Happy Christmas and New Year 2008

Loved Ones,
Another year has gone, and again we are here wishing you happiness this Christmas season. The past year has brought us much joy. We love being on Whidbey Island ; we love cruising in Puget Sound; we love having friends and family visit; we love finding a church home; we even love the Northwest weather!
We continue to enjoy living on Whidbey Island. It is slow and small town, but just right for us. The base is a good resource, and we have made friends at our Yacht Club, the Sail and Power Squadrons, and our church. This is a great place to retire! We continue to work on our house, remodeling this and that. We got new bathroom floor in the guest bath this year.
This past summer we were out for two 10 day cruises in the Puget Sound islands, even getting to Canadian islands once. We had several shorter cruises, too, and we know we love our boat for cruising in these waters. The islands and north into Canada offer rich cruising grounds, and next year we plan to go for at least one longer trip up along Vancouver Island. Of course, we had day sails and everyone who visits get to go on the boat!

We are busy with visits from friends and family: friends from Mendocino College came over Spring break (at the same time as Missy and Meghan); Don and Barb Vasconcellos were here for a week, including a trip to Victoria, BC; the Miller/Parise clan was here with their boys; Scott’s mom, Peggy and her brother, Jim, were here for lunch; Libby was here with her friend, Marielena, from London, UK, and we had to turn down a few people. Make your reservations early! We know the best places to go. Teacher friends from Ukiah were here for the Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley and saw fields and fields of blooming tulips in all colors! Our light house, Admiralty Head, is a popular spot, too.

We are busy with our church, St Stephen Episcopal Church in Oak Harbor. Virginia was elected to the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Olympia, one of 4 lay people on the committee. (That means we are getting to go to Seattle much more often than before!) Jim is the guy who looks after the building and grounds, but since we are in the small chapel, he doesn’t have much to look after. Things could change any day!
The Northwest weather isn’t all bad. Last winter we lost power after wind storms so now we have a generator on the pump house (we have a well). This winter looks like it might be as wild, with lots of wind and rain and a few snowflakes every now and then. However, we get less than half the rain as Seattle, we do not get floods, nor do we get much snow or freezing weather. And, in the summer it might hit 85, and that is considered HOT! We love the mild climate, and it loves to grow things. Our flower garden is a wonder every summer, blooming with everything I plant.
Family Report: Missy got tenure as an English Professor at her community college; Missy’s husband, Scott, played the world’s hardest golf course, Ko’Olau, in Hawaii (according to Extreme Golf); Libby’s business is going great, and she bought a new BMW; Brett Wagner (nephew) got his short film accepted at the Sundance film festival (look for Chief); Brett’s wife Kathryn is the Managing Editor of the Honolulu Magazine; Meghan is in Junior High!; Grandma Wagner is 97!!! Of course, we miss our Karen, especially at Christmas, but our family is doing just great. Come see us and find out why we love Whidbey Island.
Wishing you all the Best for the New Year
The Whidbey Wagners

Happy Advent!

Hello from the Whidbey Wagners!

Advent is here! Get ready for Christmas!
Make your plans now
for cheer and good will.
Advent is here! Get ready for Christmas!
Hold onto your dreams
for glad tidings and joy.

Happy Thanksgiving

We wish you the best day, the best food,

every good blessing on this Thanksgiving.

The Whidbey Wagners

Fall Review

Hello from Whidbey Island! This is my monthly report on the activities of a retired couple living out their dreams on a northwest island. Actually, we aren't that isolated since we have a bridge at the north end of the island and ferries in two other places. Speaking of ferries, in the last storm we had high winds and the photo to the right was taken during a ferry crossing. Sometimes we do have to stay home or drive around!
Sailing: Our sailing is over for the season. We go down now and then to check on things and make sure our home away from home is still floating. If we get a bad storm and all the lights go out, we may move onto the boat until things get back to normal. We can run the motor to get hot water and heat and we can cook on our alcohol stove. We have a very cozy retreat in the midst of chaos. We attended the annual fall conference for the Power Squadrons in District 16. That was very successful for our squadron becasue we didn't lose money! Jim continues to take classes with the group; he is taking Junior Navigator right now. It isn't like Junior Scout! He has to use a sextant and do real navigating to pass the class. Next he can take Senior Navigator which is the highest rank you can take. I am Secretary for the club, so we go to everything and stay involved with the boating community that way, too.

