Bloedel Reserve

 

Yesterday, Becky, D and I took three hours to walk the two mile loop at the beautiful Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island.

We saw lots of native plants, a broody goose, a mansion and some ants.

Deception Pass again

 

Our fourth of July camping trip is now a venerable tradition in its second year.    We reserved only six months in advance instead of the nine months that is permitted so didn’t get as nice of camp sites.  Aside from one of them being next to a rocky, precipitous drop off in to a pond, they were okay though (sites 343, 345, and 346).   A couple of us stayed three nights and the weather was dry and comfortable.   

D and his friend had lots of common interests like digger toys, plaid shirts, wearing bike helmets all the time, biking and playing in the car.  They only called OnStar twice.

Down at the lake the kids swam a little, went out in a canoe, flew a kite and played in the sand.

Getting a good group shot proved to be difficult.

There was a pair of owls living in the campsite that we saw several times.   In the picture of the kids on the rock we tried to keep them happy by saying “oooh look there’s the owl”.  Below, one of the owls has a huge rodent for supper.

mother’s day at the beach

 

Jack’s stepdad’s family brought back an old tradition a couple of years ago.  Almost 30 of us rented cabins at the same resort some family members first visited 40 or so years ago.

It was clear and windy, as you can see in the video below.  At first D was reluctant to get wet or dirty, but he got over it, though falling on hard, cold sand while short on sleep led to some tears.  My mom and Jack’s grandma joined us, and with help from both of our moms we got some time alone together and I got to sleep in on mother’s day in our beautiful cliffside room.  We also got to play a board game with Jack’s cousin and and his wife, who also had a built-in babysitter in Jeff’s parents.  D enjoyed his time with his cousins.

 

Part of a Mariner’s game was D’s first sanctioned hit of TV, which explains the solemn expressions on Jack and D’s faces, below right.

I like how my mom and D have both shadows and reflections in this one.  In the other, Jack impresses D with his moves.

Group shots

family reunion at Mt Rainier

Instead of trying to camp together during the busy summer months, we got together with my dad’s side of the family early this year, in April, at a cabin near Mt. Rainier.

We went on a couple of short hikes and got caught in a hail storm that sent us running back to the car for lunch.

The cabin was on the banks of the Cowlitz river and we had fun walking around in the bizarre looking environment of an island in the river.

early season camping at Camano

 

We had a great time camping at Camano Island State Park with Jack’s cousin and his family.  We lucked out with lovely weather without a shadow of April showers.  Originally we planned to go to the family property, but the winter collapsed the picnic shelter there and things were too much of a mess.

 

l

Anderson Island

 

From two recent experiences with family members passing away I’ve learned that I feel a strong desire to get out of town after the dust settles.  Of course, we don’t forget people, but the change of scenery feels essential.  In mid February we stayed a couple of nights at a cabin on Anderson Island, which is accessible via a small ferry from Steilacoom, near Tacoma.  

It was wet, as one would expect in February, but we had a good time and spent a lot of time outside. 

I was particularly impressed at D’s maturity.  We put him a portable crib in a bedroom in the cabin and said, “It’s time to nap here” and he just understood and did it.  This is not the norm for naps away from home and school.

There was a brand new playground near the cabin and on the second day someone came by and stuck stickers on the swings.  The funny thing was that the three types of swings all were designated for different age ranges, but according to the dire warning on the stickers, there was no swing appropriate for kids aged 2.5 to 3, or people older than 12.

Deception Pass camping!

 

Our long-anticipated 4th of July camping trip was a smashing success.  Perhaps it will be the first in a new tradition!

Highlights:

• six camping babies and their awesome parents
• three beautiful, shady, spacious, adjacent campsites (141, 142, 143 in the lower loop campground) at Deception Pass State Park
• comfortable weather: 75 and sunny without a cloud in the sky
• two rounds of the game celebrity around our substitute campfire (a lantern) while the babies snoozed in their tents
• a scenic 2.5 mile hike around Goose Rock

This is D’s fourth camping trip and the second of this season, so we didn’t have to buy any new gear, making for a very cheap getaway.  D (and thus Jack and I) slept reasonably well, considering the new environment, and we were the late risers in the group, getting out of the tent at about 7:15.