I promised, earlier this summer, that I would get a better picture of an Arbutus/Madrona tree.  (Check out the tree at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus).  The name varies, depending on where the tree is located.  I like Madrona and I can remember the name!

We had just spent a day in Friday Harbor.  I had to get my seasonal fix.   I love going for a day, seeing all my favorite shops, getting a latte, and a nice meal ashore.   We had coffee at a new-to-us place called “The Bean”.   Great coffee, friendly service, and tasty bakery items were offered.  We will be going back!  We wandered through a t-shirt shop and met Gayle Ann Williams, a neat lady, who had just published her first book – “Tsunami Blue”.  It was fun chatting with her!  I could have stayed all day and listened to her regale us with her story and the exciting way she is being published.  She makes this blogger excited to write!

Our visit completed, it was departure time.  We normally arrive and depart Friday Harbor northwest of Brown Island.  Brown Island serves as great protection to Friday Harbor.  This time -for the first time, we decided to depart to the southeast of the island, motoring on down through Friday Harbor.  We were surprised at just how big it was, with additional private marinas, and the quiet anchorage we hadn’t realized was possible.  And, there ashore on San Juan Island, off the Turn Island Channel, were homes with beautiful pruned Madrona trees.

I love the beautiful red limbs that reach to the sun.   In the more heavily treed areas, on some of the beaches and hills of the Gulf Islands, the limbs will grow straight out, then up, and then however is necessary to find the sun.  These trees are true sun worshipers!

Obviously these trees have been nurtured an are able to grow straight without too many obstacles.

Beautiful trees!  And one of the reasons Why We Go!