Month: September 2019

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (September 30, 2019)

Hello, new week.  I need another day – anyone else?  I feel like that’s a recurring theme.  I was a ball of stress all last week, for reasons that are not important enough to get into here – just your run of the mill “overwhelmed at work” stuff.  Since I worked all last weekend (traveling for my firm’s all-attorney retreat) I didn’t get to do any of the things that I usually do to set myself up for a good week ahead – things like cleaning the fridge, prepping food for the week, dividing up the kids’ lunch snacks, packing my gym bag… Anyway, that’s all to say that when the weekend did come, I was totally drained.

On Saturday we were out the door early for our new activity – swim lessons.  I’ve been wanting to sign the kids up for swim classes for years now, and it’s really gotten to the point that they need to be able to swim, for safety’s sake.  They get lessons at summer camp, but we don’t keep it up during the school year – until now.  I signed them up for an eight week class at one of the local rec centers.  They were both nervous to start; Peanut shook the jitters off quickly and ended up having a great time, but Nugget just sat by the side of the pool and cried the entire time.  (And if you’re wondering: don’t the instructors have strategies to deal with a scared kid? – I was wondering the same thing.)  Hoping for a better lesson next week.  He actually loves the water and can dunk, kick, swim underwater – just for whatever reason, he was terrified this time.  On Saturday afternoon, Steve had to work, so I took the kids out to a nature center birthday party for one of Peanut’s friends.  Sunday was Peanut’s day.  We put her birthday party off until September, so that school friends could join us, since whenever we try to celebrate around her actual birthday – in August – someone is invariably on vacation.  Peanut requested Pump It Up, so that’s what we did.  There was bouncing, sliding, ball pit shenanigans, and dancing to “Old Town Road.”  (It’s in your head now!)  She had so much fun, and got so sugar-high, that she acted like a wild animal at home and got sent to bed early.  Ah, good times.

Reading.  Slow, but good, reading week.  I finished both Washington Black and Slightly Foxed No. 7 on Monday, then spent the rest of the workweek over Home Fires: The Story of the Women’s Institute in World War II.  (Published in the U.K. as Jambusters, if you have trouble finding one or the other at your library – or on Goodreads.)  It was slow going, but very interesting.  I finished Home Fires up on Sunday morning (and am now looking forward to watching the adaptation on Masterpiece) and switched gears completely – to Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft.  I love the girl-forward short story anthologies that Jessica Spotswood and Tess Sharpe edit (this is the third one I’ve read) and I am ALWAYS here for witchcraft, so this was a clear winner for me from page one.  I’m trying to resist the temptation to tear through it in a day.

Listening.  Podcasts, per usual.  At the moment, I am on a parenting podcast jag and have been listening to back-to-back episodes of The Mom Hour.  Thinking a lot about Meagan and Sarah’s advice in the “Finding Time and Making Time” episode – especially Meagan’s sage comment that “If you’re not happy with your job, or with how your home looks, or with your health, you don’t have filler time.”  That is tough love, and to be honest I’m not sure I’m totally ready for it.  Because I have places where I’d like to make progress on the career, home and health fronts – all three – but I also need that time to decompress with a book; it’s essential self-care for me.  But after that episode I am considering more carefully how I am using my time.  There was a lot to think about in there.

Watching.  So much watching, guys!  Lots of Harry Potter, as the kids have fallen way down a rabbit hole and I am loving it.  I may have fallen, too.  Rumors that I was browsing “adult Luna Lovegood costumes” for Halloween are not exaggerated.  But most exciting of all, Steve and I had a date night on Thursday and went to see Downton Abbey.  LOVED.  IT.  Loved every moment!  I didn’t know much about the story line, other than the basic “King and Queen are coming to Downton!” overarching plot.  But I had read something – no spoilers – to the effect of that this movie wrapped up each character’s story arc with just the ending you would want for them – and I think that was true, although each of the characters was left with more journey to complete and their stories will live on.  It’s rare that a movie actually makes me cry with joy, but Downton Abbey did.

Moving.  Not as much as I would like, unfortunately.  I got in one run, an 86 degree scorcher on Wednesday.  Was hoping to squeeze in another quick run on Friday after court, but ended up having too much to do, and found myself glued to my laptop all afternoon.  Blah.  Hoping to get in some good sessions on the elliptical and with the weights at the gym this week.  I really need to loosen up and de-stress.

Blogging.  September reading round-up on Wednesday (so many good books last month!) and Seattle snaps on Friday.  I’m not sure if I’ll be sharing our entire weekend in Seattle in one big omnibus blog post or breaking it into two posts, so we’ll all be surprised together!

