Tag Archives: Langley

A Retired Ferry In Storage

I am known to take the occasional photos of ferries. I have even been known to search them out from time to time. However, I recently got a photo of one purely by accident. We were on Whidbey Island and in the town of Langley. We drove down a side road to a dock area to see what was down there and we came across a retired Washington State ferry. The MV Evergreen State was in the WSF fleet for decades but was finally retired from service in 2015. Apparently her disposal did not go smoothly and she was in Olympia for a while before a new owner bought her and moved her to Langley.

Supposedly, the new owner is in the process of converting her to electric power. Working on a vessel as old as she is sounds hard enough as it is but converting it to new technology seems like a major undertaking. Maybe it will all work out well but I have a feeling that another troubling time could be ahead. Meanwhile, she is moored in Langley and this is where I shot her.

Django Fest Random Groups

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We didn’t realize it when we planned our trip to Langley but it was in the middle of a music festival. Called Django Fest, this brought a range of musicians into the town to perform a series of concerts. However, the concerts were not all that they were doing. Throughput the town, little impromptu gatherings of musicians took place and they jammed together. At various times, one musician might pack up and head off ad another might later show up (With a different instrument) and replace them. The musicians would adapt each tune to the new additions, some of which fitted easily and some of which required a little more accommodation.

The first group we came across made us think this was just some locals sitting outside playing. However, when we came across a couple more of the groups, we began to get what was going on. When a shop assistant asked if we had come for the festival, it all became clear.

The quality of the play and the smoothness of the integration varied from group to group but they were all clearly skillful musicians. Watching them join a new group and just play was impressive and also made me rather envious of their talent.

Langley Town Center

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Nancy and I decided to have a day trip to Whidbey Island to do some exploring. We focused our trip on the small town of Langley. Located on the southeast side of the island and not far from the ferry terminal at Clinton, it is an easy place to get to. The town has a very relaxed feel to it. We were there outside peak season which, no doubt, helped but there were still plenty of visitors. Even so, the town had a laid-back feel and did not seem too busy.

We wandered around the shops, had a spot of lunch overlooking the water and checked out some of the older buildings and their history. We also saw some local entertainment but I shall save details of that for another time. On a sunny fall day, you couldn’t have asked for a nicer place to hang out and watch the world go by. When we had looked around the streets, there was still the shore to explore so a little stroll along the water’s edge wrapped up a great little visit.