First Campout, First Fish

The campground we planned to use was different than we had envisioned, and it was full anyway.  Our back-up plan campground was closed—washed away by a river diversion.  It was getting a little late for roasting knockwurst and corn on the cob over the fire, so we found a drive-in on the side of the road and had elk burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches instead.  We found two more campgrounds, both full.  So we struck out on our own and found a lovely little spot off of Forest Road 65-something or other.  Perfect.  Perfect for playing in the dirt, for roasting marshmallows, for crying babies, for setting up our new mansion-tent.  Perfect for Andrew’s first camping trip.

 

The next day we set out on a hike to Barclay Lake.  We think we may have been there before, and we didn’t make it to the lake this time.  We told stories and collected rocks until we decided on an alternate turning around point: a beautiful little creek which, lucky for us, had a few trout. Susanna caught her first fish. And her second, which was her first catch without pants on.

It was a refreshing trip full of sunshine, mosquitoes, sweets, and the people I love most.

Update

The big news around here is that Scott has accepted a fellowship position at the Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta, Georgia. We’re all very excited. Scott’s excited to work with renown Rafi Ahmad, I’m excited for a new adventure in what everyone says is a fantastic city, Susanna’s excited because Bad Bear (who she claims lives in her room and of whom she is mightily afraid) will no longer be around, and Andrew is always excited.

Other than that, we've been beating the heat with popsicles, fans, beaches, and wading pools and trying to get out on our bikes as much as possible. We also took a family trip to the Ballard Locks and fish ladder, and yesterday I took the kiddos to the zoo.

Here’s a video of yesterday’s trip to the zoo (I finally caught the singing siamangs on camera).