Vashon Island

Last weekend we went to the beautiful Vashon Island, off Tacoma, WA. We had a fabulous time with four other families from our homeschool group (alas, we were missing 2 families). We stayed at the hostel there, sleeping in teepees and fixing our meals in a kitchen that was in building made of whole logs from the property. We actually had the use of two kitchens, and there was a third building that had a piano in it. The feature that probably got the most use, however, was a huge grassy field--probably 200 yards long and 100 or more wide. A was wishing that Capture the Flag was an Olympic sport because she thought we could put up a credible team (she suggested Zac for captain, by the way, for his calm head and good sense of strategy). At one point they tried wheelbarrow tag, though it didn't last all that long (see above). We spent one afternoon at a beach at low tide that had a tide pool (? I guess it was a tide pool--it looked like a stream but was salty) filled with various types of crabs and little fish and other miscellaneous wildlife. We even found a couple of small razor clams that we got to see live, in action. The kids made a bunch of little pools that they filled with living creatures they collected, along with rocks, shells, driftwood, and seaweed. They probably gathered up at least 50 hermit crabs amongst them all.

It poured rain on the last night, which highlighted the down-side of staying in teepees, but it was actually nice to have something to motivate us to get up and on the road. It is perfect to be able to leave with no regrets that we were going back to our warm, dry house. I'd love to make that trip an annual event, but unfortunately the woman who runs the place is selling it after this summer, and I doubt it will remain the reasonably priced hostel that it is now.

Trip to Seattle

Here are a few pictures from our recent trip to Seattle. The night before, as I was trying to figure out what we were going to eat and do for 8 hours on the train, I was wondering why I thought this was such a great idea. But, it turned out to be so much fun, I'd do it again in a minute. A big part of the fun was having two traincarloads of homeschooling friends along with us, of course! We didn't actually know everyone, but we knew about 1/4 to 1/3 to start out and quite a few more by the time we were home. 

Here is a picture of my husband when he was 6 years old. Oops, I mean, here is a picture of 6-year-old M!

We went to the EMP with Auntie S and cousin M, and ran into some friends on the way to the catch the bus back to the train station. This is the back of the EMP building, if it can be considered to have a back. It was a really amazing building, and it was so much fun to play the instruments they had set up on the third floor. It would have been cool to have other instruments to try besides the ones in rock bands, like strings and brass and wind instruments, though I can see that these would be a lot harder to do, logistically and hygienically. 

Having fun with friends on the way up. It was a long ride, but it was amazing how little whining and fighting I heard. A little between siblings, but that was it. It was funny to walk from the other train cars, where it was almost silent, into the noise and chaos of our cars. But it was a happy and manageable chaos.