We got voted onto the island
We got voted onto the island
The past two weeks we were staying outside Roslyn, WA. Al started working for NK Woodworking, helping his son Kalib install this staircase. Al was perfectly fine with taking orders from his son on this project, as these are so much more involved than anything he has ever done. Al’s boys are 4th generation woodworkers, and every generation seems to be taking it up a notch….or 10.
I took these photos when they were finishing everything up. This is a new construction home, so there is stuff in the background, but you can still get the idea.
There are 4 different kinds of wood in the whole project. Al said it was like a giant puzzle.
It was quite beautiful, and the homeowners are very happy with it.
Then on Saturday we left, and headed for Seattle. We were not really looking forward to this leg of the journey. 3.5 million people live in the Seattle metropolitan area. That’s about 3.5 million more than we are use to.
Like I mentioned before, finding a place to RV was a nightmare. Kalib found the RV spot for us on Vashon Island, but they had to vote to decide if we could actually stay there or not. We found out that, yes, they had voted us onto the island when we were in Oregon. Thankfully, because I think we would have turned around if the vote had been no.
With the help of Mrs. Google, some white knuckle driving, and a few choice words, we made it to the ferry that would take us, and our house over to the island. I was pretty nervous about this whole idea, I have to say. The people who work the ferry docks are super friendly, and that helped a ton.
All these photos were taken with my phone, through the windshield, so not very good quality.
Waiting to board.
Pulling onto the ferry. Thankfully we were first to board.
Front row seat.
Vashon Island.
I stuck my head out the side window and saw this. This is the perfect photo I thought.
Pulling into Vashon.
At the dock. A much smaller dock.
Generally, I would have to say it wasn’t as bad as I thought. The ferries are ginormous and have plenty of room for a big ass truck and RV.
We found the eagles club with no problem, picked a great spot, and settled in. Pretty much we are one of 3 rigs set up here. And one of those is the caretaker. We have grass, bushes behind and to the side, and are kinda tucked into a corner. The people were friendly and helpful the minute we pulled in. We will join the eagles club, as that is part of the deal. That evening they had a fire going outside, people chatting, and several dogs running around. Torrey had a blast!
I’m pretty content for now to stay here on the island. Al will walk onto the ferry everyday to go to work, and Kalib will pick him up. So no driving, thankfully. I’m excited to explore this little place, and hopefully I can find some great photo ops.
Let the island adventure begin.
And don’t forget, there is one more day to enter the If It Barks dog collar giveaway.
I am so happy for you that you got voted on to the island! What a beautiful home Al is working on!! O would have been pretty terrified of that whole ferry experience!! Look forward to your island experience!!
Mary, the craftsmanship here is jaw-dropping impressive! The hardware as well is like no other, rough hewn and one of a kind. It is refreshing to see men work with their hands, head AND heart. LOVELY!
Love, love, love the stairs!
I think you’ll find that life on the ‘upper’ west coast has a lot of charms. Being used to so much sun the winter rain may take a bit of adjustment, but there is a particular kind of beauty that will provide many photo ops for you :-)
I bit of an adjustment may be an understatement. LOL I’m excited to get out and take photos. Today looks clearish, so I will be out and about for sure.
Wow, the railing and staircase look beautiful. Lovely woodwork. I have been on a few of the Washington Ferries, they are so well run. I hope you and the dogs enjoy your new home, sounds nice so far! Happy Tuesday!
That staircase is stunning! What a gift Al and his sons have.
Enjoy the island. Can’t wait to read about your adventures.
If you do decide you want to get off of Vashon while you\’re up here, wta.org is a great site for finding information on hikes (and finding hikes that allow dogs). (Cedar Butte is one of my favorites). Mt St. Helens and Mt Rainier are both day trips, and over on the Olympic peninsula is a rain forest .
I’ll have to check that out. I may be more inclined to take the ferry to Southworth, than Seattle. I really want to see the Olympic NP. We will do that together though. Right now, there seems to be some places to explore here.
That railing and staircase is stunning. Talk about talented craftsmanship… WOW! Glad you made it onto the island and can get settled in for awhile. Ferry crossings always make me nervous with the RV.
Why do they have to vote? Is it for visitors or just because you will be staying a while? I’m nosey. LOL
Sh*t!! I meant to mention that stair railing, it’s amazing, you don’t typically find craftsmanship like that anymore.