Gardening: As you can see from the maple trees, things are changing here. We are cutting back the perennials. I had gladiolas until the first of October! Real clean up will happen as soon as we get two days of clear weather. I have tulips ready for potting, but those will wait a little longer. In the spring I plan to put in short dahlias and some more tall ones to fill in some places where I usually have annuals, and I plan to add Japanese anemones in and around the garden As we traveled around and saw gardens in Roche Harbor and other marinas this summer, the anemones were beautiful, both pink and white. In the spring I will separate perennials to fill in around fences and other beds. We did not have much luck with our tomatoes this year. I don't think we are very good vegie gardeners; however ,our apple trees were big producers this year. I got apples, and the neighbors got apples, and people driving by got apples. Hope next year is as good.
Knitting: I've finished six more shawls made from baby fine super kid marino wool and ribbon yarn. I'm back to socks for the fall. Jim gets the next pair, but Missy says she is knitting the Whidbey Island socks which have a cable along the sides. I'm trying that next. I've been in a rut and only knitting colored socks that require no thinking. Anyway, I need to branch out and knit some cables. Still haven't started the sweaters yet. I did finish another felted bag for a gift. UFOs fill my closet in the guest room. For those who don't know, those are "Un-Finished Objects."

St Steven Episcopal Church: Jim and I are off to the Diocesan Convention Nov 2 weekend. We are alternates for our church, but I am also the Regional Convenor, so that means I get to vote! That may be a mistake. This will be the first convention for our new Bishop. It should be interesting to see how things have changed since he arrived. We are getting ourselves organized for the fall and winter activites. On Nov 4 we are having a special "remember your ancestors" day (All Saints). Our great and gifted seamstress, Lyn deShong made a felt tree banner, and I cut out 150 paper leaves which we'll stick on with names of loved ones we want to remember at this time of year. Velcro dots stick on felt really well. Lyn wants me to make knitted sheep for our nativity scene. I'll need to get busy on that if we do it.

Family: Last but not least! Everybody is fine. Libby is in Florida now, back in a few days and then off again to New York for a week after that. She has penciled us in for a SoCal Thanksgiving and three days on the island for Christmas! Her business continues to do well. Missy, Scott and Meg were not affected by the fires in California other than the ash and soot which rained down on them. Of course, they were on the alert since they live amongst trees and hills covered with grass. Grandma Wagner got through OK, too. It was a nervous time for everybody who has family and friends down there. We hold them all in our prayers. Meg is doing well in school. Her English teacher discovered she's the kid who won all the awards for her poetry in elementary school and she's truly a whiz with words, so she's a favorite now. Algebra was tough at first, but she's catching on. She has already made a trip to DC to visit her dad. I'm making a list of the things she needs to see.

Final thoughts: We're making our plans for our trip to SoCal for Thanksgiving. We've invited the whole group, so we should have a crowd at Grandma's house, all sitting on folding chairs! We'll go down early to set things up. Also, we are so excited to go on a December cruise on the Columbia River. Our friends, the Liebmans, are going along. We will start in Portland, go to the Klickatat Dock, sail to Pendleton, then to Clarkston for a Hells Canyon jet boat ride, and then Port Ranier, Astoria and back to Portland. The reports about this cruise make it sound wonderful. We expect cool weather, but we'll enjoy the scenery and the boat trip up the magnificent Columbia. If Jim likes it, maybe we'll go on another cruise where somebody else does the cooking! We'll be home for Christmas this year. I'm already thinking about decorations. Happy Fall to All! The Whidbey Wagners

A Good Reminder

Hello from beautiful Whidbey Island!

My friend Elaine Martinsen just sent me an email telling me how glad she was to find a new post on my blog. My last blog made mention of how terrible it is to go to a favorite and find nothing new there. In that light, I am pledging an update at least once a month. And, I will post new photos! Today I'll begin a new format: my blog will have subheadings. Here goes:(not necessarily in the same order all the time since sometimes some headings will have more importance than others.

Family: (Missy and Scott in Mexico on their cruise & Libby's photo on her website. )
Jim is in SoCal right now visiting with Missy, Meg and Scott and making regular visits to his mom (97 yrs Old)! He has been in charge of her trust for a few years and now has able help with a new attorney and a house manager for her house in Upland. Yesterday he went to meet his new attorney and found out she lives next door to Grandma's house. How is that for perfect location? The good Lord provides. Jim is having the house painted and repaired for future use, and even though it will be empty, it will be nice when we visit in Nov for Thanksgiving. We will be camping out on futons and folding chairs, but the family will gather at Grandma's house and celebrate together. Brett and Kathryn (Jim's nephew and wife) are coming from Hawaii, Libby will arrive on Wednesday and we hope Amanda(Jim's niece) gets to come in from Wisconsin. Of course, we'll have the Bader group, with Missy, Meg, Scott and we hope Scott's mom and brothers and families. We'll have a picnic Thanksgiving dinner on folding chairs and tables. Fun for all! Libby is doing very well with her own business. So well in fact, she bought a new BMW! She keeps telling me her business bought it, but I know she bought it. She travels lots, but she is happier than she has ever been, so we are happy, too. She keeps telling me she has an outline for her newest book (nonfiction about good business communication) and her latest book of poetry is at the publishers, so hopefully we'll be announcing those soon.