Loving.  My neighborhood!  I know I say this all the time, but – I have found such a loving, uplifting, positive little community here.  A couple of weeks ago, we had a scare with our house – smoke in the basement.  Because it originated near the natural gas line, the fire department took it very seriously and dispatched five fire trucks and an ambulance to our house.  (We were all outside and fine.)  At the end of the day, the house was fine – but when I posted a snap on Instagram of my four-year-old looking incredibly satisfied to see a fire truck AT! HIS! HOUSE!, my community jumped into action.  I got multiple messages from local friends asking if we needed anything, asking how they could help.  We didn’t need anything at all, but if it had been worse?  I know the community would have rallied around us, because that is what they’re like.  On the other end of the spectrum – last week, my friend Adrienne posted an “ask” on our neighborhood Facebook group, for 12- and 18-month boy clothes, which I have in spades.  I told her to come on over, and she stopped by on Friday afternoon and left with a bulging bag.  I was working from home and having an especially stressful day, and it was balm to the spirit to sit on the floor in Nugget’s room for half an hour, going through baby clothes and chatting with a friend.  For so long in Buffalo, I missed that sense of belonging to a place and to people, and now that I have it, it feels better than I could have imagined.  What started as a decluttering project – leading me to join a Buy Nothing group in my neighborhood – has turned into walking and coffee dates, a book club, friends to commute with on the Metro, and a bustling little gifting economy where people jump to fulfill one another’s needs.

Asking.  What are you reading this week?

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PNW Adventure 2019: The Biggs Say Goodbye (or, Day 5 in the Kayaks)

I woke up on Friday morning, the fifth day of our paddling adventure, with mixed feelings.  On the one hand, I felt decidedly grimy – ready for a hot shower, clean laundry, and lunches that consisted of something more exciting than a powerbar.  But on the other hand – man.  Over four days of paddling through all weather, currents, waves, I had fallen in love with the Salish Sea.  I wasn’t ready to leave these waters.

I think everyone felt that way.  We shoved off from Jones Island and everybody seemed to be in quiet, reflective moods.  We hung together closely as a group, although several boats paired off.  Steve and I had become especially close to B and M, the two English guys in our group, and we mostly paddled alongside them.

We pulled over on a rocky beach for an early lunch break, and Ben turned on the whale watch radio and got the news that the Southern Resident Killer Whales – J, K and L pods – had been spotted on the west side of San Juan Island.  Unfortunately, we were… on the east side of San Juan Island.  There was some talk of sprinting the approximately two miles it would take to cross overland to the west, but instead we scurried back to the boats in hopes of seeing J pod from the water (ultimate dream).

It wasn’t to be.  We all kind of knew it – they were heading north, all the way on the other side of the island; it looked like this was just a short visit.  Not surprised, but maybe the tiniest bit sad, we continued our paddle past a big seal haulout, headed for our final destination – the beach, and then the Sea Quest van.

We landed the kayaks a little after noon and pulled together one final time to get everything unloaded and cleaned out.  The boats, we left on the beach for the next group, who were meeting up and taking them right back on the water.  I tried not to be jealous, and to focus instead on the good part of the paddling being over: being reunited with my Birkenstocks.  After a week in Keen sandals that never quite dried out, I almost cried with joy when I slipped my Birks back on.  (They’re the Mayari vegan, if you’re interested, and I basically live in them.)  After the van dropped us in town, we all went our separate ways – a few people to the ferry, a few people to bum around town until the Clipper left, and Ben to the two-person tent he lives in while not guiding.  Steve and I lugged our heavy backpacks, full of waterlogged clothes, around Friday Harbor until we found a restaurant that would seat us.

Afternoon, and the Clipper, came too soon.  B and M had tickets too, so we made plans to meet up and share a table.

They claim to have fought off several people while saving our seats.  I believe them.  We settled in together and began discussing who would get first shower when we got back to our hotel rooms.  I asked our friends who smelled worse – me, or Steve – and they promptly answered, in unison, “Him.”

Eventually B, M and I headed to the upper deck to watch the Clipper steam out of the harbor.  Steve stayed below to guard our table and – this is important – the beers.

Chugging out of Friday Harbor.  I’m not ready, please don’t make me leave!

As we steamed out of the harbor, we watched a seaplane land.  I tried not to be jealous of the pilot, just arriving on San Juan Island instead of leaving.

We were determined to soak up all of the scenery on the way back to Seattle.  No matter how cold and windy it got.  We’d all been living rough for five days.  We were committed.

As the Clipper steamed through Boundary Pass, I spotted a coffee cup rolling around on deck.  I’d never have forgiven myself if it blew overboard, so I snatched it up and rushed down the stairs to throw it away.  Stopping by our table to check on Steve, I spotted out the window –

ORCAS!  I flew over the table, slammed myself against the window, shouted “ORCASORCASORCAS!” and the boat listed to starboard as everyone on the upper level rushed to look out the window.  The Clipper’s on-board naturalist came on the radio and announced that the T065 family was swimming off the stern of the boat.

I ran up the stairs, shouting to B and M, “Orcas, guys DID YOU SEE THEM DID YOU SEE THE ORCAS!”  They laughed, said they had seen the orcas, and were very relieved that I had seen them too.  They didn’t know what they were going to say to me if I’d missed them.  I was surprised M hadn’t flung himself overboard; his dream is to swim with them.

Still sad, still leaving a piece of my heart in the islands – but it felt right to have been seen off by the Biggs.  They’re incredible, majestic, beautiful creatures and it was my great privilege to see them twice on this trip.

Next week: hello, civilization – Seattle!

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A Late Summer Paddle on the Potomac

A bit belated, since it’s already fall, but I wanted to share a few snaps from our recent (ish… it was Labor Day) family paddle out on the Potomac.  Steve and I had been talking about how we hadn’t been out on the water since we got back from the San Juans, and we were both jealously eyeing the kayakers and canoeists out on Lake Burke during our family hike there over Labor Day weekend, and we decided a family paddle was in order as soon as possible.  We’d initially planned to go to Lake Anna on Labor Day, but swimming was prohibited due to a harmful algae bloom (yuck, and also, what are we doing to this planet?).  So we quickly shifted plans and headed to our favorite local kayaking spot – Fletcher’s Cove.

