The Garden House is a private one-bedroom cottage located on Orcas Island (in the San Juan Island archipelago); Orcas Island is approximately 80 miles north north west of Seattle, Washington. The Garden House is available year round.
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The Garden House is a second
floor guest quarters, with
cathedral ceilings, dormers and lots of light. Containing a
combined kitchen and sitting room, a large bedroom, and a
bathroom with shower (photos), the Garden House is located on 6 wooded
acres of waterfront property at the east end of Orcas Island.
A generous, sunny
deck with a large hot tub sits above a flower and fruit
garden, with the water modestly visible through the trees. A
four minute walk on a wooded trail leads
to a large rock outcropping, with inter-tidal pools and
a south-easterly view 
of the Rosario
Straits, several islands and
the North Cascades, providing an ideal place for fishing,
conversation or contemplation. The northwest style building,
with shake roof, custom wood framed windows and shingle
siding, is about 200 feet from the main house. A wood stove
(free firewood supplied), as well as electric heat, will keep
you warm. The kitchen is fully furnished with pots, pans,
utensils as well as plates from a
local pottery. Towels, sheets and blankets are
provided; the queen-size bed is made. Additional bedding options are
provided by a
hide-a-bed sofa in the combined kitchen / sitting room area.
The cabin has a coffee bean
grinder, "mr coffee" type coffee maker, toaster, microwave, refrigerator, gas kitchen stove, small cd/fm/aux music system with cable attachment for an ipod or the headphone jack of your laptop, and outdoor
charcoal grill (charcoal not supplied). For children, a portacrib is available
as
well as a fold-out futon and baby monitor. A 24x7 dsl wi-fi internet connection is available as is a pc for those who would like to have internet access without bringing a computer. Cell phone reception is of acceptable quality.
Moran State Park, with hiking, swimming and a
children's play area, is about 10 minutes away; the town of
Olga, with a postoffice, general store (open in summer only)
and cafe, is about 5 minutes away. Orcas Island is temperate
year round: the summer brings sunny, though not hot, days in
the low 70's to low 80's, while the winter brings generally
above freezing temperatures and rain, creating a quiet
coziness inviting one to snuggle up near the
fire with a good book.
Internet Specials:
For visits to the Garden House between October 1st and April 30th (this is approximately the "winter season" I mention above), the rate will be reduced by 10% for Sunday through Thursday nights (not counting holidays) if you ask for it at the time that you make a reservation. And the twist?: this rate does not "wrap over" into weekends (Friday and Saturday); it only applies for weekday visits that begin on or after Sunday and end no later than Thursday. If your stay includes a weekend day, regular rates apply to all days.
Separately, during that same period (Oct 1st through April 30th) you may stay a third night free when you make a 2 night reservation; as described above, you must ask for it at the time that you make a reservation and this special does not apply to holidays.
For clarity, a Garden House "holiday" refers to a typical holiday window. For example, the Thanksgiving holiday means Wednesday to Sunday, even though Thanksgiving (Thursday) is the actual holi-"day". The period from Dec 24 through Jan 1 is considered a holiday. Those are the big ones. Other holidays typically include the weekend associated with the holiday (like Veterans Day, MLK day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc.) Internet specials don't apply to these periods.
Thus, with the exception of holidays, if you want to minimize your costs and can get away during the week (between Oct 1 and April 30), you can have a 3 night stay for 10% less than the cost of a 2 night stay. You can also get a 3 day weekend for the cost of a 2 day weekend (come on Thursday and leave on Sunday, or come on Friday and leave on Monday).
Recession Rate Reduction
Our contribution to helping jump start the economy is to reduce (at your request) the Garden House basic rates corresponding to the Federal Reserve Bank's overnight discount rate. Starting in January 2008, the Garden House rates shown above can be reduced, per your request, by a percentage equal to 4 times the drop in the Fed rate.
Here's how this works
The Fed 'primary credit discount' rate dropped 0.75% (three quarters of a percent) on January 22, 2008, from 4.75% to 4.00%. The Fed rate dropped an additional .50% (half a percentage) on January 30, 2008 from 4.00% to 3.50%. On March 16, 2008, the fed rate dropped 0.25%, and again on March 18, 2008 the fed rate dropped another 0.75%. On April 30, 2008 the fed dropped the rate another 0.25%. Currently the primary credit discount rate is 2.25%, which is 2.50% lower than when the Garden House's recession rate reduction program started.
