Vilseck Reunion - Skagit County, Wshington

Dinner Monday night was at Lorenzo's Mexican Restaurant in Sedrow-Wooley.

Pondering our day, we planned a stop at an art gallery on the scenic Chuckanut Drive on the way in to Fairhaven/Bellingham. But first we had breakfast in Sedrow-Wooley at what would become a good backup eating place, Bonnie Jo's. The service for a group our size was remarkable at this friendly local eatery.

At the north end of Chuckanut Drive is Fairhaven Village, a charming area within the city of Bellingham. Its main square, the Fairhaven Village Green, is the hub for this historic district of well-preserved 19th-century red-brick buildings and streets containing a fun mixture of shops, boutiques, eateries and art galleries.

We each went our separate ways to shop the shops, so here we're waiting for a few to return.

The Taylor Dock boardwalk is a part of the larger South Bay Trail that links Fairhaven to downtown Bellingham. It passes over the Bellingham Bay for a quarter-mile.In the early to mid-1900s, it was an industrial dock lined with canneries, lumber and flour mills and such. Informative signs along the pier describe the business that occupied spots for more than a century.

One of the more interesting features that was left from the industrial era is what appears to be a large rock. However, it's actually a pile of molten leftover tin from a business that produced tin cans. Atop the tin pile is Grace, a metal sculpture performing a Yoga pose.

To avoid the 10-mile-plus drive back to the lodge after dark and having a potential deer encounter, we voted to stop in Sedrow-Wooley at Coconut Kenny's and order take-out sandwiches. Good food, good decision.

A new dawn brought brighter, warmer weather which we all were thankful for. We started out with another good breakfast at Bonnie Jo's, then headed to Whidbey Island. Our first stop was Deception Pass and the bridge there.

Deception Pass Bridge is the point at which Whidbey Island is separated from the mainland. Deception Pass connects the Skagit Bay to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The beautiful blue waters below, hiking trails and a beach make this a popular stop for visitors from around the world. It wasn't such a popular place for our group, though. Some didn't like the wind, and others didn't like the heights. We didn't stay long, but instead moved on to an ice cream stop we happened upon on the way to our next destination..

We weren't the only ones hungry for a snack. Here, mama swallow feeds her chicks.

Aaaaahh. Peace and quiet. Just me and my ice cream.

Coupeville is a favorite small town with shops and eateries on the south shore of Penn Cove on Whidbey.

Just outside of Coupeville is the Admiralty Head Lighthouse at Fort Casey State Park. With more time we would have been able to visit the inside of the lighthouse as well as the state park itself. The lighthouse opened in 1903 (following the original one built in 1861) to guide vessels into Admiralty Inlet. It has been deactivated since 1922.

Fort Casey holds a gun battery on the cliffs overlooking the waters and was fortification for both world wars.

From the lighthouse grounds, we took the 20-minute Mukilteo ferry on the south end of Whidbey back to the mainland and off to eat.

We wanted to eat at a recommended restaurant in Langley, but once we got there, we realized it was way too small a place for us. So we came up with Cozy's in Clinton where we had to go to catch the ferry anyway.

Not everyone was up yet when this photo was taken on Thursday morning, our departure day. Thanks, everyone, who participated in the reunion. Lord willing, we'll see yoy all next year...and hopefully others as well.

I met with Rosie and Dick Dickinson and their daughter Kristin on Thursday morning after we had all dispersed. Rosie had wanted so badly to see everyone, but it wasn't met to be.

Father Bob would have also liked to attend the reunion. Dick took this picture in Virginia of him, Ann and Sarah, Ann and Dick's daughter.

It was requested that we take off our shoes before entering the lodge. A small request, I guess. And we abided.