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Blogs > Jacqui1000 > Life on the Rock


Jacqui1000 61F
141 posts
10/25/2012 3:27 pm
Rock ‘em if ya got ‘em
It's recently come to my attention from the post of Faithful Reader, that my blog name on here might be misunderstood. It is not "Life on the Rocks," it's "Life on THE ROCK."

Allow me to explain. . .

A common nickname for the island on which I live is "The Rock," for, like Alcatraz, once you move onto Whidbey Island, you seldom leave.

I'm no exception to that rule. The rare occasions I get off The Rock are for medical appointments and days out with my lady friends from church. Otherwise, I stay local.

What is it about Whidbey that seems to "trap" us all?

Truthfully now, Whidbey is one of the most beautiful spots in the United States, and certainly second only to Singapore to places I've visited or lived. However, life on an island does have its little inconveniences. For example, the scenic, but somewhat mind-numbing drive of nearly an hour just to get off-island to the interstate in the north, or the equally gorgeous, but lengthy ferry ride to the south. And that "nearly" is very changeable by season. If it's tourist time (we host a Race Week that draws sailors from around the globe), make that an hour and a half. Lord knows, I've been behind enough creeping RVs and trucks hauling boats bigger than they are, all going 15 miles an hour.

I'm always elated to leave, even for shots in my spine. However, I'm always just as glad to get back. I think that has more to do with the fact that my cats and computer are here than anything else.

Now, as the sun struggles to part our almost ever-present cloud layer, I wool-gather. If I had a less fuel-hungry car, I'd brave the trip far more often, despite the astronomical price of gas in WA state. I miss culture, art, society, theater, dance and all the things not found on this sleepy island where they only grow apples, pumpkins, and cows.

I'm trying to convince my mother to move here, or at least come to stay with me for a summer. Whidbey will be more than just culture shock for her, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana native. As I've often joked with her, we're lucky here on The Rock. Oak Harbor has both a Wal-Mart AND a Kmart.

"If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I'd type a little faster." — Isaac Asimov