Week II - Part One: Whidbey Island

After a busy Monday washing clothes and restocking the food supply, we were off again for Whidbey Island. We caught the 9:30 ferry from Mukilteo.

Tuesday we adults settled quickly into a much slower pace.

Reading on the deck,

reading downstairs,

or just doin' nothin'.

The kids, however, were expending energy with abandon. The flotation tubes used for tubing by some of the family served as trampolines for them. We did collect ourselves for a trip across island to Langley for ice cream for all, coffee for some, beer for two, and window shopping.

Corey and Jill had their Driods ever ready, posting on face book and keeping up with "friends".

Irene shared her ice cream with Dog while Isaac made contact with Boy.

The Sounders played a non-league match Tuesday evening, so we flew the flag, but satisfied ourselves with face book up dates. Another victory!

We had fires in the fire pit in the back yard, by the lagoon, and had s'more s'mores.

Wednesday we managed a morning walk on the tide flats while the tide was still out.

Beach comber Irene.

Grandma and Irene are the beach girls. Here we are heading back to the cabin.

Wednesday Afternoon Tom and I took the kids to South Whidbey Community Park, where they have a wonderful play structure.

Isaac got a bit green on the tire swing, and it was hot inland.

But the ice cream truck came just in time! This was a new experience for the kids. They don't have ice cream trucks in Fort Morgan!

That evening the kids and I returned to the beach. They played while I listened to their chatter and watched osprey diving for fish in the bay.

When we were planning the cabin, Tom insisted on including a loft. It isn't used much, but we do have a double bed up there. Isaac and Irene got to sleep up in the loft for the first time. Looks like they slept well!

Thursday morning we drove over to Double Bluff Park, for a beach walk on the other shore of Useless Bay.

The many structures are evidence of serious play having taken place there. It is one of the few public access parks on the shore.

The sandy bluff is fun to climb and then "fly" down.

We did some tide pool "science", as Irene likes to call it.

As we posed for pictures.

Irene took this one for me.

There was time for one last canoe ride in the late afternoon when the lagoon filled up.

Then we cleaned up, packed up, and had dinner at the Clover Patch before heading back to Seattle. But Jill saved some bread to feed to the sea gulls on the ferry ride. Non-stop fun.

We were up early this morning to go to Lake Washington for the Hydroplane time trials and the airshow. But that's another story.

It's a good thing we got some rest and relaxation in on Whidbey. Now we're back to busyness.

Week I - On the Oregon Coast.

We're back home after a very full and fun week in Oregon. We traveled on Monday, stopping to grocery shop along the way, hoping to arrive before Jill, who was meeting the rest of the family at the Portland airport. But they beat us to the cabin at Rockaway Beach, and were getting settled in. John and Andrea joined us for the week and participated in the morning ritual of eating at the Garibaldi Bakery. Chomp! Foggy mornings usually cleared to pleasant afternoons. Jill, the beach fire organizer, found this driftwood shark. We honored him before we burned him.

The kids found fun everywhere.

It was just about here that Isaac went down face first. He came up sputtering and announced "That's it. I'm done." and headed to the cabin for dry clothes. The sea water here is 45 degrees cold.

They spend many hours playing in Salt Air Creek.

The Twin Rocks stand vigil over the beach fun.

I did get down and dirty to help build a sand castle.

On Thursday the Grandpas and Jill and Corey went deep sea fishing with the Siggi G charter company. Here they are returning with their catch. We met them at the docks in Garibaldi. Captain Joe did right by them, and they came back with sea bass, rock fish and ten crabs. We had good eating that night and more on Saturday.

Thursday afternoon Jake arrived. The kids do love to play with their Uncle Jake.

And of course there were more beach fires

and s'mores eating.

Major construction was now taking place in the creek.

There were several trips to Flamingo Jim's for the latest in beach wear and fun toys.

Saturday evening the sun set on our beach time.

Sunday morning it was time to pack up and get the cabin cleaned up for the next family visitors. We took time to take our annual family photo on the cabin steps.

And then by 10:00 we were off to Vernonia, Oregon for a family picnic. My brother and sister-in-law were out from Boston. We were missing one family group and several kids and spouses, but it was quite a crew that gathered in the park. All four of my siblings were there, and most of our kids and grand kids. Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma Violet loves to be in the center of all this hugging and eating and playing and reminiscing. Today we are doing mounds of laundry. We collected the mail and got the bills payed. I made another grocery store run. Jill and Corey went downtown for some fun on the water front and the Market. Isaac and Irene are getting reacquainted with all of their favorite play activities.

Soon we will be repacking to head to Whidbey Island for a couple of days. We'll be back in town for Seafair activities next weekend.