Fletcher’s is upriver from Georgetown and on a particularly narrow, calm and sheltered stretch of the Potomac, making it especially good for the little duffers – yet we don’t make it there nearly as often as we’d like.  In 2018 we didn’t even get to Fletcher’s once – every time we tried to paddle, it was closed for high water, and I was working on the 52 Hike Challenge anyway, leaving little time for river fun.  This year, we bounced from boathouse to boathouse, checking out the paddling options on other stretches of the Potomac and on the Anacostia.  Closing out the summer at our old favorite boathouse seemed like a long-overdue treat.

Nugget and I were first to launch this time, and instead of paddling upriver toward Chain Bridge, we meandered downriver while we waited for Peanut and Steve to catch up.  The dock employee who launched us suggested we might see some interesting birds on the way, and he wasn’t kidding – there were waterbirds aplenty, and we got up close and personal with this Great Blue Heron.  (I think we also saw a cormorant – we weren’t able to get close enough to positively identify it before it took off, but it had the trademark awkward cormorant flight.)

Steve and Peanut caught up with us soon, and got to check out the avian life too.  The water was so peaceful!

As we headed downriver, I spotted a familiar landmark ahead.

The Washington Monument!  I didn’t realize we would catch a glimpse of it, and now I’m kicking myself for all the times we paddled to the Chain Bridge instead of exploring in the downriver direction.

Eventually, we turned around and headed back to the dock – but it was a great morning of paddling (despite the blister I was working on; Steve accidentally shrank my paddling gloves in the wash after we returned from the San Juans, and I haven’t replaced them yet).  Both Nugget and Peanut were totally into paddling.  Steve said that Peanut’s paddling form was great and they actually got into a paddling rhythm for awhile!  She’s growing up, you guys.  Hold me.

Totally self-indulgent and way belated, I know, but I couldn’t let the month get away from me without sharing these snaps from a gorgeous morning on the water.

Do you have a favorite local paddling spot?

 

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (September 23, 2019)

Mabon blessings, friends!

I’d like to wish y’all a happy Monday but – I got nothin’.  I’d also like to tell you about all our family fun this weekend, but again – nothin’.  This weekend was my firm’s all-attorney retreat, which means I didn’t get a weekend to tell you about.  On Friday I put in a full day of work and then rushed to the airport to work more until the moment I had to switch to airplane mode for a flight to Indianapolis.  From Friday evening until mid-day Sunday, I was in meetings and networking sessions, and then I spent Sunday afternoon flying home.  Like everyone else, I did my best to put a good face on and get something out of the meetings, but it was hard to forget that the retreat was eating up the entire weekend – or that this meant that between last week and this week, I’d be working twelve days straight.  I work long hours during the week and really rely on my weekends to let my brain breathe and to spend time with my family, so – needless to say – I’m starting this week very drained.

Reading.  Sort of a lackluster reading week, to match a lackluster weekend.  On Monday I finished up Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen, the first in the “Six Tudor Queens” series of novels by historical biography author Alison Weir.  I enjoyed it, but as I think I wrote last week – it was too long.  Weir packed in as many historical details as she could, and while that made for a colorful tapestry, the book needed a heavier touch from an editor.  I will, however, be continuing with the series.  Next I read Everything that Rises Must Converge, for another Classics Club entry.  Hated it.  Hated every page.  Needing a break from blood and gore, I picked up issue number 7 of the Slightly Foxed Quarterly, but didn’t have time to finish it before I had to leave for Indianapolis.  I took Washington Black on the trip with me, since it’s due back at the library on Tuesday – didn’t have a chance to read much between all the work sessions and meetings, but I made it through about 250 pages over the course of the weekend.  The writing is excellent and the plot is a fantastic concept, but for some reason (probably tiredness) I’m finding it to be a bit of a slog.  I’ll finish it tonight and then turn back to Slightly Foxed.  After that – I don’t know.

Watching.  Lots of watching panel discussions about law firm practice – some of which were more pertinent to me than others.  And on Sunday evening, the kids had earned a movie night for being good for Daddy while Mommy worked all weekend, so we had a family movie night after I got home, and watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone again.  I love that they’re getting into the wizarding world – I’ve been waiting for this!

Listening.  Just the usual – podcasts, podcasts, podcasts, while I walk to and from the Metro in the mornings.  The highlight last week was The Mom Hour on “sports fandom and family culture” – a perfect topic for the beginning of football season.  I haven’t finished the episode, but will have by the time I get to the office this morning.

Moving.  I really needed to stretch my legs and move around after a morning of sitting in panel discussions, so I joined some coworkers for a walking tour of Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon – that’s where I snapped the above picture, of the Indianapolis Library, of course (what else?).  And in case you’re wondering: no, I didn’t see Leslie Knope out and about, and yes, I did look.

Blogging.  It’s a paddling-centric week here on the blog!  On Wednesday I’m sharing a few pictures from a Labor Day weekend paddle at our favorite spot on the Potomac – Fletcher’s Cove.  And on Friday (sniffle) it’s the last PNW paddling post (although I will have Seattle snaps to share with you over the next couple of weeks).

