kandas-adventures

Saying Goodbye to Oddity the Odyssey

Our Odyssey van was 14 years old and had over 150,000 miles on her.  We'd replaced the transmission, the timing belt, the engine mounts, and 2 sets of tires over the years, along with all the routine maintenance.   

But we were starting to learn the names of all the AAA guys in town.

Tow truck rides were becoming more frequent.  Yes, it was time to consider upgrading to a more reliable family vehicle.

Once upon a time she was new.  Back in late 1999 the 2000 Odyssey appeared with a full-minivan body (previous models were more like a station wagon), and were the hottest family vehicle on the market.  Demand was so high that we had our name on waiting lists at all the dealerships within 100 miles.  After a 2 month wait, a call came in December that a dealership 90 miles away had a shipment, and we had to come quickly if we wanted one.  I was stuck at work, so my husband and his brother-in-law headed out to get it.  It was an easy sale for the salesman, no work at all.  If we didn't pay the asking price (above list), there were plenty of others waiting on the list who would. Unfortunately my husband got the "base model," the one where you had to insert the key to unlock the door, manually open the doors, etc.  During the years to come when I was juggling two babies and bags of groceries in busy parking lots I would have really appreciated keyless entry, no matter what the cost.  That was my only regret about the purchase (other than paying full price).

When we first got our Oddy it was fun to find its brothers and sisters wherever we went.  Above, at Spencer Spit State Park, Lopez Island.

Mall parking garage

 On the street outside the elementary school

I've never been one to follow trends or fashions (the proof is in my hairstyle and wardrobe, which have been the same for 30 years), but suddenly I found myself surrounded by people who'd made the same vehicle choice as I had, and it wasn't like I was living in Cuba with a limited selection.  What surprised me the most was that everyone from welfare moms to Microsoft millionaires seemed to be driving them.

Oddy took many trips to the grocery store

There were more than a dozen trips to various hospitals, with A getting the frequent flier award in that category.

 The cavernous cargo space transported bird feeders to the nursing home (volunteer project I led).

And then there was Girl Scout Cookie delivery time... (5 years in a row)

 It carried a few Christmas Trees home over the years.

It helped with many a friends' moves, and hauled lots of furniture, including new beds and mattresses from IKEA.

 

 There was room for Grammy's giant wheelchair and hiking sticks for the younger set, and still room to seat 7.

Sometimes we ditched Oddy at transit stations and rode away on rails or buses, when we could have driven instead.  Just for fun.

 I loved having a vehicle that could transport my own kids plus several others.  It was especially handy when visitors came from far away...

Friends from England

Friends from Peru

A friend from Switzerland

School friends

Neighborhood kids

More neighborhood kids...

This photo was taken on the hottest day in Seattle history (106 degrees!), at 11:00 at night, in my mom's neighborhood.  The power had gone out, so people started gathering in my van to partake of the air conditioning in the van.  Pictured here in just a bathing suit is my mom's 70-something-year-old neighbor!

Here is our adopted great-grandma Charlotte, who lived in a nursing home. We loved to "check her out" for the day and take her with us on adventures and day trips.

The Oddy was our home away from home.  In the early years the girls could stand up in it.

Many hours of napping took place within.

ZZZZzzzzzzz.....

There were backseat picnics on the way to snow-shoeing in the mountains...

And tailgate picnics in the ferry line on the way to camping.

In the later years it became a place to do homework on the way to volunteering or Girl Scouts.

There was winter driving...

And then there was winter driving with chains on the tires...

 And days of no driving at all, like when I had a severe concussion (no driving for 2 weeks), and when the van was completely iced over during a storm.

 Oh, look, another Odyssey... no matter where we ventured, other Odysseys were with us.

She took dozens of ferry boat rides.

We went on many road trips with my mom as navigator.  (Crossing the 177' high Deception Pass bridge -- don't look down).

When I didn't have a navigator, I used my state-of-the-art GPS unit (a hand drawn map affixed to the dash with a recycled name badge sticker).

