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 th
e 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 wer
e 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