Consequently, the basic Garden House rates can drop 4 x the 2.50% decline, or 10.0%. As the Fed makes changes during 2008, the Garden House recession rate reduction percentage will change correspondingly. Thus, when figuring your nightly rate for staying at the Garden House, you can use the Garden House rates shown above ("The Details") and, if you request this option when you make your reservation, reduce them by 4 times the current drop in the Fed rate starting from the 4.75% in early January 2008. Currently the
recession rate reduction is
10.0% (if the rates change in your favor, please let me know!)
All other Garden House discounts described above also apply.
PLEASE NOTE: You must remind me of your desire to take advantage of the recession rate reduction as well as any other internet special offers when you make a reservation (and not later)!!!
We are always looking for ways to sweeten what is already a sweet place. If you are having an anniversary during the shoulder or winter seasons (long term partnerships count the same as marriage) and can bring something (at least a good story) to prove when you met, we will discount your stay 1% for each year you have been together (this offer peaks out at 20+ years, and, alas, cannot be combined with the other offers described above). Creative ideas that won't result in our bancruptcy will be entertained--when proposing them, the zen approach is advised: have no attachment to the outcome. Single night reservations are sometimes possible--rates are higher. Mid week reservations in the winter are almost always available; weekends are often booked weeks in advance, as is anytime in the summer.
For rentals less than one week (7 days) in length, a deposit of the
full amount due is required in advance to hold your
reservation. For rentals of one week or more, 50% of the
total due is required in advance; the remaining balance will
be due before your departure. If you wish to make a
reservation, contact us--we'll pencil you in the book and
immediately send you a rental agreement, specifying the dates
and total amount due. You may pay by check, Visa or
Mastercard. Reservations not secured by a credit card are
considered tentative and are honored for 4 days from the time
of your call; reservations are only considered confirmed
upon our receipt of either your (cleared) check or approved credit card
transaction. (Unlike a hotel, credit card charges are made at the time you make your reservation, not at the time of your arrival).
Occasionally prospective guests call to ask me to pencil in a
reservation but do not follow up promptly with a credit card or check. Meanwhile another
prospective guest calls to make a reservation which would conflict with the
first (tentative) one
and is prepared to confirm it right then with a credit card. I don't know if the first prospective guest is
serious, tho I know the second one is. If certain dates are important to you,
please give me a credit card at the time of the reservation.
The Reservation Process
Cancellation Policy
If you notify me more than 2
weeks before your reservation, you receive your deposit back less a $25
cancellation handling fee. If you notify me less than 2 weeks prior to the
start of your reservation, you will receive your deposit back, less the $25
cancellation handling fee, if I am able to fill the reservation with other guests.
The Garden House nighly rate is intentionally set below the average
nightly rate for cabins on Orcas.
The (sadly, no longer in service) interisland ferry HIYU Orcas Island is one of four islands served by the
Washington
State Ferry (WSF) System--the Anacortes ferry dock is almost
exactly a
one and a half hour drive from anywhere in downtown Seattle.
Call WSF (in Seattle, (206) 464-6400 or statewide
1-800-84-FERRY) for
current ferry information
and (this is important) their
recommended arrival time at the dock prior to boarding the
ferry you want. (Note:
the WSF web site has some recommended
vehicle pre-boarding dock arrival time estimates posted in case you can't
get through by phone.) From late May through early October, do not be surprised if
this time seems to be unconscionably early.
For real time information, you can
look at
the current status of the Anacortes ferry terminal parking lot.
The Philosophy
The reason: the Garden House is not positioned as a
super high-end romantic getaway, i.e., those cabins that have a
dishwasher, high definition dvd and minimum 35" screen, more titles than Blockbuster, king size
bed, furnished like the 4 Seasons, dyno view of the water. Still, there are few
buildings on Orcas that are constructed with better materials, a sweeter design,
a solidity that subtly conveys serious structural protection inside the envelope
of a beautiful asethetic, or the purchase of sufficient green power to fulfill a commitment to total carbon neutrality in energy use. Unlike the Garden House, more expensive cabins don't
have a hot tub, don't have exclusive beach and shore access privacy for just one
guest party, don't have a garden where there is a standing offer for guests to
make their own bouquet of flowers or pick ripe fruit off the trees or bushes or
vines. Most other cabin environments are plural...there is not the sense that the
grounds are the guests' alone. The Garden House offers exclusivity in
its privacy, a sense of being welcomed into one's own personal place. The Garden House quietly reflects the terms retreat and tranquility (more on the subtext of the Garden House philosophy.)
Ferries to Orcas Island:
Current Ferry Schedule
The Anacortes/San Juan Islands Ferry current westbound schedule.