The van ferried over 70 foster cats and kittens between the shelter and home.  It was also a "quarantine area" when I brought sickly kittens in for tests.  It was safer to keep them in the van than to bring them into the clinic and possibly infect other animals with the fatal viruses some of them had.

A few medical procedures happened there.

Floormats and towels covering the seats got bleached, and I learned how to properly disinfect the van afterwards.

Some larger animals came into the van, too, though not fully (thankfully).

 Well, Hello there!

The van saw us through 13 camping seasons

 It wasn't the best for off-road clearance, but it sure could hold all our gear.

Sometimes it was a real battle to keep everything clean, especially while camping.  That yellow round thing in the photo above is a travel potty (essential for girls).  We used it for about 8 years.  I even used it once in an emergency!

Here the kids decided to swim in mud puddles at the farm.  How do I keep this mud from getting all over the inside of the van?

And just because they got older didn't mean they outgrew the puddle jumping urge.

It just means a bigger body = more mud.  "Mommy, I'm cold, can we go home now?"

For big messes, like the mud puddle escapades, the girls knew the drill -- I held out a towel beside the van while they stripped, then I wrapped them in the towel and buckled them in.  Muddy clothes went in a plastic bag to be dealt with later. I always had towels and sheets on hand for such occasions.

From the beach to the mountains, from Oregon to Canada, we went on many adventures together.

I enjoyed driving the Oddy, and it was part of our family in so many ways.  I held on to her for years after many of my neighbors traded up to Lexus SUVs or Cadillac Escalades.  I loved having a van, despite the "soccer mom" stereotype.  I could haul whole sheets of plywood, mounds of manure, a half-dozen kids, 2,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies, big pieces of furniture, multiple bicycles, and much more.  If I was going to get rid of my van, I wanted another one.

During one of my busiest work weeks so far, when I was getting up at 4:30am and driving over 100 miles a day on my school bus, my husband found a used 2010 model Odyssey (with keyless entry!) at a nearby dealership.  I'd always told him that I wanted to be part of the negotiation process, unlike the last time, so that I'd get the features I really wanted (Fog lights!) at a reasonable price.  I did get my fog lights, and was present for some of the negotiation (which lasted 2 days), but I was so tired from work that I wasn't able to fully enjoy the process.  Perhaps if I'd been more rested I could have knocked another hundred off the price, but in the end the transaction was satisfactory.  The next day while I was at work my husband sold our old Oddy through Craigslist to a Middle Eastern man who was planning to drive it with his wife and kids to California.  I didn't even get to say goodbye.  I hope she's enjoying her new life with her new family.  She certainly served us well.

Spring Break Staycation 2014 -- South edition

This time we headed South, toward Mt. Rainier

We went to Northwest Trek, a park featuring native northwest animals in realistic (but too small) habitats. We'd been there before, but Grammy wanted to go again.

 Bobcat stretching and rubbing its back.  We see them in our own neighborhood occasionally.

There are habitats you can walk around, and then there is the tram ride through the big area with a mixture of large animals roaming free.  Being a new bus driver, I was fascinated to watch the tram driver navigate the curving roads with the two trailer cars behind.  You really had to set up well for those turns!  

Sometimes the view from my school bus is like this, although it is deer instead of elk.  There are also areas in our district where people have goats that sometimes get out onto the roadway.

Little K had fun taking photos in her usual spot right by Grammy's side.

Well, Hello!

Some of the trails were steep and extra effort was needed to get Grammy up those hills.

After seeing all there was to see at the park we had a leisurely drive home.  We stopped often to view the mountain on this spectacularly sunny day.  

Little did I know that this would be the last road trip we'd take in this van...

So that wraps up our Spring Break Staycation.  Simple, but fun.

Spring Break Staycation 2014 -- North edition

One of the joys of being a school bus driver is having the same vacation schedule as my daughters. My mom wanted to travel somewhere, but I convinced her that daytrips would be just as satisfying.  Our first day trip was North, to Padilla Bay.
 

It is about an 80 minute drive from Seattle (if there is little traffic).

