Orcas Vacation - part 2

This is the part of our trip where Jeff joins us on the island and the three of us have adventures. Later in the week, some friends join us for a few days. First up is a photo that Edie took of Jeffrey picking us up on the beach for a Whaler ride:

Most nights, we liked to take an evening cruise along the shore of the island while eating chips and drinking gin and tonics in big plastic mugs:

Then we'd come home and whip up easy dinners, like these little sliders that were very tasty:

Our view first thing in the morning:

Edie and I, out for a little row boat action:

Dipping her toes in:

My favorite kind of Orcas lunch: weird hodge podge salad. This one is quinoa, feta, veggies and peperoncinis, pumpkin seeds and lots of pepper and lemon juice:

Embarking on another pre-dinner cruise:

Love this shot of Edie enjoying the boat ride:

We've reached this lovely age where she LOVES being in the boat, understands most of the safety rules involved, has total confidence navigating/getting in and out, likes to help with things like the anchor and tying on to docks, and we can just cruise as a family and point out cool stuff like seals, herons, and sea lions. This was really a big growth year for Edie and boating. She's always loved being at Orcas, but this year showed a marked increase in appreciation and ability. How lucky is this kid to be raised around boats and the water? And so far, it would appear that she has the Culver stomach of iron (as opposed to the Bruton stomach made of flan that's sat in the sun too long).

No filter:

Checking out tide pools in the early morning:

Eating a classy happy hour in Friday Harbor one evening:

It's about an hour and a half boat trip in the tiny Whaler to Friday Harbor, and this is our second summer making the trip. I was worried that last year's fun adventure was a fluke and this year would be forcing the issue, but we had an idyllic time really. We had really good clams with chorizo, shared some wine while Edie ate fish and chips and then got ice cream from Friday Harbor Ice Cream:

Jeff and Edie walking under the sign in the distance:

We asked Edie to hold onto the dock while we filled the tank with gas, but we looked a minute later and she'd looped our bow line onto the cleat like a pro!

We built this awesome fort on the beach:

Waiting on the beach for Jeff to get us:

Grilling some pizza on the BBQ:

Punching the pizza dough down:

This was also the year Edie stopped being a wuss about holding live crabs:

Doing art projects:

Rocking our berry colored pants on the beach:

Rocking our unflattering puffy coats to stay warm when we go fast in the boat:

And lastly, getting ice cream on Blakely Island: