The Chatty Housewife

Junk Round-Up

2009-11-02T22:34:00.004-08:00

Lately I've felt that there is just too much around here that lands in the junk category. Things that could be very useful for someone who actually used them, but have turned into junk around here and the layer of dust covering them proves it. So when I was browsing through the recent posts in my Google Reader earlier today and stumbled across one of my favorite bloggers posting about tackling the messy drawers in our homes, it was just what I needed to jump start what I hope will spread to the rest of the house.

The Organizing Junkie holds Monthly Organizing Round-Ups (click the image above to read more) and this month she is asking everyone to dig the junk out of their drawers and get them organized once and for all. Her method of choice is to use the Process Steps, which I will try and share with you via the photos below, look for the highlighted letters that spell out "process". I hope you enjoy snooping through my mess and learn something in the process!

Plan of attack- utensil drawer. Why? It's messy, it's overflowing, it's hard to open and close because things get stuck, I know there are things in here I have never used and last but not least it could use a good wipe-down. This drawer is more for kitchen odds and ends because my actual utensils are held in two canisters by the stove.

Remove Items. Isn't empty space inspiring? Maybe I'm just weird. Don't answer that.

Organize. Do those Chiclets really belong in the utensil drawer? (Where did they even come from and how old are they?!)

This is the purge pile. See anything you would actually use? These items have never been used by yours truly but I've had them for years. If you live near me/if I see you regularly and you could use a hamburger patty shaper, ~~egg cups~~, ~~heart pancake molds~~, bear cookie cutter, parmesan cheese shredder, or a ~~mushroom/strawberry/egg slicer~~, these are yours for the taking. Just let me know! (It seems that this blog is a great place to have a free garage sale!)

The kitchen aid attachments went into the mixer bowl where they actually belong.

Containerize. You don't have to use fancy-schmancy containers, your old stained ones and tupperware containers you no longer use work great and they are easier on the budget!

Evaluate Plan.
Solve and Simplify.
Smile.

Look at my beautiful, useful drawer now. It opens and closes with ease. It holds things that I actually use, it is clean, the items I use most are in the front, IT WORKS! I hope my before and after photos inspire you to tackle a few of your own drawers. You can get more organizing inspiration by visiting the others who linked up via the Mr. Linky in this post over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Sunset Colors

2009-10-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

The Birch Bay sunset never ceases to amaze me! What an awesome Creator we have!

I love those last rays of the sun when they shoot out from behind the peaks of the islands.

Not so beautiful as the sunset, but Petra had a lot of fun sticking her head under the water looking for the crab shells. Her favorite crunchy snack.... YUCK! You can see in the video below that she is not afraid of getting a little wet.

Warming the E's House

2009-10-22T22:14:00.002-07:00

This summer the E family moved into a new home and invited us all over for a housewarming. I did grab my camera once while I was there and get a few shots so here they are. I hope you enjoy the colors and cuteness and smiling faces as much as I do. I love it when I can go back into the archives and see photos that make me smile. It's chilly and rainy outside at the moment so I was just now going through my "My Pictures" folder to see if there were some cheery colorful photos to post. I found a lot of things I thought I blogged about and didn't. Fourteen different events actually, so we'll have to see whether or not my brand-new blogging "to do" list helps me be a little less tardy about blogging. I really hope it does because I miss blogging on a regular basis and I know it drives at least one of my readers crazy to keep checking my blog and see the same old post over and over. (Hi Dad... I love that you read my blog.)

Moses and Aaron

Subtle pinks are so beautiful, what an amazing Creator we have.

T models the new swing set.

Droo full of cheese. (This is his "cheese" smile.)

Dolly and Chiquita

Emma

Mr. E had the honors of being king of the BBQ.

Do not dismay, the rest of the walls in the home are earth tones. The girls were given free reign in choosing the colors for their rooms and the result is that the hallway glows with the pinkness radiating from these rooms!

I love chandeliers! They have a really cool one hanging in their front entry way.

Back outside, Baby Cake masters the art of eating with utensils, just look at her concentration! I don't know where she gets it, as her older brother Droo is certainly not teaching her. Just dig right in girl... use those hands!

After supper there was time for a lively competitive game of Bocce.

Sailing, Sailing Over the Ocean Blue...

2009-10-17T10:06:00.003-07:00

... ♪ We're sailors thro' and thro'
The best you ever knew ♫ ....

Okay so maybe not. But was it ever fun! Dave Z. took The Mr. and I out on his sailboat in September and even though it was supposed to be nice and breezy, it turned out fairly calm. We did get the sailboat going just over 5 knots at one point though, which was fun. Here's the photos from the day. It started out cloudy but ended up so sunny that I got a sunburn. It was such a beautiful day!

Volitation means "the act of flying; flight." This is a seriously beautiful boat. Inside there is room for people to sleep and eat and hang out. There's lots of wood and a cute kitchen and plenty of room to move around. There is an etched glass splash guard installed behind the sink that says "Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. Psalm 18:10." very fitting for the name of the boat and the profession of the captain!

Baby harbor seals.

There were a few others out there as well, sailboats are so pretty.

Hello Mr. Sun!

The boat has teak woodwork, which is so much prettier than fiberglass.

Hmmm, where are we going again? Backwards?

Captain Dave

Looking a little better!

Container Ship

Putting up the gennaker. Don't know what that is? Well it's sort of a cross between a genoa and a spinnaker if that helps at all. It means nothing to me! All I know is that the gennaker sail makes you go faster if you need help in that area, which we did.

Dave's is custom made and it was either him or a family member that designed it, I can't remember.

Dave "flying a kite." The gennaker needs constant adjustments.

No more clouds!

The Mr. playing captain.

Back in the marina I couldn't resist this shot. Doesn't the name suit the boat? And I love how reflective water can be.

Drum Roll Please......

2009-10-06T15:57:00.003-07:00

...and the winner is....

Congratulations Sjo! I will be contacting you soon so you can choose your favorite color!

Thank you for everyone for all the fun fall comments!

Giveaway: Need Some Color in Your Kitchen?

2009-09-29T18:55:00.015-07:00

*This contest is now closed. The winner will be announced soon! I am having computer problems and the most recent error warned me of its imminent death so I might have to visit the library for my next posts, I guess we'll see! Hang in there winner!

Yes, you read right! Today is a great day to be reading my blog because it's giveaway time! I was contacted by a member of the promotions team at AllModern.com with the opportunity to host a giveaway for their site. What a cool offer that was, and of course I didn't turn them down because I wouldn't dare take away the chance for one of my readers to win something from their store. AllModern is a great place to find contemporary furniture and decor and even if you don't call your decorating style "contemporary", in my opinion there is something on the site for everyone. Those of you who are parents or grandmas or aunts should check out their kids bedding sets, they are adorable!

