Washington (7): Yay! Fog & Rain!!

Our first full day in the Deception Pass area of the Pacific Northwest was foggy and rainy - and we were THRILLED about that. Who knew fog could be so beautiful? Plus, we needed at least one rainy day in Washington.

We spent the day alternating between indoor & outdoor activities like hitting a few thrift stores in Anacortes to stock up on supplies (like coats & umbrellas & a couple of pots for the cabin kitchen), wandering through the Fidalgo Island art festival, and eating at an AMAZING lunch at a spot with loads of delicious vegetarian fare.

There were so many highlights of this day & there's nothing I can say that would sum it all up better than these photos. So, here we go!

We started the day with biscuits in a cast iron skillet.

 Then we decided to use the slow, drizzly morning to decorate with a paper chain and crepe paper flowers - courtesy of the generous gifts from the first leg of our trip. (Thanks Andersons!)

We came, we saw, we percolated.

We let it all hang out.

And enjoyed some outdoor beauty brought indoors.

Watched little hands explore big discoveries.

Then sampled some freshly-picked local fare.

Caught little girls acting big.

And noticed little details that reminded me of special baths in a favorite home of my youth.

Another for the book called "Josie Doing Ballet Poses In Random Locations." 

 And then there was puddle-jumping!!

And more berries!

In case you're wondering...it wasn't sunny.

We danced in the rain!

Then set off to explore the islands. (Bea noting, what is that smell? It was just the ocean btw.)

We arrived at the beach, ready to hunt for treasures - with the cute baskets we picked up for a dollar each at the thrift stores in Anacortes.

It was high tide and foggy. And, in typical fashion, Josie was in the mood to explore. They ventured out to the large rock, surrounded by water & generated some of my favorite photos of the day. Bea got a little nervous because they had to walk back in knee-deep water, with Lou carrying Josie.  Bea wanted them back on dry land. When that happened, Lou turned Bea's tears into smiles in seconds.

So much beautiful driftwood.

And beautiful girls.

 After some epic silliness (and feats of strength), we headed back to our "home beach" to hunt for crabs. And we found dozens of them!!

It was high tide on our home beach.  Here's the little boat that our wonderful hosts used to catch the crabs they fed us the next night. 

The tides really are a miracle. What a lovely rhythm to pace each day.  I'll post this exact same pic during low tide soon. Really, truly, amazingly amazing. What a day.

Washington (6): Please can this be my life.

Please can this be my life.

That's the phrase I kept saying to myself over and over again the entire time we were hanging out on Fidalgo & Whidbey Islands.

(Midwest folks - I know this whole Pacific Northwest thing is totally foreign to you. It was to me until very recently. So, picture if you will being in the state of Washington then driving a couple of hours northwest - almost to Canada - until you run out of land and hit a string of islands. That's where all this magic happened.)

As great fortune would have it, a dear friend of ours grew up on Fidalgo Island and has family that still lives there. A "wouldn't it be cool if?" turned into a "there's a cabin on the water where you could stay" and VOILA we had the perfect little PNW island retreat laid out before us.  No wi-fi, no TV, no frills. Just the scenery, the salty air, and the Four Schneiders.  Bliss.  Bliss.

It's the kind of place where in only a few minutes you feel your shoulders begin to relax. You realize you're breathing more deeply. Time starts to slow down. Quiet takes over. Then, crazy crazy crazy things happen like you look outside and there are TWO BALD EAGLES just chilling in a giant tree overlooking the cabin.

It's the kind of place that a girl like me from Xenia, Ohio knows exists but can hardly believe her eyes when she's standing there.

Under Deception Pass Bridge

The Bridge from the Beach

The kind of place where you're living in what feels like someone else's photo album because it's just a little too surreal that you're the one standing there with your family.

This whole state looks like the movie "Fern Gully" from my youth.

And, on this evening, in our first couple of hours on the islands that house Deception Pass State Park - it was the place where we all got a glimpse into what the next few days would hold.  Experiences none of had every experienced before. New sounds, new sights, new tastes. And lots and lots and lots of new memories.

This guy.

I'm sorry to say that the final fantastic dip of this day's light into the water was not captured on film. Instead, I put down the camera and took my spot right there on the log next to my three favorite people in the universe.

(Bald eages ya'll.  Bald eagles!)

Washington (5): Half-time

(And now back to your regularly scheduled blog programming....Washington.)

The half-way point through our trip to Washington was the end of our time with my co-workers that made the whole trip possible.  The last night of our staff retreat week was a big family dinner with amazing food, super tasty drinks (marshmallow vodka?  honey whiskey? where have you been all my life?) and more desserts than you've even seen on one kitchen countertop! The girls were a little emotional about their time with the pups winding down so there were many extra puppy cuddles in order.  The highlight of the evening was definitely our sunset walk down to the beach which was absolutely breath-taking. 

Here are the highlights of Day 5.

Meet the Pups...

Phoebe

Boyd

And Jade

PNW sand is the best!

So, five days in & we could have headed home right then and it would've been the perfect summer trip. The first half of the week involved visits with friends, wild adventures, mountain climbing and confirmation that I have the best job on the planet.  Crazy thing is, this was only the beginning...

Quick Quotes: Three From Bea

A few good ones for the memory book!

This weekend:

Lou: "Bea, do you want to wear a skirt or these jeans?"

Bea: "I wear the skirt. The jeans hurt my feelings." (Too tight shoes also hurt her feelings by the way.)

*

Quite often: 

"I love you, too."

(Made extra adorable by the fact that she does not wait to be told that we love her. Unprompted she just comes up and says "I love you, too.")

*

All day, every day:

"Somebody...!!"

(Bea doesn't care who comes to her call as long as "somebody" does & "somebody" starts almost every sentence.)

"Somebody help me go potty."

"Somebody take me to swing."

"Somebody read a book with me."

And, most often, "Somebody get me some chetchy!"