Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

The first time Tony and I left Charles in the care of grandparents, we made a dramatic getaway: one week in Mexico.  Charles was 18 months old and teething.  This time, we only left for the weekend, taking a short ferry ride to Orcas Island where we were mostly out of cellphone range.  Jamie is 17 months old and still not teething.  We forgot the camera and Tony forgot his bathing suit, but that was okay, because the hot tubs were private. 

 

This might have been the best trip ever, though I’m sure we felt that way about Mexico, too.  It’s amazing how wonderful a full night’s sleep feels.

 

 

This guy turned 35.  Whoa.  We celebrated by being interrupted (ahem!) by the maintenance man at the resort wanting to check on the lights or some shit.  We also drove to the top of a mountain, and I know it was a mountain because it is called MOUNT Constitution and because we were in the clouds at the top.

 

 

But out of the clouds, on the turnouts and scenic overlooks, we had an excellent view of the San Juan archipelago.  Not that you can tell from my crappy iPhone photo.

 

 

I thought one of the more interesting aspects of the drive to the top was the CCC-era mossy, overgrown guardrails whose wood had rotten out over the years.  I didn’t take a picture.  Still, if you ever go there, that’s what those chunks of moss-covered cement with a giant nail driven through them are.  Let’s see if someone else on the internet has taken a photo.  Hmm, apparently not.  Well, at any rate, the scenery up the mountain is incredible, and I’m sure it would be fun to camp/hike/bike/swim there in the summer.  As it was, it was raining.

 

Tony got to have a birthday burger and he said it was great, and we relaxed and slept and went for a run, during which we saw several deer (so that’s why they call it Deer Harbor), and watched bad television (wow – I had forgotten how annoying commercials are!) and soaked in the tub until it was time to go home.  Then, we hopped back on the ferry, where we put together a puzzle until we docked.

 

 

Both the ferry trip out and back home (different boats) had several puzzles on the tables for passengers to work on.  What a great idea!  We had a good time, and the voyage passed quickly (we needed a good distraction because the Seahawks game was on but the truck had no radio signal on the lower deck).

 

 

And these guys seemed no worse for the wear (though I am sure my parents are exhausted).  And they have a new affinity for games on the phone or Grandpa’s iPad.

 

Many thanks to my mom and dad for taking care of our boys (including Buster) while we were gone.  If birthday presents for me and Tony for the next 18 years or so consist only of babysitting, we consider ourselves lucky, indeed.