on the ferry, with the everpresent view of Mt. Baker.

Another shot of some docks as we were leaving Port Townsend on the ferry.

The sunset on the way home was gorgeous. It was a nice relaxing day.......not too far away, but just far enough to get away from all the stress. What more could you ask for? We live in one of the most beauitful places on earth. Just getting outside in the sunshine is the perfect "de-stresser."