Figure a two hour drive from Seattle, to allow for
accidents, heavy traffic, etc. and throw in at least an hour
OR
TWO (except for the very early and very late boats) to insure
that you get the ferry you want (particularly Friday afternoons and anytime in
the summer), and another hour an a half
on the ferry to the Orcas dock and you'll see you need to
allow a big chunk of a day to get here.
Hanging out in a crowded ferry line in the summer for an hour or more while waiting for the next ferry does not generate a wide smile across my face. It is usually hot, there are odors (food, smoking, exhaust fumes and fuels), sounds (the guy next to you thinks you will love his hip hop at a decibel level just under that required to shatter glass) and there are a legion of people unhappy that they have to wait. Throw in kids, dogs, and the absence of wind to cool everything down and your comfort level could be low. Anticipate this to keep Murphy away. Bring something cool to drink and to wear, have a towel ready to place in the window to block the sun if you want to try to sleep, and consider taking a walk down on the long wide beach east of the Anacortes Terminal. If you've a book, beverage and blanket or better yet a portable chair, you can radically improve your ferry-wait environment.
Enough people inquire about whether they need to bring a car that a note here
seems in order. For all but the truly adventurous, you need a car. For the
purposes of this comment, I define "adventurous" as anyone who is an adult not
responsible for anyone else (who does not, or may not, share this definition of
adventure) AND someone for whom hitching, walking or biking is not only possible
but substantially preferable to driving AND someone who has virtually no
restrictions on either their personal energy or their time. The upside is that
this is a beautiful place and going slow will bring its beauty straight in,
breath by breath, uncensored by steel, glass and rumble. The downside is that
we're talking miles, and hills, to the nearest restaurant, store, or
whale-watching boat.
Summer, especially, is a time when I make the occasional goof in the availability calendar. When you call or email me, don't hesitate to ask me to make sure the booking you want is, or is not, available.
The availability calendar for the Garden House.
Note that when a date is shown as "booked", that includes the night of that date. Example: suppose the calendar shows that the dates 3 and 4 of a month are booked. This means that the guest arrives on the afternoon of the 3rd and leaves on the morning of the 5th.
(note: for many of the winter months, you may stay a 3rd night free when you make a 2 night reservation. However, you must mention this option at the time you make the reservation. See the rates section for more information.)
NOTE: every now and then our ISP's spam filter unaccountably traps an email from you. If you don't hear from us within a day, please call! We certainly don't want to give you the impression we are indifferent to your inquiry!
And, in our continuing effort to allow clarity front seat in technology's invisibility car, we do not sell, loan, share, rent or otherwise pass on to anyone anything about you, such as your email address.
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This is an example of a porcelain dish with a crystal glaze, produced in the Hot Ice Studio at the Garden House. If you are interested, stop in during your stay at the Garden House or take a virtual tour. |
Once again, to make a reservation. I will need your
Thank you for thinking of us.
p.s. before you write: did you check the availability section above? It is always current.
The Garden House has available an expert who offers Jin Shin Jyutsu treatments. Jin Shin is an ancient Japanese energy healing practice. Sessions are uniquely tailored to your particular needs and are available within a one minute walk from the Garden House. Sessions are available on weekends and in the evening as well as during the work week. Please let the Garden House know if you are interested in a session so that we can ensure that a convenient session time is available. One guest wrote "I was really burnt out...Thanks Mary for the two Jin Shin sessions--you are a great and wonderful healer."
Speaking of refrigerator, I would encourage you to take a few minutes to read an essay about eating and health. Offered (like the Garden House) as an alternative to a mainstream perspective.
A commentary on going for the gold.
| Rudy relaxing after a hard day at the office |
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Are you a geotourist? If you are, you will be right at home at the Garden House. Rather than spend extra dollars on geotourism services which we won't charge you for, why not take those dollars, or the time you spent to earn them, and either financially support, or learn about, the efforts that have been, and still are, being taken to preserve and protect San Juan County by your Garden House hosts. If you support geotourism principles, please lend your weight to preserving a place deserving of your contributions. How? The journey toward an authentic geotourist activity (fear not: there's plenty more when you get here) is just one click away.
Here is a short list of things to consider on Orcas, as seen through a biased local's eyes.
There are thousands of non-profits that are running on empty. If you don't have a favorite one (or more!), please consider adopting Children's House on Orcas, the oldest early childhood education facility in San Juan County as your benefactee. If half of the people who read this web page sent ten dollars to Childrens House, under the "random acts of kindness" mantra, the benefits to the children (6 weeks to 6 years) of working parents living in the U.S. county (yes, San Juan County) that has the greatest gap between the haves and the have-nots of all counties in the country would be enormous. Dig just a bit deeper into your wallet and buy yourself, a family member, loved one, friend, colleague a Susan Osborn Lullabies CD from Children's House. Yourself, or someone you know, who has, had, or will have children, will love this album.
