The 2009 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival finished up the end of April. Good weather and tulip blooms combined to make it a banner year. The Puget Sound weather has been mostly cloudy or rainy, but the sun has been peaking out occasionally, so there have been good viewing times for the festival.

According to Evening Magazine’s 2009 Northwest Escapes, Whidbey Island has taken top honors as Best Tourist Town. Apparently, selected by a panel of 20,704 “insider voters”, Whidbey Island, a.k.a. “the Village by the Sea,” is better than Friday Harbor, Port Townsend, or Poulsboro. Further honors went to Whidbey’s Fort Casey,which earned Best Historical Monument, beating out Seattle’s Space Needle and the Oregon Caves.

On Camano Island, the rain has been light, but steady, with clouds and temperatures in the low-to-mid fifties. It’s expected to still be cool for the annual Camano Island Studio Tour on Mother’s Day Weekend, so bring a jacket. The tour sites are open from 10 am - 6 pm each day, and parking is available at each stop on the 35-studio tour. This year’s tour features over 60 artists, and includes restaurants, rest-stops, shopping, and other services.