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If you’re like me, and you need a break from the studio every once in a while, I’d recommend hopping on a ferry and heading for the San Juan Islands.
Spend a few days soaking up the sights,
and maybe bring along your paintbox.
I guarantee, you’ll leave refreshed and good as new.
I think Washington was jealous that I left it for Texas last month—
—because when my best friend Elizabeth came out for a trip to the San Juan Islands, we were treated to endless rain. That’s okay, though—the San Juans are absolutely gorgeous in any weather.
The place could not be more different than what I saw in West Texas—not the landscape,
not the culture,
not the flora or fauna, either.
What it had in common with the desert, though, was that it made me fall in love in exactly the same way.
Despite an overabundance of deadlines and studio hubbub lately—well, beautiful spring weather and productivity just don’t mix. Besides, a sunny Friday in the Northwest is basically a license to play hooky. So I took a day off and made my annual pilgrimage up to the Skagit Valley to catch the end of the Tulip Festival.
I’m glad I waited this year; not only did the blooms hit a late peak, but the weather was nearly flawless.
Unfortunately, that also meant I wasn’t alone. Finding a shot that didn’t include minivans, port-a-potties, cyclists in DayGlo jackets or entire families striking goofy poses was quite a challenge, and required a lot of waiting and creative cropping.
This time, however, I was interested in far more than just the tulips alone. So I cast a wider net, and found the magic absolutely everywhere I looked. Whenever I wandered away from the fields of pink and red, I seemed to have whole acres to myself.
Still, come sunset, the tourists had all gone home, and it was just me, the mountains, and a sea of blooms stretching to the horizon.