Imagine the joy you will bring, the gratitude you will evoke. Thanks.
Since many hands make light work, please warm your head, your hands, and certainly your heart by purchasing a hand made knit hat or pair of gloves at our international microbusiness support site Warm Heads, Hands and Hearts. It's international because the items were made by single-moms in Nepal. It's microbusiness because a small amount of money to us is a huge amount of money to them, to help them leverage their children out of a more or less endless cycle of poverty. We maintain the web site, ship the items, collect the money, take nothing for profit, and send it all to the knitters. It does not meet IRS rules for a 501c3 (we haven't even tried), it does not meet the standard test for business viability (how can you do all this and not earn a dime?) but it meets our test for doing the right thing. Everyone needs a warm head or hands in the winter, and it will be all the warmer knowing that you really helped someone. Read the story. Surely you know a friend, kid, parent, grandchild (and don't forget yourself) who would love one of these items. They make wonderful gifts.
There are certain people who do truly outstanding work. Work that defines terms like "extraordinary", or "fantastic" or "unbelievable". The people listed here are both my friends and my mentors. Judge for yourself.
Living on Orcas Island offers many opportunities for self-discovery, most of which cannot be avoided or denied without consequence. Many who visit Orcas see it as a refuge, an escape, a retreat, a magical playground. Indeed it is, tho often less so for many who call it their home. One of the reasons for this is the difficulty in finding meaningful, as well as economically viable, work. I've written a book about Orcas which discusses this and many other realities of island living for those who would like an insider's perspective on this lovely, and complex, island. An early text-only chapter in the book is available for your perusal. The book is in the publication process. If you would like a notification of its publication, please email me: "GardenHouseOnOrcas AT gmail.com"
The letter here frames the essential growth issue before the county, which, briefly, is the personal, internal conflict created by both wanting the quality of life that exists today to last in perpetuity while at the same time fearing the loss of autonomy (and income) implied by governmental regulation required to achieve this same quality of life objective. It's the "having your cake and eating it too" syndrome.
The essay here suggests a solution while reminding us that there's no free lunch.
The essay here describes why regulation is a response to both growth and the characteristic that many of us have to not do the right thing; the piece starts by reflecting on the white striping lines in ferry lane parking lots.
The essay here discusses the idea of buying our future, of being proactive rather than inactive or reactive.
The essay here points out that all the effort being devoted to keep things as they are will, if successul, result in nothing visible, nothing tangible, nothing new. As a result, who can get excited about working hard to achieve what we already have?
Nothing here for you? Want a list of other places to stay on Orcas? Other San Juan County web sites? Leads to north Puget Sound activities? Try this one.
We support a number of organizations that do important work we don't have time to do ourselves. Part of that work helps us wake up, part of that work brings joy--each of these qualities has no maximum limit, each can be increased to the benefit of self and others. You are invited to explore these to determine if the work they do might be worthy of your investment in time, funds, or recommendation.
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The
San Juan
Preservation Trust, a non-profit land trust, helps
preserve San Juan County by
assisting landowners in dedicating conservation easements on
their property.
KPLU, NPR and Jazz for western Washington, 88.5 on the fm dial, serves up large doses of musical joy.
We are pleased to participate in EPA's Green Power Partnership.
Finding others to do the work you believe in takes time. You can leverage your time by exploring the Charity Navigator web site. They help charitable givers (hopefully you) make wise decisions by providing comprehensive, objective ratings and analysis of the financial health of many charities. The goal, like microfinance, (see, for example, Finca), is the fish teacher model (give a man a fish and he is hungry tomorrow; teach a man to fish and he is never hungry again.)
You can also make investments in microfinancing institutions such as kiva.org (see banner to the right) or in MicroPlace, an ebay company. These investments bring you a return of way more than money. You help level the world's economic playing field, reminding me of the phrase "woman who chops her own wood warms herself twice." |
Got an old cell phone which needs a new life? You can donate it to the Support Network for Battered Women; they pay shipping. If you'd rather choose a different charitable organization to recycle and re-use your cell, you have many choices.
We encourage democracy in action. Voting once a year or less is just not enough. You deserve more, and so does the country. One place to start is to contact your local congressperson and senators. Do you know who these people are? Find your congressperson here. Find your senators here.
This web site is designed, updated and managed by Joe Symons
All material on or referenced by this page is
© 2008 Joe Symons
3.31.2001.61619
