Currently residing in Lilliwaup, Washington, her house is on Hood Canal with some 200 feet of waterfront situated on the Lilliwaup River delta. Rose is a bona fide delta queen, and her's is the perfect spot for an August respite.

While its name implies a waterway which connects to larger bodies of water on either end, Hood Canal does not. Rather, it's more like a fjord with the low-lying hills of the Kitsap Peninsula on its eastern shore, the rugged Olympic Mountains on its west. With over one hundred miles of shoreline, Hood Canal is the ideal natural inland water park.

The weekend flew by faster than I was ready for. No sweat. I've got family just around the bend from Lilliwaup who proved beyond generous in their hospitality, allowing me to extend my retreat a few more days. And they didn't even make me get on the roof.