It's been nearly a week now since Jim and the gang left. I've been occupying my time doing the various boat repairs and upgrades, and also spending a little time exploring my new domicile.

Wilparina is now located in a slip at the West Sound Marina. I was able to sub-let a slip for the next month and a half at a very reasonable rate. In August, we'll be setting out for a more extended cruise and will no longer need a home port. The only drawback is that parking is limited, so when I'm gone, I'll need park the car elsewhere.

For now, it's convenient to have the marine hardware store on site as I'm trying to knock off a few chores each day. There are adequate restrooms and a shower. It's pretty rough, but then, this is an industrial setting, not a resort. In July, I'm having Willa hauled to paint the bottom and replacer the zincs.

There is definitely a slower pace here in the Islands. This is a large Island, but the top speed limit is 40 MPH, though 35 is more common. There isn't a lot of traffic, though waves of cars do coincide with the rhythm of the ferries. The ferries add a dominate beat. Tourists and goods are delivered daily, and most basic needs can be met by the local vendors. Power is delivered via submerged cable. Cell service coverage is sketchy. Plus, FedEx and UPS also serve. However, there are some things one must go off-island to obtain.

For instance ... On the trip up here, my iPhone broke. It wouldn't charge and simply faded away, no matter how long I'd plug it in. There's no place on Orcas to deal with this, so it was off to Anacortes and Burlington. The AT&T store couldn't help, unless I wanted to buy a $600 phone. They did recommend "BadApple," an apple repair business in Burlington. These guys fixed me up with a new part and i'm back in business for a fraction of the cost of a new phone.

On a more personal note, on the trip up here a couple of things broke:
- my phone
- my eyeglasses
- my wristwatch
- the plow (CQR) anchor

It think it's sort of ironic in that all these things have to do with personal orientation to the world - socially/economically, visually, chronologically, and geographically. Maybe there's more to this journey than simply moving a boat from Portland to the Salish Sea. I've since reestablished all of these earthly things, but perhaps this initial severance from the normal life represents a rebirth into a new style of living. More shall be revealed.

I'm excited that Kathleen, Justine and Liz are coming up on Sunday. We'll have a few days to do some sailing and kicking around at the anchorages.

We had about an hour of heavy rain this morning. Overcast and cooler this afternoon.