While waiting for Barry to get over the chicken pox, we took a couple little side trips with Sharon and Dave. It is possible to travel safely with a contagious person, but ordering ice cream for him is a challenge (I used the digital camera to record the flavors, then took it out to the parking lot and played back the photos for him).

On Wednesday, we made a short run up to Anacortes to see the lovely views from Cap Sante and Mount Erie. We’ve been sailing the San Juans out of Anacortes for years, so we know where to find the marinas, grocery stores for provisioning, hardware stores and West Marine. But our perspective is limited to a fish-eye view. Low to the water and slow-moving.

Sharon and Dave showed us Anacortes and the San Juans from a bird’s perspective. High above the water, you can see for miles, dozens of shades of blue. You can look right over the top of the largest island in the US (Whidbey) and see Port Townsend. We’ve seen many orcas, but this was the first time we’d ever seen a fox.

On Friday (Sharon’s birthday!) we headed inland for a visit to Mount Baker. We were driving along a 2-lane country road with Barry and me in the back seat. Dave was driving, Barry and Sharon were chatting, and I was looking out the window, watching the world go by. Cute little farmhouses, barns, horses, green fields. A tiger. A WHAT? I interrupted the conversation.

“Hey! I just saw a, uh, you know, a li– no, a tiger!” Dave didn’t alter speed. Barry and Sharon turned and looked at me. Meanwhile, my nose was glued to the window where my view of the tiger was blocked by a long, low ranch house. At the other end of the house was a driveway, with a sign, “No tiger access.”

The rest of the day, we saw some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Snow-capped mountains, reflected in still lakes surrounded by fall colors. Blue peaks in a blue sky, marching off into the distance. Even ptarmigans. But I was blase. Nothing could top my tiger.