Sailing:
Sept 13 we got back from a 10 day trip on the Karen Marie II to marinas and resorts in the San Juans. (The photo is of Rosario Resort on Orcas Island. ) We loved the mansion and the organ recital one evening. We sailed with friends, Bruce and Sandy Jones, on their Hunter 30, Carpe Diem, and Mike and Janice Connel on their Catalina 27, Irish Ayes. Good food, good friends and good weather, as well as a visit to the great Roche Harbor made it my favorite cruise this season. Jim wasn't as sure about the resort thing, but I loved all the service at the marinas. We'll do day sailing from now on since it is cooling down in the northwest. Next year we plan many more days and nights on our boat. We loved cruising even more than we remembered.

Gardening:

We have been overwhelmed with beautiful flowers this second year of our garden. The blooms have been wonderful with dahlias and ecinacea and daisies and hydrangeas and lilies blooming continually all summer. I got some gladiolas in late, but even they have been blooming the last month. Next year I know I'll have more. Plans for next winter include pansies in the outdoor pots and for the spring, bulbs (daffoldills and tulips) in pots around the front and in back. The photo shows the dahlias I planted which produced more flowers than I could ever use. Next year I plan to add miniature dahlias to fill in beds.

Knitting:

I have been very busy knitting shawls for everybody. Libby got three and has had rave reviews from friends. Using ribbon yarn and mohair makes them light as a feather and warm, too. (See photo). Soon I'll have to switch to something else since I have stockpiled enought yarn to make 3 felted bags for friends and family and enough wonderful wool yarn to knit two sweaters for myself. I buy it and then it sits! I did finish a prayer shawl for a shut in, and I have yarn for many more. I could knit all day every day and never finish.

St Stephen Episcopal Church:

We are still active with our Faithful Remnant, having church every Sunday in the small All Saints Chapel adjacent to the main sanctuary. We struggle for space, but we remain faithful. The consecration of our new Bishop last Saturday was a wonderful experience. We are so lucky to get a young man with exceptional skills to lead us. I am planning to go to the Diocesan School of Ministry and Theology classes in January, and I plan to begin a Bible study with two friends at the Methodist church every Tuesday morning. Some day I'll get over to the hospital in Anacortes to visit the chaplains' program. I have the time, but find it hard to jump-start myself. We have been so busy keeping the church afloat; it has been like starting a new church when you have no resources but you want everything. We continue to pray for a resolution to the differences here in Oak Harbor.

Final Thoughts: Jim and I have a busy fall schedule. Seems like retirement does not give us much time to just sit around. I'll be visiting friends in California on Oct 5 weekend. We are working at the Fall Council Meeting for our Sail and Power Sqd. on the weekend of Oct 12. We host the event this year, so I'm doing table decorations and Jim is helping out. We go to our Diocesan Convention in Nov and then head to SoCal Nov 17 for the Thanksgiving vacation. On Dec 8 we leave for a week's riverboat cruise on the Columbia River. Hope we don't freeze to death! Christmas will be home and a quiet time for us. Hope you are having a great day! The Whidbey Wagners

Failure To Communicate

There is no excuse for telling people you have a blog and then never posting to it. Most days I check out my favorite bloggers, and I'm disappointed when they fail to check in regularly. I am guilty of doing just that.

Good excuses:

I was off to Ashland in June with friend Debbie Miller from Portland. We had a wonderful four days indulging in great plays and great food and great shopping. We saw a great Romeo and Juliet from balcony seats in the Elizabethan theater, and loved On The Razzle, a Tom Stoppard play that kept us laughing. I took the train to Portland again and enjoyed my ride both ways, getting some knitting and books on tape time in as we traveled along.

