Seen on the water

Mother's Day weekend was all about the water this year, with two ferry rides, a hike around a lake and a stroll along the bay in Bellingham while visiting our daughter.

Lake Padden in Bellingham, WA

First up are some photos from Lake Padden, a popular walking, boating and picnic area. The shady path around the lake is 2.6 miles and affords beautiful views of the water. Saturday it was filled with sailboats, canoes, kayaks, paddleboarders, swimmers and people fishing.

We watched Mama Duck shepherd her nine babies through the reeds while Papa fended off some encroaching males.

The next day, Mother's Day, we walked with throngs of other people on the boardwalk that runs along Bellingham Bay, where we saw bigger boats:

Wooden tall ship in Bellingham Bay.

But the most spectacular water sights were Sunday evening from the ferry as we crossed from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend. Within 30 minutes, we passed a whale, a submarine and a huge cruise ship. I didn't get a picture of the whale -- a grey -- but Dave saw it come out of the water and I saw the giant splash as it went back in.

The submarine, center in the photo above, was being escorted by two naval vessels. Minutes later we turned the other way and saw a huge white cruise ship headed toward us, glowing in the sun.

This last photo has nothing to do with the water but everything to do with why we went to Bellingham for Mother's Day!

Have a colorful day