Loving.  I said this above, but this week I am loving that my kids are finally getting into Harry Potter and the wizarding world!  Guys, I have been waiting for this moment for such a long time.  I started reading the first HP to Peanut last year, but the chapters are long and she sort of fizzled out – got impatient waiting first for Hermione to appear and then for the trio to actually become friends.  Introducing the movie before trying the book again seemed to make sense, since I think she’ll have more patience for the story getting off the ground now that she’s fallen in love with the whole concept.  And her brother is getting into it, too!  This is such a huge deal for me, because I love Harry Potter so much – like many – and because one of the things that gives me the greatest joy as a bookish mom is sharing my favorite stories and characters with my little people.  Like Peanut starting to get into Anne of Green Gables (which I’m introducing slowly and through kid-forward books) the kids’ discovery of the wizarding world is giving me so much happiness this week.

Asking.  What are you reading this week?

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PNW Adventure 2019: The Battle of Camp Raccoon (or, Day 4 in the Kayaks)

July 4th dawned sunny and beautiful, and we prepared to do battle with the raccoons of Jones Island.  It being Independence Day, the Americans in the group were ready to celebrate!  I wore my stars and stripes headband under my hat, and a fellow kayaker tied an American flag bandana to her bow – and we pushed back from Point Doughty ready to do battle for Old Glory against the raccoons.

The views of Turtleback Mountain were beautiful from the water.  I shouted over my shoulder to Steve, “It’s Te Fiti!”

The paddle from Point Doughty to Jones Island was relatively short, but as we glided by the shorelines on the way we counted a total of seven bald eagles!  We saw eagles almost every day, but the sightings never got old, and it felt especially appropriate to see so many of them on Independence Day.  It reminded me of the first time I ever saw an eagle – Steve and I were visiting Mount Vernon, and as we walked behind the Mansion to look at the sweeping views of the Potomac, an eagle soared low overhead.  It was as if the spirit of George Washington was looking down on us.  So what I’m saying is – these eagles really seem to know how to choose their moments.

We stopped for a long lunch on a private island that allowed for public access to its bluffs.  Most of the group spread out across the shoreline, looking out at the expansive views – always on dorsal watch.

After lunch, back in the boats, we cruised on over to Jones Island.  As we hugged the shoreline preparing to land, we saw two large raccoons scamper over the rocks in the 2:00 p.m. sun, prompting yelps from several boats: “I thought they were nocturnal!”  Clearly, these were no ordinary raccoons.

We landed on Jones Island, which was clearly a popular spot for Independence Day camping and cookouts, and quickly claimed a campsite near the water.  We unpacked our gear and Ben solicited a vote from the group – would we rather go for a hike, or get back in the kayaks and explore the surrounding islands?  We had one vote for a hike, but the rest of the gang (including Steve and me) cast our votes for the kayaks: still hoping we might see some Biggs killer whales in their prime hunting waters.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the islands surrounding Jones – didn’t see any orcas, but there was plenty of other beautiful sights to keep us busy, and we hardly noticed that we’d paddled 17.5 nautical miles over the course of the day.  Everyone was hungry when we got back to camp, so Ben quickly fired up the camp stove and started an “appetizer course” of grilled cheese sandwiches before moving on to our regularly planned dinner.

Side of sautéed bull kelp with soy sauce and a dash of sriracha.  I tried some – pretty darn good.  I balked at trying the rockweed, though.

Although we didn’t see orcas, the other wildlife on Jones was not so shy.  No confirmed raccoon sightings after dark – there was some rustling near the tent, but no visual so I’m pretending it didn’t happen – but a black-tailed deer came into our campsite and stood within feet of us for several minutes.  (We think it was the same deer that one of our group caught some fellow campers petting in a different campsite.  Later in the evening I encountered a teenaged girl in line for the restrooms, who proudly recounted that the deer had followed her family around and they had pet and fed it.  I read her the riot act.  Don’t pet the wildlife, and definitely don’t feed them!  They’re unpredictable wild animals and it’s dangerous for them to get too comfortable with humans.)

Home sweet home.  Last night in the tent!  I was already starting to miss this simple life.

As the sun went down on the Fourth of July, I think we were all feeling a bit nostalgic and sad about parting ways the next day.  Our group really worked, and we are already feeling like old friends.

Next week: The Biggs say goodbye (sniff).

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The Summer List 2019: Final Tally

Mabon and the autumnal equinox is approaching, which means: fall is upon us.  As we bid summer goodbye until next year, I’m looking back at a season full of sandy shoes, sunscreen smeared on faces, waves jumped, pool moves perfected, sunshine soaked up, popsicles slurped and so. much. joy.  I am always a little conflicted at this turn of the seasons, because while I love all things fall, I’m never quite ready to see the end of summer, either.  But it helps when I’ve had a long, bright, full season and built up a trove of memories to see me through the dark days of winter ahead – and I definitely did that this year.

  • The BIG one: spend five days on a kayaking eco-tour around the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State.  I can’t wait!  Done!  Steve and I had an incredible trip to Washington – the experience of a lifetime.  We spent five days paddling blissfully alongside new friends, saw tons of wildlife (orcas, porpoises, seals, bald eagles and more!) and got to really unplug and disconnect from the hectic everyday life.  It was wonderful.

