Life in Washington = Water Fun!!!

Ok- So I tried to make all of our posts about water - Since there is so much of it here inthis "evergreen" state. However I can't figure out how to change the order of my posts so please know that I intended you to read the bottom one first then all the rest.

Love ya all!

La Push

For the purpose of showing you all how beautiful this beach is I am combining the pictures of two different trips.

To get to La Push 2nd Beach you have to wlk through a little forest to get there. The forest is so pretty with these huge twisted trees. The kids really like that part of the beach. Anna prides herself in being able "hike" the whole way by herself.

Once you walk through the trees it opens up to a beautiful beach that has these random massive rocks standing watch along the shoreline. they make the coolest sillouettes during the sunset.

Once you get to the beach it is 2 miles of shoreline to explore. The first time here we decided to camp somewhere on that two mile stretch. We were a little unprepared for the trek through the forest to get to the camp and then the jaunt to get to the campsite that Dave picked out for us. We anticipated a "car camping" experience so we loaded the car with loose items and tons of only slightly organized stuff. As a result Dave and Dylan had to shoulder amazing amounts of piles and bags in order to have food shelter and beds.

It was worth it though. Camping on the beach was awesome! the kids palyed in the water and the sand. Anna ran around naked most of the night just so happy at the new found freedom of going potty in a hole on the beach. I don't know what we fed her but there were a lot of holes with little sticks poking out of them all over the beach. Our food was covered in sand because of the wind and we discovered that we forgot utensils. To James this did not matter at all. He was already full from eating the sand by the handfuls. Since Dylan and Dave were growing out their beards it made James look like he was just part of the bearded boys.

Listening to the waves and then the rain throughout the night was so great! When we woke up in the morning it was misting outside. It was raining really but there were not any drops forming. It was just a general wetness in the air. We decided to pack up and head out. The kids clothes were wet and it was cold. We discovered a star fish on the way back to the car and in the picture below Anna is holding it before she sent it back to be with its family. Also in the picture below you can see my sherpa! Isn't he great! I mean look at how much stuff he is packing out of there! What a good daddy!

Mount Rainier

Ok- so you might think that Mount Rainier does not fit into my "water theme" but it does. First of all there was snow (kinda water-ish), then there was a stream that we followed on our hike, and last of all there is a huge flood/run-off path from the mountain down into the valley it looks like mass destruction.

I really love this mountain (not as much as the Grand Teton-I have to stay true to my roots) it is just so grand and beautiful. We were lucky to go there on a great sunny day. We could see the mountain playing peek-a-boo with us the entire drive there. I would really love if we could and climb it next year or so.

The kids liked the hike. They are so cute. Although Anna is the one who causes James most of his grief in life- she loves that boy! She held his hand for most of this hike. When she was not holding his hand then he was either in Uncle Dylan's arms or following him around like a shadow.

Paddle Kitsap

Paddle Kitsap has been by far one of the collest things that we have done in Washington. I have never Kayaked before but when I saw a flyer about kayaking in th Ocean for 30 something miles...I thought it sounded like fun! We made it a family function- thank goodness- and set off for an adventure. Jef and Suzy came for the weekend. Suzy took care of the kiddos and we took care of jef (he he. That is a joke b/c he totally rocked the paddling scene. Dylan and I were so grateful for Dave and Jef). The four of us set off on Friday morning having no clue what was in store. The weather was cold and rainy...hmm that's weird- anyway, it started out calm enough but the water eventually got choppier and choppier. It made for an interesting last half of the day. we got to our camp site though and stayed the night. The next morning we set off again with tight and tired muscles. warming them back up felt good. It did not take long though for my arms to be totally tired again. We had a very windy day and at times I would look over at the shore and see a land mark only to look over again twenty minutes later and see the same land mark. Talk about two paddles forward and one paddle back! Thank goodness I had Dave to muscle through it alone when I got too weak and tired!

