Sea Ray Summer ~ Roche Harbour

Roche Harbour is located on San Juan Island in Washington State.
Just south of the 49th parallel across Haro Strait from Sidney, BC awaits a picturesque marina with all the amenities. It's a lovely spot to tie up our SeaRay for a few days.
It also is the permanent home to many US boats.

Modest boats mingle together with vast opulent yachts sharing dock space while the owners are free to enjoy the Resort. Boaters are an extremely friendly lot. It makes little difference that you are cruising on a 70 or 100 foot yacht or a 25 foot runabout...you are "out there" on the ocean having fun.

We observed two families sharing a "very compact" boat, which was probably about 25 feet...4 adults and 6 children..can you imagine the logistics? The sleeping and cooking arrangements would require immense planning and precision.
They were having a fabulous time and there was lots of laughter and some good natured competition.
Racing on paddle boards, floaty toys, kayaks and a sailing dingy and when they were not having races they were swimming at the pool...I imagine that they were exhausted by the time their heads hit the pillow!

Roche Harbour Resort has a swimming pool, assorted shops, a spa, cafe, bar, restaurant, The Hotel de Haro, beautiful gardens, a church and tennis courts. At sunset the flags are lowered in a precision military fashion accompanied by music.
This is known as the "Colours ceremony."

I snapped a bunch of pictures to share with you...

Here we are tied up on the guest dock in front of the church.

The Hotel is a popular spot for weddings.

The historic Lime Co. building houses the grocery, clothing store, the washrooms, laundry, showers and a post office.

Crab Season opened and many boaters were setting their traps.

The cook pots on the docks were boiling away in no time and people were enjoying their haul.

The Lime Kilns.

The lovely Classic Chris Craft "Paloma" formerly known as Destiny.

She has just been professionally and lovingly restored.

Her new home port will be San Francisco, California.

We met the proud owners who had just taken her out on their maiden voyage and were cruising with their friends aboard the classic beauty "Rialto."

These beautiful Chris Craft wooden boats in "just out of the box" immaculate condition require a lot of hard work, TLC and VERY deep pockets!

The grocery store is well stocked with an assortment of food...

they carry all kinds of things that mariners might have forgotten to pack!

Wines from Washington, Oregon and California as well as imports are available.

White roses

White wedding gowns...

a perfect pairing.

It was hot weather and we needed to make shade on our boat which was quite a challenge.

We used towels and a blanket to help keep the midday sun off our lounge.

I was most surprised to see Starbucks working out of one of the kiosks in the square.

There are many local artists and artisans selling their work out of these kiosks and by the amount of people milling about I think they must do a pretty good business.

The Kayak rentals were always busy.

We took the shuttle into Friday Harbour one day to explore.

Stay tuned...

I'll show you some more of this idyllic destination...

in the next post.

Hooray!

we have had a downpour of rain this morning and we really need more to help douse the forest fires that are raging in our province.

The gardens are parched and there are water restrictions in many municipalities...

I'm praying for rain.

Hope you have a great weekend.

The Humble Bungalow Below the stairs...

Greetings from The Humble Bungalow.
I took a very short blog break and I'm back...

In a recent post on wall treatments I showed pictures of the original dark wood interior of our arts and crafts home.
Stephen Andrew mentioned that he'd be tempted to paint the interior of our Humble Bungalow white and I have to admit that if it were up to just me I'd be wielding a white paintbrush.

Architect, Milo S Farwell designed our small home over 100 years ago...
it is a modest, small and very humble abode.
There is a historic value in these wee arts and crafts bungalows and many are being demolished in favour of larger homes. So restoration and preservation, with a nod to the integrity of the period seems appropriate...we updated the kitchen and bathrooms in the style but with new fixtures and appliances.
Our home is on the Heritage Registry which means that it can never be demolished.

We must take care to maintain the home and can apply for grants to help with big projects...
we did this with our roof and plan to apply for a grant to help pay for the painting that it so badly needs.

The interior of the living, and dining rooms of our home have also been designated heritage...
so I would not be permitted to paint them white!
In our basement it's a different matter, we went with white white and more white!!!

The quartz counter top in the laundry area.

Vintage enamel bread tin and colander.

The tools are black and white too...

this duo sports a touch of lime.

The bench by the door with an oar...

The LG washer and dryer are pewter grey and the floor tile is a mottled black.

(my goodness! I spy tan lines from my flip flops)

A basic black bamboo dress hangs to dry.

This hall would be very dark if it was not for the white walls.

You can see the guest room at the end of the hall.

The bathroom has a white tiled floor with black accents.

The bathroom shelf which I purchased at HomeSense.

Vintage mirror that I found on the boulevard...

Someones trash is someones treasure!

I threw in this picture of a black and white pillow that we have on our linen slip covered sofa in the family room.

I bought a new Cut Loose white top at Roche Harbour Resort .

We recently cruised to San Juan Island in Washington State, for a few days aboard our Sea Ray.

(Isla, our darling grand daughter is the artist behind the picture)

BTW grand baby number 3 is due any day now...

I am excited to meet the new little girl.

I'll be putting together a pictorial post of Roche Harbour sometime soon...

it's such a pretty spot and I'd like to share it with you.

In case you didn't know it's a destination for weddings.

Apparently there are over 120 weddings held in the garden every year.

While we were there for 5 days we noted 3 weddings were held in the gardens.

Loved the dreamy white gowns that the brides wore...

one wedding had 4 brides maids and they all wore white gowns and carried bouquets of white roses they looked so elegant...

