Camano Island

Way back in February, Peter got me a Valentine's gift of a holiday at the cabins at Cama Beach on Camano Island.  I thought, "how nice" and then forgot about it.  Then June rolled around and our reservation date, a day after grades were due, was here. Then I realized what a great gift this was!

The cabins are very simple.  They have beds, heat, and running water--all good things, but not much else.  No cars were allowed.  It was a nice balance.  Cooking outside on a fire was fun, but given our exhaustion from the field quarter, it was great to get some sleep in the warmth.

The best part of the cabins was that they were right on the beach!

I think my favorite part of the cabin was taking naps together.

Mostly, we hung out and explored the beach and the cool boat-themed playground.

Solly's favorite part was definitely cooking over a fire.

Jaffles!

Ok, this is one of the best parts of being a parent.  The kids are born with no experiences and you get to show them all of the lovely things in life. Solly had never heard of s'mores!  Here he is learning the finer points of roasting marshmallows and trying his first ever s'more.

What's the verdict?

Dirty, hopped up on sugar, and reeking of campfire.

Sadly it was windy and cold.  That's the way this summer went.  That said, these photos were taken after 8pm.  The days were loooooooooooong.

Family huddle.

Staying warm.

One highlight of the trip was renting a rowboat.

We went fishing off of the boat, with a handline.  Mommy caught... a rope!  Yes, I caught the line of a buoy.  But it was covered in cool inverts!  Solly loved it and it is still talking about it.

Otherwise, Cama Island was mellow and relaxing.  They had another great playground that was built by the community in very little time.

In the evenings, Peter and I hung out on our porch watching the sunset (along with the other parents of small children--there were a few).  I took so many that it was hard to choose three.

Ahhhhh... Here comes summer...

After two nights in the cabin, we moved on to Whidbey Island.  On the way we stopped at "Sweet Dee's Shrimp Shack", which was as amazing as it sounds.

Speaking of amazing, our little boy ate dozens of shrimp (he can peel them himself), and then...

...he polished off our fried oysters!  I've never seen a kid who loves seafood this much!

The highlight of Whidbey, and I might argue a highlight of Washington State, was Deception Pass.  I teach students about the oceanography there, but holy smokes is it gorgeous!  Especially on a gorgeous summer day.

We made our way down to the beach and Solly spent hours just exploring.

Mira was practically blossoming in the sunshine.

Nursing in paradise.

After the beach, we explored Fort Ebey, with its toddler-friendly tunnels...

...easy walking trails...

...and amazing paragliders!  This one was showing off for us and showing Solly how it works.

Solly snapping away with his Lego camera.  Another shutterbug in the family.

After a full and fun day, we made our way back to the ferry.  But first we had to stop at Penn Cove, THE Penn Cove of "Penn Cove mussels".  The kids were zombies, but oh boy was it worth it!

A great trip, a fantastic Valentine's gift and a relaxing way to wind down from the quarter.  Thanks, Peter!