Meet the Bloggers – Expanded Edition
21-Jul-2005
Last week at this time I was on a ferry headed towards Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. It was a gorgeous day and as soon as I set foot on the ferry for the short one hour trip I found myself going into "island mode". Your body relaxes, your mind slows down and as you drink in the beauty of the surroundings your soul just sighs in anticipation.
I was only going to be able to stay on the island overnight – an unfortunate series of pre-planned classes and events had me squeezing in this shortest of trips – but I had several things planned that I was really looking forward to. One of those was, hopefully, meeting up with Chopper Dave and Mrs. D of Belly-timber. We had exchanged a few emails and it was just up to me to show up if I could.
Debarking the ferry seem to take forever for some reason and then, this is inevitable, you end up in your own little ferry-created traffic jam until enough people head off down side roads. I wanted to get checked into my room and take a little walk before heading back into town to meet the Friday Harbor bloggers. I finally covered the four miles to my lodging. I had never been to this place before and wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It was a nice place and my room was very comfortable. Fluffy queen bed, loveseat in front of the gas fireplace, jacuzzi tub, slate floors and counters, a deck overlooking one of three lakes on the property, a ceiling fan for the warm days, rustic lodge-y stuff everywhere you looked. Lovely. Well, no time to really soak it all in – I was off to new adventures!
I took my walk and then made my way back to "town". I sauntered into a local establishment where Mrs. D said I would be most likely to find her and Chopper Dave. Seating myself at a little bar I inquired about the aforementioned people. Lo and behold, I was seated right next to Mrs. D! Now, although I always enjoy meeting people, meeting someone you know only via an online persona is always a bit scary – I mean now you are face to face and what you’ve thought they’d be and what they’ve thought you’d be is now exposed to reality. Sort of like internet dating but maybe worse since, in theory, you have so much in common!
Well, I had nothing at all to worry about! Mrs. D is even more interesting in person than online! We ended up chatting for 3+ hours, with Chopper Dave occasionally popping in to see how things were going. We shared histories – how we got to where we are, geographically speaking – interests other than food, experiences, thoughts on blogging and bloggers and food, and just chatted away about anything and everything. It was really a great time. Towards the end of our time, a local gentleman joined us and provided more interesting insite about himself and life on San Juan Island. (A little note here – San Juan Island actually has two towns – Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor. 99% of the island is in Friday Harbor, although "downtown" is a relatively small part of that. Most residents just say they live in Friday Harbor and don’t really mention the island, so much. Roche Harbor is mostly resort, not so many permanent residents.) In summary, it was a very pleasant experience and one I hope to repeat on this side of the Sound, if and when Mrs. D and Chopper Dave make it into Seattle.
I love this blogging world! It’s brought me in contact with all kinds of interesting people who have such amazing and varied backgrounds! It’s so great how this little blog ends up adding a whole new dimension to my life.
After we shared a glass or two of wine and chatted over some lovely salads, I got back in my car and headed back to my home away from home. A mini-bottle of champagne, a deck overlooking the lake and a jacuzzi tub awaited me!
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Culinary Fool 
What\’s the name of the place you stayed? It sounds fabulous.
Hi Nora!I stayed at Lakedale resort (lakedale.com) and I think that the room in this picture (http://lakedale.com/subcontent.aspx?SecID=414) is the one I was in. The "cabins" look pretty cool, too. Rates are a bit on the high side in high season – although comparable to most options on the island. ~ B
Was it really 3+ hours? Wow. I could have gabbed on for twice as long! Chopper and I had a great time as well, and I was only sorry he was too busy in the kitchen to come out and socialize more often. We\’re definitely planning a Seattle trip come late September. I checked the Mariners\’ schedule and am thinking we\’ll hit one of those final Oakland games, if all goes well. We\’ll keep you posted. I\’m glad your stay on our little island was relaxing. Sorry it had to be so short!Nice shot of the Vinny\’s V, there. Now if I could just prune that shrubbery down a little so it would stop obstructing our lovey view… (Speaking of which, I got to watch the Lady Washington dock while working the other night. How\’s that for distractions?)
What a wonderful Blog. You have a real flare for writting. I completely enjoyed reading your whole story and the pictures brought me right there. Glad that you met a fellow blogger and it turned out as wonderful as it did. I love spaces and the people here, and I simply love blogging. Your space is so precious to me. I hope you don\’t mind if I feature you as a space to go on the welcome wagon?
Mrs. D:The time sure flew by didn\’t it? I\’m glad to hear I wasn\’t boring you! :-) Looking forward to seeing you guys in September – I\’ve been planning to email you so check your mail for more in a day or two. Jossie: Thanks much – your kind words always make me feel good! I would be honored to be featured on the Welcome Wagon! I hope you are doing well. ~ B