I got to search the site and choose some items to give away and at first I thought it was going to be really difficult to narrow it down and make a choice. But when I saw that they had dishes, it was an easy decision as I am a sucker for dishes!

Comment on this post with your favorite fall decorating idea or recipe link or even just say hello and you will be entered to win three pieces from the Origo Collection from Iittala in either orange, brown or light blue- your choice. The contest closes on Monday, October 5th at midnight and the winner will be chosen via random.org and announced shortly after.

Orange

Brown

Light Blue

NW Washington Fair 2009

2009-09-25T11:04:00.001-07:00

Sheared sheep feel like lush carpet.

Wooly

It seemed like everyone was sleeping in the baby animal area!

Smiling

10 Little Piggies

This is Ben. He weighs 3,240 lbs and is over 6' tall. Whoa.

A fearless toddler ran into the 4H ring while being chased after, it was so cute! He just wanted to go see the moo moos.

Ford NAA, not sure what year dad but it ends in a "4." This tractor was restored by some guy named Jim Shelton and was originally from Saskatchewan, Canada!

Bearded Dragon

Awwck, Hello!?

My Snack

The Mr.'s Snack

A picture for mom- look at these beautiful quilts! There was a whole building of them.

I used to love rides, now I'm not so sure. I know I love roller-coasters (the bigger, the better) but I don't know anymore about round and round!

I don't know if I would trust a ride that looks like a caterpillar on a high of some sort and has already been in a few accidents. Nevertheless, the car was full of kids!

Paul Isaak eats fire, juggles, shaves while juggling, escapes from being wrapped tightly in plastic wrap etc. etc. It's funny!

Can't remember this guys name, but he was very talented and it was a great show.

Watch the video below to see his different talents. He plays great guitar and banjo, as well as sings a song about Chinese food and cats called "The Cats in the Kettle."

The rabbit barn made me miss Thumper!

In the bird barn there were so many beautiful birds. This is a Yellow Golden Pheasant.

It's funny how alert chickens look.

Check out the stripe!

I love these horses! This team was my favorite.

Miss Lynden Rodeo 2009.

Miniature horse teams are so hilarious! At one point they all run around the ring at once and it is hilarious! Make sure to watch the video below!

When the huge horse teams first came out, it was one by one and they competed in how well they can control their teams. It is amazing the control they have! Once they had to back the trailer up to two poles in the ground. I couldn't even do that with my car first try.

Cowboy rope tricks.

This is a family that does old cowboy tricks. The dad is a sharpshooter and shot balloons from the back of his horse.

Dahlias

Vegetables that made me want to have a garden.

Canning.

I had a turkey leg for supper, The Mr. had a bratwurst with all the fixin's and curly fries. After came dessert of course! This was The Mr.'s and I had a candy apple.

The end of the day was SO cold! A total change of weather, as the rest of the day was just perfect.

Welcome Autumn

2009-09-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe summer is already over. I have already brought out my fall decorations and candles. I'm ready for sweaters and tea and cozy blankets and crochet and a fire in the fireplace. Here are some photos I took yesterday.

The last rose.

A tea cup from my grandmother C.

Marigolds

On the hutch.

Mountain Ash

Burning Bush

Steaming Earl Grey

'Tis the season for scarf wearing!

In the kitchen- it's time for applesauce!

Gerber Daisies

Sir and Ioi's Annual E.O.S. BBQ

2009-09-18T21:07:00.005-07:00

Sir and Ioi once again pulled off their annual End of Summer BBQ. It was a great time as always and everyone came away stuffed full of scrumptious food. Ioi made her famous skewers of teriyaki marinated beef with veggies and Sir did a great job barbecuing them all to perfection. Or at least that is what it looked like, as The Mr. and a few other guys were eating them like they were candy! Here are a few photos I snapped while at the BBQ. I apologize that there is neither a photo of Sir or Ioi, but they were very busy keeping everyone fed and watered! Thank you both once again for such a wonderful time! Please continue to make this a yearly event, all your hard work is much appreciated.

Bashful's youngest is now a speedy crawler and it is so fun to watch him explore.

Those eyes.... swoon!

This photo includes about half the group that was able to attend the BBQ. I did take a photo of the other half of the group, but it ended up being a not-very-flattering photo for a few people that are in it (think mouths full of dinner) so you will have to thank me if you are not in this photo.

Emma and Cake chillin'. I love the huge hunk of meat in Cake's hand. I wonder if she even ate it? She really prefers a vegetarian menu that's easy to chew.

Oh oh, Shy's coming in for the kill. The cup was caught just in time but not before I snapped a photo. :) I also have to mention that Crush brand cream soda is the best and that I love it and that it is not available in the USA, so drinking it at the BBQ was a huge treat and that yes, it is neon red if there is such a thing.

Peter went ahead and set up The Mr's empty skewers in an interesting display of how much he had eaten, let's count shall we?

That is NINE. Wow, talk about hollow leg.

Little D enjoying his cheese puffs. Really, really enjoying them as we can see!

Emma handing out books for the hymn sing.

Birthday cupcakes were made and candles were blown out but I missed that action. What I do know is that not only does Little D enjoy cheese puffs, he also enjoys cupcakes, or at least the icing from several of them.

This photo pretty much sums up the math equation below:
little kids + soda + icing licked off of cupcakes= chaos!

The "One Hour" Hike

2009-09-12T12:26:00.007-07:00

The last weekend in August turned out to be a gloriously busy one for us. It was The Mr.'s scheduled 4-day weekend and not only did we get to go boating on Friday, we were also going boating on Monday! What a treat to have out of town guests twice so close in succession . We went to Kirkland on Lord's Day and brought Brooke and Mom J home with us that night with plans of boating the next day.

On Monday morning, we took off once again with no plans as to where we were going. I love the spontaneity of our boat trips. No matter where we end up, we've always had a blast. This time, we gave Brooke the map and a book about the San Juan Islands and let her choose. She ended up choosing something that we had been interested in for a while. At Rosario Resort on Orcas Island there is a 15 minute hike to a lake and 45 min hike further to reach a beautiful waterfall. You can also hike to more waterfalls as well as a look out point that is famous for amazing views.

If you add up the numbers in the paragraph above, they add up to hiking for one hour. Well, unfortunately for us that is not true! Unless there is some secret path somewhere that leads you on a magical short-cut, the hike from Rosario Resort to the first waterfall is at least 2 1/2-3 hours!!!! We couldn't believe how long it was. It was a very pretty hike, but we were totally unprepared. We had no water or snacks and Brooke was wearing flip-flops! All we could say was that we were glad that Mom J had decided to turn back after 15 minutes because it was a long and hilly hike.