Welcome to Vashon! I am Mary and Mike Hogue’s friend, and I live on this rock! I am due east of the Eagles, as the crow flies.
I’d love to meet you, maybe show you around this island. There are some lovely trails here. Feel free to email me at this address.
Karen Fuller
That wood work is amazing!
That staircase is amazing! My dad was a wood-worker, but only as a hobby. He would be damn impressed with that!
That’s wild that you had to get voted onto the island! Hope Jeff Whats-His-Name doesn’t come along and snuff out your torch and tell you you’ve been voted off. :)
Those stairs and railing are incredible!
I feel for you and your Seattle sojourn. We have driven through Seattle a few times without the RV and it was one of the worst driving experiences ever (and we are from a big city). When we had the RV with us we stayed on the outskirts and never pulled it through the city. I think this island option is probably the best you can get for the area.
That staircase is amazing! What gorgeous work! We would love that in our house, but us dogs would no doubt scratch the wood by accident and then there would be big trouble.
I really hope you enjoy your time in the land of wet even if it wouldn’t be your normal choice for yourself. I’m sure you’ll get some amazing pics. I’m hoping to see a whale on your blog.
BTW, I think I’m going to have to show Mike the pics of the house. It’s just too gorgeous not to. But you have to promise me that if he call asking Al for a job that he’ll say no. :)
That staircase truly is a work of art. It’s gorgeous. I can only imagine how beautiful the rest of the home is from what I can see around the staircase. I’m glad the island experience has started off on a positive note; I hope you have a wonderful time there and enjoy many new adventures!
How gorgeous!
Sounds like a fun adventure Mary! I hope you get lots of opportunities to get some pictures! Gorgeous staircase, such beautiful craftsmanship.
You drove through my neighborhood to get the the ferry and I can see your island! I love that little ferry ride (but my car is very small.) I used to work on Vashon and have had many friends there. It is like the country right next to the city. All the islands are like that. Enjoy your stay!
It’s good to know you’ve found a place to stay! I’m sure you’ll turn it into a great adventure. :)
In case you haven\’t already learned, Vashon has a HUGE arts community. I come over for the studio tour at least once a year: http://www.vashonislandartstudiotour.com You probably won\’t still be in town for the December one but maybe you\’ll explore your way to a few of these artists lovely spaces during your stay. Most of them have regular open studio hours.
I’ll have to check that out, thanks. I hope we are gone by December, but I just don’t know for sure. Depends on Al and this work thing.
Riding the Washington state ferries on a sunny day is one of my favorite things in this world. The staircase project is absolutely stunning…I would love to share out your story and images to those who follow me here in Washington if that would be something you’d like to do.
Incredible staircase work, wow!!
An Amazing ferry ride, Mary! It reminded me, when we traveled from Frankfurt to Copenhagen, we were ready to get off and get on the ferry, but the train drove right into the ferry… I was stunned.
Now that would be interesting.
When I was there in September we went to West Seattle. Be sure and check it out, it’s very Venice Beach like and you can walk along the beach but some areas dogs can’t go on the beach (bummer). And there are some outdoor cafes you can eat at with the dogs. Anyway, we watched the ferries from there you are on going to Vashon or Bainbridge. It’s a beautiful area wait until you get your first glimpse of the Oylmpias. I hope you enjoy your stay and look forward to hearing all about it! Are you going to connect with Jessica Williams? Sandra
I actually spent the afternoon with Jessica, it was a wonderful visit. We drove through West Seattle to get to the ferry. I probably won’t take the truck to West Seattle though.
What an amazing new adventure. I can’t wait to see the island via your photos!
And the woodworking by Al’s sons is incredible!
Wow. Those are really cool stairs. It’s nice to see the types of projects he is working on so I can better imagine them when you describe them. And I’m glad you got voted on the island so you didn’t have to turn around.
Such beautiful woodwork! I hope you enjoy your time on Vashon. :)
If it ever stops raining.
Yes, this is a tricky time of year when it comes to weather… next week looks good though. :)
That staircase is gorgeous. It seems Al’s sons definitely got his talents!
The ferry ride definitely looks exciting, it’s so hard for me to picture how big that boat must have been to hold your RV!
It sounds like you are in an interesting place and I hope you settle in and enjoy your time there.