We packed it slam full in true Maddox style. Normally I try to resist Jeremiah in planning this much for one weekend, but I knew this would be our last big “Hoorah!” before the packing began.
We started out the weekend by re-tracing our favorite drive, this time with Taylor and John David, across the North Cascade Highway.
Do you recognize this shot? I took the same pic this fall and it's on the opening slider reel for Storywood.
Something about the power and beauty of this river made us all a little pensive.
It also made John David want to jump in. Thankfully he only waded in the calm part. Did yall here about the hikers in Yosemite who were swept over the waterfall? I thought about this picture when I heard that story. Nature can be dangerous!
While this waterfall is not nearly as big as the one in Yosemite and we weren't even a fraction as close, I still would hate to take an accidental tumble down it.
And besides, how would Ace survive without Gary? 🙂
After the drive, we set up camp for the night.
And tried to take all the precautions for bears, which were new to us. Here, Pace is telling Jeremiah how she thinks he ought to most successfully hang the cooler in the tree. Mary Aplin is wishing we'd tie HER up in the tree instead of the cooler.
Finally, there was success.
After the tents were pitched and all bear pre-cautions completed, we relaxed by the river a couple hundred yards from our campsite. Taylor took on the dangerous task of teaching Mary Aplin to throw.
I actually laid flat on my back and soaked in the sunlight and this view.
And left Taylor and John David to tend to our children who wanted to climb the rocks and jump in the water. I've decided that life is much easier and more fun when you share it with family :).
That night we had hobo dinners on the campfire.
Taylor and I had fun reminiscing about how these were some of our most favorite meals that Mom made when we were kids.
Though I don't remember Mom ever making them over an open fire. Things are always more complicated that way.
After dinner and s'mores, I tucked the girls in and told them a scary campfire story...And about halfway through, when I was describing a bear clawing the outside of the tent, I started to question my sanity in telling them such a tale and then expecting them to sleep... Sometimes I just get carried away.
Somehow, they did eventually fall asleep and we got to enjoy quiet grown-up conversation surrounded by the dark cloak of wilderness.
We slept pretty well, as far as camping sleep goes (can anybody ever say they sleep well on a camp out?), and woke up to the sound of lightly pattering rain on our tents and a cold misty morning. The boys hopped straight out of our tents and Jeremiah tried to re-assure me that it really wasn’t raining, that the tree canopy was thick enough, that there were no drops landing on them…but my sleeping bag was too warm and the tent was too dry for me to believe a word of it.
I listened to the thud and crackle of a fire being kindled, the laughter and disappoint of the much-needed coffee being brewed in my old (and hastily washed) panty-hose that turned out to be undrinkable because it tasted exactly like hot Dawn soap. I only roused myself from my warm cocoon (and snapped this picture) when I heard the popping of sausage and smelled the burnt bottoms of biscuits–that I thought might need a little extra care.
We broke up camp, drove home, unloaded our camping gear, and crashed for the afternoon. We had our first (and only) group fight that night over the fact that Taylor and I thought we deserved to be taken out to dinner (after 24 hours of roughing it in the wild) and the boys wanted to grill out–again. We went out for Italian :), and woke up the next morning to find that Seattle was welcoming the Fourth of July with one of her most glorious days.
Jeremiah and John David took Pace and Mary Aplin to the Wooden Boat Festival, while Taylor and I got ready to have our friends over for a BBQ that night.
I was thankful that this crazy imp was occupied so that Taylor and I could actually get some things done at the house.
If anybody needs some new dance moves, I would be happy to let you borrow Dapples for the afternoon.
The girls got to make their own kites.
And they actually FLEW!
Well!
I hope they remember these Seattle memories.
When she's not dancing for joy, this is her other state.
I would also let you borrow her for the afternoon if you'd like to grow your patience.
John David named the wooden boat festival as one of his favorite things he did the whole time they were here in Seattle. Jeremiah came home ready to bid for a wooden boat on eBay. Perhaps Mapples didn’t ruin it for them too much.
Taylor and I welcomed them all home to a feast…that we only cooked part of!
Our friends Heidi and Gareth smoked NINE POUNDS of the most delicious brisket you've ever put in your mouth, and two succulent chickens.
My Texas popcorn suddenly seemed like a scanty provision, but it was pretty delicious too, if I do say so myself.
We had a great time celebrating the freedom of our country with friends and family.
After the sun set over the city, we walked to what Jeremiah and John David thought would be the perfect spot to watch the fireworks over Lake Union.
We spread our blankets out on the grass at the park…and started to notice that many of the other hundred-some-odd people were all saying it was their first time to watch the firework show from this spot…we should have recognized the problem there.
I don't like taking pictures with the flash, but sometimes it's necessary.
The kids were happy...
...as we waited for the big show to start and watched amateur fireworks (that looked pretty awesome to me) going off from the tops of peoples' roofs.
However, when the BIG booms started, we realized that the houses surrounding our picturesque little park were blocking our view of the real show. The entire park full of people rose in a swell, gathered their coolers and blankets, and booked it down the street. We laughed at our stupidity, and finally stopped in somebody’s driveway to watch what we could see of the show over the tree-tops.
