Lydia's Journey to America: 2009-06-07

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Photos: Ferry Terminal Anacortes

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The ferry is here !

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Dad, San Hui Lee, Audrey Wee (Lydia's cousin), and Lydia

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Family picture at the ferry terminal

Photographer: Audrey Wee

Note: All of these pictures were taken on April 10, 2009 at the Washington state Ferry Terminal in Anacortes, Washington.

Photos: Tulip Fields

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Lydia and San Hui Lee (Audrey's fiance) are looking at Audrey as she reviews the image on the LCD screen of her Nikon D60 digital SLR camera.

Roozengarde

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Sticking out your tongues photo

Roozengarde

Note: Since Skagit County is within an hour's drive from our home, we go each year during April to see the daffodils and tulips, particularly since Lydia seems to enjoy seeing and touching the flowers. Lydia's mom was working today, so Lydia's dad brought everyone there.

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San Hui, Lydia, and Audrey are amidst the daffodils.

Skagit County daffodil field

Photo note: The morning was partly to mostly cloudy, which made for near ideal circumstances for people pictures as well as saturated images of the flowers.

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Piece sign portrait

Skagit County daffodil field

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Lydia, Audrey, and San Hui are sitting in front of a patch of red tulips.

Roozengarde

Note: All of these pictures were taken on April 15, 2009 in La Conner, Washington.

Photos: Running Wild

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Lydia and San Hui Lee (her cousin Audrey's fiance who is not shown in the picture) were chasing each other through the circular garden of tulips.

Roozengarde in La Conner, Washington

April 15, 2009

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Lydia is scampering around the edge of a daffodil field

La Conner, Washington

April 15, 2009

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Lydia is pausing in mid-stride to look back at her cousin, Audrey, and Audrey's fiance, San Hui Lee.

The Quad at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington

April 8, 2009

Photos: I Love Flowers

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With cherry blossoms at the height of their bloom, Lydia and Tiger are enjoying the flowering trees.

The Quad at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington

April 8, 2009

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Lydia is gazing at the seemingly endless daffodils in this Skagit Valley field

La Conner, Washington

April 15, 2009

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Holding a cluster of cherry blossoms, Lydia is walking towards her dad.

The Quad at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington

April 8, 2009

Photos: San Juan Island, Lime Kiln Point Lighthouse

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This picture was taken about a half hour before sunset. (Sunset was 7:56 PM tonight.)

April 11, 2009

Note: "A lighthouse keeper and assistant maintained Lime Kiln Point Lighthouse from 1919, when it was built, until 1962, when it was fully automated. The lighthouse keepers worked full time with numerous daily chores because the light and foghorn, which guides ships through Haro Strait, needed constant maintenance. Chores included fueling oil vapor incandescent lamps that provided the light source within a prismatic lens; winding the mechanism that turned the light; running the foghorn compressors; maintaining all the equipment; and keeping everything clean for unannounced visits by the lighthouse inspector." (Source: Lime Kiln Point State Park brochure)

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This picture was taken about three hours before sunset.

April 10, 2009

Note: "The lighthouse keepers were stationed here with their families who often assisted with the chores. Children went to school in Friday Harbor and spent time boating and fishing. One family member even remembers trading fish for pies with the neighboring lime kiln company's cook.

The family lived just up the hill from the lighthouse in two matching residences The homes (also built in 1919) and the lighthouse are on the National Register of Historic Places." (Source: Lime Kiln State Park brochure)

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This picture was taken about twenty minutes before sunset.

April 11, 2009

Note: Sunsets are fickle events. Sometimes they are spectacular, but often they are not. Because the prior evening's sunset was in the latter category due to heavy clouds that blanketed the sky, we returned here for the second consecutive night to see if this evening's sunset would be better than yesterday night's, and fortunately it was because sunlight broke through the partly cloudy skies.

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This image was made right around sunset.

April 11, 2009

Note: All of these pictures were taken at Lime Kiln Point State Park, which is located at 1567 Westside Road in Friday Harbor, Washington on San Juan Island.

Photos: San Juan Island, Family Photos

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Dad, Lydia, and mom

Informational sign near Lime Kiln Point Lighthouse

April 10, 2009

Photographer: Audrey Wee

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Family in foreground with Lime Kiln Point Lighthouse in background

April 10, 2009

Photographer: Audrey Wee

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Lydia, mom, and dad are standing just in front of the lighthouse at Lime Kiln Point Park at sunset

April 10, 2009

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Family picture in the cabin of Soulmate, Captain Carli's whale watching boat

April 11, 2009

Photographer: Audrey Wee

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Dad, Lydia, and mom are sitting on chairs placed in the aft of Soulmate

April 11, 2009

Photographer: Audrey Wee

Note: All of these pictures were taken at or around San Juan Island in Washington state.