In early July I was off with a friend, Sandy Taylor, to a Liturgy and the Arts Institute at Seattle University. Seattle had a heat wave, not the most memorable event of the week, but it was significant. But, in the midst of the heat, we had a renewal of our understanding of all parts of the liturgy and how it works for each of us to develop and enhance our faith experience. We came home to work, work, work in the church with three funerals and a confirmation in a month. There is evidence of burnout for some of us!

We have been very involved in our boating activities this summer. Since we purchased the "Karen Marie, Too" last September, we have worked to make her everything we want in a cruising boat. That took buying a new sail, adding a cockpit cover, along with repairs to the bimini cover, and installing more electronics, especially Auto, the automatic helm. Jim did most of that work, but I supervised and added comments about addional needs. We were finally ready for a real cruise and left home on July 24. Our cruise was from our home port of Oak Harbor to local San Juan islands and then into Canadian waters to visit two ports. We were sailing with a boat just like ours, Carpe Diem, and another boat, a San Juan 34, Cygnus. Along the way we were anchored in Reid Harbor and the Lady Washington and The Hawaiian Chieftan came in for a night. Up close they are sooo big! After 10 days we were ready to get home, but we know we love our new boat, and we loved cruising in our great northwest region. Our next trip will be from Sept 4 to Sept 17, again into Canadian waters after we stop off in a few local resorts-Rosario and Deer Harbor. We rough it at anchor now and then, but a night in a harbor with hot showers, a great restaurant and local color makes it fun,too. As part of our boating experience, we joined the Deception Pass Sail and Power Sqd which offers classes to boaters for safety, etc. We are both active in that group, too; Jim is the Membership chair, and I am the Secretary. We just had our annual picnic and meetings start the beginning of September.

We have had lots of visitors and activities this summer, too. Early in June, our friends, Don and Barb Vasconcellos,(from California) came for a week. We toured around locally, went whale watching, and got in a two day trip to Victoria. (Photos are of Ruffles, the oldest female in our resident orca pod and Bouchart Gardens)Missy's mother-in-law, Peggy Bader (from Riverside, CA) and her brother from Seattle, stopped in for lunch one day. We had a great visit. The July 4th picnic didn't happen because all the kids from Liebman's and our group were absent, so Jill and Bruce came for a July 4th sail and lunch on the boat. Libby came over for a night's visit with a friend, MariElena, from London, England. Of course, we had our great Dungeness crab for dinner. And, we got in two short cruises on the boat, one to Sucia Island for 4 days and one to Coronet Bay for an overnight, just outside Deception Pass.

It seems every week is filled with things to do. The church takes up lots of time. As Junior Warden, Jim is responsible for the physical plant and helping with other events at church. I am on the altar guild and help out with the liturgy committee. We are both on the Vestry and I am the Webmaster, so we are involved in all activities, events and services held at the church or elsewhere. From revivals to funerals, we have had it all this year, and we have done it in a 19x19 box of a room. We finally went to two services on Sunday to fit everyone in. Some times we have used the larger church building, but that has been after requests and always seems so strained. We have not reconciled with the Anglicans across the parking lot and they have not offered any hand in peace, so we are in a holding pattern until our new bishop arrives on Sept 15. Looks like we'll miss the consecration, but we will be praying for him and for our church as we move into this transition time.

This sort of catches us up. I am knitting. I finished a sweater for Missy, short sleeved cotton, and a sweater for Libby. I also finished a prayer shawl for someone, and I have four mohair and ribbon shawls knitted. I gave one to Kendra Liebman, but the others are waiting to be blocked and then kept for gifts or ??? I have three felted bags to knit as gifts, and Missy's bag is finished and only needs felting. That will get done this month!! I started a baby blanket for Noel's baby and another scarf, an unusual bias knitting pattern. Of course, I have the yarn ready for 6 other prayer shawls. I did make wall hangings for the church for the confirmation; and I took a sewing class(sort of) this spring and had my machine overhauled. That was a very good thing. Now I am finished sewing, and I am going to be hard core knitting to finish some of my projects and get them out of the way for good! Oh! I bought the yarn to make a kimono for myself-will wonders ever cease! Two friends and I are starting a group in the fall; I'm going to learn to hand quilt!! Another great project is coming.

May you have fair winds and following seas. Good cheer to all. The Whidbey Wagners

Spring Has Sprung!

Hello Everyone! The Whidbey Wagners are having a great spring with lots of visitors. Wonderful friends from Ukiah were here to visit just in time for the Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley. It was an amazing sight! While they were here, we feasted on the island's best seafood, crab and mussels. We toured, we visited, and we even entertained old friends from Mendocino College who also live on the island.


