Graduation

"After graduation, I don't have to ever go to school anymore, right?"
"Uh... You have about 17 years of school ahead of you."
"Oh."

On the Way Back Home

We stopped in Portland for lunch with friends. A playground session three hours in also allows us to drive further afterwards which means a shorter second day which means not getting stuck in rush hour traffic when we get home. The North Blocks, where we stopped last year too, are close to a bunch of yummy restaurants and aren't too far off the freeway. It seems like they might become a tradition.

Summer Vacation Part 10: Birthday Part 2

Another sea star cake. But Caleb wanted a boat and fish on his cake and the cake had these crags that really needed some sea life to be turned into habitats. Sea Stars? Yup. Barnacles or mussels just wouldn't have been as pretty.

Summer Vacation Part 9: Ribs and fireworks

Summer Vacation Part 8: Sunshine

There was a lot of crab. No complaints from me. But I wasn't the one shelling it all for chowder.

Summer Vacation Part 7: Sailing

Somehow we scammed an invitation to go sailing on Grandpa Ron's best friend's boat. I spent many hours on Celebration as a kid but hadn't been aboard in 10+ years. It felt good to be on the water, even in Seattle's overcast summer, and it felt great to watch the kids get to set crab traps, take a shore excursion via dingy to tide pool, collect the crabs, eat the crabs and fall asleep in the bow. Exhausted. Just like I used to.

We took the dingy to Bainbridge to poke at sea creatures and get sandy wet until the incoming tide ate up the beach and we were forced  to retreat. Caleb made friends. Of course.

Then, we found our crab traps, pulled them up and took stock. We tossed back the ladies and the little ones and still had more than our limit. After another elimination round, we were left with 10 lovelies. 

We went around to the other side of the island, to Marty's daughter's house, where we cleaned, cooked and ate our catch.

Back on the boat, with full bellies, Zoe crawled into the lower cabin with her lovie and blankie and took a nap. We all slept well that night.