Sucia Island with The Hansons

It was great that the timing worked out to spend a couple nights on Sucia Island with Kim and Dave and their kids Lily (3) and Tavis (1.5). Kim and I were co-captains of our high school swim team and have realized that we have a ton in common now - most notably our love for outdoor adventures and our cute kids.

Sunset on the first night was spectacular.

 The next day we went touring and ended up at Roche Harbor Resort. It was love at first sight for Charlotte and her ice cream cone.

 That afternoon we explored the China Caves on the north end of Shallow Bay on Sucia. This was the first time the kids were able to climb in and have a look around. The sandstone eroded into these really cool formations  that were just the right size for the kids.

 Exploring tidepools is always a fun activity. Kim and Dave were the model of fortitude and grace while making sure Tavis didn't get into too much trouble (one-and-a-half is THE hardest summer, I think) and dealing with tricky bedtimes.

 We can't wait to to do it again!

AUGUST - Nursery, The Dentist and Natasha

I have the nursery all ready for the baby coming in early October. I have to go back to work starting in late August, so I wanted to finish all the baby prep beforehand. I really like how it turned out - and so does Winnie.

 Edison and Charlotte were excited to spend a day at the Children's Museum - our first day there this summer.

 The kids had their dental check ups. I was relieved that they don't have any cavities. Yay! Edison got x-rays for the first time. You can see the roots on his baby teeth are shrinking and the dentist said he'll lose his first tooth around Christmas.

 We finally were able to meet up with Natasha and her kids: Ronin and Lenin. The kids played really well together which was great.

Gulf Islands Adventure - Part 3

DAY SIX: We went east to Fulford Harbour on Saltspring Island. We had a nice lunch at "The Rock" while we watched the ferry come in. Edison is holding a "Phillips" Intergalactic Root Beer. Cool!

 Fulford Harbour is the kind of hippie town that has pianos on the streets. Double cool.

 Eben and Edison were enlisted to rescue Charlotte's hat that had fallen off while she was spotting crabs off a pier. The rescue went off without a hitch!

 We spent the afternoon at Shell Beach on Portland Island - we had camped here for a week last summer with Nana and had fond memories. It did not disappoint.

 Charlotte saw a segment of the Wiggles that featured Irish Step Dancing and now she tries to do it all the time. It is super cute!

 Beautiful, clear water and interesting views. We will miss this place!

 DAY SEVEN: We packed up all our stuff in dry bags and headed east to Washington. We had to stop at U.S. Customs in Roche Harbor on the way home. We will miss the Port Browning Marina and Resort - especially their pool!

 Heading back to good, old Mount Baker.

Gulf Islands Adventure - Part 2

DAY FOUR: It was a little chilly in the morning, luckily, Charlotte was ready.

 

We went northwest to Galliano Island and explored the Montague Harbour Provincial Park.

 

They had some really nice camp spots, as long as you were willing to haul your gear up the dock and the hill.

 

The park covers a whole peninsula with a harbor on one side, a beach on the other and a saltwater lagoon in the middle.

 

The beach wasn't conducive to sandcastles at low tide, but the kids found a ton of crabs and interesting creatures.

We hiked around the wooded part of the peninsula, too, and enjoyed the majestic madrones.

Then we went up to Wallace Island - our further point north. The whole island is a marine park and occupies what used to be a summer resort. A few of the cabins and outbuildings still stand.

The camp spots are on this nice, grassy lawn.

This old cabin has been decorated by placards depicting the names of the boats and families that have visited the island. Part cool - part creepy.

Edison practiced driving the boat quite a bit during the trip. Here he is taking us around the island.

Back at the pool, the kids had fun playing with dad.

DAY FIVE: This is our campsite with the lived in look. Every morning Eben made his amazing toasted bagels.

We spotted a sea otter on the dock as we were leaving.

We are off to circumnavigate Mayne Island, just to our north. Edison is giving dad hand signals about which way to turn and how fast to go.

The Saltspring Inn was a lovely stop for lunch and we got to watch the BC ferries going between Sidney on Vancouver Island and the city of Vancouver while we ate.

We stopped at James Bay on Prevost Island on the way home. It is part of the Gulf Islands Reserve and promised camping - but we definitely could never land our boat on this super shallow beach. But the beach was full of cool clam shells.

Today was pool time with mom.

Gulf Islands Adventure - Part 1

This year, we decided to spend our week vacation exploring by boat the Canadian Gulf Islands. They lie just west/northwest of the San Juan Islands and Washington State. There are a number of spots in the Gulf Islands that are public land - part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve - and they offer various recreation opportunities.

DAY ONE: Launching at low tide is a little tricky at Lummi Point. This was the first time we used their lift system - it worked great!

 We stopped at customs before coming through this man-made cut between North and South Pender Island.

Our home base for the week was at Port Browning Marina and Resort which is just northwest of the cut in the islands.

We picked it because it had a pool - and we were super happy to learn that it had a pretty big area for little kids that was only 2' deep!

 Not to mention, it had a great view and a huge, grassy lawn.

 Edison liked playing Go Fish with dad while I put Charlotte to sleep each night.

 DAY TWO: Every day we went out to explore a new spot / island and check out potential future camping spots. Our first day we stayed close and went to Bedwell Harbour on Pender Island. Great little beach, easy to get to shore from the Whaler, a few nice camp spots near the beach, and even protected anchorage.

 As we were leaving, we saw a pod of orcas on the south side of the island. They are following the salmon which are running right now.

 It was pretty surreal and amazing.

 But if you look the other way, you see all the commercial whale watching boats which is kind of disturbing.

 Every afternoon we'd do a dip in the pool before dinner.

 DAY THREE: We took the boat for a lap around Saturna Island - the furthest east of the Gulf Islands.

 The waves against the soft sandstone make for some really amazing formations.

 We explored Narvaez Bay for camping potential but found that its super shallow beach was not conducive to landing the Whaler. Most people bike or kayak into this spot.

 We took a picnic to Cabbage Island and enjoyed some time on the best sandy beach we found all week. The whole island is park of the Gulf Islands Reserve and there are some great camping spots and tide lands.

 A beautiful view of Mount Baker through the marsh dividing the island.

 The exposed north side is a bit rough, but great for driftwood walking.

 Twenty-eight weeks pregnant and feeling pretty good.

 We finished our lap by coming through tiny Boat Pass on the west side of Saturna.

 Check out the crazy tidal currents - it is about a foot difference as the water rushes through. Definitely wouldn't do that in a sailboat.

 Enjoying our perch of a camp spot above the rest of the resort - giant grassy lawn below and boat dock in the distance.