Tara Morgan Mulvenon & Jessica Aline De Wire

I know Tara from the wonderful world of rowing.  That vehicle for so much of my life that led me across oceans, down rivers and all the way to Tinyboatsession. Tara and I rowed at Lake Washington Rowing Club years ago, and now that years have passed we both are still rowing.  I ran into her at a rowing fundraiser to support kids who might not otherwise have the chance to try this sport.  She said she had been enjoying Tinyboatsession and mentioned she played an instrument and her, and maybe a friend, would like to do one out on Vashon Island.

I was keen to get out to Vashon Island again.  I’d done a session out here back in season four.  I was also keen because it was fishing season, and last time I rowed in Dalco passage between the boat ramp in Tacoma and Vashon Island a friend and I had caught four pink salmon.  It was still fishing season so I got up early to row over with a line in the water.  No bites but I did snag on some flotsam.  While I untangled my line I heard the unmistakable almost industrial sounding gasp.  I looked up from the snag to see a humpback whale a hundred yards away.

That's not an every day thing.  When I landed on the beach to meet Tara I was pretty excited.  Tara was wearing a coaching suit, basically an official looking all weather onesie with flotation. She was accompanied by a walrus holding a tuba.  This was Jessica.  She’s Tara’s friend and her tuba was an antique.   I was just in a cotton shirt and we were all sweating in the the warmth of early October.  We loaded the boat and we pushed off the island with the hopes we might see that whale again.  

They played some wonderful songs.  Some short and sweet and funny… and others darkly dramatic.  The seagulls were out in force, hundreds of them for an audience and in the background the ferry crossed while we floated and they sang.  @taraletsgogo @j.designwire