Summer

Now that summer is (almost) over for us I asked the kids what their favorite memories were.  We really didn't do much this year, but here are the highlights:

1) Camp Sealth
Jason grew up going to Camp Sealth on Vashon Island every summer, first as a camper and later as a staff member.  This summer our two kids were able to go for their first time.  They loved it!  The camp was about a week long and they got to swim, tie dye, hike, sleep outside, ride a ferry, do archery, etc.  Both were nervous to go and be away from us for so long, but neither one was really ready to come home when it was over.  Both were already talking abut going next year before I had their suitcases in the trunk.  A good sign!



The man with the kids is Paul Dudley, a Seattle area photographer that drove the ferry when Jason went to camp and is still doing it now.  Jason asked him to look out for the kids on drop off morning.  When Paul saw Lily he called out to her and Jaxon over the loud speaker on the boat.  I think that simple act eased her fears and made her feel that someone was watching out for her.

2) Lightning storms
We basically live in the desert.  Over here there are many lightning storms in the summer.  One came in late June while Jason and the kids were at the swimming pool - they had to get out quick because it was striking close.  The mountain just outside our apartment was hit and caught fire!  Fortunately rain followed the storm and the fire was out in no time.

There was a night in early August that we spent the night at my Mom's in East Wenatchee.  The storms were wild that night - thunder and lightning well into the night.  It was beautiful, but dangerous since there was already a pretty big fire going in the hills.    We tried to catch the lightening on film be we are just too slow - but here is a professional picture from the Wenatchee area that shows the lightening and the fires.

The lightening was the highlight, not the fires.

3)Jumping in the Lake

 

We were lucky to spend some time at Leslie's, Jason's Mom.  The kids said that staying there and spending an afternoon swimming in her lake (Lake Sammamish) and jumping of her dock was a major highlight.  They got some diving lessons from Jason and swim master David Shoup.  They also took the paddle board out for a little jaunt.  They were awesome!

We also got to go to Lake Chelan for a couple weeks.  The lovely Warren family visited us one weekend and the Shumways came twice.  Chelan always feels so great to us - just as we round the corner and pull into town a sense of rightness settles in.  Maybe it is because we lived there for a short while between our two Japan trips.  I don't know, but we love it and look forward to going every year.

So, that is about it for our summer.  We didn't do a lot - Jason was busy learning his new role at Starbucks. When we weren't on one of our little trips to see family we were in our pool, growing tomatoes and peppers, and walking Chase the Dog.















We hope everyone had a great summer.  Here's to a great school year!

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