Photos: San Juan Island, Wildlife Viewing

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Is that an osprey?

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Deer

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A bald eagle is perched on a tree top.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on April 11, 2009 from Soulmate, Captain Carli's boat, during the whale watching tour in the waters surrounding San Juan Island.

Photo note: Wildlife photography, particularly bird photography, requires the use of long telephoto lenses since animals generally try to stay away from humans. In addition, the use of lenses with vibration reduction or image stabilization is very helpful to obtain sharp pictures, particularly when the photos are being taken from a moving boat.

San Juan Island: Easter Egg Hunt

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8 Easter eggs and a Peter Cottontail chocolate rabbit

Note: With the flurry of other activities and tasks this year, we did not have an opportunity to take Lydia to a public Easter egg hunt, so we set up a private Easter egg hunt for her this morning.

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Lydia is arranging some of the Easter eggs on the tread of a stair.

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Holding a wicker basket in the cabin, Lydia is searching for Easter eggs.

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"I found one!" could be the title of this photo as Lydia proudly shows her mom an Easter egg that she just found.

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Audrey Wee, Lydia's cousin, is videotaping the Easter egg hunt.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on April 12, 2009 at the Windrose cabin on San Juan Island in Washington state.

Photos: San Juan Island, Cabin

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Our cabin

April 11, 2009

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A happy family

(left to right): SiowFong, San Hui Lee, Lydia, and Audrey Wee

April 11, 2009

Note: The Windrose cabin is located next to the beach, so we explored the rocky outcroppings near the beach this morning after breakfast.

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Mom is reading a children's book called The Gruffalo to Lydia, a book for guests in the cabin. Lydia is clutching Tiger tightly since she is a little apprehensive about the gruffalo, which has dirty claws, two huge tusks, and a wart on his nose. Although Lydia was somewhat scared of the gruffalo, she enjoyed hearing and seeing the story each day that we stayed at the cabin.

April 12, 2009

Note: "The Gruffalo is a children's book by writer/playwright Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, telling the story of a mouse taking a walk through a deep, dark wood. The book has sold over 3.5 million copies, has won several prizes for children's literature, and has been made into a West End and Broadway play.
The Gruffalo was initially published in 1999 in the UK by Macmillan Children's Books (ISBN 0-333-71093-2) and first printed as a 32-page hardback edition, followed six months later by a paperback edition and later by a small-format board book edition. It is intended for young readers aged from three to seven, and is about 700 words long. It is written in rhyming couplets, with a certain amount of repetition but variety within that repetition." (Source: Wikipedia)

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Mom is pointing out the gruffalo to Lydia.

April 12, 2009

Note: "The protagonist of The Gruffalo is a mouse. The story of the mouse's walk through the woods unfolds in two phases; in both, the mouse uses cunning to evade danger.

The mouse goes for a walk in the forest and on his way encounters several dangerous animals (a fox, an owl, and a snake). Each of these animals, clearly intent on eating the mouse, invites him back to their home for a meal. The cunning mouse declines each offer. To dissuade further advances, he tells each animal that he is going to dine with his friend, a gruffalo, whose favourite food happens to be the relevant animal. The mouse describes the outlandish features of the gruffalo's monstrous anatomy. Frightened that the gruffalo might eat them, each animal flees. The mouse gloats to himself; he knows the gruffalo is a fictional monster:
Silly old fox/owl/snake, doesn't he know?
there's no such thing as a gruffalo!

After he has seen off the last animal, however, the mouse is shocked to encounter a real gruffalo, bearlike and hideous and with all the frightening features the mouse thought that he was inventing. True to his reputation, the gruffalo threatens to eat the mouse, but again the mouse is cunning. He tells the gruffalo that he, the mouse, is the scariest animal in the forest. Laughing, the gruffalo agrees to follow the mouse as he demonstrates how everyone is afraid of him. The two walk through the forest, encountering in turn the animals that had earlier menaced the mouse. Each is terrified by the sight of the pair and runs off, and each time the gruffalo becomes more impressed with the mouse's apparent toughness. Exploiting this, the mouse threatens to eat the gruffalo, who himself flees.