After lunch at a roadside cafe, we went to the Padilla Bay Interpretive Center, a little jewel on a quiet road along the coast.  It is a magnet for school groups and researchers, not so much tourists.

The interpretive center had displays and educational materials for all ages.  Here we are in the classroom geared toward preschool and early elementary students.

 Grammy scores 100%, which surprises no one!

The aquarium section featured only plants and marine animals that could be found across the road in the   estuary. 

Some of the colors were truly breathtaking.

Various crabs say "hello."

After we'd seen all there was to see in the interpretive center, we lounged around outside, enjoying the sunshine -- an unusual gift in April in the typically rainy Pacific Northwest!  The girls had fun making daisy chains.

On the rolling grounds of the interpretive center, with the bay in the background.

 

Back on the road, we continued north, then had a leisurely drive around Samish Island (more of a spit, as no bridge or ferry was needed to get there).

 

Samish Island has a mix of old fishing shacks and weekend cabins as well as newer mega-houses owned by tech millionaires.

Some of the cottages on Samish Island were adorable!

 

Of course a school bus driver always has eyes peeled for bus sheds, and there were some sweet ones along this rural road.

Wouldn't you love to wait for your school bus in this cute little house with a view of the water, islands, and massive container ships floating by?

It was a tidy little community, perhaps in part because they had these neat dog poop collection stops.

They are very well utilized, or else someone hasn't kept to the collection schedule, because the pail was overflowing.

A funny side note: We were headed south when Little K couldn't find her purse in the car.  Turns out she'd left it back at the interpretive center, so we went back, and there it was, on the grass where she left it.  About 3 miles down the road A realized she didn't have her sun hat.  I turned the van around and we headed back to the interpretive center yet again, and found her hat where she'd left it on a rock, less than 3 feet from where Little K's purse had just been.  Powers of observation were a little "off" today because we were in awe of all the spectacular scenery.

We drove back toward Seattle through the Skagit Valley, and since it was April, that meant Tulips!  

It was early enough in the Season that many Daffodil and Narcissus varieties were still in bloom, too.  We stopped by the demonstration gardens of some commercial growers to admire the flowers.

 

The ravenous slugs, deer, and rabbits in my neighborhood would never allow a display like this in my garden.  I used to try, but gave up after a couple years of having all the buds nipped off days before blooming.

Continuing south back toward Seattle, we discovered a new Botanical Garden under construction!  Note the glass sculptures mixed into the flower beds.

Grammy was too tired to get out of the car, so I moved the car to several spots where she could have a nice overlook while the girls and I explored.  This spot is above Daffodil Hill.

I love this old red farmhouse.

Little Sister Photobomb!

The gardens surround the Freeborn Lutheran Church, built in 1900.  We wandered the gardens and cemetery until sunset, then got back on the freeway to head home.  It had been a satisfying day of appreciating nature and architecture, discovering new things, and being together.  

 

Family Field Trip: Composting Facility

It's no secret that I drag my daughters all over the world for unique cultural and educational experiences.    Today's fun was had at a commercial composting facility, the destination for yard waste and food scraps collected from residences and businesses throughout the Seattle area.

This is the covered area where the collection trucks dump their loads.

There's lots of paper in this load, as well as contaminants, like plastics that should not be there.

A few brave workers walk through the muck and pull out the obvious offenders and set them aside.  Unfortunately too many people don't follow directions and put things in the compost that don't belong there, like disposable diapers.

Scoops of muck are put on conveyors, and passed through a magnetic picker, above.

Peeking into the dumpster below the metal picker you can see all the metal that had been tossed into the compost, everything from spatulas, to metal framing brackets, to aerosol cans.

The muck is ground up and placed under tarps to "digest."

You can feel the heat generated by the decomposition process.

 

Finished compost products, bagged and ready to be sold to consumers.

If you'd like to go on the same tour we had, you can do it from the comfort of your home via YouTube!

 

It was an educational tour, to be sure.  It was good to know that such a huge amount was being kept out of landfills, but also disheartening to learn how much garbage ends up in the compost that is collected. Sometimes entire truckloads are rejected at the compost site and sent on to the landfill anyway, just because a few stupid people threw enough garbage in to contaminate the load beyond the reasonable filtering threshold.