It was a disaster, but it was a disaster that will make the night memorable :). We piled about 20 people in a pick-up truck and drove the half-mile back home with children that were quickly glassing over. The night ended on our porch and crammed in the bay window of our den, our home filled with the friends we’ve made here in Seattle, eating the remnants of brisket and Texas popcorn and watching the fireworks scattered in the distance over West Seattle and Bainbridge Island.
Did we pack enough into three days?
Nearly every blog I read has neglected to do a new post since the end of June. It makes me feel a little better to know that I’m not the only one who has trouble getting posts out in the summertime, but I also know the disappointment of checking over and over, only to be greeted by the same old title. Maybe I should get into “reader” like so many of you. Somehow, I still find joy in the checking–even though it wastes time and often leaves me disappointed.
ANYWHO, we’re doing well around here! Mainly gearing up and getting ready to move back HOME in a few weeks!!! I am so excited–even though we still don’t know where in the heck we’re going to live–I can’t wait for family, and warm weather, and beaches, and field peas, and long days in the swimming pool, and little ginger-colored girls, and fried cornbread, and sundresses, and Slocomb tomatoes, and free babysitters, and the occasional overnight date because of the free babysitters :)…. I miss home AND the South, can y’all tell?
But it’s not all joy. Despite my inner warnings to myself when we moved here, we’ve managed to put down some roots and make some life-long friends that it’s going to be hard to leave. We’ve also made some beautiful memories over the last year, that I know I’m going to look back on with mingled joy and sorrow. Since I’m so behind, I think I’ll just post some shots of the most recent memories we’ve been trying to pack in before we have to say goodbye to the Pacific Northwest.
June 15th the girls had their last day of school.
And look how much they've changed since their first day!
They loved their teachers.
And their friends.
Mrs. Ohs, Jeremiah's Mountain Mama, came for a much anticipated visit.
And while she was here, all my favorite flowers were in bloom at the Market. Peonies.
Poppies.
And Cala Lilies.
Pace is trying to learn to ride her bike without training wheels.
And Mary Aplin (in desperate need of a new helmet) is still enjoying all the freedom her training wheels have to offer.
I took the girls to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. It was fun, and if you live here it would make a fun excursion on a pretty day, but I think the Seattle Zoo is better.
Though the shark encounter...
Was pretty magnificent.
We're trying to take advantage of these cold, but beautiful, beaches before we leave.
Thai take-out in the sand.
With our roommates and dear friends.
As the sun set below the mountains,
we came off the beach to make s'mores.
By Jeremiah's patented method.
We'll miss these happy, sticky faces...
In the 10pm moonrise.
Well, I’ve gotten you caught up to the 4th of July weekend. However, that was a pretty jam-packed weekend all it’s own and will have to have its own post. Hopefully sooner rather than later this time!
When we lived in Birmingham, our best friends lived across the street and in our neighborhood. We have missed the simple afternoons of walking out our front door and following the sounds of children’s laughter, until we discovered where our friends were congregating. Last week, we heard some of those sounds of laughter, close at hand, again.
I love Lauren.
She makes me want to be better.
It’s not really a visit to Seattle without a stop at the market.
We found a gem of an old bookstore, tucked in a back corner of the Farmer’s Market. Old books are a passion that Lauren and I share. I’m not sure there’s anything more fun than discovering a treasure with someone who understands just why it’s such a treasure to you. We pilfered so long that we wore the girls out. They plopped in front of this band–mesmerized–and refused to move.
We decided a little food might help the wee-uns spirits.
Do you see the sign? Tom Hanks sat in the seat when filming Sleepless in Seattle.
It did.
Later that afternoon we left the girls at home taking naps (with John David babysitting) and Lauren, Taylor, and I went to film a horror movie….
Or do the Underground Tour. If you like history and prepare yourself that there WILL be an abundance of corney jokes, then I would recommend it. Especially if it’s a rainy day (which, percentages are high, it will be) and you DON’T have children with you. It would be a nightmare with children.
The next day we took the ferry ride to Bainbridge Island and toured the Bloedel Reserve.
It was pretty. I wouldn’t say it’s a must-see for your visit to Seattle, but if you’re planning to spend a day on Bainbridge Island, it would be a fun place to spend the afternoon. (Especially if you have children with you who would rather run around than walk around in the little shops of Bainbridge Island).
We felt like the star marked “Vistor’s Center” on the map, was a tad bit UNDERrated.
Ummm, nicest Vistor’s Center I’ve ever seen.
And this was the view from the back lawn.
Could I live there please?
This is Taylor, my sister who is much more artistic than I am, who I was trying to tell how to take a good picture….
She didn’t so much feel like she needed lessons from me 🙂
We shared some wonderful meals at our favorite place to eat in Seattle.
And Lauren and I had a girls’ night, watching the sun set at Gasworks Park.
Since the sun doesn’t set until around 9:30 around here these days, and we’d done some hard playing, the little ladies offered us one of those rare times you anticipate as a mother. The times when they’re content to snuggle quietly in your laps. The times when you get to feel the warmth and connection of motherhood, while still finishing a conversation with another adult. Rare moment. Rare moment.
We dissected books we’d read, made lists of must-reads for our girls and each other, talked about the real joys and real hardships of life…and made some memories I know I’ll never forget.
Thanks for flying all the way across the country, just to see us. We love you friends.