The Otter's Call

Captain Don Murray- Author of Pie in the Sky Adventures and Recipes

Last Thursday the sun peaked out and I got a call from the Otters. Now, they aren't really otters... Ken and I just call them Otters, 'cause they like to play. Today they were luring me with their siren song to the water - 'come play- come tootle around on the water with us- come out, the sun is shining!'

First Mate and Co-Author- Teri Murray

 What's an old kayak guide to do? I love the water, just being on the water, even when it's cold and raining... but, I had work to do... didn't I? Ken and I discussed it and decided that Jack, my water-loving father, would have said: 'Go! Go play on the water!'

So, down to the Dock in Deer Harbor I went, carrying my snow pants and wearing my mucklucks. Don and Teri, the Otters - had just arrived, loaded down with warm hats, scarves and hot coffee. Once again they were off on a Pie in the Sky Adventure!  This pair are professionals at having a good time, good food and good friends. Their lifetime of living and sailing on boats made my job so simple - just relax and have fun!

Off we went from Deer Harbor out towards Jones Island State Park, over to Stewart Island and then we were hailed by the friendly Coast Guard. They were out training their boys, who didn't look old enough to be out of high school, but obviously were. They put us through the routine and while hauling out life jackets and flares and important paper work, we were reminded why keeping a boat 'ship shape' is a good idea. The Fire extinguisher felt full but said empty, so we were kindly escorted to Roach Harbor. It was not until then, I thought of my camera...

Roach Harbor, San Juan Island

A nice little walk through Roach Harbor, a bit of fuel, a new fire extinguisher, and back on the water. Don was off to find his long time crab fisherman friend, hoping for a crab feed that night. He wasn't hard to find, hauling his pots right off the harbor.

Dungeness Crabs from Roach Harbor-Yum!

 Mission accomplished, we were off to return to Orcas, running ahead of the rain clouds.

And then running a bit faster...

We arrived back at the dock in Deer Harbor just as the hail began to fall.

Within an hour we were cooking crab at Don and Teri's...

What could be better than fresh crab caught hours earlier gently steamed and served with homemade cornbread?

Cracked Crab cooling with Ice Cubes

 Ken was obviously born under a lucky star, as he waits for crab found by Otters.

Looking for a slice of heaven on Orcas Island?  - give Ken a jingle at OrcasDreams - he should be working!

Down at the Deer Harbor Dock

Sunday morning brought the sun back. Everything was washed clean by Saturday's rains. We had grandson Caleb for the night, and he wanted to go to the dock looking for seals. Ken was busy scraping the corrals with the tractor and once I was done putting the 6 loads of soaking manure into the compost bins, Caleb and I went off to the beach and the dock.

It is hard for me to tell who loves the beach more, Caleb or Cassie! Caleb rolled in the sand, jumped from the dock to the beach, danced and pranced!  Cassie hunted things under water and watched Caleb and his antics.

Deer Harbor is the most maritime of the

hamlets and towns on Orcas Island. It has two marinas, both of which offer live-aboard slips. The easiest access from Orcas Island to San Juan Island and the Gulf Islands is from Deer Harbor. It is a south facing harbor and is very protected. In addition, Deer Harbor gets the most sunshine and the least rain of any location on Orcas. It's a great place to live but there are fewer homes for sale in Deer Harbor than in some other areas of the Island.

Here is the map, on it you can see how convenient it is to sail to so many places. It's a short run to the charming Canadian city of Victoria, which is more British than London!  You can tie up at the city marina and have high tea at the Empress Hotel!

If you are kayaking, take a day trip around Reef Island out to Yellow Island, owned by the Nature Conservancy and carpeted with flowers each spring.
Spend the night on Jones Island and look for cactus. I promise they are there!  I will tell you all about these Islands in a future post. I was a kayak guide for many years, and Deer Harbor was my favorite place to paddle.




 


On the dock, is a small grocery store.
It has all the necessities: eggs, milk, bread,
chips, chocolate and coffee. You can get a
bowl of chower or chili, a burger and fries.
Caleb and I got peanut M&M's.

There are all sorts of boat; this sailboat happened to be my favorite of the day! Our friend, Dave Lutz, has a charter business called Emerald Isle Charters. He takes small groups on his lovely sailboat around the San Juans and up the wild side of Vancouver Island. Dave worked in Bristol Bay, Alaska flying a small plane spotting for the herring fishery. He is a great story teller and knows the waters all the way from here to Alaska.

If you are thinking of living aboard, you may want to consider this tug. It's for sale! There are showers and laundry facilities, gas,  food, and even DSL at the Marina.

Can you tell what this is a picture of? My little grandson, has great eyes and he spotted these shrimp. Can you see them?

Reflections - living on an Island gives you time for reflections; time to see the changing leaves, time to admire the colors, time to write poetry and reflect on life.


Orcas is a Magic Island; people often come here to heal... the surrounding water making so many people feel safe and protected. Time passes more slowly here and your attention can at last be turned inward. The native Lummi Indians considered Orcas a Sacred Place.

There are wonderful homes in Deer Harbor, beautiful places to live. Here is an old Craftsman that in the 1970's was a boarding house, run by a friend of ours, Dave Page. It has been restored and is now a very fine B&B.

Our mission was complete when we found our seal! We were so lucky to have him get so close and to catch it on my camera!

You'd be happy here too!...