Composting is controversial, even in a seemingly progressive city like Seattle.  Some ignorant people feel that having to sort their garbage is "government interference" and an infringement on "their rights," and that since they have to pay for trash collection, then they should be able toss whatever they want, in whatever way they choose.   There are also complaints about the odor caused by the decomposing compost, especially on warm summer evenings.  Although the compost site is in a remote location away from residential areas, sometimes the wind blows the odors.  The composting company is doing everything they can to prevent odors from forming and drifting, utilizing the latest scientific technologies from Western Europe, where composting is the norm.

I look forward to the day when composting and recycling by EVERYONE is the norm.  Better yet, waste reduction overall.  

Another hot-button issue that is simmering in our area is banning plastic grocery bags.  Some cities and towns have successfully banned plastic grocery bags, and now shoppers buy paper bags at 5 cents each, or learn to start carrying their own reusable bags.  I've been carrying reusable bags for over 20 years, like the majority of European shoppers, but some of the people here in the Seattle area are all up in arms about being denied free plastic bags.   Not a day goes by that I don't see plastic bags along the roadside, stuck in trees, or clogging up streams and shorelines.  Now I've seen all the plastic bags strewn in the compost at the composting facility.  I'm all for the ban.  Carrying your own reusable bags isn't that difficult.

 

Whidbey Island Day Trip with Grammy

My mother always wanted to travel when she retired, but by the time she was financially able to leave her job, her disabilities prevented independent travel.  She still drives all over the city of Seattle, chauffeuring friends and acquaintances who are unable to drive.  She has excellent internal navigation skills (no GPS needed!) and has probably driven every street and alleyway in the city.  She knows all the shortcuts and all the back streets, and given Seattle's hilly topography, there are lots of circuitous connections only she and a handful of locals seem to know.

My mom lives for daytrips with me at the wheel and her navigating and directing the itinerary.  One trip she'd planned for this summer had us driving north of Seattle, taking a ferry to Whidbey Island, driving the length of the island and crossing a bridge over a deep gorge at the top end (see photo above) back to the mainland, and meandering back toward Seattle through the fertile Skagit Valley (famous for tulips and field crops).

Come along with us for the day!

On the ferry crossing the girls laugh in the wind up on deck while Grammy stays below on the cardeck, reading magazines in the car.

Our first stop is a wonderful park with giant playground.  The "birds" on the sign are a realistic sculpture.

Almost 20 years ago I brought my stepdaughter and my cousin's daughters here to play.  The play equipment was rebuilt a few years ago (wood doesn't last long in our damp climate), and thankfully the replacement structure is just as amazing as the original.

This is our favorite type of playground: turrets to climb, ramps and stairs to run, passageways and secret hideouts, and a maze of possibilities for imaginative play.

At 13 and 5'5" A is a bit big for the intended audience of most playgrounds, but that doesn't stop her from enjoying herself.

We had a picnic lunch and the girls returned to the playground for another half hour while Grammy remained at the picnic table enjoying the fresh air.  Above you can see Little K waving to Grammy from the play structure.

Checking in on Grammy I see that she has created a new food combination: chocolate brownie sandwiched between corn tortilla chips.  The combo of gooey sweet and crunchy salty was delicious, I must admit.

Leaving the playground we drove north to the Keystone ferry landing on the West side of the island.  We didn't take the ferry you see headed to Pt. Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula, but just wanted to give the girls a little "beach time."

Puget Sound (the body of water that connects us to the Pacific Ocean) was socked in with fog, and it was fun to watch the ferries magically appear and disappear.  They blew their fog horns repeatedly and we could hear their engines long before we could see them.

A car ferry looms behind this kayaker.  A moment earlier you couldn't see the ferry at all.

The beach we had chosen to visit was part of a campground.  See the ferry in the far left of the photo?

A little girl looks out the window of her grandparent's trailer at the ferry coming in from the fog.