In the morning it was cloudy but we soon saw blue skies peaking through! The further into the day we got, the clearer the skies were.

A couple hours into our day, the skies have cleared! Here is the ferry at the Orcas Island terminal.

I just can't get enough of this calm water.

The Moran Mansion at Rosario Resort complete with it's copper roof.

Starfish clinging to the pier.

Why is such a nasty plant so beautiful?

Mmm, blackberries!

Has anyone ever seen a deer this color?! According to this forum post, there is a breed of pure white deer on the islands and this little one must be a mix. Check out the link, there are photos of some strange looking deer!

I think this is Cascade lake? It is walking distance from Rosario resort.

Isn't this a beautiful place to camp? It is always kind of frustrating to see civilization during a hike though! When others are driving to the destination that I am hiking to, it makes me a little crazy! We passed several roads on this hike. The camping area was a nice thing to run in to though, because by then we were in need of water and bathrooms.

A deer was helping itself by licking off some dishes at a campsite nearby. I hope they brought antibacterial dish soap!

During the hike, we would see these massive old-growth trees. There really isn't a way to describe to you what it was like standing at the base of this tree. It was the hugest thing!

Finally, HOURS later, we reached Cascade Falls.

This is actually a series of falls, but we only had time to see the lowest one.

When we got back to the resort, the deer had moved in for dinner.

You can get really close to these deer and feed them out of your hand if you have something yummier than grass.

We took off from Rosario and decided to try someplace new for dinner. We headed further up towards the tip of East Sound and came to Eastsound village. There is a small public dock there with room for about 4 boats, and we were able to find a spot to dock. It is about a 3/4 mile walk into town but well worth it even if you are tired of walking! There are tons of neat stores to visit, coffee shops and restaurants. There is also an organic and specialty foods market there that has an astonishing amount of gluten-free products.

Right now the tip of East Sound has water the color of a brown beer bottle. It is an algae bloom! Thankfully it doesn't smell.

We ate dinner on the deck at Vern's Bayside restaurant, it was really good!

Our dinner view.

Orcas Island Historical Museum

On the way home, we watched the sky turn so many colors!

The colors got so bright that they were neon.

Don't the clouds look like fire?

These photos are blurry, but the colors were so amazing that I have to share them anyways.

Watch the video below to really get an idea of the beautiful colors we saw.

Local fishermen bringing in their catch.

James Island

2009-09-10T01:00:00.002-07:00

On August 28, we set out bright and early. Chasm, Dee, Droo and Cake were with us as well as Dee's sister M and her husband D. They were on a week long trip visiting in the area, and their three girls were with their C grandparents. It was weird seeing them without kids, but I bet it was very relaxing for them!

We didn't have any plans as to where which island we wanted to stop at, but it was a bright and clear day and the water was calm. I love when we can leave the front window open and you can feel the salty air rush past you. Droo found a great lookout spot, perched on the steps that lead to the bow. I loved his expressions and wind swept hair.

You can see that it was a little foggy. Thankfully we had a clear view the entire day. The fog stayed far away from us.

More than a little overexposed, but I love the relationship between Droo and Cake. They have a lot of fun together.

D&M. It is so much fun to spend time with these two.

We chose to stop at James island for lunch and we watched the fog roll by on both sides of the island. It was so strange! It came on quickly and rolled along quickly. You could literally see it billowing by, like a cloud in the sky that moves quicker than you would think it would.

Our little lunch spot on the cliff. The views here are so beautiful. Lunch was once again Build-Your-Own Salads. Greens, dressings, shredded cheese, sliced black olives and chicken breast cubed and cooked with Montreal steak seasoning. MMM.

Deep in thought. Am I really turning THREE today?! I'm a big boy now.

Droo's dairy-free "cake" on the left, which was peanut butter, honey and graham crackers mixed together and topped off with sprinkles. Droo's favorite treats are peanut butter and sprinkle balls, so it was a good fit. On the right is the dessert for everyone else who can have dairy- Peanut Butter Balls.

Blow out the unlit candles! The breeze was so constant as it was rushing over the center of the island, that no matter what we tried we could not get those candles lit!

"I'm this many!"

The guys take off and explore.

Cake and her Aunt M.

Fall is beginning a couple of weeks early in the San Juan Islands.

Veins of what looks like milk quartz run through the cliffs on James island.

Some of it is easy to break off, and on the side that was hidden from the elements, it is green with some sort of mineral.

A double root ball. The stumps of two trees are on the other side. Two trees grew together as one and it made for a neat looking piece of driftwood.

A tiny rock crab around the size of a penny.

The first turkey vulture I have spotted this summer. Not that great of a photo, but you can see the eagle-like body and red vulture-like head.

While the three ladies and Cake napped in the boat, the guys went for a hike around the island and then relaxed on the beach nearby. Droo got soaking wet—you can't keep little boys away from water!

It is hard to get a decent shot of The Mr. and I, so I stealthily gave my camera to M and she snitched this one while taking one on her own camera. The Mr. rarely smiles big so I tickled him and in this photo he is tickling me back. If you don't know this yet, I am extremely ticklish that even small children can hold me captive.

After James island, we went to Friday Harbor on San Juan island for dinner. Once again we went to Haley's Bait House and the food was so yummy. I cannot recommend this place enough. Maybe it is also because they have a great gluten-free dish, the Thai lettuce wraps. After dinner was done, we would have loved some time to relax and look around, but since we had spent such a fun and long time on James Island, it was already time to head for the Blaine Marina. The water was fairly calm, though not quite as calm as it was in the morning. The neat thing was that there was a beautiful view of the mountains, especially Mt. Baker as you can see in the photo below. There was also a spectacular sunset, but it was already so dark that my photos turned out blurry. You can get a tiny idea of what it was like from the last two photos of this post. Check out the pink streaks in the sky!

Cake all wrapped up.

I love the pink tinge, the way the clouds are swirling in the sky and the soft blur of the water below. What a beautiful day!

Two Become One

2009-09-08T21:15:00.003-07:00

On August 15th, my nephew Bruce and his fiancée Julie were married. It was a perfect day for a wedding weather-wise as it was sunny with a breeze that kept the temperature perfect the whole time. The wedding was held in Julie's parent's yard which was so beautiful for a wedding. I love weeping willows and huge trees!

Swirls of rose petals down the aisle.

Walking two of the grandmas to their chairs.

The groom and his parents.

