Shaw Island is the smallest of the four San Juan Islands served by the Washington State Ferries. There have been three Catholic religious institutes of nuns on Shaw Island. Priority for Orcas and Shaw vehicles on the 3:05 p.m. weekday departure.
The meals were made by unseen cooks. They eat only together, away from the revolving numbers of guests each day, week, month, and year. Oh, how I’d love to do it alone.
Just ocean, sky, woods, and some houses here and there.
And as a mother of two young boys, resting is not something you do for a few hours, and never all day long. But where were the nuns? Shaw Island has a County park, a historic general store, and a post office at the ferry landing. Benedictine nuns established a monastery on 150 acres (61 hectares) in the 1970s; while the Sisters of Mercy have owned an unofficial retreat on the island since the 1980s. Recommend 5:20 p.m. sailing for Lopez vehicles; foot passengers OK. Loads or unloads eastbound traffic on westbound sailing. For 27 years every ferry that landed at Shaw was met by a Franciscan nun wearing a reflective vest over her brown habit; that order departed the island in 2004. There are 11 campsites with picnic tables and fire rings.
I’m just not called to that life. Even that is separated by nicely welded bars. A library and museum are located near the middle of the island. But she wasn’t cold either. The only time together with them is during church. I love knowing the whys of each person’s life choices. Michael Armenia: “I’d Rather Remain an Enigma”, Last Night’s Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon, Local Phenoms Kaj and Tashi in Concert Soon, Tomorrow’s Children’s Christmas Market and Concert, The 5th Annual Orcas Island Film Festival, Kayaking the Cold, Crystal Waters of the Puget Sound, Devastation After One Little Power Outage, Art Tour – Kandis Susol’s Paper & Encaustics, Art Tour – Sean Forest Roberts’s Ceramics, Art Tour – Thomas Leonard’s Blacksmithing, Art Tour – Barbara Gourley’s Oil Paintings, Art Tour – Michael Yeaman’s Geology & Stone Work, Art Tour – Zackarya Leck’s Blacksmithing & Sculpture, Art Tour – Barbara Bentley’s Fiber Art Socks, Art Tour – Bruce Wilson’s Thermal Oil & Wax, Art Tour – Kim Middleton’s Bird Paintings, Summer Camps and Activities on Orcas Island, Seattle Rock Orchestra’s Annual Visit to Orcas Island’s Doe Bay. We walked farther along the winding road until we saw a nun and a farm intern talking with someone. The service is from Anacortes, a port city about 90 minutes north of Seattle. This park is part of the Cascadia Marine Trail System. The island has a land area of 19.952 square kilometres (7.704 square miles) and a small year-round population of 240 (2010 census).
But I was thrilled to ride away that next afternoon, bound for the ferry to carry us home. Five minutes went by, the three people finally disbanded and walked away, and we stood there alone again. We peeked around and listened for voices. Benedictine nuns established a monastery on 150 acres in the 1970s; while the Sisters of Mercy have owned an unofficial retreat on the island since the 1980s. Oh, the nuns never eat with us, she said.
They eat, live, and work farther up along the road in completely different residences. Why? My mom and I are watching a series called Call the Midwife and I can barely stand the parts where the nuns are singing prayers in their regimented lilts in a rigid formation in a cold, dark tomb of a sanctuary. Nor books to read.