For more than 20 years, I’ve been visiting the secluded “Three Amigos” in the San Juan Islands:  Matia, Sucia, and Patos Islands in my sailboat, Elenoa. Each voyage is different: the seasons determine what sections of the fantastical sandstone formations receive glorious lighting, whether Madrone bark is colorful, and whether spring flowers or fall colors dominate. Weather conditions and tides …

The Herons call to me. They fish from the dock and rest on the piling next to where I live on my boat and they adorn the seascapes where I photograph in the San Juans. Their blood-curdling, tortured-animal-like screaming compelled me to find their nesting area just blocks away and for months I heard them cavorting all night long while …