  • The other BIG one: take a family vacation to a new-to-us spot on the Outer Banks.  Done!  We usually visit Frisco, down on Hatteras Island, but since it was just our immediate family this time, we decided that returning to our usual haunts would cause us to spend the whole time missing the extended family.  So we checked out Duck, one of the northern OBX towns, instead, and had a wonderful week of family bonding.  The kids still think they were in Antigua, but what they don’t know won’t kill them.

  • Build up my running base, and sign up for a fall 5K.  Done…ish.  I didn’t get as much running in as I’d hoped, but I got more than nothing, and that’s better than I had been doing.  I haven’t signed up for a local race, but I am planning to do the Wonder Woman virtual 5K again, just as soon as back to school excitement calms down.

  • Take the family to a Washington Nationals game.  #natitude  Done!  I gave Steve the tickets for Father’s Day and we went to see the Nats play the Braves in late June.  We made it five innings and ate way too much ballpark food, so it was a success (even if the Nats lost, like pretty much the only game they’ve lost all summer).
  • Make mini pizzas on the grill.  Didn’t happen… maybe this fall?  I really want to do this!

  • Read from my own shelves.  I feel like that Daniel Radcliffe meme (I think it’s from How to Succeed in Business Without Trying, maybe?) – “I tried, and therefore no one should criticize me!”  Okay, I really tried.  And I did read a few, including knocking off a couple of Classics Club reads.  But the library addiction continues strong.

  • Celebrate Litha by candlelight in the garden.  Done!  It was peaceful and lovely, except for when a woman started screaming at her boyfriend because of his terrible parking job.  Ah, city life.
  • Go back to Shenandoah National Park and hike a new trail.  Didn’t happen – hopefully this fall.  It would be lovely to make it there when the leaves are turning.
  • Make homemade popsicles.  (This is basically mandatory if you’ve seen Nugget’s popsicle dance.)  Didn’t happen – booooo!  The kids did eat a lot of popsicles, though.  Does that count?

  • Help Peanut host her girlfriends for a “reading party” in a neighborhood park.  Done!  She’d been asking for this for months and I was so glad we made it happen.  We tossed down a woven blanket, ate cookies and cake and drank lemonade, and read our books.  Now I’m thinking that making a kids’ book club with the girls in Peanut’s class would be a fun thing to do.  We’ve been talking about finally getting a Girl Scout troop off the ground, which I still would like to do, but a book club strikes me as an easier endeavor.  We’ll see…

Not too shabby!  I’m always ridiculously ambitious with my summer and fall lists (much more than winter and spring) but I feel like we had a good season.  We got a lot done from this list, and we have hours of sunshine, splashing, and family fun to look back on when the cold settles in.  As a bonus – I spent the summer recording short videos to mash into a “One Second Everyday” video documenting the season – and now that it’s done, I can’t stop watching it.  What a happy, peaceful three months we had!

How was your summer?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (September 16, 2019)

I could really have used another day this weekend.  It just went way too fast, and Sunday Scaries hit way too hard.  I’m slammed with work for the next couple of months, with some stressful projects and no break in sight, and the weekends just aren’t long enough to compensate.  We did have a nice one.  On Saturday, we were out the door early for a “Fall for Sunflowers” event at Burnside Farms, which is becoming one of our favorite spots.  We missed the summer sunflowers, but this year – for the first time – the farm did a fall sunflower maze, and it was so much fun.  We let Peanut lead us through the maze and – I’m glad to report – we made it out and do not live in a sunflower field now.  We filled up the rest of the morning with fall fun – I picked sunflowers from what was left of the summer crop, and got a good armful of gladiolas too.  (The gladiolas were especially gorgeous.)  The kids enjoyed the play area – they bumped between the playhouse, the miniature tractors, and the jumping pad and inflatable slides.  Nugget and I went down the slides together a few times and it’s quite a rush.  I can see why they like it.  On Sunday, we mostly bummed around the house in the morning, then welcomed our good friends Zandria and Paul for an afternoon of catching up (for the ladies) and watching football (for the men).  Zan and I took the kids over to the fall family social and blessing of the new turf field at the kids’ school, and I am glad to report that the turf has been appropriately imbued with the Holy Spirit and Jesus is smiling upon the soccer.  Ended the weekend with a family movie night – the first half of the first Harry Potter movie.  The kids were duly impressed.  And now I have to perk myself up for a week of fighting for the cause of justice.  Here we go.

Reading.  Had a busy reading week, mostly because I filled my time with short-n-sweet books.  After I finished How to be a Woman – quick read – I breezed through A Poetry Handbook and English Country Houses in one day each, before digging into the doorstopper Katherine of Aragon: the True Queen (first in a series of six enormous novels about the wives of Henry VIII).  I’m about 450 pages in and enjoying it, but also sort of over it at the same time?

Watching.  Family movie nights on Friday and Sunday brought two episodes of the new Netflix Carmen Sandiego series, plus Potter as mentioned above.  Now I finally know Carmen Sandiego’s backstory, you guys!  I know you were concerned.

