More Anacortes - Cathy's place

Anacortes has all sorts of surprises.  This quirky little park was someone's labour of love

A beautiful, long multi-use trestle crossing Fidalgo Bay.

Cathy enjoying the beer and the Tom Petty cover band.  

Cathy lives on Guemes Island, a 5 min ferry ride from Anacortes.  Despite it's proximity to town it's another world there.

Michael gave me a little tour of the island while Cathy and friend made breakfast.  

A sweet little island, peaceful and laid back as these little islands usually are.  And Cathy has a sweet little home there with artistic surprises everywhere, inside and out.  

 It was a fun weekend and I hope to go back again next year. 

Anacortes Art and Friends

This summer I got a notice of an arts festival in Anacortes, Washington from my friend, Cathy Schoenberg, who is an artist living near Anacortes,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacortes,_Washington.  I met Cathy's partner, Michael, also and artist,  many years ago in Mexico and we've seen each other there over successive years and have maintained a friendship since.

The different faces of Anacortes

 Mt Baker - the beautiful

 Shell oil refinery - the ugly

A marine setting

The arts festival is a really big deal in Anacortes.  As the publicity blurb puts it:  "The more than 80,000 festival goers enjoy 280 booth artisans, 3 stages of continuous free entertainment, fine art show, youth activities, food booths & trucks, beer & wine gardens, demonstration artists, a 5K run and collaborative art projects."  As a testimony to her art and her reputation, Cathy was invited to exhibit in the juried show where she had several pieces.  In any case, I thought it would be fun to go over there for the festival and it was a trip I could do by bike.  So I packed my panniers and rode to the ferry in Sidney for the crossing to Anacortes.  

Both Michael and Cathy have studios in a former office building in the old downtown of Anacortes and Cathy graciously made hers available to me for a place to crash.  It was lovely sleeping surrounded by her beautiful paintings.  

 Cathy's colouring books

Art in the hallway

Michael in his studio

More Anacortes to come