We found Grammy a nice parking spot with a view of the beach and the ferry, and again she was perfectly content to sit in the car and watch as the girls played.

Next on Grammy's agenda was finding the saltwater swimming lagoon and wading pool at Windjammer park in the town of Oak Harbor.  On her lap Grammy had a sheaf of newspaper clippings spanning several years, and this park had been written up several years ago as a fun place to visit in the summer. Grammy keeps multiple files of "fun things to do with the grandkids," and is always excited when we actually get around to visiting the places she's read about and been eager to visit.  Unfortunately when we arrived at the park we found the water areas closed due to budget cuts.  This sometimes happens when Grammy directs us to places of interest from her "file" of newspaper clippings.  The businesses have folded, the exhibits long gone, or the parks closed.  When she mentioned the next fun item on the agenda, I whipped out my iPad and double checked that it was still in operation.

The next stop was a farm store with hedge and rope mazes.  According to my iPad they stopped selling tickets in 25 minutes, closed an hour after that, and we were 30 minutes away by car.  We decided to "go for it" and we arrived just in time.

 

I adore hedge mazes, and this was a beautiful one.  If you look closely in the photo above you can see Grammy in her red shirt sitting at a picnic table, watching for us to appear on the platform in the middle of the maze. I was first to arrive.

I called down to the girls.  They were busy trying to get to all the plaques with questions within the maze, to complete the challenge.

From my perch on the central platform I passed a map down to A to help her find her way.

And finally they have joined me!  They wave enthusiastically to Grammy in the distance.

Getting down from the platform is even more exhilarating than finally arriving.

After completing the hedge maze we bought ice cream.  They had A's favorite flavor: Black Licorice! 

Before getting in the car to leave (we were the last ones to go) the girls ran through the rope maze.  In the distance a summer storm was brewing, and lightning strikes flashed in the mountains.

On our way back to the city we stopped at the Old Spaghetti Factory in a northern suburb.  It is a favorite inexpensive dinner place that we often go to when we are out with Grammy.  The meals are so large that there are ample leftovers which we can enjoy for lunch the next day.  Dinner for 4 = about $50.00.

As we headed home a lovely sunset capped off our day.  We treasure our adventures with Grammy, and know that she enjoys them, too.

Seattle's New Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)

Because of a proposed highway expansion, the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle has moved from its old location near the University of Washington to the old Naval Reserve Armory on the shore of Lake Union near downtown Seattle.

Since they opened less than a month ago, I've gone 3 times: once with each of my parents, and once with my husband and friends.   It was fun to hear my parents' recollections about Seattle history prompted by the wonderful exhibits.  My dad graduated from high school in Seattle in the 1950's, and my mom came to Seattle in 1964.  

When I first entered the museum I felt there "wasn't much to see" because it appeared to be just a big open space.  Looks can be deceiving...  

The second level contains the main exhibit in a maze of rooms connected to a circular balcony.  The MOHAI website best describes what can be found there:

"True Northwest: The Seattle Journey explores some of the trials and tribulations of Seattle on its long and bumpy journey from wilderness to world city.

"Visitors stroll through twenty five different "snapshots" of the city through the years, each with a unique display of artifacts, images, and multimedia. Interspersed througout the exhibit are one-of-a-kind interactive experiences, such as the Great Fire Theater and the Canwell Trials reenactment, that let visitors truly immerse themselves in the lives and stories of our past." 

 

The fourth floor contains one room dedicated to local maritime history.  I was grateful that the popular periscope made the move from the old location to this new one.  

Look out the windows and you might see...

A Native American paddling a hand-carved canoe...

Or the more typical boat and float-plane traffic.

Little K looks down from the 4th floor Maritime History room.

The girls and me in front of a beautiful photo-mural of Mt. Rainier on the 2nd floor.


My dad and the girls on the stairs.  After my dad's visit he said he "needed a nap."  My mom needed a wheelchair.  And my husband could hardly walk the next couple days after his visit (well, he did just have knee replacement surgery).  The girls and me?  We didn't get enough, and can't wait to go back for more!