Listening.  Just the usual – podcasts.  I had one drive last week – up to Annapolis to interview a witness – and I made my way through a few.  I’m in a bookish podcasting mood at the moment, so I’m mostly digging through my back catalog of reading-related podcasts.  (It goes in waves – I’ll be on book podcasts for awhile, then switch to parenting, then back again – and at the moment, it’s all books, all the time.  Not a bad stretch of listening at all.)

Making.  I didn’t set out to do lots of food prep, but I ended up that way.  Made a big batch of veggie pho on Saturday for dinner, and now have plenty of leftovers – yum.  I did a bean soup for Zan and Paul on Sunday and have lots of leftovers of that, too.  And in my spare time (ha!) I simmered a pot of homemade vegetable broth, slapped together some cornbread (from a mix, and Nugget mostly made it, so don’t get too excited) and prepped cut veggies for this week’s lunches.  Not a bad hour or so of kitchen work.

Blogging.  I have to admit that summer’s on its way out (Mabon this coming weekend!), and that means tallying up my summer list.  Spoiler: I didn’t check every item off, but I actually got to most of them.  It was a good summer.  And then on Friday, I’m sharing day four of our kayaking adventure.  Check back then!

Loving.  I have to share two things with you this week, because they are both delighting me.  First, did you see that Reese Witherspoon and Ellen DeGeneres are having a hilarious (fake) feud over which one of them is better friends with Jennifer Aniston?  It seems to be mostly playing out on Reese’s Instagram feed and honestly has given me so much joy over the past several days. Also:

This beer.  Why is it so good?  It tastes like a beer margarita and I love everything about it.  Steve thinks it’s disgusting.  More for me!

Asking.   What are you reading this week?

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PNW Adventure 2019: Up Close and Personal With A Sea Star (Or, Day 3 in the Kayaks)

The third day of our kayaking adventure dawned grey and cool, but dry – a definite improvement from the previous day’s paddle.  We had a slow morning – Ben was planning the shortest paddle of the trip, a mere 5.5 nautical mile “blue water” crossing from Patos to Point Doughty on the back of Orcas Island.  So the gang slept in while a few of us got in an early morning hike, then we all enjoyed a leisurely breakfast around the picnic table before breaking camp and pushing off for Orcas.

Fortified with toad-in-the-hole and a lighthouse hike, ready for a short day of paddling!  Let’s do this!

The water was calm and gorgeous, almost like a mirror at times.  There was very little wind and very little current – just smooth sailing across the Salish Sea.

It almost felt like we’d just hopped into the boats, and before we knew it, we were navigating a treacherous passage of whirlpools and boulders to land on the beach at Point Doughty.

The landing was so narrow that only three boats could pull in at any given time; the rest had to idle out on the water while we unloaded a few at a time.  Steve and I went in with the first batch, and I promptly took a knee on the slippery bull kelp.  It’s not a vacation until someone is gushing blood, right?

Eventually, we got all the boats in and Ben announced to the entire group that I had “an owie situation.”  Thanks, man.  I cleaned my knee, verified that it wasn’t a barnacle cut (which tend to get infected) and then we turned our attention to the problem of how to get all of our gear – including the tents and the camp stove – up a narrow and slippery path to the campsite on the bluff.  No one was keen to scramble up and down, so (cementing our place as the most cooperative and cohesive kayaking group ever) we formed a human chain and passed everyone’s gear from paddler to paddler until we had the beach cleared.

Set up camp, then wandered off to explore.  It was a fairly small campground, so we covered the scenery quickly, then Ben called the group together to review options for the next day’s paddling.  He told us we had a few options: we could return to Stuart Island and do a bioluminescence paddle (tempting), set up camp near civilization and pick up some beer (pass) or hit Jones Island, which would take us through prime Biggs killer whale hunting waters and be the best chance of seeing orcas from the water.

The group unanimously voted for Jones Island.  Ben frowned and cautioned us that the island was home to a brigade of aggressive raccoons who were known to pillage campsites and rip hatches right off of kayaks, and orcas were no guarantee.  One of our fellow paddlers assured Ben, “We know there’s no guarantee of wildlife.”  Ben shook his head.  “No, orcas are not guaranteed.  Raccoons are guaranteed.”  We decided to risk it, and came up with a plan to sleep in shifts and use our kayak paddles to slapshot the raccoons into the water, ideally into the mouths of the waiting orcas.  What could go wrong?

Ben left the rest of the group to continue planning for day four, which was now officially named “the Battle of Camp Raccoon,” and he and I headed up to the top of the bluff to do some birding.

We discovered that the hilltop at Point Doughty is the best birding spot ever – a perfect confluence of shore birds, cliff-dwellers, and woodland birds.  We probably saw a dozen different species.

The view was also on point.  I made sure to keep an eye out for dorsal fins while Ben and I did our bird nerd thing.

Stayed up on the bluff for hours and took in a truly spectacular sunset.  Oh, Washington, why do you have to be so fabulous?

(My mom saw this picture and said, “Oh, finally, you got some booze!”  Ha – if only.  This was chamomile tea.  I was still warming up after the previous day’s rain.)

We passed a slightly restless night – unbeknownst to us at the time we pitched our tent, we were sleeping on a slight incline, and I kept slipping into the downhill corner of the tent.  I woke up several times with the distinct sensation that I was going over the bluff – I wasn’t, but it didn’t make for the best sleep of the trip.  Once the sun finally rose, Steve and I got our campsite broken down quickly, and after I’d helped pack up the kitchen, I wandered down to the beach to do some tidepooling before it was time to go.  On our way from Stuart to Patos, we’d passed gorgeous purple ochre sea stars, and I wanted to see one up close.