The ring bearer opening the car door for the flower girl. He then walked around to his side, climbed in and parked it to the side before taking his place with the groomsmen.

Here comes the bride with her father.

Congratulations Bruce and Julie!

It was even a hybrid.

After the new husband and wife walked down the aisle, they came back to the front and there was immediately a receiving line as they greeted and thanked each person leaving their seat for coming. I thought it was a neat way to make sure that they were able to talk to everyone before they got scattered throughout the yard.

The J family picture. Unfortunately missing quite a few members! (We missed you!)

All the amazing looking food was served out of this barn. They had ribs! And salads! And an entire table full of fruit that was arranged so beautifully it was three feet tall!

Each table had an enormous vase full of garden flowers and decorative greens and the head table had these beautiful calla lily and dahlia filled globes.

What a cute idea for wedding favors, satin bags full of different types of candy.

Hydrangeas

Dahlias

Sunflowers

Phone Guy and Phi playing on the trampoline.

Custom M&M's

Open mic time! The best man.

Their beautiful home made wedding cake, made by M. Sutherland.

The traditional smeared-in-your-face cake cutting photo.

Congratulations you two!!!

Okanagan BC

2009-09-08T08:00:00.002-07:00

My trip to Regina was officially over, but it was not yet time to pack my bags. The Mr. picked me up at the Everett, WA train station and from there we drove directly to B.C. Canada's Okanagan Valley! We were kindly invited by Droo's family to stay a couple nights with them there, during part of their one week stay at a lakeside trailer that belongs to family. We were eager to go because the Okanagan is so relaxing. The cabin has everything you need, and is just perfect for a young family and a couple of friends.

The Mr. showing us his superb diving skills. The trailer is just a few feet away from the lake, such a perfect setting!

Amazing clear water.

Who I missed second most when I was in Regina.

Baby Cake

Droo

The trailer is complete with retro lawn furniture. I love this old swing!

These grapes were growing on a trellis along the walkway, aren't they pretty?

The SS Sicamous is beached at Pentiction BC as a Museum and Theater. In Wikipedia's words:
"SS Sicamous is a large five decked sternwheeler built by the Canadian Pacific Railway for lake service between the fruit communities of Penticton, and other towns of Kelowna and Vernon. Sicamous ran for many years connecting rail lines and areas. The vessel is beached as a museum in Penticton, BC".

Pentiction has Starbucks. Cake loves coffee cups and will most likely follow closely in her father's coffee-loving footsteps!

Look at that huge water wheel!

The skies were so pretty that evening!

To Chasm and his Lady, Thank you so much for inviting us to stay with you on the lake, we had such a fun time and hope that this will be a tradition!!!

Homeward Bound

2009-09-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

It was time to say goodbye. Goodbyes are always sad and it is hard to say goodbye to family that you live a 23 hour train trip away from. One good thing about the goodbye is that for me, it meant I had a hello soon to come. I was going to get to see The Mr. again after two weeks of being away from home!

Four hours away and across the Canadian border from my parents house.

Watching for the train.

If it wasn't for my parents' willingness to spend a day driving (or more like 16 hours when you add both trips together) this trip would not have been possible! Thank you both so much! I had a wonderful time and I loved spending the extra in-car time with you both.

I love how the photos through the Amtrak windows turn out. Almost as if you used some sort of beautiful Pioneer Woman photo shop action on them. This is straight out of camera and looks very retro to me. Almost as if there should be some cowboys and Indians out there somewhere. :)

See the shadow? The bridge for the rails was WAY up. Pretty cool!

I got to see so much pretty Montana landscape on the trip home. More than usual. I guess the train times must be different during different parts of the year because I am pretty sure I slept through a lot of the pretty parts last time. You can see my posts from my 2007 trip here and here. If you go look at those posts, the first thing you will notice is that you can barely see the photos! I'm very thankful to Jenn for helping me out with photo sizes.

A blurry photo, but it's a fun one. This was the first time I had seen the Continental Divide.

A coveted photo for train lovers—when you can see the train curving along the track ahead of you. Although maybe it's not such a cool photo when there is little natural light to be had and the glare of someones laptop computer on the window. :)

Glacier National Park is so beautiful!

I had a great sleep on the train- about 5 hours, which is a personal record. This is what I saw out my window when I woke up. There is a waterfall somewhere over there and this water was rushing towards it.

Well, these photos are the last of my Regina trip photos, but do not dismay. I don't plan to disappear again. There are about eleven more posts in the cue. Hold onto your hats!

Beautiful Babies

2009-09-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

When we got back from camping and unpacked, the house was in shambles! Sleeping bags were laid out all over the place, boxes and bags were overflowing here and there. There was so much work to do, but fortunately I got out of it! I spent the rest of my time in Regina shopping, eating and kissing babies.

Oh how I wish we had a NYF near us here in WA! Their fries are so yummy.

Anna's daughter Kait and Kit sweetly posing for the camera.

Kit with some gorgeous eyes. I love it when a photo has catchlight.

Anna's mom with her grandson Hudson and my mommy. I didn't get a clear shot of Ethan or Emily, but they are in the background of this shot. It's pretty hard to get little boys to stay still for the camera!

Jolly and I.

A bit too fuzzy of a photo because the flash didn't go off, but look at how perfectly chubby Hudson is! I just loved him.

Anna and I used to be childhood friends and I have so many fun memories of spending time with her. Too bad we live so far away from each other now.

On the Monday night before I left my parents and all four of their kids got together and went for supper at Luiggi's Pasta House. If The Mr. would have been present, it would have been the entire family. It was so nice to have everyone together for the meal, and extra special because it was the first time I got to meet my brand new nephew! I quickly found out that he is a miniature of his daddy and that both of his parents love him very much and take excellent care of him. He slept through the entire meal, which was nice for his mommy and daddy because they got to relax and eat their dinner in peace. The end of the meal came and I hadn't even had the opportunity to hold the little guy yet but thankfully he started to stir and I got to hold him. He is SO sweet!

My first cuddle with MiniB. This was just seconds after he was passed to me and he hadn't settled down yet. He was such a squirmy little guy!

We hopped into our cars to go over to MiniB's place so I could hold him longer.

Kit will be a great older sister when her little brother comes along!

What a cute unknowingly color coordinated family.

Hosh, Jolly and Kit.

Social and I. She was an unwilling participant in the photo shoot and proved it with this wild look.

Madge Lake Fun

2009-09-04T11:00:00.007-07:00

Once camp was set up, we took off for a nature walk. There is a really cool boardwalk through a nature refuge area at Madge Lake and is was so beautiful! When I visited this camp ground as a child, I didn't look at it the same way as I did this time. I sure admire God's handiwork!

