This summer, for obvious reasons, has been spent much closer to home than usual. We typically fly through July and August weekends on-the-go, camping and hiking, maybe island-hopping in the San Juans or eating mussels on Whidbey. This year, not so much. And it’s thrown us off. Juliette came out of her room a couple of weeks ago, dressed to the nines with a backpack full of stuffies and books. “Where are you going?”, I asked. “Not sure yet…”, she replied.
However, we’re finding the bright sides to being “stuck” in West Seattle…home ain’t so bad. Our backyard makes a great campsite, with clean bathrooms just a few steps away.
While the water parks and splash pads are closed, a sprinkler and a pack of water balloons suffices just fine.
I didn’t know if berry-picking would be on the docket, so we planted a strawberry plant in a sunny patch of our front yard in hopes it would bear a little fruit. Juliette lovingly watered it every day and finally, in mid-July, she plucked one single, perfect, juicy berry. Savor it, kiddo.
Biking continues to be a favorite family pastime and we have discovered the perfect loop – thrilling downhill runs to Alki, mellow water-side cruising to our favorite pier, and then a heart-pumping uphill slog that ends in a coffee shop where we can hydrate with iced lattes and Italian sodas.
I can usually coax Juliette into a lunchtime walk to the Junction to drop something at the post office or grab a coffee, but only if she can push the stroller. She’s such a little mama.
This little corner of Genesee is my favorite.
The shady trails of Schmitz Park are perfect on hot days.
And the water. We’re so thankful that we’re close to the water, where we can paddle board and skip rocks and hunt for crabs at low tide.
Early July held the Sound’s lowest tide of the year, which transformed some of our favorite beaches into miles of muck. The rocks were rough on the feet, but the crab-hunting was very good.
And speaking of crabs, Shane recently took up crabbing and spends his Sundays shuttling his crab pot around the Sound near Lowman Beach. He and Juliette headed out early one morning and I met up with them an hour later – as I spotted them snuggled together on what has become our favorite log, I had one of those breath-catching moments of deep, deep gratitude for love and beauty and home.
The paddle board has proven to be the perfect crab shuttle – Shane has yet to come in empty-handed!
And so crab has become the star appetizer to our Sunday evening backyard meals. This is summer.
Juliette was a little crest-fallen when I told her that our favorite pools are all closed until Covid is under control, but she was thrilled when our kind neighbors invited her to take a dip in their backyard. So THIS is summer.
In other momentous close-to-home news, Juliette graduated kindergarten with flying colors in June, via Zoom, which was strange and a little anti-climactic, but we rolled with it.
We joined a number of other neighborhood kids on the sidewalk in front of the school that afternoon to watch the principal and teachers drive by in a celebratory parade.
We’ll take it!
And then we made our own mini field day in our backyard with some neighbors. The kids had a blast doing frisbee toss and water balloon relays.
Juliette and I capped off graduation day with our very favorite beverage. Thanks for being so adaptable, kiddo.
Later that month, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, we joined thousands of other West Seattleites for a march down California Avenue to chant for justice and respect. It’s hard for a six year-old to grasp the realities of racism, but she does understand her responsibility to be kind and to raise her voice when she sees people being treated unfairly. USE THAT VOICE, JULIETTE.
Father’s Day was quiet and uneventful, but the breakfast chilaquiles were scrumptious and the love lavished on Shane by his baby girl was extra-special.
And now, here we are: mid-way through August with still not a whole lot on our calendar. I suspect we’ll find a way to make the most of it.