The rocks down on the beach at Point Doughty were dotted with them, and I spent a blissful few minutes going from sea star to sea star, getting acquainted.  It was a peaceful way to begin the day on the water – and then I joined the group, armed myself with my paddle and got ready to fight for the Stars and Stripes in the Battle of Camp Raccoon.

Next week: Indepedence Day, and the Battle of Camp Raccoon!

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Gone to Carolina In My Mind

When Steve and I sat down to discuss summer vacation plans, we knew that in addition to our planned parents trip to the San Juan Islands, we wanted to do something with the kids.  We kicked around a few ideas and ultimately decided that a trip back to our beloved Outer Banks was in order – after all, we hadn’t been down that way since Nugget was a baby.  But knowing that it was just going to be our family – no grandparents, aunt and uncle, or family friends along for the ride this time – we decided to mix it up and go somewhere different; we figured if we went back to our regular stomping grounds, we’d spend the whole week missing the rest of the family.  I’d heard good things about Duck – one of the northern OBX towns – and we decided to give it a try.

Our first stop upon rolling into town was the iconic Duck Donuts.  I know it’s not that big of a deal anymore – there’s a Duck Donuts in the shopping plaza where my kids get their haircuts, for goodness sake – but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get Duck Donuts in Duck.  Peanut got cinnamon sugar with frosting and sprinkles, Steve had a glazed with salted caramel drizzle, and I got chocolate with graham cracker crumbs.  Nugget insisted that he didn’t want a donut, then proceeded to eat three quarters of mine.  Oof.

After fortifying ourselves with donuts (or a quarter of a donut, in my case) we headed to our beach house – home for the week.  I spent a lot of time searching for the perfect house – tried Airbnb, VRBO, and the traditional realtors.  The main requirements were: not too exorbitantly priced, soundfront, and with a deck.  I finally found a house that fit the bill, right on Currituck Sound and about a half mile’s walk from the ocean beach.

Little people loved the screen porch, and spent quite a few hours playing out here (while Mom relaxed with a book and a La Croix – the life).

Down the stairs from the deck, we had a beautiful boardwalk right down to a little private beach on Currituck Sound.

The kids spent a decent amount of time splashing in the warm, shallow sound waters, while Mom took in the views (and picked up trash from the beach, because I have to be me).

Of course, while we loved our sound mornings, the real highlight came in the afternoon each day – the ocean beach!

Duck Beach was a long, beautiful strip of pristine white sand, dotted with colorful umbrellas.  The one downside to vacationing in Duck, we found, was that there was no public access to the beach – if you couldn’t walk to an access point for your neighborhood, you were pretty much out of luck.  Unlike in Frisco, where we stay with my parents, there is no public parking or beach access.  But we had a beach access point for our neighborhood about a half mile’s walk from the house, which was very easy – and the upside to the beach not being as accessible as some others was that it was a lot cleaner.  I barely saw a speck of trash on the ocean beach all week, and the water was clean and fresh.  I’ll take that bargain!

Wave jumping was the activity of choice.

And dancing, too.

We did have some weird weather roll in during the week, so I filled up the non-beach hours with a few mandatory OBX activities.  Nugget and I stopped by Kitty Hawk Kites (just the Duck outpost, not the huge flagship in Kitty Hawk) and picked out kites for both of the kids.  And whenever you’re in the Outer Banks, you have to visit a lighthouse, right?

We had one dreary morning that wasn’t sound material, and I needed to get the kids out of Steve’s hair so he could work, so I loaded them in the car and drove them about half an hour to Corolla, to check out the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.  Although I’ve been to the Hatteras and Ocracoke Lights many times, I’d never seen Currituck’s version – this lighthouse connoisseur was suitably impressed.  Nugget wanted to climb, so I bought a ticket, and we made it about halfway up – a success, I think.

Saturday dawned drizzly and dreary, too, so we pulled out our other rainy-day plan – a drive to Roanoke Island, to visit the North Carolina Aquarium.  (Making it a two-aquarium trip… we stopped at the Virginia Aquarium, in Virginia Beach, on the way down to Duck, to break up the trip.)

Peanut almost touched one of the stingrays in the touch tank.  Almost!  She put her hand in the water – nowhere near a stingray, but in the water.  Which, I have to tell you, is a hell of a lot closer than I’ve ever gotten to touching any of the animals in any touch tank, anywhere, ever.  I prefer to stay at least twenty-four inches from the edge.  So I was fist-pumping her bravery.

Sharks were a major highlight – there was a huge shark tank, which was super cool.  The whole aquarium had a shipwreck theme, and the animals swam in tanks that were decorated with sunken wrecks – very on point for the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

The highlight of this aquarium, though, was seeing the sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation center.  I had no idea this was a thing the North Carolina Aquarium operates, so it was a total surprise and delight to walk through the doors and watch the wildlife rehabilitators at work.

