An Island Respite

Vashon Island in the Puget Sound, has been our favorite little weekend getaway since we first visited last winter. We used to frequent the coastal historical town of Astoria (which is in Oregon) as our weekend getaway of choice, but as of late, it's been Vashon. We love the peace and quiet, the rolling hills, the farmlands, and the sweet little main streets. Vashon during the week is pretty sleepy but usually is buzzing on weekends as it is very accessible via a 20 min ferry ride from Tacoma or Seattle. Which we really appreciate, we love the convenience!

For our 9th wedding anniversary, we planned a long weekend to our favorite island, staying in a different property than the last two times, but all three owned by the same proprietress who I must say has such an incredible eye for design and detail! Each one of Lisa's Airbnbs have all been so thoughtfully put together and I so enjoy discovering these tiny little details everywhere! As someone who is very moved and affected by touches of beauty, whether crafted or organic, I appreciate this so much!

As we embark on the ferry (we usually board on the Tacoma side) and start to glide across the water, I sense a profound departure from reality, "I'm leaving the real world behind, my cares, my troubles..." each minute that passes as I watch the waves crest along the sides of the ferry, I feel a little bit lighter.

We arrive on the island and my heart feels buoyant. We never really make any solid plans for the island. It's not that big and there aren't too many activities. Since this is our third time, we have a general idea of how our day will be shaped, where we're going to eat, where we will shop. The only thing we haven't done yet is visit the Vashon Historical Museum, which is kind of surprising since I'm a history nut, but I'm sure we will be back this summer sometime.

The gravel paved drive of the Airbnb is lined with trees and the property is on the south end of the island, which was once its own island I think called Maury Island, but now it's all just called Vashon. The property is huge (and has I think 4 different units you can stay in) and overlooks the water. There is a path that leads down to a private beach with lots of seating, you could host a little dinner party (or rather large one probably) out there. I always fantasize about hosting my birthday dinner on the beach (my birthday is at the end of June) because it's so idyllic and I can just picture a bonfire under the stars, our laughter and merriment mingled with the sound of the waves.

It doesn't take us long to settle in (I of course snap hundreds of photos of the space, noticing everything, I am a details, details, details kind of gal!) and then say Sayanora! to social media and begin my 2 day social media fast.

Here is what happened when I decided not to share everything "in the moment" on social.... I savored the moments. I felt present. I felt so much gratitude. I relished in the quiet. I felt my mind decompress, all the gurgling and bubbling and din of the outside world simmering down, evaporating out of my brain. Then the sound of the ACTUAL outside world replaced it. The cooing of the birds, the gentle quacks of the mallard ducks, the softest drone of bees buzzing about the flowering rosemary just outside the doors. The wind through the trees, the murmuring of the waves. It all felt quiet and yet so deafening at the same time.

I watched a couple mallard ducks (one male, one female) outside our window where two bird feeders hung. The male mallard had a leg injury and had an odd hobble I found so endearing. I named this couple, Doug & Bernice and made up an entire back story for them. Then there were two squirrels, I named them Tony & Richard. As we settled into our island routine, I realized these creatures had their own routines and as boring as it sounds, I literally would just watch them for minutes on end loudly pronouncing to my husband their antics (most of which I made up in my head). As I watched them, I read up all about mallard ducks and other sexually dimorphic creatures. Then I read a short book on the history of Vashon/Maury island. Then I napped.

We went into town for our main meals (though last time we cooked half of our meals), our favorites are Ruby Brink (for a nice sit-down supper, I believe this is the only higher end/fine dining on the island), Pop Pop (it's a bottle shop that serves teriyaki chicken and other Hawaiian inspired dishes), and the new tasting room for Dragonhead Cider (pumpkin hummus & deviled eggs with nori are so good!). Usually, we will go visit the cideries on the island, but because the weather was a bit dreary and chillier than expected, we mostly stayed in and rested. I brought my book down to the beach and tried to read for a bit, but the sun actually shone that day making the pages nearly blinding white, which had the odd effect of lulling me to sleep.

We went to bed early, tried to sleep in (a bit difficult when most of the bnb are windows and the curtains are all semi sheer and white), made coffees in a French press, and generally just didn't do that much but let our bodies and brains rest. It was perfect. Just the respite we needed after so many weeks of being incredibly busy.

Saturday morning, we took the north end ferry to Seattle and bid our sweet little island farewell, until next time. As we dock into the city, I take a deep breath preparing myself energetically again for the outside noise and bustle taking a moment to be grateful for the quiet 40 or so hours I just experienced.