Water Park

Friday I took Monica on a special girls' day out, which involved swimming at Henry Moses Aquatics Center in Renton, lunch at McDonalds, and a visit to the kids' area in the newly renovated Southcenter Mall. It was a little pre-kindergaren treat for her. The pool was definitely the highlight!

Today we've just returned home from a family sleepover at the Carters'. Unfortunately our poor Huskies started off the season with a major loss to the hated Ducks and as a result the four of us downed more than our share of martinis. But thanks to good friends and good guacamole, we still had a great time despite the loss.

The Big Return

What can I say... today was absolutely crazy. The day started off with 'galeforce winds' and a wake-up call from a lady from one of camp's neighboring properties yelling that her boat had been beached. And that was just the start of it all. But we are home now, more or less in once piece. We had the Martins and Erica over for thai food tonight and it's good to get back with the old crowd. Although I'm already having camp withdrawals...

Final blog from Cp

We are in our final week of the summer and tomorrow I had into town for three days of meetings at Kennedy. I'll be back up Friday night and then we move home on Sunday. The last part of the summer really flew by, much more so than the beginning. And while I love the start of school year, meeting my classes, seeing all our friends at home, watching Husky football etc., of course I'm sad to be leaving camp. We've had an incredible summer up here. I love that Monica and Jack get to spend 2+ months learning to swim in salt water and getting dirty in the woods, and I think the summer's shown us that they love it too. Everyone has been asking us if we'll be back next summer... and while Anton and I have only had a few brief conversations about it, at this point we're planning on coming back unless the rest of life somehow dictates otherwise. Yesterday I was browing through some of the old staff annuals (yearbooks) and came across the one from year 2000 (ironically I was Head Commissioner that year too!) and read the "personal statement" I had written. Among other things, I said something like "if I have the choice between camp and any other way to spend a summer, I will always chose camp." Looking back eight years later, I'm floored that my statement has held true. The only summers I've missed since '96 were the ones where I took classes at Seattle U. And I'm fortunate that Anton loves camp (almost :) ) as much as I do, so I'm sure this summer won't be our last!

T.G.I.O.

Thank Goodness For Oxi-Clean!!!

More Martin Fun

We've had fun having Tim and Kyle with us all week. Tim volunteered as a commissioner and Kyle hung out with Mo and Jack. Here a photos from a few highlights, namely: nature trail hike and swimming at central beach yesterday.

Spencer Creek is SO cool!

"You mean I can throw rocks here too?"

Tim and Anton carrying the older kids up an old logging road.

Soaking our feet.

"I'm not scared of jelly fish anymore!"

Jack's Birthday... Part 2

The second part of Jack's birthay was celebrating with the staff. In fine Camp Parsons tradition, we sang both versions of "happy birthday" including a run around the dining hall. Definitely a birthday to remember!

Jack's Birthday... Part 1

After lunch yesterday Jack opened his gifts, with a LOT of help from Monica and Kyle.

This one looks interesting...

Big sister gets a present too!

Oh Boy! Fiber One! (Luckily the box contained something else.)

The Little People airplane was a fave.

A Look Back...

Here's a look back at what we were doing one year ago...

Hoo-Rah for Mount Olympus! 7965!

Our Only Child

If you're wondering how Jack has survived for the week without Monica, I think his smile says it all! He has had plenty of friends around to keep him company.

Storms last week

Last week we had some significant wind storms. It was quite a sight to see. The photo here doesn't capture the sound of the howling wind and crashing waves very well, but you can use your imagination.

The kids and I spent some cozy time inside the cabin during the storms. They enjoyed a video under a blanket with Cinder, while I delved into my next read over a plate of leftover thai food from this weekend.

The other interesting event last week was a small earthquake: 3.8 off of Port Townsend. I was sitting quietly watching one of my many versions of Jane Eyre when I felt the couch jolt. It felt like Ken had rammed the backhoe into Queets. Realizing what was happening, I started panicking at the possibility that it had been a preamble to the "big one" that could hit any second, and how would I get both kids to safety by myself while Anton is over at Dose? Luckily, nothing else happened, except for the following exchange over the camp walkie-talkies:

Anne: Did anyone else feel a small shake, like an earthquake.

Patrick: I think I might have felt something.

McNellis: No, we didn't feel anything... (followed by several comments about me being crazy and imagining things.)

I enjoyed a "told you so" moment with Mike the next morning when we heard on the news that yes, there was indeed a small quake!