Category: Photo of the week

“Everyone shines given the right lighting.” – Susan Cain

This week while Miss O was at horse camp

Mr D and I golfed. For anyone who’s wondering where Big Foot is…check out Deception Pass

We worked on our “leave things better than we found them” project refinishing a table.

But still had time for fishing and paddleboarding

And go to the Island Shakespeare Festival where we were well entertained and found the sign of the week.

“The child’s awe-filled relationship to the natural world is a laboratory for deep learning about the systems of life, essential to our survival.” – Dacher Keltner

We are loving our time exploring the natural world on Whidbey Island!

Seven-year-old Mr. D is pretty good at handling his own paddleboard.

Almost 11-year-old Miss O shows how strong she is by paddling her 87-year-old grandmother around the bay.

There are two wild guys in the water — only one is likely to catch a fish. Second picture is the Deception Pass bridge.

Trinity Lutheran Church sure knows how to match the spirit of the season!

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

Miss O got braces. Pretty in pink. Mr D decided to pamper her by chopping up her popsicle and feeding it to her.

Mountain biking!

Pet parade

Sign of the week. Miss O is laughing!

“When you come to the edge of all that you know, you must believe one of two things: There will be ground to stand. Or you will grow wings to fly.” – O.R. Melling

We went on a two-night camping trip with six moms (including me) and 12 kids at a state park pretty near Seattle aptly named Scenic Beach. My friend, Eric, dubbed it Mummer Camp. Perfect for all those camp activities like starting fires and creating keychains.

There was a lot of wildlife at Mummer Camp. Some of it was native.

Cooper the dog was happy when we were home and all together again. So was I – somehow the grounded got harder to sleep on in the seven years since I last camped!

Here comes the sun La Croix display and the sign of the week!

“Let kids order their own ice cream.” – Rick Steves

It feels like summer!

Swimming

Golfing and ice cream. They ran for the ice cream truck and this time they caught it!

Cooper is upset about England being out of the World Cup.

Biking riding and bike punning…

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.” – C.S. Lewis

Our travels this week took us to the Netherlands, France and southern England. We have three different sets of friends that we wanted to reconnect with and see where they’re living. So while we were able to do some touristy things, what we loved the most was spending time with our friends.

Holland: We landed amidst a heat wave. Fortunately our friends living in Holland had a lovely backyard and Mr. D could bat balls and also get sprayed off by the hose. We visited a beach on the North Sea which had the finest sand. But we didn’t stay long because a spectacular lightning storm rolled in. We got a taste of the Dutch bikes, canals and a carnival in Leiden.

France: The heat continued but it wasn’t as severe. We were able to go up the Eiffel Tower, go on a boat ride on the Seine, visit the Luxembourg gardens, and see Versailles.

England: Our travel luck ran out when we missed the train from Paris to London. And then missed our subsequent connections and trains. Fortunately we left our Paris friends’ home with four baguettes which saw us through a long day. And then seeing our dear friends in England helped make it all worth it. We visited Dartmouth where Agatha Christie wrote many of her novels and the Mayflower set sail, played at the Blackpool Sands beach, canoed with our friends down a river to eat food cooked over a fire, and enjoyed market-fresh food in their beautiful yard.

The sign of the week comes from St. Pancras train station in London, “I want my time with you!” So here’s to friends – that make all the travel worth it! We’re looking forward to being home soon to see our Seattle friends – and being back online to reconnect with all of you!

“Life isn’t always linear. Sometimes you have to bounce around to get to where you want to be.” – Jenny Miklos

Surfs up!

Hawaiian flora and fauna. The banyan trees are incredible!

I’m not sure why the pigeon is giving me side-eye after it jumped on the table to help itself to granola!

We left Hawaii to fly to Amsterdam, navigating 17 hours of flying and an 11 hour time-difference. I’m so proud of my kids!

“Plunge into the sublimes seas, dive deep, and swim far.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

My apologies for being missing from WordPress this week. Miss O graduated from 5th grade — and more importantly won the Seymour Kaplan award for being a kind, supportive of others, and inclusive student. Then we cleared out of the house for the AirBnB renters and flew to Hawaii. So I haven’t spent much time in front of my computer but still want to memorialize this momentous week.

Celebrating Miss O’s fifth grade graduation. The cat is impressed but just doesn’t want to show it.

Seattle sunshine

Flying to Hawaii

Hawaii fun

The sign of the week. And we need some shady protection from the Hawaiian sun!

“If you are too busy to laugh, you are too busy.” – Proverb

Mr. D’s baseball team went to the championship of his Little League, Miss O is graduating from elementary school (5th grade), one of my dearest friends is turning 60, and my AirBnB renter wants to come a day early. This week I’ve been cooked, as the 5th graders say it. A swirl — of all good things — for sure! But we haven’t been too busy to laugh, thank goodness!

The Giants played gallantly in the championship game. They didn’t win but still earned baseball themed cake pops.

Miss O’s last field day for elementary school. The 5th graders competed against the teachers in the annual tug-of-war tradition — and won!

I’ve been getting so much wonderful help on preparing our house for renters. Including my incredibly strong mom who is still willing to climb ladders at age 87!

The animals are wondering – you wouldn’t leave us for 18 days, would you?