I never knew underbrush and ferns ever grew this lush in Saskatchewan!

This image is straight from camera. This point and shoot never ceases to amaze me!

You'd think I was back at home in the San Juan Islands! It was cool to see a sailboat in the prairies.

I love that they left some of the retro toys in the park for this generation to play with.

Mmmm! I had two of these during our campground stay and they were SO yummy, cream soda and black cherry.

Once again, Kit is well entertained by the "bad-guys" (buckles).

Mmm, what an amazing meal for our first night at camp. Chili on the camp stove, baked potatoes on the grill and corn in the fire. It was such a good meal. My sisters did some serious planning and they did an amazing job.

Glow sticks! Everyone got a couple to play with and there were a few exploding glow sticks which made for some laughs. During the bible reading, Hosh (Jolly's hubby) was speaking and playing with the glow stick at the same time. We all knew what was going to happen, but we couldn't interrupt him and he ended up with glow in the dark spotted hands! We also put one on each of Kit's wrists and ankles just for fun and it made it easy to keep track of her. :)

We had some packets of powder that you add to the fire and it turns colors.

The next morning we laid logs against the side of the fire again because it had worked really well the day before. This time they got dry enough to start on fire just from the heat of the metal. Oops.

Ground Squirrel.

Kit and I

Lesson learned: after cooking bacon, do not attempt to drain the grease off the pan by tipping it towards the fire. Made for a pretty picture, but we ended up tossing the pan.

These ground squirrels are quite tame, but skittish. They will eat out of your hand, but run away at the slightest movement.

Nate with his toast, bacon and eggs.... and ketchup of course.

A towel on the line attracted this little lady.

No camping breakfast is complete without cereal eaten straight from the box. Anyone who opens these mini-boxes and pours the cereal into a bowl is really missing out!

Colorful dishes. A lot of the mugs and dishes are the same ones we used as a family. They match the tent trailer, with their 70's colors.

The first night we had two campsites because we had more people but for the second night we decided to save money and squish into one site. There was plenty of room. Nod and Social brought the guys tent over via the back of the truck. It was still set up and all of their stuff was in it! The guys returned from a bike ride surprised to see an empty campsite!

Uncle B and Aunt Y brought the boat over for the day and it was so much fun. I don't have any photos of it, but Social and I went knee boarding and it was a blast.

Back at camp- it's dinner time for the squirrels too!

Spaghetti and garlic toast.

The largest marshmallow I have ever seen.

One of my favorite photos from the whole trip. I know this seems weird, but sometimes the photo or the subject doesn't have to be spectacular. This kettle brings back countless memories from my childhood camping trips and I am so thankful for those memories and parents who loved to take us camping.

Ice cream at the campground store.

Their soft serve was some of the best I have ever had and gluten-free as well.

The next morning it was raining so we put up a tarp.

It started raining harder and we were getting wetter. The tarp was collecting too much water so we snagged a rain flap pole from the tent to use in the center of the table and tied the rain flap string to the tarp. It worked great.

We decided to get out of the rain and go to the Yorkton wave pool. We got there about 10 minutes before it opened so that is why the pool is empty. It was pretty crowded once open, but still worth it!

Kit all tired out from swimming.

Oh oh, this is what we saw as soon as we pulled back into our campsite. Social, Nod and I had a problem on our hands! I already knew the tent was having problems when we left as there was water collecting on the tent when we left and no one to keep draining it. This particular tent relied way too much on tent pegs and the ground was mush. I had thrown all my stuff in the tent trailer, all of Nod and Social's stuff onto their air mattress in the tent and then thrown my vinyl covered mattress on top of it all.

This huge puddle was sitting and dripping directly on top of all of the stuff in the tent, but only the corners of a few pillows, sleeping bags and foam mattress got wet! The water draining off of my mattress and onto the floor.

Victory! After repeated attempts to set the tent back up, it was decided that the tent was trash. Good thing the tent trailer was along and it sleeps 7 if needed!

Satisfaction!

Being silly trying to get the tent to fit in the garbage can. I should be embarrassed of this photo, but these memories are so fun that I'm not. I bet the garbage men thought it was funny to see a tent in the trash.

We weren't doing a very good job of getting the fire started, so I ate my pork and beans straight from the can.

Nod and Kit taking a walk.

A-Camping We Will Go

2009-09-02T16:54:00.006-07:00

Social Sister and I were up bright and early (I think it was August 5th) to stuff the tent trailer as full as we could. Good thing Dad was there, he is definitely the master packer in our family. Always has been, always will be!

On the road! This is Social, the master get-together planner. She did all the coordinating and booking and planning for the camping trip!

We stopped in Regina to pick up Nod and some bicycles. They have a townhouse in an alley that is lined with Hollyhocks and it is such a nice touch.

Canola almost done blooming on both sides of the road.

Two flax fields with a canola field sandwiched in between. The hawk was a neat surprise when I viewed the photos at home!

How to keep Kit busy? Show her a buckle of any sort. She loves to buckle and then get someone to unbuckle her so the game lasts as long as the other person is willing. She also says the word "buckles" but it sounds like "bad-guys." It is pretty funny to see a tiny little girl walking around saying "bad-guys, bad-guys?"

Dad lent us his truck to pull the trailer and we quickly doodled all over the windows in window markers. It felt like graffiti. My window said "Wanna Go Camping?!"

Wroxton, Saskatchewan with it's Ukrainian Catholic Church (or Ukrainian Orthodox Church- not sure which one this is) and grain elevator.

Below is a video of setting up camp, and Kit thoroughly enjoying chasing after the local ground squirrels. Our camping location was Madge Lake campground at Duck Mountain Provincial Park.

It looked a little wet around camp so we got a fire going and propped logs around the fire pit to dry.

This tent trailer brings back so many memories because it was the one we used as a family growing up. I can remember using it ever since Social was a toddler. It boasts bright geometric curtains with neon orange, olive green, brown, tan and mustard yellow.

Cousin Nate and his Pic-a-Pop. I guess it's all the rage and really yummy if you can get your hands on one. They were popular in the 1970's and are now being bottled once again in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Kit loves sunflower seeds!

Regina Bible Conference

2009-09-02T09:00:00.005-07:00

As a child, one of my favorite things was the Bible Conference in Regina, Saskatchewan. It was at the Canadian Bible College that had tons of hallways and rooms to explore and I have so many fun memories of the conference. This year I got to go once again but this year it was held at the Regina Christian School. It was a great place for a conference and one of the best things about having the conference at a school is that there is a playground!