If you live in Seattle, or are visiting Seattle, I highly recommend a visit to MOHAI.  It's an amazing place, with something for everyone, including the very young (there's even a great playroom for the littlest ones).

Northwest Trek -- GO THERE!

After our terrible experience at Olympic Game Farm, we decided to visit Northwest Trek, which is far superior.  It's what animal preserves open to the public should be: educational, but with care of the animals the top priority.

At Northwest Trek you ride through in specialy designed trams with a live narration. The driver can stop at any time along the route and point things out and explain what you might be seeing.

You observe the animals in natural habitat, grazing and napping and socializing.

Sometimes they'll come up close to the tram, but they are not begging for food like at the Olympic Game Farm.  They are just curious.

Most of the animals are so used to the trams going through day after day, hour after hour, that they completely ignore the passing trams, and continue doing what they do naturally, like foraging for food. 

The tram tour is just part of the Northwest Trek experience.  There are also miles of walking trails through habitats of other animals, like bears and wild cats.  Grammy's knees were hurting, so we took this little shuttle for disabled people back from the tram to the entry point so I could rent a wheelchair for her.

My mom, who has never dated anyone after my father walked out of their marriage in 1975, has suddenly become flirtatious in her old age.  Perhaps it is because she knows she doesn't have long to live (she has cancer), and wants to have fun with the time she has left.  I don't know, but it is pretty fun to witness!  She had this tram driver totally charmed, and they flirted back and forth for awhile.

Northwest Trek has beautiful paved paths, but they are hilly, so I had to rent a wheelchair (for $8.00! from guest services).  After pushing my mom around in this chair all afternoon, I decided I needed to get a chair that fits both her, and me (with taller push handles so I'm not hunched over) and just have it in the back of my car ready to go.  Relying on rentals is getting old.

The sheltered viewing areas look out over expansive habitats where the animals roam freely.  There are plenty of places for the animals to hide if they want to.

We were able to see at least one animal in each habitat, probably because the weather was perfect and it was around feeding time, so the animals were either enjoying their meal, or out waiting for it.  Only keepers are allowed to feed the animals, and they are given a special diet close to what they would forage/kill in nature.

We timed it just right to watch all the raptors being fed.  A keeper would enter the enclosure and "hide" food in trees, under foliage, and between rocks for the birds to find.  The birds would watch carefully but not move until the keeper left the enclosure, then the birds would methodically go from one spot to another, gulping the meat blobs whole.

Another fun area housed beaver, skunk, fox, and other small animals.  A two story stucture with habitats radiating outward like slices of pie provided a look from below (or underwater), and above.  

The beaver was very personable and kept coming up to the glass to "touch hands" with the girls. 

This bobcat was pacing in anticipation of the keeper coming with dinner.  It kept going to the gate and looking, then walking along these logs and returning to the gate.  I couldn't help myself, I said "Miaow" to it, and we were all surprised when it started to "Miaow" back to me!  Being a cat person, I guess I've perfected my "miaow" enough to have converstation with a wild cat!

It was an enjoyable, educational, and insightful visit to Northwest Trek.  I highly recommend it!

 

Olympic Game Farm = DO NOT GO THERE!

On one of our day trips with Grammy we decided to go to the Olympic Game Farm, a drive-through see-the-animals-up-close relic from the early 1970's. 

Forty years ago zoos and game parks were pretty much unregulated, designed for the viewing pleasure and entertainment of humans with little concern for the condition of the animals.  This place takes you back in time, to that awful place no educated society should condone.

Basically you buy an overpriced entry ticket, sign a legal waiver that absolves them of any responsibility for damage, death, or injury, they sell you loaves of bread to feed the animals, and you drive through and toss bread to animals that are not meant to eat bread.  All day long people toss bread.  The animals are obese, lethargic, and eating food that is difficult for them to digest and lacking in the nutrients they need.  Imagine if you were imprisoned in a barren caged area, with no shade, and the only food you were given was bread, day after day.

Sure, it's fun to have a head pop into your window...

To feel the tongue of a curious deer on your fingers...