It's time to relax and brew a pot of tea.

Until next time...

thank you for stopping by.

White themed post ~ OOTD

White has figured prominently in my days of late...
it keeps on popping up front and centre.

The Humble Bungalow Romneya Coulteri is blooming.

Allium in a simple creamy white vintage vase.

The Club Monaco jeans that I found last fall in a thrift store are getting lots of wear and they wash like a dream.

They are my "go to" jeans for summer.

I would have never entertained wearing white jeans when I was over weight...

don't know why really, but I guess I felt they might make me look extra large.

Who was I kidding? I was extra large.

I embraced denial in a BIG way...

Do you remember me mentioning that I avoided looking in mirrors and my reflection in store windows?

(out of sight out of mind)

OOTD

a casual outfit today for running errands.

White tee top with grey stripes and Club Monaco jeans.

Franco Sarto sandals and ESQ watch.

I perused the new Marshall's in the Hillside Mall...

 it was my second visit so I had the lay of the land so to speak.

 I wasn't expecting to find anything but was immediately smitten by this white lace top. 

I had a similar one with long sleeves in an XL which I consigned and was missing that piece in my wardrobe so I figured that it was a good investment and one that I would get a lot of wear for summer...

I bought the large as the lining underneath on the medium was too snug over the chest.

The top was 70% off the regular retail price so it was a justifiable purchase.

A full lining is preferable as I don't want my under garments on display.

This pattern reminds me of the Scottish lace curtains that we imported when we first purchased our bungalow.

Our first two cats ripped them to shreds one day when I was at work and it was all I could do not to throttle them when I came home and saw that they were swinging gaily in holes large enough for each of them to straddle!

Those curtains hung in the living room window and were a substantial investment at the time.

I quickly learned how to sew drapes after that episode!

We decided to buy the Sophie Conran Portmeirion china.

I brought in some alliums as they look so interesting sitting in our white vases. 

(the cats are amused by these too and have been nibbling at them)

Sophie Conran sandwich platter and heart shaped dish.

I think we will buy her pasta bowl as it will be a versatile serving dish.

The shapes are uneven and have ridges like free thrown pottery.

The bowls are oblong rather than round.

I packed up all the other dishes and dropped them off at the charity shop.

I washed the dishes and wiped the shelves before putting all the new dishes into the cupboards.

It feels good to freshen up the kitchen and the house.

We don't re arrange the furniture or buy new furnishings very often as our bungalow is small and so if something new comes in, something must go out.

~ Living simply with less. ~

"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. 

The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials."

 ~ Lin Yutang ~

Mother Nature's Paint Brush...

I look to Mother Nature for inspiration and appreciate her flair for colour.

I have always been attracted to white bouquets.

Arrangements that mix shapes and textures of a variety of white blooms complimented with a flush of greens...

Lady's Mantle makes a wonderful filler, Hosta leaves add interest, fern fronds, the list of greens is endless.

I've had the pleasure of arranging flowers for several weddings for friends and have enjoyed the experience immensely...not being on the payroll or having design constraints made it fun.

Do you love weddings?

I do and I cry at every one that I attend...

not out of sadness

It's the over whelming emotions welling up when I see two people commit to a lifetime together. 

Traditional brides tend to wear white gowns and many carry white floral wedding bouquets.

I find them terribly romantic...

 Pinterest is more than I could ever have imagined and I am drawn to the wedding Pins...

like a moth to a flame.

White blooms evoke purity and serenity...

Mother carried white calla lilies with a white leather bible down the aisle when she got married in the early 1950's.

I love looking at the wedding photos ~ they show a very young couple with "stars in their eyes."

They went on to spend many years together separated by the death of my father in 2007.

Mother has never completely come to terms with his demise...

she talks of him often as if he might be in the next room.

the contrast of the green foliage makes the white glow brighter

BC dogwood flowers

Pure and White

Hosta in the center and at top and right Lady's Mantle.

Mother picked a pink peony in the garden at the back of her condominium.

The flower is stunning in this gorgeous shade of pink.

She floated it in a crystal footed bowl and placed it on the Duncan Phyfe table beside her chair. 

That table has an amusing story...

if only it could talk.

It is the same table that Father had to refinish.

One morning early, before my parents were up, I got into a wee bit of mischief.

(not something I did often or so I am told!)

I was about 3 or 4 years old when I discovered Mother's red nail varnish left on the table...

I wanted to paint my toes like Mother.

 Unfortunately I was not too skilled with the brush and so more red was on the table than I put on my toes!

I don't remember getting into trouble...

maybe because there were late night cocktail party remnants littering the room...

Mom tells me that I had a few sips from the martini glasses that they neglected to put away before they went to bed!

These lovely roses climb up the wall by the front porch of The Humble Bungalow.

Mr. HB has tied them to the pillars so the bloom laden branches don't snap with the weight of the flowers.

Their scent lingers and is carried on the breeze.

Hydrangeas in white vessels

 (images from last summer)

I love this shade of green!

I wore this coin necklace to my appointment with my doctor...

where I recently got some great news.

No more high blood pressure medications needed at this time.

Obviously walking, weight loss and lifestyle changes have had a positive impact...

I've slipped a bit in the walking (reading too much) and need to rev up my regime...

another 3 pounds!

I have ordered some new trainers from Lands' End and plan to hit the pavement big time this week.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads young and old and those who we have lost and are holding close to our hearts.

Hostess