The story is based on a traditional Chinese folk tale of a fox that borrows the terror of a tiger. Donaldson was unable to think of rhymes for "tiger" so invented one for "know" instead." (Source: Wikipedia)

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A diversity of activity

San Hui is watching television. Lydia is smelling her Tiger. Audrey is reading the Phantom of the Opera. SiowFong is doing something in the kitchen.

April 11, 2009

Note: All of these pictures were taken at the Windrose cabin on San Juan Island in Washington state.

Photos: San Juan Island, Boat Ride

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Lydia and her mom are enjoying the boat ride

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Family photo back at Friday Harbor at the end of the whale watching tour

(left to right): Dad, Lydia, mom, Audrey Wee (one of Lydia's mom's nieces), San Hui Lee

Photographer: Captain Carli

Note: "All whale watch trips will be on Soulmate, our 2006 25 foot C-Dory power boat. Our new boat is perfect for six passenger viewing. With cruising speed of over 20 knots we can get to the whales faster, giving you more on-sight viewing time. Our speed also enables us to reach the whales when they are out of "normal" viewing range for other boats. Soulmate's interior was custom built to enable inside seating for six, we also have outside seating for six as well. Soulmate is powered by a 2006 Honda 135 hp four stroke outboard, simply the quietest, most fuel efficient, non-polluting marine engine there is. Soulmate has a private enclosed bathroom." (Source: Captain Carli's website: http://www.carliwhalewatch.com/about_capt.html)

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Audrey, San Hui, mom, and Lydia at the beginning of the tour

Note: For boat tours focused on wildlife watching, SiowFong and I have found that smaller boats are better than larger ones for these reasons: first, a smaller boat can get closer to the animals; second, a smaller boat can travel into smaller bodies of water; and third, a smaller boat makes it much easier for the passengers to see and to photograph wildlife from both sides of the boat. Finally, with respect to cost, taking a tour in a smaller boat is not necessarily more expensive than doing so in a larger vessel. After researching a number of whale watching tour vendors, SiowFong selected Captain Carli, who was actually less expensive than the larger boats. (Captain Carli did not charge any fees for Lydia.)

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Mom and Lydia

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Dad and Lydia

Note: All of these pictures were taken on April 11, 2009 on Soulmate, Captain Carli's small boat, during the the whale watching and wildlife tour in the waters surrounding San Juan Island.

More information: Rates and tour information from Captain Carli's website:

Call 1-888-221-1331 for reservations

Tour info:Captain Carli's tours depart daily from the Port of Friday Harbor.

Our trips last on average three to four hours.We operate between March1 to September 15
We have a six guest maximum per trip, with no smoking & no alcoholic beverages allowed.

Rates:$69 per person (plus tax);$59 children under 12 (plus tax)

Departure time: Daily, 11 am ( please arrive 15 minutes prior to departure ) Afternoon and evening trips by request

Departs: Port of Friday Harbor, Spring Street Landing, ( located 100 yards from Washington State Ferry and under Downriggers Resturant. Soulmate is located on the right hand side of the floating dock. with our sign in front).

Photos: San Juan Island, Alpacas

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A furry and cute alpaca

Question: What's the difference between an alpaca and a llama?

Answer: Alpacas and llamas are members of the camelid family. Llamas are pack animals, and about twice the size of the alpaca. Alpacas grow a prized coat of fiber, and are too small for use as a pack animal. And we think the alpaca is much cuter than its cousin, the llama.

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Lydia was fascinated by the alpacas.

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Alpacas, alpacas, alpacas

Note: The farm has around 40 of these animals.

Question: Are there different kinds of alpaca?

Answer:There are 2 kinds of alpaca - Suri (rhymes with jury) and Huacaya (wha-ki'-ya). Suri comprise about 10% of the world's alpacas, and Huacaya 90%. Suri fiber is long, straight, lustrous, and silky, often shorn every 2 years. Huacaya fiber is dense, crimpy, and warmer than Suri, and shorn annually in late spring. We raise Huacaya alpacas at Krystal Acres.

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Informational sign about alpacas

Question: How is alpaca fiber different from sheep's wool and other natural fibers?

Answer: Alpaca fiber is as fine as the finest wool, and much stronger. It is over 5 times as warm as wool. Alpaca is very soft, and is ideal for garments worn next to the skin. Alpaca comes in 22 natural colors, the widest range of any animal on the planet. It is among the world's most luxurious fibers. Most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a cashmere and alpaca garment.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on April 10, 2009 at Krystal Acres Alpaca Farm at 152 Blazing Tree Road, Friday Harbor, Washington on San Juan Island [phone: (360) 378-6125].

Special note: All of the aforementioned questions and answers comes from the Krystal Farms' website.