Early in August, Amy and I took our kids to La Push for a backpacking/camping trip. Mom was able to join us too. The night before, everyone spent the night at my house so we could get an early start to the coast. We chose Second Beach because it's a relatively short hike (just under a mile) to the beach. It's the same beach I took my kids to in May, so it was somewhat familiar too. We stopped at the National Park Visitor Center to get our overnight pass and bear canisters. Just before getting to the beach, we also made a stop at Forks so we could use a real bathroom one last time. (There is just an outhouse where we chose to camp.) We trekked all our gear down the trail and set up our tents and then the kids went off to explore for a bit. We saw pelicans, sea lions, otters, and a whale (or maybe more than one) in the water just in front of where our camp was set up. It was so fun to watch the whale blowing spouts for such a long time. I had brought binoculars, which helped, but all the animals were still pretty far away.
We had a little fire, ate our dinners and went to bed when it got dark. Even though it was August, it was still pretty chilly. Which seems about right for the Washington Coast.
In the morning, Mom and I decided to take one load up to the cars, so we wouldn't have too much when it was time to leave. It was a good decision!
Three of the cuties spotted through the binocs, climbing rocks. (Their natural habitat.)
The tide was out, so we were able to wander around some tide pools.
The kids wanted to do some exploring, so they took off down the beach. It felt like they were gone a long time, so Amy and I went to look for them. We couldn't find them anywhere and were starting to get nervous about them getting stuck when the tide turned. We walked nearly to the end of the beach without seeing them. We turned back to see if maybe we missed them somehow. They weren't at our camp, so then Amy and Mom went to look again. By this time, they were headed back. It turned out they had gone as far as possible and through an opening in the rocks. They had a great time and saw a baby seal. The lesson learned was that we need more details on where they are going so the adults don't freak out! All in all, it was a really great adventure and I'm so glad it worked out!
Earlier this year, while I was on a trip to see my brother in Vegas, I made a goal to visit all my siblings at their homes by the end of the year. I hadn't ever been to Molly's place, so I booked a trip for the boys and I to Colorado.
They were being so silly in the airport. At least they were entertained, right?
Molly and Amir live on a couple acres and have all the animals. A couple dogs, some chickens, ducks, turkeys, and goats. The boys were in heaven! There were plenty of jobs to do (cleaning out a work truck, moving branches, feeding the animals, etc.), but then they got to hold the animals. At least, the animals they could catch.
The boys happily gathered chicken eggs every day. The ducks weren't laying while we were there. We'll just have to visit another time so the kids can try fresh duck eggs.
All the ducks in a row. Haha!
One afternoon, Amir said he wanted to kill a couple ducks. I was interested to see what the boys would think. They were both pretty involved. Sean got a fire hot so the big pot of water could start boiling. I don't remember all the details, but I think after Amir cut the head off, he dips it in the boiling water for a bit, then pulls out all the feathers before removing all the organs. Matthew said he didn't want to watch the actual killing part, but he was right there when it was time to pluck the feathers. The kids were both impressed with how fast Amir can pluck feathers. They saved some of the down feathers and a few of the bigger ones to bring home. Molly cooked one up that night and it was pretty tasty.
The goats were a lot of fun too. They were pretty tame and liked to be pet. The boys gave them lots of branches to munch on and helped clean their pens. I think they both tried milking them too. I know they watched and were, again, impressed with Amir's skills.
This is Felfel. He likes to play fetch. All. Day. Long.
Thankfully, Molly has gloves to wear, so we didn't have to pick up a slimy ball.
Molly took us around her town a bit. We walked along a trail on the river. It was really pretty.
A different day, we walked a different trail on the river in the city. It was fun too. There were fountains that the kids had to play in for a bit.
It was such a wonderful trip. Seriously. I'm so glad we made it out there. I was so pleased with how hard the boys worked. And it's always so good to catch up with my sister. We'll be back for sure!
Kitsap County from the sky
The 3 year anniversary of Jon's death was the day we left for Colorado. I wanted to do something different this year. I didn't want to be sitting around being sad on purpose. It was nice to be busy doing something else this year. Making new memories. It was still nice to get messages throughout the day from friends and family that love me and Jon. It means so much to me when people spend a couple minutes letting me know that they care. I spent some time reflecting on the last three years and where my kids and I are now. I wrote some of those thoughts here.
When we got back from Colorado, we had a back to school activity for Sean. He got his schedule and found his locker. We walked around the school so he could find where all his classes would be. He seemed ready to get going. What a kid!
A friend of mine invited us to go to a plant nursery in Port Orchard. It has a hobbit house! I've known about it for a few years, but hadn't ever taken the time to go. It was really cool. The nursery has some really interesting plants and the hobbit hole was pretty neat for all of us.
Another place I hadn't visited was the USS Turner Joy. It's a retired Navy Destroyer that is now a museum. I'm glad I was finally able to take the boys.
Matthew in the captain's chair
While we were down at the boat, we were reminded of the Fountain Park by the ferry and decided to go back with Ella. We had some friends that were able to join us too, which always makes things more fun.
To finish up August, and Labor day weekend, we headed to Oregon. Matt invited us to go camping with some friends at Detroit Lake. We brought the kayaks with us and had such a fun weekend. The boys and I went out on the water almost immediately when we got there.
There is an island on the lake that we paddled to. It was fun to explore a bit.
When we left the island to head back to the campsite, we decided to see if we had really seen a floating outhouse. Sure enough!! The kids wanted to use them, because how often do you get to do that?! I held their kayaks while they used the facilities. It was so stinky! Because also, how often do those get cleaned out?!
I didn't take any other pictures on the trip. It was so nice. I helped take the kayaks to the lake each day and we played around on the water for a while. Some of our friends had bikes and the kids rode around a bunch. We sat by the fire a lot. Sean made sure that the fire stayed burning. We ate good food and talked and talked. I had a really enjoyable time. Camping has not been a fun thing for me. I quit wanting to go when the kids were little. This trip may have convinced me that the kids are old enough for it to not be horrible.
One of the days we were out there, the kids hooked an inner tube to one of the kayaks and took turns pulling each other around. I always think of being pulled on a tube by my grandpa and uncles, holding on for dear life. Watching the boys paddle their hearts out, but not going very fast was so funny to me. I asked a friend to take a picture for me so I could remember it.
I took a little kid out on a kayak with me for a bit. He is 4 and I was reminded that 4 year old boys are the best. He said "Betsy, this kayak needs a motor so it can be faster." I told him that I was being the motor. Then he said "But a motor would go 'Vrmmm'" He's not wrong! There was a cove that some of the menfolk paddled out to and I kept referring to it as the "Man Cove."
A few of us decided to walk out towards the lake at night to see if we could see any stars. Oh man! We could see so many. It was beautiful! We saw the Milky Way and a bunch of shooting stars. We went a second night, but it wasn't as impressive. I don't know what made the difference, but I'm sure glad we got one super clear and beautiful night.
Stargazing
Our camping trip was such a perfect way to wrap up our summer. We got home, had one full day to recover, and then it was time to start school. More on that next time!