The bible readings were in Ephesians 3 and were very good. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole conference and bought an MP3 disc if anyone wants to borrow it. The food looked amazing even though I didn't eat it because I eat gluten-free. One day they were serving pieces of lasagna as big as your plate! Literally, they were touching the edge of the plate on all four sides. One tip for gluten-free eaters at conferences is to take your own food! If you want a hot meal, just make spaghetti, put it into disposable tin containers with lids and warm them up in 1 inch of water in the bottom of a crock pot on high. I just set it up and turned it on before the morning reading meeting and it worked so good. I stayed out of the caterers way, and had yummy gluten-free hot food the whole weekend.

Hi there Kit!

Bye for now!

Playing nice with Chirpee.

J and H with their Grandpa E.

Watching for the ball, where did it go? It was so funny that she stopped and played with the big boys.

All comfy with Mommy at the Saturday night bonfire and hymn sing.

Empty chairs beside the gals and a bit of silly acting.... will the guys get the hint?! :) I love my sister's fuzzy blanket in this photo, maybe that is scaring the guys away?

Thanks for the great fire dad!

It was a small young people group this year, (30-40?) but it was a lot of fun. Sometimes small groups are great because you can really get to know everyone.

A busy mama kitty on the farm makes me glad that it is not common for humans to have this many babies at once!

Flax blooming in a field we passed on the way into town.

Kitten cleaning up after Lord's day lunch.

Some not so wild wildlife at my grandparents home.

Hello little finch. Why do you look at me so strangely?

The Empire Builder

2009-09-01T21:00:00.003-07:00

Below is my journal entry from July 29-30, 2009. Excuse my disjointed thoughts and most likely mixed up tenses. It's my journal so I can write what I want. :)

Pulling away from the train station in Everett, WA I finally feel relaxed. I'm on the Amtrak train called Empire Builder, bound for Wolf Point Montana. The last few days have been a whirlwind of packing, cleaning, planning and meal making as I prepared for the trip to come. The Mr. was left with the dishes washed, the laundry done, pre-made plates of food in the freezer (roast beef or chicken with the regular sides and gravy) and the house was in a clean-ish state. Making hot meals in 85 degree weather might not have been the smartest thing to do, but I'm glad I did it because now I can rest assured that The Mr. is well fed and taken care of.

My assigned seat on 8 Empire Builder wore an out of order sign so the conductor moved me to another. Now I'm sitting across from a couple who live in a small town in Manitoba. They had visited Seattle to see the Toronto Blue Jays play the Seattle Mariners at Safeco feild. They couldn't believe that the temperature had been 99 degrees at first pitch, and wondered if this was normal. I told them it wasn't (and Seattle eventually moved on to break their local heat record by two degrees, reaching 103!!!) Yowzers. The couple told me how they got to see the sights of downtown Seattle- the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the waterfront etc. but that the Jays lost. Their excitement of seeing Seattle for the first time reminded me of when I was courting The Mr. and seeing everything through rose colored glasses. I don't need the rose colored glasses anymore, Seattle is a beautiful city with amazing things to see. Anyways, back to the train.

As we enter the mountains the weather cools and the air-conditioned cabin is getting chilly so sweatshirts and blankets are appearing. It is quite comfortable and such a relief since we had just an hour before left Everett's blazing hot air behind. Next we were able to watch a lightening storm out the windows for a few miles, which was really neat. We reached the 7.8 mile Cascade tunnel after that and entered it without a wait, as the carbon monoxide had already been cleared. Unfortunately that doesn't keep you from smelling a faint exhaust smell. A little girl in the row ahead exclaimed "Gramma, this window smells like egg salad!" After her grandpa explained that it was train exhaust, she asked her grandparents this joke- "What comes out of the back of the egg's car?................. eggs-aust!" This little girl had such an enjoyable personality. Later she exclaimed that when you walked on the train it felt like you were on a treadmill because the scenery moved. Silly girl! It does feel weird when you walk on the train.

The train has several stops along the way to pick up or drop off passengers, but the longest one is in Spokane, WA for 30 minutes. Late last night I was able to move into a window seat sometime before that, so thankfully I slept right through it. I got to sleep on two seats which is much better than head-bobbing all night in an isle seat! In the morning we were going through the mountains, over bridges, past lakes and through tunnels in Glacier National Park. There are few fresh air stops in the park because they try to make up time, but there's lots of beautiful scenery to see, which was relaxing. I love the pristine beauty of the mountains.

After coffee and yogurt for breakfast I looked out the window to see a wheat field. We were suddenly in the prairies. The change is so fast you hardly notice when it happens. In contrast to the quaint and cozy mountain towns, the prairies are spotted with the occasional run down looking cattle ranch and abandoned log cabins and outbuildings that are remnants of homesteads from the past. The prairies are beautiful in their own way with fields of green and yellow swaying in the wind like rippled ocean water. I love the prairies and will always feel at home in them.

I arrived in Wolf Point Montana an hour late, but Dad was faithfully there to pick me up. It was so good to see him! I couldn't wait to step foot on the farm and see the rest of the family.

Between Everett and Spokane, I was in the last car on the train. This was such a great place to stand and watch the sun set and the little towns get tucked in for the night.

And voila, the prairies! Ok, so it looks like I forgot to take photos of the mountains. I took lots of them on the way back I think. At least I hope so! I know that there was a lot of musical instruments and singing down in the bottom level of the viewing car. At the cafe where people just sit and hang out. There was a guitar, a fiddle, a harmonica, some singers and a lot of stomping feet so I was otherwise occupied. I didn't know any of the songs, but live music is so fun to listen to. I did get to request Amazing Grace, and sang that with a few others and accompaniment, as well as as Jesus my Saviour Thou Art Mine. I also sang Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing a capella and hope that consciences were touched and the Good News of Jesus Christ was spread.

Here is a video of the style of music that was being played. The guitar player and fiddle player were friends who were traveling and making money playing their instruments in different cities. Several others in the room either played or sang or both, so it was a fun time.

What it looks like when a train passes on the track beside you - very close! At times there are trains on both sides of you, or on one side of you as you are going through a tunnel and it is a very weird feeling.

Um, no thank you. I think I will take my business somewhere that has service. This was just the first of several funny signs I saw in tiny towns.

Havre Montana. This is the stop where I have shared the train with Amish people twice now. It must be a common sight.

Old Train at Havre, Montana.

Dear Ace Hardware. It is now August and you need to change your sign. (This store had a full parking lot and people coming in and out, so it's not like they went out of business or anything!)

Old Town Grill, where you can get anything grilled I guess. Their windows across the front read "chicken, char broiled steak, pork chops, stir fry, mexican, burgers." I guess that just about covers all the major small town food groups. There was an ice cream parlor down the street for dessert.

