Spring Break Staycation, Part II

Day Four (Tuesday)

Swimming at the B.I. aquatic center, making a giant pb cookie
Favorite moment: I’ll be honest here, a moment of peace in the adults-only hot tub!

Day Five (Wednesday)

The foothills of Mt Rainier! The Altimeter Cabin is tiny and very inspiring.
Favorite moment: hot tub in the snow

Day Six (Thursday)
Foothills of Mt Rainier!
Favorite moment: leaving a note in the cabin guestbook saying just how much we enjoyed our stay. Putting words to things crystallizes emotions, and writing words down does so even more.

Day Seven (Friday)
K’s 14th birthday!
Favorite moment: twofold this time: making K’s birthday dinner with B, and getting a good hug from K. Relationships take work, and we’re putting in the hours.

Day Eight (Saturday)
UW meeting, choir practice
Favorite moment: walking out of my seminar and finding the quad at UW positively alive with photographers and happy people amidst the sunshine and blossoming cherry trees.

Day Nine (Sunday)
Easter nests, socks
Favorite moment: Sophie coming home again!
I didn’t take any pics this time (Easter morning was extremely busy for me, no time for such things as cameras), but we’ve found that lovely, good-quality socks are far more beloved than Easter finery.

And there we have the bare bones of our successful staycation! More travels coming up later on the calendar…

In Praise of Indoor Pools

My take on swim lessons at the Aquatic Center:

Pros:

*no sunblock necessary–no chance of sunburns!
*warm water
*fun, capable teachers

Cons:

*breathing chlorine-rich air for the duration of my kids’ swimming lessons isn’t the most pleasant thing, but there’s no way around that one.

*when I signed the girls up for swimming lessons I misjudged their abilities by one class; there’s no refund or recourse if their teacher says they should be moved down a class. So K___ has to miss out on swimming lessons; luckily, there was a spot for S___.

My favorite thing is watching the contrast between the four-year-old class, and the aquatic aerobic class for ladies of mature age–the time for both classes overlaps, so you get these wriggling, splashing, delighted children learning to swim just a few feet away from the dignified swoops and stretches of wise grandmas.