Beach Day

What better place to enjoy a picnic than down at the beach?

Hotdogs roasted over a campfire made of driftwood, yummy salads, S'MORES, and...

...watermelon!

Don't forget the watermelon. Or this one will have words with you.

After eating, there is no limit on the number of activities for the kids (and kids-at-heart!)

Playing in the sand at the water's edge,

collecting rocks and shells,

and doing THIS over and over again...

I KNOW! It's just too much fun!

Even though Puget Sound is super cold, it's still fun to wade out a little bit.

Or just have fun from the shore!

Making seaweed hats...

...or holding on to real ones. Either works!

Not really a "beach activity" but we saw plenty of these this year too. ;)

But the highlight of our beach day was a very special concert. Two of the kids disappeared for a while and came back with this - their concert order!

Here they are ready to begin...

Discussing the song order...

And singing their hearts out!

A perfect ending to a perfect picnic.

Vashon 2011

Vashon Island, Washington

This is the house where Erik's grandmother and her 6 brothers and sisters were born. The house that was built by Erik's great-grandfather who traded the beauty of Norway for the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. The house that has heard the conversations of adults and the giggles of children for 100 years.

Each summer, our kids slide down the same sand dunes that Erik and his cousins climbed. They discover starfish and anemones in the same tidepools that Erik's mom and her cousins explored. They play at the water's edge of beautiful Puget sound, just as four generations of children have played.

Thank you, Vashon, for all of the memories so far. We look forward to many, many more.