san juan island

on a recent trip to the northwest, i visited the san juan islands.  first stop....san juan island,
where i was introduced to the "american camp" from the pig war,

The Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 between American and British authorities over the boundary between theUnited States and British North America. The specific area in dispute was the San Juan Islands, which lie between Vancouver Island and the North American mainland. The Pig War, so called because it was triggered by the shooting of a pig, is also called the Pig Episode, the Pig and Potato War, the San Juan Boundary Disputeor the Northwestern Boundary Dispute. The pig was the only casualty of the war, making the conflict otherwise bloodless.

 there are only a few buildings remaining on the site.  located on rolling hills bordered by the strait of juan de fuca, it  is a wonderful setting.  i loved the little seamstress' cottage and took photos from every possible angle.

the officer's quarters, with a great picket fence surrounding it

driving on to see the lime kiln lighthouse where whales are often spotted, we saw a beautiful barn with bright blue doors.  of course i had to stop and capture the image.

then it was on to the lighthouse.  whales had been spotted the previous afternoon, but we moved on with none seen,  heading toward roche harbor.

(between the twisted branches of the madrona tree)

the sun did come out for a short period while we were at roche harbor.

 the chapel of our lady of good voyage beckoned to be photographed

after a light lunch in the harbor restaurant, we headed for the ferry to take us to orcas island, and the kangaroo house, a b&b where we would stay for the weekend.