Day Five - Passing of the Clans

Brandon and family arrived early this morning, tired, but the kids were excited to be here - once they woke up. Amy and family were still here which made all of us (Brandon, Amy, me) a little anxious. Brandon and Amy have a strained relationship and haven't physically spoken to each other in quite awhile. The week was planned so that Amy and family would be gone before Brandon and family arrived (sad, I know), but Brandon and family caught an early ferry and Amy and family were catching a ferry midday. I watched my two children hug for the first time in a very long time and it warmed my heart. We had a little visiting time before Amy and family headed out to catch their ferry. It was sad to say goodbye to them. I had such a wonderful, fun time with them and everything went so smoothly even though Amy and I have been working through a strained relationship. We had wonderful meals together and great family time. And I was made to feel very special on my birthday.

Steve and Eva on the ferry ride home.

Brandon and family were so tired from such an early, early morning, so we just hung out at the house.

Playing games on phones and tablets

Reagan found the coloring books right away.

Brandon, Reagan and I did go down to the dock, loaded up the bait, made sure the crabpot was functioning correctly, got the rope all untangled, and tossed the pot in the water . . . only to find out that you can only crab up here Thursday through Monday - Tuesday & Wednesday are days off. It doesn't say that anywhere on the fishing license, and thank goodness a nice local on the dock told us or we could have incurred a $400 fine, if caught. We pulled it back up and came back to the house. Would have been nice if the local would have told us before we went through all the work!

Because of the tiredness, Tori made dinner for the kids, and then made a quick and easy salad for her and Brandon. I got so used to eating meals as a family when Amy and family were here, I forgot that it might not be that way the rest of the week. I made myself a delicious dinner despite eating all by myself.

Mac 'n cheese and corn on the cob

So cute!

My dinner - yummy!

Day Four - My Birthday!

The day started out as normal - I got up when Eva woke me up - at 8:00 a.m.  We spent quite a lot of time just sitting on the couch putting stickers in a book. After awhile, Steve and Amy got up. First on the agenda - Amy and I had massages scheduled at Rosario Resort. This lovely birthday gift was from Amy & Steve. What a fabulous massage! I love Rosario Resort, especially the views, the spa, and the boutique.

Our view from the massage room

After our massage and a bite to eat, we all headed to the beach at Cascade Lake in Moran State Park. My plan was to rest on the beach, soaking up the sun. I let Amy and Steve play in the water with Eva. Mostly Steve. He was a real trooper. The three of them rented a canoe and canoed around the lake. Even Eva had an oar. They were so cute. We hung out there for a couple of hours just relaxing and playing.

Slathering on the sunscreen

Can't decide if it's too cold or not.

"I'm going in! Who else is coming?"

Even Eva got to paddle

Birthday dinner was at the Madrona Bar and Grill. I loved my first meal there so why not?! I had the same thing - steamed clams and caeser salad. Yummy! On the house - creme brulee cheesecake with whipped cream and blueberries.

"Happy Birthday Gramma. I'll help you blow out the candle."

Eva loved the card she got me so much that she wanted to buy one
for herself as well.

What a wonderful birthday!

Day Three - Crabbing and Hiking

Every day ends up being such a beautiful summer day. It might start as an overcast morning (and often times overcast evening), but it always burns off to a brilliant, sunshiny day with the bluest skies. After Eva and I did a little yard exploring, Steve, Eva and I went down the dock to drop the crab pot. While we wait for all the crab come running to our "trap" we went for a little drive and "hike" on a trail at Obstruction Pass. We didn't hike down to the beach (because none of us wanted to hike back up), but we did follow the Sound View Trail and the view did not disappoint. And Eva loved climbing on any and every rock.

These three pictures are from our yard around the rental house. Very pretty.

Little explorer with a magic wand and camera

Just put the crab pot down!

Lots of rock climbing and rock jumping

At the beginning of the Sound View Trail - Obstruction Pass State Park

Beautiful madrona trees cliffside

The view from the top of the trail

Cool madrona trees

Time to pull up the crabpot

"Where is it Dad?"

We got one!! Steve and I shared this one for dinner 

View of some houses in Olga from the end of the dock.

Day Two on the Island

I've been too busy having fun and resting, so I haven't kept up on blogging.

I just love Orcas Island! It's so beautiful, so slow-paced, and lots of things to do. Being here with Eva has been so much fun because she wants to "explore" everything. She is a very active girl, wanting to play "explorer" and "flying disk" and "kick the ball" and jump on rocks. She is fascinated by so many things.

Eva exploring our yard

The Olga Post Office

The view of the Olga dock

Eva exploring the dock

Photography lesson

Yummy steamed clams at Madrona Bar & Grill

Steve arrived on Orcas Island on our second day. Great family photo!

The beach below the Madrona

Beautiful flowers on the main street in Eastsound

View of the San Juan Islands from the top of Mount Constitution

Cool clouds

"Tall tower" top of Mount Constitution

Look who made it to the top!

Pretty girl!

A picture was taken 2 years ago of Eva and her daddy on this exact same rock

One of dozens of deer that appear in the fields, forests, and yards around 5:00 each evening.
This one was in our backyard.

A sleepy girl after a very busy day