Despite the challenge it was a great experience and something I would love to do again. It felt like true Washington Coast adventure. (of course I have to mention that this is where we met Hannah...poor girl between Jef and I she had no choice but to hang out with Dylan. Once she did she realized how great he is and now they are quite a pair!)

Fountain Park and the Swimming Pool

During the Summer we really enjoyed the Harborside Fountain Park and Uncle Dylan's Swimming Pool.

The Fountain Park is located right between the Ferry Dock and the Navy Base. It is a series of fountain that look like the tops of submarines. Randomly the fountains spout water out the top. The kids run around at the base of the fountains in little wading pools waiting for the fountain to blow its top. It is fun to watch because Anna loves the thrill of being caught under the falling water and she screams every time. James opens his mouth, eyes fluttering out of fear and runs to the edge of the pool or to my legs as fast as he can!

The Swimming Pool was acquired by Uncle Dylan during his trip to Montana (you will have to ask him about it) suffice it to say he left it here and it got used everyday during the summer. We set it up in the driveway because we have no yard. The black asphault warmed it up nicely and it worked great.

Singing in the Rain

So - of all our water type adventures...I have to say that raining is the one that occurs the most often. I really used to love rain. I jumped in puddles, danced and sang I loved it. I have obviously got to find my inner child because I do not seem to enjoy it as much as I used to.

Luckily- my kids are so tapped into their inner children....ha ha! They remind me that getting wet is fun. we can always dry out, and the floors can be mopped up again.

we finally got them some rain boots and a princess umbrella (James in secure enough to flaunt a pink umbrella). They tromp around in them, and not much else, all the time!

Beaches

This beach is called Point No Point. Ponder that title for a while and let meknow what ya think. This picture was taken in April and it was pretty cold still. I was amazed when we walked out onto the beach and there were ladies laying out...in Bikinis! I had two coats on! It terrified me, I thought- "Oh no! THIS is summer here...and it is so cold!" Luckily it got a lot warmer.

In the distance is the Point No Point Light House. Anna thought it was great to see an actual Light House. She kept singing "It's a Brazzle Dazzle Day" from Pete's Dragon. Dave burried the kids in the sand and they even made a sand castle. It was fun!

From the light house we could see Mt. Rainier. It is amazing! Because everything around that mountain is at sea level...it just stands alone looming over its surroundings. It has become one of my favorite sights. When I see it number one- it means that it is not currently raining (yeah!) and it simply takes my breath away. Anna like to recognize it too. Whenever she sees it she says,"mom, there is that big snowy mountain!"

Here is a video of the kids playing at the beach at Kitsap Lake. This lake is near Dave's Office. We went here to just throw rocks into the water but you can see that did not last long. Anna was running around in the water with just her undies on and James' Diaper was so wet that I thought he might sink to the bottom of the lake. They had fun though, even if bystanders thought we were crazy. Uncle Dylan was with us and he got pretty wet too.

Another new found Beach activity that we experienced was digging for clams and muscles while we were in Whidbey Island. we had the greatest expert explain to us the process. Her name is Maureen and she is a friend of G.ma Nix. She is 104 years old so she did not climb down to the waters edge with us. However her great instructions led us to success! Dave and I agreed that getting the clams is way more fun than eating them.

Life in Washington = Water Fun!!!!

I decided that since our life here in Washington has orbited around water and all the new components of enjoying water- I would show you some of our new favorite past times....all, of course, having to do with water. (it is a theme- he he! I am not only posting I am trying to be cute about it!)

This picture is of us starting out our hike around Crescent Lake. It is a beautiful lake that is shaped like a big smile- or crescent. This is one of the first outings we took here in Washington. For those of you who might not know we moved to Washington. We have been living in Bremerton since the middle of March. Our move here is temporary and was going to be six months (if you did the math, we are still here and we do not know yet how long we will be staying). We have enjoyed it!

Ok- back to Crescent Lake...we hiked around the lake for a while but it was cold so we settled for throwing roskc into the water until Anna and James had little frozen fingers.