08.06.08
Busy day at the beach
Yesterday, hot and sunny as it was, drew lots of beachgoers. I didn’t make it to the group outing at Point no Point, but we did hang out at our very own Fay Bainbridge again.
Overheard: (from a shivering would-be swimmer): “I’m from Minnesota, and this is damn cold!”
Once again, my kids don’t care. They just run right in, and when it dawns on them that it might be a little chilly, they hop out and roll around on the warm sand.
Yesterday’s beach snacks: blueberries and lychees. Can’t ever have enough.
07.07.08
Sand, sun, and strawberries
Fay Bainbridge was on the agenda for today. Here are all three kiddos trying to get their driftwood log launched. “That’s far enough!” I called when they actually did get it afloat. I know, I know, but they didn’t have life jackets on and I didn’t want to go fishing them out of the water.
On our way back, we stopped at Suyematsu Farm on Day Road and bought a flat of raspberries. The farm stand lady told me about U-pick strawberries over at the Manzanita Road farm, so we headed over there and picked a flat in under half an hour–thanks to my three great little pickers! They’re going to keep it open for U-pick throughout this week, and we may be back for more later. There can never be enough strawberries in the freezer in February 
.
06.29.08
A Long weekend at Long Beach
Long Beach, at the southern tip of WA state, was in fine form this weekend, with sunny skies and wind for kites, woods for camping and a charming main street for strolling.
The water being gaspingly cold, the kids ran right into the swirling surf while B. got the kites put together and I took a run along the incredibly long stretch of clean, hard-packed sand. There’s little else that gives me a feeling of being so burstingly alive–my teeth were salty-sandy from smiling so much as I ran along the shore.
Besides flying our delta wing and box kites, we visited the World Kite Museum where we learned some cool stuff and the kids made their own kites.
We made a brief detour through Astoria, OR this morning before heading back. The Columbia River is so huge at this point!
On Sundays, Astoria has a great street fair/farmer’s market to rival Pike’s Place, with four or more blocks blocked off as a pedestrian zone. I’d like to see B.I.’s farmer’s market grow a little, and this one would be a great one to pattern after.
It’s nice to be home again, with piles of smoky laundry but lots of good memories.
06.01.08
Dungeness Spit
Lunch yesterday was a picnic at the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
From the trailhead, it’s a beautiful and easy 1/2 mile hike to get to the spit itself, where you can see the San Juan islands, and even downtown Victoria across the water.
A. said, “A dungeon of spit? I don’t want to go there!” Fortunately, it proved to be much nicer than it sounds.
05.24.08
From mushrooms to marshmallows
Look what our Canuck friends brought us, fresh from the organic farm:
We grilled some for dinner tonight, and after the 9 of us ate, there’s still a ton left. Mushrooms for every meal! Hmmm. Omelets, quiche, salad, spaghetti….such pleasant brainstorming.
Low tide today drew us to the seashore again. With a superabundance of energetic kids and sunshine, there’s no place better than the beach. Here are some of our finds:
After dinner, the marshmallows were simply begging to be taken out and roasted, so we very kindly obliged.
You know it’s a full day when the kids need 2 full scrub-downs within 8 hours. Or when you’ve sat down with the latest New Yorker 4 different times and never made it past a page turn.
04.26.08
Lovely low tide
Our outing to Fay Bainbridge State Park coincided with a great low tide this afternoon, which gave us lots of squishy dark silt and little warm tide pools to play in.
B’s handprint:
S. and friend:
03.17.08
Though the wind blows
…strange, strong and cold (if you’re a little one from AZ), Ashley and B. will take you to the shore and show you just how nice it really is! Al. hunkered down in the driftwood house, trying to keep warm, while S. ran around, deliriously happy in the face of the elements, lugging 50 lb driftwood logs to try and fill the cracks and keep her cousin warm.
Ai. and D. at the playground:
And B. with the kite:
11.01.07
Anything you can do…
Tetherball for A. is a multi-sport activity. If he misses it with his hands, he’ll head-butt it, soccer-style.
Just being near the water makes everything more fun–I’d rather trek out to the tetherball pole at Fay Bainbridge say, than play at the elementary school.
10.26.07
Fort Ward State Park in the fall
We went to look for seashells (didn’t find so many, because it was near high tide), but we found glorious paths with leaves for scuffing and crunching on our way down to the water.
A row of cormorants–we noticed that they like a certain amount of personal space.
10.23.07
Fay Bainbridge beach
Here’s Mount Rainier from Fay Bainbridge; it was clear and hot (70 degrees!), so we traipsed to the beach for the afternoon.
Warm sun, cold toes!
