silver linings and quilt tops
6 years ago
Theler Wetland
On the way out of town this morning we stopped at the wetlands which were lovely.
A swallow perched on the rail
A swallow perched on the rail
Weekend Warriors: Hood Canal
We were real weekend warriors at Hood Canal with our friends (and Will's schoolmate) Robin, Paul, Rachel and their beautiful white bear of a dog named Kodiak. Though we had a ferry between us and the campsite, it really wasn't too heavy with traffic and people. We left on Friday night and breezed right in. Sunday afternoon was a smooth and easy return. We caught the Bremerton ferry and it did not seem too busy which gives me hope that camping on weekends really is possible with reservations and forethought about travel.
I had to get some baby Crocs for all the water exploration we've been doing in tides, rivers, lakes and beaches. Jasper just walks right into the water and I worried about him in bare feet.
Discovering his shadow!
R and P brought their ingenious kayak called a Folboat folding kayak which comes in a duffel bag. You snap and screw together the aluminum frame (no tools!), stretch and zip the canvas hull around it, inflate the sponsons, and then add the accoutrements like cute little velcro paddle holders, spray skirt, matching foam seats, and rails. It was cool and very portable.
We all took a ride around the canal-- even Jasper! Paul brought back an armful of fresh oysters for himself. There were many people enjoying the plentiful oysters and clams in the canal. I had not known that there were areas like this where these shellfish were so abundant.
I had to get some baby Crocs for all the water exploration we've been doing in tides, rivers, lakes and beaches. Jasper just walks right into the water and I worried about him in bare feet.
Discovering his shadow!
R and P brought their ingenious kayak called a Folboat folding kayak which comes in a duffel bag. You snap and screw together the aluminum frame (no tools!), stretch and zip the canvas hull around it, inflate the sponsons, and then add the accoutrements like cute little velcro paddle holders, spray skirt, matching foam seats, and rails. It was cool and very portable.
We all took a ride around the canal-- even Jasper! Paul brought back an armful of fresh oysters for himself. There were many people enjoying the plentiful oysters and clams in the canal. I had not known that there were areas like this where these shellfish were so abundant.
Indigo Girls
I was amazed at all the guitars. It is hard to see but they had an entire rack full of stringed instruments which were switched out at EVERY song. It was really amazing. What great performers. Will and I were nearly singing along with each song.
Orcas Island: Moms Camping Trip
A beautiful trip to a beautiful place with Christine, Whitney, Jill and the kids! Will is already asking when we can go back again!
We camped across the road from a group of around 35 or so boyscouts. It was quite an interesting experience for Will to see all the work on their merit badges and to have older boys running around with slingshots and firestarters, etc. I still can't reconcile the "boys club" mentality and while I did question the scoutleader about the organization's stance on homosexuality (he was fuzzy on the answer to this), I forgot to ask about why I can't be a junior scoutleader someday and join my son on these cool scout trips. It sure looked like fun!
We really enjoyed this beautiful island and our campsite, though it was essentially booked sight unseen, ended up being a great location. We were just a short walk to a swimming beach and playground. Will enjoyed exploring the creek next to the campsite, heading up Mt Constitution, playing in rustic waterfalls and hidden beaches, and exploring the cute town. We had s'mores each night and some great meals.
The boys were great campers with the exception of some nighttime drama (Jasper scared to sleep in the tent, both boys rolling off the air mattress and sleeping in corners of the tent). Will was amazingly organized and would make the camping "bed" each day. He did the dishes, started the fire, and enjoyed taking care of our little campsite. At one point when I asked him if he wanted to do more exploring around the island he replied that he would rather go back to the campsite to organize and tidy things up.
I'm learning more and more the keys to "car" camping. For awhile now we would just live out of our car and sleep in the tiny backpacker tent. Now I see that while one of the keys to this whole adventure is to pass right on by the essentials and bring whatever you can stuff into your car, another key is to have a tent with several rooms so that when you get there you can unpack the car and create a mini home inside a tent that borders on circus size.
This trip I actually had an air mattress-- posh! Now my eye is on a circus tent!
Exploring
This is the park where Will is going to have his 2nd Annual Sailing Birthday party. In a few weeks we'll be back with cupcakes and kids and balloons!
Little Observer
Jasper LOVES to watch people play sports. He stands there in apt attention and laughs with joy when he sees someone fumble the ball or some other kind of fun maneuver. At the park he heads straight to the basketball court, soccer players, frisbee players, father/son ball playing, etc. And he is always noticed by the players because he walks up very close so that he is nearly standing beside them. Often they will try and toss him some action but he shyly turns away.
Resident Camp
Will is off to YMCA Summer Camp with his buddy Caleb. We are going to really miss his help, companionship, and presence here at home. The dog was whining when we dropped him off at his carpool.