Boys of Cortes

After a week aboard the Heron, we couldn't believe the boys would actually be flying in to join us at Cortes Island. We hiked up to a granite-topped lookout to await their arrival... It was rainy and cold that morning in Seattle, which delayed their
flight by several hours, but finally we heard them circling, and their sea plane floated right up to our dock. Within minutes the boys had dropped their duffels, shed jeans and fleece for swim trunks, and were diving off the boat into the warm waters of Desolation Sound. After a swim, it was time for guitar-playing on the stern. Another boater asked the boys if they knew any "folk songs" from the Sixties, and before we knew it, we were being serenaded with "If I had a Hammer" and "Puff the Magic Dragon," which the boys found hilarious. Dinner was grilled flank steaks and fresh asparagus... the night was so warm we were able to set our table in the cockpit, where we lingered until the stars came out. Then it was time for... SCRABBLE! Jeff won, with "Vesper." James came in a close second with a tricky double formation: "Oxen" and "Damn."