And to put up the window as fast as you can when it gets scary...


But what are we teaching our children?  

I felt really ashamed that I had taken my family there.  I tried to turn it into an educational moment, explaining to them all that was wrong with what they were seeing, how unnatural it was for bears to eat only bread when their real diet should include berries and greens.  How deer should be grazing on grass, not slices of bread.

Worst of all was an area I failed to photograph because it was just too heartbreaking.  This is a place where you don't feed the animals, a special corner of Hell where long rows of cramped cages with concrete floors and chain link fence confine lions and bobcats and wolves.  

If you are ever on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State and see the signs for the Olympic Game Farm and think it would be a great experience, DON'T GO!

August 2012 Day Trips: Sequim and the Olympic Peninsula

After returning home from 6 weeks in Europe, my mom was anxious to spend as much time with me and the girls as possible.  This means day trips.  My mom had several on her list, the first which was a visit to Sequim, a small town on the Olympic Peninsula and home to the state's largest lavender festival.

It's a long drive, followed by a ferry ride, followed by another long drive.

In Sequim we visited my sister-in-law's aunt and uncle, who had recently built a big custom home on acreage.

The girls had fun playing fetch with their retriever, and I admired the big kitchen.

For lunch we discovered a little cafe, family owned and run for 30 years.

Aubrietta got a shrimp on croissant sandwich, which she loved.

Kelsey thought the hamburger smelled so delicious that she had to take a long, deep inhale to savor the aroma before taking a bite.  Kelsey loves food, and I can just picture her as an adult, being one of those  wine connoisseur-types who has to swirl and sniff their wine before drinking.

After lunch we drove around town, stopping at Nash's Organic Produce farm stand, and visiting a lavender farm.  We also drove by the Olympic Game Farm, but they were about to close for the day, so it was decided we needed to come back to Sequim again, the following week.

Before catching the ferry back we drove through Port Townsend and found two deer stripping a plum tree of its leaves right in the front yard of a house.  We sat in the car and watched for awhile, then the old lady who lived there drove into the driveway.  We thought for sure she would scare the deer off, away from her neatly manicured yard, but she got out of her car and just looked at them for a moment, and then quietly proceeded into her house, allowing them to continue pruning her trees.

The next week we were back in Sequim again, this time bringing a friend along.  We went first to the Olympic Game Farm, which I've written about in a separate post.  Then we went to lunch, and the lavender farm.

The girls got lavender flavored ice cream and roamed the beautiful grounds.  The lavender was about 3 weeks past prime, but still beautiful and intensely fragrant.

Later in the afternoon we drove on to Port Townsend, and out to Fort Worden State Park.  On the beach near the Point Wilson lighthouse, the girls tumbled out of the car into the sand to play for an hour.  There was a perfect breeze, so we broke out our favorite kite (that we've flown in Iceland, Sweden, and at the top of the Swiss Alps).  This kite is woven with so many memories!  Above you can see Grammy leaning on the fence in the parking area, watching.  She stood there until her legs couldn't support her anymore, and then she sat in the car and read magazines.  Even though she can't keep up with us, she gets much pleasure just being along for the ride.  She never wants our days together to end, and is always suggesting "one more thing" like going for ice cream, to prolong our time together.

The kids did what kids will do on a beach:  dig in the sand, build a fort, roll giant logs into the surf, and look for special shells and rocks.

Soon another day was winding down and we caught the ferry back towards Seattle.

When we're on the ferry the girls want to explore, but Grammy has to stay in the car because she can't climb the stairs to the passenger deck.  I took the girls up, photographed them enjoying the evening glow, set them up with a game, then returned to my mom to keep her company in the car.

The girls playing Triple Triumph, a game K and A playtested during its development back when Cranium, Inc.  was a small start-up game company in Seattle.  (The Cranium company was bought out by Hasbro in 2008, which quickly laid off most of the staff and closed the local office.  No more playtesting).

It was a warm, sunny, beautiful August day, but the days were getting shorter.  We watched the sun set while we were on the ferry and it was dark a little after 9:00pm.

