on top of the Lime Kiln Lighthouse
wedding crashers!!
Well, they were fashionably late- but still, just after we had finished the most beautiful wedding ceremony, surrounded by about 50 of our most adventurous friends and family who were willing to travel far and precariously balance on jagged rocks as they watched us get wed, on top of a rocky cliff side bluff, facing the Lime Kiln Lighthouse on the remote west side of San Juan island... We were obviously already tingling with all sorts of ecstatic happy juju, when a whispered inside tip stirred up even more giggly anticipation as we learned that the 3 pods of Southern Resident Endangered Orca whales were apparently on their way back into the Salish Sea waters after a few days of being away in deeper seas- and could possibly be here soon!!...so we stalled as long as we could leaving this infamous 'whale watch' state park....
We and about a dozen of our friends, the last van load of stragglers to leave Lime Kiln, had finally reluctantly given up our cliff side post of squinting into the distant, white-capped waters searching for the tall black dorsal fins or blows of our favorite marine mammal friends- to head for the reception party at Snug Harbor Resort...
We had walked almost to the parking lot at the top of the long hill when we heard the rapidly approaching Canadian whale-watching zodiac boat kill its loud engine from waters below where we had just left -and we knew- the whales were here!!....so we ran back down to the rocks & got everyone back out of the van to join us as we watched the Orcas give us a wedding procession of the grandest style...
AND then just when we thought it couldn't get any better, an extremely kind, park interpretist led us up to the top of the old lighthouse-turned-whale-research-station to watch as our already dressed for the occasion, black and white friends, gave us their wedding blessings as they cruised by us in the swift currents and blustery waters of the Straits of San Juan de Fuca, with the snow dusted Olympic mountain range and Vancouver island shorelines as natures finest complimentary backdrop....
It truly was the most magical day ever.
Thank you to everyone who shared it with us, in presence and spirit~
AND then just when we thought it couldn't get any better, an extremely kind, park interpretist led us up to the top of the old lighthouse-turned-whale-research-station to watch as our already dressed for the occasion, black and white friends, gave us their wedding blessings as they cruised by us in the swift currents and blustery waters of the Straits of San Juan de Fuca, with the snow dusted Olympic mountain range and Vancouver island shorelines as natures finest complimentary backdrop....
It truly was the most magical day ever.
Thank you to everyone who shared it with us, in presence and spirit~