Each turtle was floating in its own little tank, with enrichment toys and a carefully controlled environment.  Nugget raised his hand and asked the volunteer interpreter what the turtles’ names were and what parts of their bodies were sick.  (Good question for a four-year-old, right?)  The interpreter explained that the turtles have a variety of health issues that they are working through, and showed us one that had a chunk of its shell missing from a boat strike.  (SOB.)  She also explained that the rehabilitators work through themed names and that the current group all had names from Harry Potter.  Not having read the books or seen the movies, she had a hard time remembering the names, but she pointed out Longbottom, in tank number 7, and Bertie Bott, in tank 2.  (The rehabilitators haven’t named any turtle after Harry himself, yet.  As it was explained to us, they have to be really sure that they will be successful with that turtle.  After all, Harry Potter is the Boy Who Lived.)

We just loved seeing the turtles, hearing about the rehabilitators’ work to heal them and return them to the wild, and reading about the aquarium’s efforts at sea turtle conservation.  Second only to cetaceans, sea turtles are my favorite ocean creatures.  What a delightful surprise to find this work going on at the North Carolina Aquarium.

It was a lovely week.  Not restful, exactly, but the change of scenery was much needed – and it was good to get some time away as a foursome.  I had no idea how much we’d been missing that until we made it happen.

The perk of staying soundside, of course – evenings on the deck watching the sun set over the water, a rare sight on the East Coast.  The sunsets weren’t especially spectacular while we were there, thanks to some weather systems that always seemed to roll in at dinnertime.  But we caught a few light shows.  The best, by far, was the first night of our trip:

Such a gorgeous spot!  I wish I was back there right now.  Thanks for the memories, Duck!  I’m sure we will be back – maybe not for a full week, but at least en route to and from Hatteras.  We have such a long history with the Outer Banks, I always know we’re going to return.

 

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (September 9, 2019)

Happy first-full-week-of-school to us!  (To those of you who have been back at school for several weeks now – I’m jealous.)  Last week my two went back, and not a minute too soon; the end of summer had become a stressed-out whirlwind of cobbled-together childcare.  It seriously felt like angels were singing on Wednesday, when we pulled out the shiny new uniforms and sneakers and shuffled them off to junior kindergarten and first grade, respectively.  So this is the first five-day week of the school year, and the Metro reopens today!  Hallelujah!  The return to regularly scheduled life couldn’t come at a better time, because I have a super-busy week at the office.  Not worrying about where the kids are going to be or how to keep them out of Steve’s hair and somehow also manage to work – it’s such a relief.  Anyway – the weekend!  We had a pretty low-key couple of days.  After the first week of school (well, three days, anyway) the kids were wiped out and mostly wanted to hang around the house and relax, so that’s basically what we did.  Peanut had a birthday party to attend on Saturday at a local rec center (the boys stayed home and played some baseball), and on Sunday we spent an hour hanging out and drinking coffee on the neighbors’ patio, then went for a short walk and longer playground stint at Jones Point.  But that’s about all.  Spent the rest of the weekend chilling, reading, baking, and stressing about the week ahead.  The usual.

Reading.  Pretty productive reading week.  I finally finished Garden Poems on Monday, after picking at it all summer, then spent most of the workweek over Leia, Princess of Alderaan – which was a lot of fun.  Finished that up on Friday evening and – beckoning library stack notwithstanding – the most enticing thing on my shelves was Anne of the Island – a perennial favorite for back-to-school season.  Read through in less than twenty-four hours, then laid Anne aside with a sigh and picked up How to be a Woman, which my book club is reading this month for our first meeting after being on hiatus since May.  I probably wouldn’t have picked this one up on my own, but it’s pretty good.

Watching.  Figured I should be plugged into the candidates’ actual policy positions, not just their polling numbers (hello, my name is Jaclyn and I’m addicted to FiveThirtyEight) so on Tuesday I watched a chunk of the CNN town hall on the climate crisis.  I haven’t decided who I’m supporting in the primary, so I wanted to get a good sense of the different viewpoints on climate policy, which is my top issue.  I really wanted to hear what Biden had to say, but I ended up missing most of his session because my brother called just as Uncle Joe was walking onto the stage.  But I tuned in for Bernie Sanders (please note that by “tuned in for Bernie” I mean “ate popcorn and shouted SIT DOWN! at the screen while texting Minions memes to my BFF”), Elizabeth Warren, and half of Mayor Pete before falling asleep.

Listening.  Lots of podcasts this week.  Highlights were the fall book preview on Book Riot, and the Mom Hour ladies on procrastination.

Making.  What I should have made this weekend: progress on a few work projects that I have due this week.  What I made instead: this spiced tea bread with fresh plums.  YUM.  Light, airy, and not too sweet – with a kick from the ginger, cardamom and allspice and a lovely crunch from the almonds.  10/10 would make again.

Blogging.  Travel-heavy week coming atcha: on Wednesday, I’m recapping our late-summer getaway to the Outer Banks (OMG, take me back right now!) and then the Pacific Northwest kayaking recaps continue on Friday.  Check in with me then!

Loving.  Really loved this article – Please Stop Buying Plastic Crap for Kids – when it popped up in my Facebook feed.  I try to either donate the kids’ toys or to gift them to neighbors through BuyNothing, so that they don’t end up in landfills – but it’s a good reminder that if the stuff doesn’t come into the house in the first place, there’s no need to worry about what to do with it when the kids inevitably get bored.

Asking.  What are you reading this week?