 

Day Trip to Vendovi Island

One of the charities that we give an annual donation to is the San Juan Preservation Trust, which creates conservation easements and purchases land in the increasingly populated San Juan Islands, nestled between the United States and Canada.  Recently they bought an entire Island, saving it from logging, housing developments, and commercial use.  The trust will make it open to the public for limited recreation (mostly hiking and bird watching) on weekends during the summer months.

You can see it on the nautical map above.  Vendovi Island.  The trust had to take out a bridge loan to buy it from the family who owned it.  The loan needs to be paid back within a short time, so the trust is having fund drives and events to raise money to pay off the loan.  One of the events was a chartered boat trip to the island (it can only be reached by small boats, no ferries or planes).

The boat ride was about an hour, and we had around 40 nature-loving friends to talk to on the way.  For a time, the girls and I sat at the bow and talked with this man who pointed out all the different birds he saw, and showed us more information about them from his bird guide.

It was an unusually beautiful day for April, mid-60's, patchy clouds, calm waters, just a light breeze.

Double Crested Cormorants, the one on top drying its wings.

Little K was excited to spot things, including harbor porpoises and seals.  A was engrossed in the Judy Bloom classic, "Are You There God, it's me, Margaret," recently picked up at a thrift store.  I was so happy to see her actually reading that I suppressed the urge to tell her to put the book down and enjoy the view instead.  A struggles a bit with reading, so I didn't want to interrupt her. 

We're getting closer!  The yellow blob on the lower right is where we are headed.

Pulling in to the only dock on the island.  The modular house is where the former owners would have family retreats.  It will now house the Island's caretaker.

The boat we arrived on, the MV Light Keeper.  In front of it is a smaller private boat that another family used to join us.

After a brief introduction to the island's history, we were split into groups based on hiking speed and ability, and set out to explore with a guide from the trust.  There were a lot of sensitive vegetation areas, so we were told to step carefully at times.

Carpets of wild lillies along side the trail.  Try not to step on any!

There was excellent signage at all trail crossings.  The former owners used to rip through the woods on ATVs, but many of the trails have been closed off and will be encouraged to return to the wild.  There are Eagle's nests and areas of rare and sensitive vegetation to be protected.  Because it is an island free of deer and rabbits, some of the native plants are much taller and fuller than you'd see on other islands and the mainland.  What was normally only seen as a low-growing shrub, was a waist-high bush.

As we emerge from the forest onto a rocky bluff we are greeted by a new assortment of lichens, ferns, and wildflowers.

The view is breathtaking!

We pause for half an hour to eat lunch, and hear more history of the island from our guide.  Some snap photos, others consult lists of flora and fauna.

The Indian Paintbrush (orange) is just coming into bloom.

K and A tiptoe to their own little spot to enjoy the view.  My fear of heights and falling down the steep hillside has me firmly planted back on the trail, and utilizing my zoom lens for these shots.

The girls enjoy the sandwiches, apple slices, and cheese I packed from home.

What a great place for a picnic!

Back through the lillies into the forest....

The previous owner of the Island was buried here, but he stipulated that if the Island was ever sold out of the family, his body was to be removed.  He probably never envisioned a land trust purchasing the island, and was probably concerned about having a house built on top of him.  Last summer he was exhumed and transfered elsewhere, but I can't imagine going anywhere more peaceful than this.  The cemetary was edged in brick and generously sized, as if to hold future generations.  Four dog graves are off to the side, but their bodies remain.  I wonder how many Native American remains are on the island as well.

Soon it was time to leave, and we were back on the boat.  Leaving the harbor, we lost a fender and had to reverse course to retrieve it.  "Don't reach for it Little K!"

Fender back on board, we returned to Anacortes.

Initially the waters were still calm, but as we got closer the wind picked up.

It was a lovely day trip and a great taste of the summer to come.  Vendovi Island is definitely a treasure worth protecting, and I hope the San Juan Preservation Trust is able to raise the funds they need to ensure it remains free of development.

If you would like to read more about Venovi Island or make a donation to the San Juan Preservation trust, you can read more here.