Back to the farm I go!

Breaking News: Petra Bailed out of Jail

2009-08-25T13:50:00.006-07:00

One year ago today, we doled out cash to bring Petra home as part of our family. To celebrate her anniversary, we dolled out cash once again, this time to get her released from the shelter! The Lord answered our prayers and Petra is with us once again. She is her normal healthy energetic self and we are SO thankful. I knew it was her as soon as we saw her in the kennel, and I hadn't even seen her face yet. I was so relieved that I started crying and I was just so happy to have her back. She is being royally spoiled now of course! We wish she could talk so she could tell us all about her scary adventure. Or maybe it was a fun one?!

A Request for Prayer

2009-08-24T15:43:00.005-07:00

Since 10:30 last night, Petra has been lost. She either ran away or was taken, or maybe both. I was in the house when she went missing. She had been inside for a while and I let her out on her dog run to eat and use the bathroom. When I went back outside to see her around an hour later, she was gone. We have done all we can right now in the way of looking for her and posting notices but we know that the most powerful thing that we can do is pray. We would really appreciate your prayers as well. Petra is part of our family and it just won't be the same without her. We brought her home to be part of our family one year ago tomorrow and we are not ready to lose her this early.

That Pesky Forgotten Camera Cord

2009-08-18T22:26:00.003-07:00

Hello friends! No, I have not forgotten that I have a blog. I just got back home after two and a half busy weeks away! Once I receive my camera cord in the mail from my mom, there should be lots of new photos to post and stories to tell! Thanks for being loyal blog readers no matter how bad this site gets neglected. :)

I Love Camping in the San Juan Islands

2009-07-29T09:44:00.008-07:00

Here are some photos from days 3-5 of our camping trip.

If you are camping in the San Juan Islands, make sure you take all your gear in large Rubbermaid containers so you only have to clean up raccoon paw prints and not the mess they make of your supplies! The taller size are perfect for sliding under the picnic bench so they are raccoon proof the whole night.

Sallad and Grace's tent.

Cool Chris-Craft at Roche Harbor. I think the three different seating "couches" on this boat are neat. It is such a strange arrangement, but looks comfy for cruising!

Mmm, ketchup. Who needs fries when you have fingers!?

Evening view from the campsite.

On our way to meeting Lord's day morning.

Mr. James Bond..... I mean, The Mr.

Grace and I.

It was strange getting dressed for meeting while boat camping. I kept my jeans on until we got to dry land because it's not really practical tying lines and dropping fenders with a dress on!

Our plan was to drop Sallad and Grace off at the boat launch in Anacortes, then The Mr. and I would park the boat at a marina nearby and they would come get us in their truck and we would all go to meeting in Marysville. Well, when we got to the boat launch, the tide was so low that the dock was completely out of the water! Thankfully we had an inflatable kayak and Sallad rowed his way in.

Excuse the poor photo quality as I took it through the window of the boat. Have you ever seen a motoring sailboat motoring this fast?! It looked hilarious to see, as usually sailboats motor at just a few knots. I think it's a MacGregor.

Friday Harbor ferry dock.

Outside one of our favorite places to eat in Friday Harbor, Haley's Bait Shop. This is an excellent restaurant with amazing Thai chicken wraps that are gluten free. If you ever visit, the wraps are under the salad menu because they are more like toppings you pile on top of romaine lettuce leaves than the traditional tortilla wraps.

Popeye, Friday Harbors resident harbor seal who is blind in one eye. You can see that it is clouded over. Here is a statue of her. (Yes, Popeye is a girl, they thought she was a boy until she gave birth to a baby!)

\
My, what huge nostrils you have Popeye!

Almost looks tropical.

The first time I have ever been able to take a photo of the stars. Of course this still doesn't show the layers and layers of stars we could see. Sallad showed me what setting to use, thank you so much!

This was such an amazing night. When The Mr. and I got down to the boat, there was some sort of a large animal (most likely a harbor seal) swimming around our boat and surfacing and breathing really heavy. It was pitch black all around us so it was pretty creepy! It was amazing to be in complete blackness and silence, and listen to the seal moving around and breathing.

Floating Art Gallery

Orcas Island Ferry Dock

Rosario Resort (See the mansion on the left?)

When we pulled up to Rosario, there were hundreds of jellyfish in the water! These are Moon Jellyfish, which are distinguishable by the four pinkish horseshoe markings.

Here is a clear shot of the four pinkish horseshoe markings.

A little family climbed into this plane and they flew away like it was something they did every day. How fun!

I love old buildings, they have a lot of character.

Here is what the sign says, I typed it all out as I love history!

This figurehead is from the clipper ship "America". She was build in 1874 at Quincy, Massachusetts by Deacon George Thomas. Her original owners were Thaver&Co. of Boston. In 1887 she was put in the pacific coasting trade and was wrecked on San Juan island in the year 1914.

The "America" has some notable voyages to her credit, namely, from New York to San Francisco in 89 days and from San Francisco to Liverpool in 102 days.

Captain J. S. Gibson at one time her commander, records that this figurehead was a source of much pride to him. That it had many times in many ports been remarked upon as being one of the most artistic figureheads that ever graced the bow of a ship and there is probably no other on an American vessel that has been mentioned so many times in public print. It is carved from a solid white pine log.

This is erected by me to commemorate a beautiful sentiment in ship building now becoming a lost art.

Figure donated by Captain James Griffiths.

Rosario 1916 Robert Moran

Calm, tame deer hanging out.

Rosario Resort at the mansion. There are pools, there are tours of the mansion and when we were there, a beautiful wedding was taking place. This place used to be booming, but when we were there it was pretty empty. You couldn't even get a glass of water. It looked like everything was closed, but they were still giving tours and they said they have great plans for the place.

Then.....

... and now!

I think these old lines are still in use as they looked well taken care of. You can buy those glass parts in antique stores.

Bald Eagle

Baby Seagulls. Excuse all the dripping poo. :)

Now, here are some home movies!

Day 2 of our Fabulous Boat Camping Trip

2009-07-27T00:00:00.001-07:00

The campsite as seen from our boat the next morning.

A hot breakfast of Dutch Fry (scrambled eggs with small cubes of ham, cubed fried potatoes and grated cheddar,) fruit salad and orange juice.

These travel booster seats are the best. It not only kept Bri in her seat for each meal, but it kept her safe from wandering too far from camp, which is especially important when your camp site is on cliffs! She was either held, in her seat or in the tent being watched at all times.

And we're off for the day! I love how comfortable Bri is on boats. She has been on boats since a couple weeks after she was born.

