You are currently browsing posts tagged with travel
Recently we went to my hometown of Yakima to visit family and enjoy the blistering dry heat and desert sun. Going from the Seattle area to Yakima requires going across a mountain pass. The condition of “The Pass” is forever a source of discussion in the state of Washington. Is it snowing? Is there construction? Are there avalanches? Is it backed up with traffic? Upon entering The Pass there is very very very little in the way of civilization until Ellensburg (smack dab in the middle of the state) and some people might argue that Ellensburg does not constitute real cililization.
So, on late Sunday afternoon we headed back, hoping that the kids would rest, the baby would sleep and we would make it home in time to order take out and watch some DVR-ed shows. Most people who travel The Pass stop “at the top” to take in the beauty, stretch, and use the state provided bathrooms. As we passed that last rest area before “the top” I realized that I was cutting it a little bit close in terms of that state provided bathroom. But, hey, I have a teacher bladder and I am sure I can make it.
Then we hit traffic.
Bad traffic.
Backed up for miles, bad traffic.
I am sure we’ll be along shortly. We all thought.
So, to pass the time time (no pun intended) and to take my mind of the every-growing need to pee, I pulled out my camera.
Here is Jade’s vote for our Christmas picture 2010. What is clear to me, is that we need a bigger car.
Entertaining the baby.
After a while I noticed that there were children playing on the freeway. I then started to fear for my bladder.
Facebook updates informed us that we were looking at 10 miles of backups and a possible 2 hour delay.
I looked to my right — only to see a sheer rock face. No hope for a behind-the-tree emergency potty break
I looked to my left — only to see tons of oncoming traffic. This is the one are of The Pass that does not have a center median. No relief there.
I spotted possible salvation parked behind us.
This is one of those times I don’t think I am going to be able to talk Dave into helping out. There is no way he is going to walk up to that camper, knock ont he door, and ask if his wife can use their bathroom. Besides, it might have a serial killer inside, or really mean outdoorsmen.
Luckily, 90 minutes after we stopped, the lane next to us starting moving. The camper pulled in next to us, and then pulled ahead, and as I saw my last hope drive off I shouted, “FOLLOW THAT POTTY!” And we did.
I made it just in time.
Even teacher-bladders have their limit.
A while back I blogged on MeRa Koh’s site about handing my camera over to Ty and having him photograph his world. Well, during our recent Spring Break trip to Whidbey Island, I decided to try this again. I guess I just wasn’t in the space to get outside and shoot lots of pictures. But I didn’t want our wonderful vacation to go by undocumented (GASP!), either.
This time, I put some restrictions on their photos. I told them they could each take only ten pictures. I wanted to focus their eye — so instead of just random, scatter-shots, the kids would really think about what they wanted to document and preserve.
I think you will be pleased with the results. Here are some samples:
First up, Lily (10).
White Shell
"Destroyed" Crab in Pirate Fort (actually, its plastic)
Next is Izzy (12):
Shoes, Sand, and Seaweed
Self Portrait
Next up, Jade — our resident teenager (14):
Sunset over the Saratoga Passage
Sister at Sunset (sounds like a Magic Treehouse book!)
I’m actually really impressed with Jade’s photos. Due to a fluke, she ended up shooting her photos on “Aperture Priority.” Which means, the photographer sets the aperture or F-stop (or controls the BLUR in the background) and the camera will select the shutter speed. It’s not terribly advanced, but it is a step up from shooing on automatic. Here’s another one:
Garden Outside Bunkhouse (where the TV fell on her).
And last, Ty (4). Okay, so he was in a hurry that morning.
Jade's Leg and Back Patio Tile
What was the most fascinating for me was that each child took a completely unique set of pictures! So, I ended up with 40 pictures of our little vacation spot and I got to do THIS while they “Slaved Away”:
Picture by Grandma Bloo. Don’t you just LOVE my flirtatious pose?
I admit it, I am homebody. I really do like to curl up with a good book or a reality TV show. When Dave and I do manage to actually go out, it is usually to a familiar haunt where the bartenders know our names.
But, I will say, that a good vacation is still something that I look forward to. Even though with a baby it still means diapers and sleep issues, I find that dealing with those things without “life” is a welcome change. This spring break we went to a place that caters to hermits and recluses like me. Whidbey Island and our new found vacation home is only about 90 minutes door-to-door from our home. The part of the island we visited was near Langley and it is a sleepy little village town. Here is city hall:
Langley City Hall
It makes me want to move there!
We found a grocery store that mostly sold milk in glass bottles… from a DAIRY! Luckily we were able to find some in plastic jugs, so we were good.
We always hit up the local bookstore. There is nothing quite like a small island bookstore:
Here is where Dave and I talked about major life decisions (notice beach in background):
And here is the pirate fort on the beach:
This is the kind of place where the kids walk outside and play for hours. This is the kind of place where you actually have to watch where you step because of how many shells are littered on the beach. We say gray whales, herons, and bald eagles. We cannot wait to go back!
The reason why Dave and I could never partner up for THE AMAZING RACE has little to do with my fear of heights and my distaste for airline travel.
It has to do with the complete and utter lack of ability for us to get from point A to point B with A.) not fighting or B.) in a timely and effecient manner.
Each week we go to some friends’ house for dinner and fellowship. The live approximately 45 seconds away by car.
45. Seconds. Away.
The trouble is that there are two possible routes to take. Imagine the route being like a clock. We live at the 10 and our friends live at the 4. So, we could go clockwise to get there or, yup, counterclockwise.
Every single freakin’ week we argue about which is the better way to go. We argue for the entire 45 seconds. I am pro-counterclockwise. Dave is all about clockwise. He is wrong. And, I think he knows it. So, one week we took two cars — each in our favorite directions. We arrived at exactly the same time. And this settled nothing. Not a thing. We continue to grumble and bark at each other… on our way to dinner, fellowship, and prayer.
So, for Spring Break Grandma treated the family to a short vacation at Whidbey Island. This is a wonderful place only 1 hour and 15 minutes away from our house — and that is including the ferry ride. When one travels to Whidbey Island one morphs from suburbia to rural and quaint. This is a place with “locals.” And we managed to turn that hour and fifteen minutes into two hours and 20 minutes.
I won’t go into the details. But it was totally Dave’s fault. He even thinks so.
The good news is that we didn’t fight. Izzy said, “Aunt Kari, you didn’t even use the F-Word one time!”
See, now, that is a good vacation.
« Older Entries
