Vashon Serendipity!

Tom's family lived on Vashon Island when he was in first and second grades.  With Samuel at camp on Vashon this week, we decided to spend a couple of days there ourselves at a bed and breakfast as part of our vacation.  Just a little bit of planning and a spirit of adventure led us to two jam-packed days and a whole lot of fun!

We spent time at the Point Robinson lighthouse on Maury Island, which is connected to Vashon by a small isthmus.

We visited Lisabuela Park, near the home the Kauffmans lived in.  Back in the 70s Tom was driving from Olympia to Seattle and heard a DJ on the radio offering a 35 mm camera to the first caller to accurately answer his question.  He was looking for the name of a town, named after two sisters.  Nobody answered correctly so he gave clues through the night.  As the evening progressed it became clear to Tom that the answer was Lisabuela (named by Postmaster John Brink in honor of his daughters Eliza and Beulah), but alas, it was before cell phones!  Just as he was nearing home, someone finally answered the question and won the prize!

When Tom's family moved from Vashon to Seattle in 1956, they sold the house to the neighbors, who still live there!  We stopped by and the lovely, elderly friend welcomed us into her home, overlooking the sound and the Olympic Peninsula.

There is a bicycle in a tree on Vashon.  Actually encased in the tree!  Long ago a boy left his bike in the crotch of a tree or between two trees very near together, and, as the story goes, he didn't return for it.  Over time the tree grew around the bike.  We so enjoyed the walk into the woods to see it that we stopped off on our way home to show it to Samuel.

Healthy life-style is important to the residents on Vashon; it's easy to find things that are gluten-free, there's plenty of organic options, they love their fresh roasted coffee and they support energy saving vehicles.  We ate gluten-free deli sandwiches and pizza, had access to garden fresh produce, and drank wonderful coffee at the Vashon Roasterie.  We saw designated parking spaces for drivers who need to plug in their cars!

We had glimpses into the flora and fauna of the island.

And catching the ferry back to Fauntleroy provided photo-ops even without leaving the car.

What a great vacation!