My first house on Whidbey was on a Cul-de-Sac by the beautiful Compass Rose. Walking down to Ebey's Landing became a nightly ritual for me. Some days when I didn't have the energy to walk the distance, I did anyway. I always knew the prize at the end would be worth it. I sometimes walked twice a day on the weekends.
It is such a comfortable place for me. It knows all my secrets; all my hopes and dreams. It's a spiritual place for me. The beauty of Ebey's Landing brought me through some hard times I thought I would never recover from. It is a place I walked to with my children as they grew up. We had SOME conversations on the way to Ebey's Landing and back.
My first "date" after 3 years of being single, was a walk to Ebey's Landing; as was the first kiss. There were also many picnics at Fort Ebey, our second favorite location. After a time, it was a natural conclusion that the proposal came on a beautiful and sunny Christmas Day - at Ebey's Landing! Followed months later by a beautiful, outdoor wedding at Fort Ebey State Park. How could I not love this place?
We've grown up here, as much as our children have. Once you have experienced this beauty, it's hard to remember anything or anywhere else. And it doesn't let go. My fondest memories are always somewhere within the confines of Ebey's National Historic Reserve. Thank you to those with the foresight to preserve this land.
~Anne Hallam
Night comes in
Like a fog on a city bay
A dream that’s still far away
Like ocean rain
Sleep comes in
Like a song in a minor key
The ghosts that are surrounding me
Never going back again
One day
One afternoon
One night
Just to feel this way again
Graveyard on the hill
And it’s filled with the family names
Morning still looks the same
I’m lifted like a veil
Day comes in
Everyone’s got somewhere to go
Trucks rooster-tail this gravel road
Everything leaves a trail
Everything leaves a trail
Around here, everything leaves a trail
Eric Christensen
Corduroy stripes of green on black
Tractor roaring forth and back
Gulls' procession in its track
Hills of over-wintering beets
Sown inside their black earth pleats
Plants for seed in August's heat
Winds can howl up on the hill
Or whisper, Isaac lives here still
Or shout, you're here against my will
Gold fields crusted white today
Hedgerows dressed in ice array
Smith farm ponies get some hay
Solitary walker on his way.
Kathy Stella
“Snowy day on the Prairie
P.S. Nootka rose are one of the native shrub species that once covered much of the Ebey’s Prairie (except the parts the Indians burned to keep their camas fields going) and can still be seen in the existing hedgerows. They have lovely delicate pink flowers in late spring and then these great hips that the birds love (and my children also seem to think are quite tasty, they are certainly a good source of vitamin C…). If you would like to re-establish some of your own, check out the local conservation district plant sale. This particular plant was from a little twig planted about 3 years ago.
Living in a place where history is embraced is pretty cool. Old buildings, prairies carved from ancient glacial activity, the long green Packard driving the streets when the sun is out.
Sunnyside Cemetery (the name makes you almost look forward to going there) in the middle of the reserve, is chock full of history and the early settlers of the reserve. Last May, a dozen residents of Sunnyside came back to life for a living history lesson of the people who lived, died and left their mark on Whidbey Island. One was Isaac Ebey, portrayed by Coupeville Middle School teacher Wilbur Purdue (nice period style 
beard). Isaac/Wilbur shared about traveling to Whidbey in the mid 1800’s, the first land claims, life with Native Americans and about the dramatic end of Isaac’s life. As parents and as Coupevillians we love this stuff. We haven’t bought our plots yet, but I think Sunnyside is in our (hopefully far-off) future. Mitch R.
What a day. I’ll take one day like this on the reserve for a week of hot and dry in August. (Born and raised in the Pac NW, anything over 70 degrees is too freaking hot). I know lots of folks retire to their Florida and California winter homes this time of year. The dread of a windy, wet winter. Whatever (you wimps!). I’ve never understand the allure of a forever sunny climate. Isn’t it boring? If it wasn’t for those wild and wet windy days, and the many heavy grey days in between, a day like the one in this photo would be nothing more than just another day, mark it off the calendar. Instead, it’s a DAY. Blue, blue sky. Even bluer ocean. A circle of mountains etched in snow. Dark fields, steaming grey mist in the warmth of the sun, blades of winter barley greening as you watch. Bald eagles swooping, spinning, diving, weird high-pitched screams as they get it on in the sky, their yearly springtime rites. So sign me up. I’ll take all the nasty days we’ve had, and all the ones yet to come, just for a day like today.
Signing off from Willowood Farm,
Georgie
Ebey's Landing beach is the best spot on the entire island to go for a walk. It's constantly changing! There is always something new! This photo was from one early morning walk in late winter, I had never seen kelp look so pretty. On a different walk I met a young boy walking with his dad and he made me aware of the entire kelp forest at Ebey's Beach. I had never noticed nor thought of the massive kelp bed south of the parking lot to be apart of the beach until seeing it out of the water. The young boy made me realize it's a different forest which is always there!
Beth Graves
bayleaf
101 NW Coveland
Coupeville WA 98239
360-678-6603
http://www.bayleaf.us/
