Happy Fall from Friday Harbor.

Over Labor Day Weekend, Heather and I took a ferry about an hour north of Seattle over to the San Juan Islands. I couldn't have dreamt up a more perfect {read: relaxing} way to spend my first weekend off... of all of summer. I was a little bit in Autumn Heaven as signs of an approaching Fall were hidden along the island's emerald coast...

...a cool, salty breeze offset the intense heat of an everpresent sun, pumpkin ales were found on tap + a few red + yellow leaves peppered the hiking trail. With no real agenda, we made a detour to Orcas, a neighboring island that is less populated and has stunning views of the nearby Mount Baker. To pass the time on the ferry,  we leisurely pieced together a puzzle, in between conversations + quiet moments taken to soak in the blue skies + even deeper blue water.

We visited Nash's lemonade stand to refresh with a couple of Arnold Palmers'. We perused lavender shops which is locally grown on the island. We ate fish + chips on a sunkissed deck and watched the seaplanes land + take off for the latter part of the afternoon.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was grabbing an ice cream cone and strolling along the docks dayreaming of sailing away on one of the yachts when the local celebrity of a seal, Popeye, popped up from under the dock to greet us. I can't be certain but I'm pretty sure I heard him whisper, "Happy Fall, y'all!"