Halloween pics coming in hot, but first, our final summer snaps. For posterity. For the Grandmas!
And speaking of grandmas (and this blog’s most faithful readers), Shane’s mom came to visit in June for Juliette’s fifth grade graduation. For bonus fun, we squeezed in plenty of park visits and a quick trip to Vashon Island.
To the isand!
I love how my kids so eagerly lean into their ferry faves – Juliette bee-lines for the puzzle table and Isaac heads right for the deck.
Vashon was charming as ever. We discovered a perfectly packed used bookshop connected to the Coffee Roasterie.
And then said hello to the Vashon Troll. This guy’s name is Oscar the Bird King and he’s lovely.
Isaac spent half an hour in his driftwood fort burying his beloved Sonic action figure and then frantically digging it up. There was a moment when we thought we’d lost him, but crisis averted.
We capped off our visit at Dragon’s Head Cidery for the requisite picnic lunch, hammocking, and cold beverages.
Fourth of July found us back on the ferry, this time headed toward Marrowstone Island for a holiday with our buddies.
We settled into Jack and La Verne’s place, pulled out the whiffle ball and bat, and let the festivities begin.
A quick romp through the woods / beach…
And then an evening on the lawn at Marrowstone Winery, for food and drink and music and laughs.
Happy Fourth!
These wide-open roads were made for morning scootering…
Juliette has become obsessed with the card game Piles and builds her fan base wherever she goes.
In other random highlights, our family spent a morning at an alpaca farm in Duvall, petting bunnies and feeding (then being chased) by a variety of barnyard animals.
This is her Can We Get A Rabbit? face…
These creatures… Goofy-looking as all get-out.
But those eyes! I love them.
Juliette did not love the slobber factor. Put out a handful of feed and these alpacas get EXCITED.
Thanks to Shane for humoring me. This trip was not on his summer bucket list, but I had a blast.
Plus, Lake Sammamish was conveniently located on the way home. Beach day!
With some Rusts, to boot!
Felt so good…
But time to pack it up.
Juliette spent a few nights away from home at summer camp on Vashon Island. I took her to the drop-off point via the water taxi and the goodbye to Brother and Dad was tough.
I connected her with her buddies and we hugged goodbye and we both cried a lot, but I was excited for her upcoming adventure.
And then Juliette was gone and our house felt not-quite-right without her. Our reunion on Vashon Island several days later was awfully sweet.
SO SWEET.
Finally, there was plenty of joy found right at home. The Jarrells came to visit for a weekend and the kids reveled in cousin and grandparent time.
On the weekends we weren’t camping or island-hopping, we were cycling through our West Seattle favorites. Good Society, Coleman Pool, Alki Beach, rinse and repeat.
(A special shout-out for sunset walks down to the water with my girl – this is when we have our best chats…)
Our summer home base continues to be our backyard, for reading and water balloons and sprinklers.
Shane thinks he looks like Johnny from the Karate Kid. I think he looks like utter delight.
I was gardening one evening and noticed a rustle in the ground where I’d just pulled out a scraggly rosemary bush. I gently nudged aside a clump of dried grass and discovered a nest of several baby bunnies! Juliette got her wish!
Shane set up a bunny cam as I’d seen no sign of mama and feared I’d scared her away with my poking around. But early the next morning we got a motion notification and there she was! Giving them breakfast and then tucking them back in.
I got a little obsessed with these dang rabbits, trying to get a peek every few hours but not wanting to scare them away. I’d lay awake at night worrying about raccoons, googling home-rigged predator protection strategies. A few days later, as I was showing Nance our sweet little nest, a bunny darted out of the hole and across the street. He was tired of my meddling, I guess. An hour later, the other two were gone. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted! And to be honest, I needed my life back.
Summer’s final blackberries…
Perfect to the very last drop.