Also, our daughter Missy was here with granddaughter Meghan for spring break. They moved to the boat with Jim during the out of town guest visit. Meghan had her yearly riding lessons and ran the fields with next door neightbor, Nick. It was a great week after Easter.

Happy Easter!

Hello friends and family! The Whidbey Wagners are busy this spring. We continue to work with and on our sailboat. Jim is getting ready for the Round Whidbey Race on Cinco De Mayo week-end. He is still looking for crew, so if any of you want a chance to stay up all night and tell yourself how much fun you are having(!) while freezing in the May weather in Puget Sound, come on up!! He is also planning to race in the April series with the yacht club group. Those are fun races with lots of jokes at the end. He participated in the Valentine's Day Massacre race and lost his beloved Round Whidbey Race hat overboard. We did find a replacement, so he can still hold his head high. Virginia is busy with yoga classes, church altar guild and knitting. The pics are of hats and scarves knitted for the Seamen’s Church Institute of New York & New Jersey (SCI). Founded in 1834 and affiliated with the Episcopal Church, SCI is the largest, most comprehensive mariners’ agency in North America. If you wonder why she doesn't knit something for local marniers, she is working on that.

There are other knitting projects under way, too, but church activities do intrude on knitting time(and blogging time). Our Episcopal church lost its buildings because of a rift in the politics of the church. The "Anglican" church kept the building and all assets. Expecting the Episcopalians to go to other churches, (and many did) they were a little surprised to find out we were organized and planning to grow. We have been meeting in homes for two years, but now we are back in the chapel on the site of the original Episcopal property. Time will tell if litigation occurs and if we fight or abandon the project. We are busy getting ready for Easter in the chapel.

After Easter, we expect lots of company. Missy and Meghan will be here for Easter and Spring Break and we will get over to see Libby in West Seattle at that time. She is in Mexico right now for a week vacation soaking up the sun. Friends from California are coming during the spring, and we'll be busy showing them the island and other places in Puget Sound. There are plans to check out the Tulip Festival in Skagit County, and we hope to do some wine tasting on the Penninsula with a side trip to Hurricane Ridge. Life is good. We thought we would be still for retirement, but we find our days are too full. How did we ever work? Happy Easter to all from the Whidbey Wagners.

Welcome To The New Year

The Wagners are well on Whidbey Island. We were in LA for our Christmas vacation. We stayed at Missy and Scott's and, of course, Meghan was so excited about the day. Highlights of the visit were our Christmas Eve dinner with Scott's family, the Baders, and our visit to their Lutheran church for Christmas Eve services. We visited with friends, Vasconcellos and Roberts, at Vasconcellos' house on the way down. We loved sharing news, great food and good weather in California.

After Christmas, Libby and Missy went to Whistler for their annual Sister Ski Weekend. The fur hats were part of that trip! The weather was perfect for them and they loved the whole Whistler skiing experience, especially the great guide who showed them all the runs on the first day they arrived. Virginia just got home from a weekend in Seattle with Libby(Feb 2-3) for a wonderful performance of Swan Lake by the Pacific Northwest Ballet, as well as shopping and movies. It was the first of many planned for the future. Jim is taking a Piloting course with friends from the Power Squadron. He knows hot to plot a course, but he will get a "P" after his name and be known in the squadron as a more educated guy!

We are making efforts to finish our kitchen this spring and have picked out a piece of slate for the buffet cabinet in the kitchen eating area. We know the kind of paint, and we are working on colors. Bright sunny days make us want to work, but foggy days like today make us droopy and uninterested in work! We are also having the guest bath floor redone after some damage from a leak. It never ends!

My knitting has been mostly socks. I am finishing a pair of wide striped socks for a friend's boys. It was a real challenge to find a sock pattern with appropriate stitches for kids. I did find a pattern, and I hope they are big enough. Also, I have amassed much acrylic yarn from garage sales and other places. It is overwhelming to look at my stash and know I have to figure out what to do with it. I was reading the Episcopal News Service updates and found a reference to The Seamen's Church Institute (SCI) of New York and New Jersey. They knit hats and scarves for seamen who are at sea over the holidays. Knitters should have their items ready for a Labor Day arrival in New York. They ask that all items be knitted with acrylic yarn so they can be washed. Problem solved for all my extra yarn. I made a beautiful scarf that I would like to keep for myself. Patterns for hats and scarves are on the website, too. As soon as I finish the kid socks, I will begin a trial run to get as many as possible finished for Labor Day.

That's all from the island. Happy Day. The Whidbey Wagners