Sallad, Grace and Bri.

This was the most photo filled of all the days because we did something that all of us have wanted to do for a while now. We crossed the border into Canada via the water. It is really neat to enter into international waters and land in Canada with only a phone call and exchange of numbers. All five of us on the trip were Nexus members and that really speeds things along.

International waters. The one thing I kept thinking was "boy it would be easy to run aground here!" Look at all those tiny pieces of land that would be hard to see during different tides.

Hello Sidney BC!

I just noticed now that this lamp post only has 2/3rds of it's lights and this is probably the 8th time I've looked at it.

The Port of Sidney Marina is so beautiful!

We had fun posing with bronze statue people. Notice the shoes.

Notice the purses.

Notice the flowers. He he. The fisherman was actually tying a lure, but someone had placed flowers in his hands so we made The Mr. copy the statue, as it was his turn!

Veterans Club

A neat place to trade in your old boat stuff, search for treasures and antiques (Dad- they didn't have any oil cans!) or pick up pirate and boat themed decor.

This box was not for sale or else we would have bought it.

Sidney Pier

Tide Pools

We ate lunch at the cafe on the right. YUMMY!

The staged but very cool tidepool outside the Ocean Discovery Center. We didn't go inside because it looked expensive and kid oriented, but it looked really cool and I really want to go there someday. Click on that link and I think you will agree with me.

I got a ton of starfish, sun star, sea anemone, hermit crab and sea urchin photos, but they were blurry. More so than this one! You can see a huge sun star in the center of the photo, which is what ate/let loose all our crab last year!

A beautiful stone at Mineral World and Scratch Patch. It's a store that sells $3000 stones right alongside $7 quarts necklaces. It has a play area where kids can pan for gold or choose semi precious stones to fill a bag. For a lot of money of course, but there aren't any signs that say you can't hang out and play for free!

A boat load of fun. He he.

Isn't that butter yellow boat so pretty! I love how anything painted in this particular shade of yellow looks retro.

Sidney Spit is a popular destination in the Gulf Islands.

The water was so cold that I didn't even stick a toe into it. The guys were so brave though! Later I am planning on posting a video and you can see them dive in and watch their reactions.

Celebrity Cruises on it's way back from Alaska.

Our keepers! Yummy dungeness crab.

Hello there crab, I'm going to eat you!!! (Don't you think he looks worried?)

All ready to be steamed. A huge thanks goes to the nice man who showed us how to do this. I am planning on putting the video up so that everyone else can learn too!

Dinner in the dark. This was SO much fun! We had lemon, butter, steamed veggies and yummy mashed potatoes to go along with more crab than any of us could eat in one sitting.

The aftermath. And with that ending note, I'm going to go and get a snack. These photos made me so hungry!

Boat Camping at Stuart Island

2009-07-24T17:09:00.005-07:00

Our computer is working again!

Last weekend we had five days off and spent it camping at Stuart Island in the San Juan Islands with Sallad, Grace and their 15 month old daughter Bri. We had an amazing and beautiful time! The Mr. and I are really hoping this camping trip is going to be a yearly tradition because we enjoy it so much. So far, we've done it two years in a row, which is a good start if you ask me!

Last year we piled all our camping gear into Sallad's boat and launched in Anacortes, but this year we have a boat of our own so we launched in Blaine as usual and met them at Sucia Island. The others hiked on the island for a bit while I fed Bri some lunch and relaxed in the shade. After that we headed over to Stuart Island where Sallad and Grace chose their camping spot and set up camp.

The Mr. and I were quite disappointed to find the 2 state park docks at the island completely full and were wondering what to do about it when a nice gentleman at the campsite close to where salad was beaching his boat (to later tie it up using an Anchor Buddy) offered to move his boat so that we could take his spot. He would then tie up to our port side and raft for the night. We were so thankful! We could have tied up at a mooring buoy or mooring line for the night, but it wouldn't have given us very good access to land as we wanted to share Sallad and Grace's campfire. Being tied up to the dock made it easy for us to transfer our supplies to the campsite.

Preparation for camping is fun. Some may not think so, but I love it. I am a person who loves to make lists, and when you are planning a camping trip there are lots of those. One thing that I really strive to do while camping is keep things simple. This year, I got all our miscellaneous camp supplies into one large Rubbermaid tote. It really helped that we were going camping with Sallad and Grace because they were bringing the camp stove, lantern and other bulky things that would not have fit into my tote, like roasting sticks! Next year I even want to try and use reusable plates, cups and utensils because this year we used disposables once again and I really dislike having an overflowing garbage bag at camp to lure the raccoons in. We were glad once again that our boat has a icebox because it saved us from bringing a cooler. I would just take food up to camp each morning as it was needed.

Patos Island Lighthouse

On our way to Sucia The Mr. and I saw a ton of porpoises, both dalls and harbor porpoises I think. I'm also pretty sure that I saw a pacific white-sided dolphin about 25 feet away. They have We probably saw around 40, and a few times they were within 20 feet of the boat. They are beautiful as they swim through the water and it makes your heart flutter to see them close.

Meeting up with Sallad, Grace and Bri.

Headed for Sucia.

Bri is her "Daddy's lil' Skipper." We spent a little bit of time showing off Sucia (as I have said over and over, we love it there!) and then we headed over to Stuart Island.

Bri playing peek-a-boo while "helping" set up camp.

Camp Nor'Wester on Johns Island. Last time I posted about this I got all the info wrong (a year ago) but I am too lazy to go change it. Oh well!

After the campsite was set up and our boat was docked, we set out in Sallad and Grace's boat to get ice cream from Lopez Island Creamery at Roche Harbor. The Mr. actually tipped the ice cream scooper dude- he was pretty generous! That is the most ice cream I have ever seen someone eat in one sitting. I think it took him over 20 minutes to finish it.

At Roche Harbor there are lots of miniature shops to visit that are only open during the summer.

This is a very cool place to pick up ice for your cooler and anything you forgot to bring with you. They are a tiny little store with just about everything you would ever need. Everything from fresh produce to fishing lures.

Grace and Bri. Bri loved this Harbor Seal statue and when sitting on it she fit like a puzzle right into the curve of it's back.

Very blurry photo, but a neat sunflare.

Almost a mirror image of last year.

You could see our boat from the cliff at the campsite. It is the one closest to the walkway with the aluminum boat rafting alongside it. We have never seen Stuart island this busy, look at the end of the dock- there are SIX boats across the end of it. Three rafted together on each side.

Marshmallows are gluten free!

Our sleeping quarters. Very comfy! Most nights I sleep better on the boat than I do at home.