First day home after a trying two weeks away and, lo and behold, we were visited by one bald eagle, one young river otter and five beautiful Orcas all within the first of the next morning hours. Later that same day, while Sal did taxes on the couch outside, a hummingbird came down and stared at her from an inch away. And, oh yeah, the swallows are back and making a nest in our ‘swallow-home’. Now THAT’s a welcome home!

Sun was shining, batteries a’bursting with juice and two insanely happy dogs as well. The best part for me, tho, was that my younger helper from down-the-way arriving to keep working on the stairs. He is doing most of it. NOT having stairs when you live on a 30 degree slope is awkward to say the least.

Sal got down to more paper-work, I decided to write this and lend a hand to the young feller now and again as needed while, at the same time, doing a few small chores. Basically, an idyllic day that suddenly turned….

….even better!

A neighbour called and told us of a rarely seen Orca part-tay. Seems the previously spotted five (family: two babies, three adults) were heading for a get-together with something like another 20 or so Orcas from around the area. They all gathered about two miles from us on a classic whale-beach up the channel. They frolicked, breached, leapt, blew and tail waggled for hours. They ‘consorted’ with one another to the extent that the onlookers could hear the babies crying out for their mothers. Musta been a crazy party!

But, I confess, we didn’t see it. This is all second-hand. We were busy and didn’t know of the gathering til it was over. And, without pictures, it is just another whale story. Still, for me, it was great to see ’em when they passed us and then to hear of their shenanigans was a real picker-upper. I dunno…I guess Orcas having a picnic buoys my spirits….