Seasons (October 17,. 2025):

As the days get shorter and will soon get wetter, I reflect on the joy of the changing seasons at the Owl House. This image is from last December. By then the leaves had dropped from the poplars along the drive and the big maple tree behind the house. The seasonal pond had filled with water again from the abundant November moisture. 

This pond will attract wildlife like ducks and deer and is part of what qualifies the property as an official wildlife habitat. Come spring, around late March, the pond and other wetlands nearby provide fertile breeding ground for frogs. In April and May the property will erupt in frog music. I was shocked this past spring by how much the property sounds like the Deep South at night that time of year, but without the stifling mugginess.

The pond will remain filled into early summer until those long and sparkling days soak up the moisture until the rains return in fall.

As we know, those winter rains (and sometimes snows) are what make the springtime shine and the summers green. But winter itself has proven to offer its own appeal. A huge dry porch, a soothing spa under the trees and outdoor string lights, and a cozy game and movie studio just across the yard make winter especially cozy and relaxing.

It looks like this picture was taken from the inside of a cave, but it was really just some overhanging rocks. This is a great little beach spot in Deception Pass State Park on the north side of the bridge. It's called Lighthouse Point. You can get there by taking a short walk south along the shore from the Bowman Bay boat launch on the north side of the bridge. Or there is a somewhat more adventurous "secret" trail that drops down through the forest from an unmarked pullout on the highway just north of the Deception Pass Bridge. 

That "secret" trail is actually part of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (PNT) which, from there, continues south right over the Deception Pass Bridge (for westbound hikers). The PNT is an official 1,200 mile hiking route from Glacier National Park in Montana all the way to the Pacific shores of Washington State on the Olympic Peninsula. After crossing the bridge, westbound hikers will walk well down into central Whidbey Island and utilizes the Port Townsend Ferry crossing to get to the Olympic Peninsula. 

The curve of the boat's mainsail seems to flow naturally with the contour of Mount Baker. This was on a recent ferry ride to Orcas Island. My daughter and I were spending a few days at the Owl House in early April and took a day trip to the San Juan Islands. With a bluebird day like this in early spring, we couldn't pass on the chance to get out to the San Juans. There's nothing like the Salish Sea under a blue sky and the glacier-topped mountains in the distance.