We were soaking up the surprise sunshine on Sunday, eating our lunch on the patio, when Brendan caught a glimpse of a dorsal fin. We abandoned our food and rushed down to the rocks in time to see and hear a pod of orca as they rose for air. It has been at least two years since I have seen them from our property. The three resident pods usually hang out in the Haro Straights between Vancouver Island and the San Juans. We are southeast of that, and although our neighbors say they used to come here frequently, now their visits are rare. If we see them we drop everything to watch.
Unfortunately they are difficult to photograph because by the time you see them through the lens they are already going down. At times three or four were at the surface at once, including a mom and baby. The sound of their blowing carries a long way over the water.
Seeing orca made a beautiful day even more special. After lunch we went across Deception Pass to the north shore of Whidbey Island to walk along the beach. Sometimes life is just so hard.