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Cantwell's Reef

Cantwell's Reef

By Brian J. Cantwell

Adventures in ditching the office and making a life on a small island nobody's heard of
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Big island or small, diverse skills make life in paradise possible

Cantwell's ReefMay 05, 2022

00:00
05:06
Wildflowers and wider horizons as April whispers of change

Wildflowers and wider horizons as April whispers of change

Fairy slippers, aka calypso orchids, are blooming on Center Island, while manmade miracles have transformed my old stomping grounds, the Columbia River waterfront near Portland, Oregon.

Apr 08, 202305:01
Practicing catch-and-release with my cabin’s chimney. (Sheesh)

Practicing catch-and-release with my cabin’s chimney. (Sheesh)

The Return of the Creature In My Chimney -- with a happier ending.

Mar 12, 202306:16
Febrrrr-uary ends frostily

Febrrrr-uary ends frostily

As the San Juan Islands' quietest season winds down with a month of weird and wintry weather, island hermits look toward spring.

Feb 25, 202304:27
Spotting the Towhee

Spotting the Towhee

On a lonely walk with my cat, a skittering in the bushes raises the hair on our necks. 

Feb 04, 202304:14
The social whirl of a San Juan Islands winter

The social whirl of a San Juan Islands winter

Visiting friends on a neighboring isle is a big event in these cold and wind-blown months. 

Feb 03, 202303:04
Sometimes you have to work for a merry Christmas. Let me tell you.

Sometimes you have to work for a merry Christmas. Let me tell you.

Snow, ice and gales can't stop a loving dad from meeting up for a special Christmas with his daughter.

Dec 28, 202208:34
A thankful time before the storms

A thankful time before the storms

After a cozy Thanksgiving with welcome visitors, I've been hunkering down for winter in the wind-blown San Juan Islands.

Nov 29, 202203:07
After a bit of blue heaven, now comes the season of the webfoot

After a bit of blue heaven, now comes the season of the webfoot

After months of dry skies and a recent sunny weekend on the Pacific Coast, I'm back in the writing hut with November rains thumping the rooftop. It feels like home.

Nov 03, 202202:27
Fat berries, soft breezes herald a new San Juan season

Fat berries, soft breezes herald a new San Juan season

On a warm and silent September morn, a rustle of breeze in the tallest fir whispers a message of autumn.

Sep 20, 202202:28
Boatyard daze: Pondering the future with a salty old friend

Boatyard daze: Pondering the future with a salty old friend

Repainting our beloved sailboat leads daughter Lillian and me to ponder whether this will be our last haulout. (Sort of like a cowboy's last roundup.) 

Sep 14, 202204:40
It’s gettin’ too goldurn modern on this little speck o’ dirt

It’s gettin’ too goldurn modern on this little speck o’ dirt

One wants to be a good citizen, but it's hard not to grumble when the pressure mounts to post county-issued house numbers in front of our cabins.

Sep 04, 202202:52
It takes a little magic to accomplish chores with no stores

It takes a little magic to accomplish chores with no stores

Rebuilding my island cabin's 25-year-old wooden deck is a labor of love, a little lunacy, and lots of boat trips to the lumberyard. 

Sep 01, 202204:06
Good things multiply on the way to the Last Frontier

Good things multiply on the way to the Last Frontier

North to Alaska! Our first tech challenge, our first whale sighting, our first meet-up with Mounties, oh my! The voyage begins.

Aug 26, 202207:02
Back on the rock: Paella with pals, and a bittersweet memorial
Aug 25, 202207:08
Heading northward, with the geese

Heading northward, with the geese

After a year of dreaming and plotting, it's time to depart on a long-planned sea voyage to Alaska. Ride along in coming weeks.

May 26, 202202:43
Like the cousins who come in May, and stay and stay, the goldfinches have arrived on Center Island.

Like the cousins who come in May, and stay and stay, the goldfinches have arrived on Center Island.

Spain has its annual running of the bulls. In the San Juans, we practice the welcoming of the goldfinches.

May 18, 202201:24
Squish! Squish! Squish! The wildflowers are loving it.

Squish! Squish! Squish! The wildflowers are loving it.

Persistent April showers (and February, and March...) have brought a bumper crop of May flowers to the San Juan Islands. 

May 16, 202201:35
Big island or small, diverse skills make life in paradise possible

Big island or small, diverse skills make life in paradise possible

This episode is also available as a blog post with photos: http://brianjcantwell.com/2022/05/04/big-island-or-small-diverse-skills-make-life-in-paradise-possible/

May 05, 202205:06
'Trawler 101,' and busy with a birthday

'Trawler 101,' and busy with a birthday

The excitement mounts as I join friends on a shakedown cruise before our 10-week boat trip up the Inside Passage to Alaska.

Apr 12, 202204:41
The power of a San Juan Islands spring
Mar 27, 202202:54