An island getaway

As it turned out, we didn't spend the weekend eating black beans and feeling sorry for ourselves about the weather. Sunday morning was a fine surprise-- sunny and not a cloud in the sky. I had a sudden urge to be out on the water and far away from garden chores!

If you live on Puget Sound and don't own a boat, a Washington State ferry ride is always an option. So, after early blueberry pancakes we were waiting at the Fauntleroy Ferry dock in time for the 10:45 sailing to Vashon Island.

With all this in our backyard, it's embarrassing to admit how rarely we take the ferry. Anywhere. And the trip over to Vashon Island from West Seattle takes just 20 minutes. The last time I remember being on Vashon, Amanda was a little girl at summer camp.

We drove out to the Point Robinson lighthouse on Maury Island, which is attached to larger Vashon by a narrow strip of land and a highway. At one time Maury could only be reached at high tide by boat. The lighthouse was built back in 1885. With its beautiful setting and relative closeness to civilization, Point Robinson was a coveted station for Coast Guard keepers and their families up until 1978.

Originally, it was tended by a single keeper. In 1897, one keeper blew the steam powered whistle for 528 hours straight and shoveled 35 tons of coal to keep it going. Not long after, a second keeper was sent to the station. The automated lighthouse still still flashes a white light every 12 seconds along the notoriously foggy coastline.


These keeper cottages were once occupied by lucky Coast Guard families. In the early 1990's, there was a plan to lease the Point Robinson land to a seafood processing factory. The locals joined with the Vashon Parks Department and formed a group called the Keepers of Point Robinson. They negotiated a 15 year lease with the Coast Guard, and in 2003 these houses were renovated and offered for vacation rentals. $1,500 a week high season, if you're interested.

No fog yesterday-- and as we like to say, "The Mountain was out," making for some classic Northwest views across the Sound.