Hartstine Island

Ok, I know you've all been waiting to hear about Hartstine Island, our last camping trip of the summer. Our girls had been waiting all summer to go. We left Newberg August 22 and returned August 25th.

Hartstine Island is in the southernmost tip of Puget Sound. To get there we traveled North on I-5 to Olympia Washington, then headed west on HWY101 to Shelton, a small forestry town (see the map linked to the photo album).

The entire area looks like a lake or river, until you get near enough to smell seaweed and saltwater. When you walk along the pebbly beach, you unexpectedly find barnacles, crabs, sand dollars, and oysters. The water level is affected by the tides, although it is still a 4 hour drive north to where this water opens up on the ocean proper.

The cabin we stayed at belongs to my friend Sonia's uncle. It's a place she and her family have been coming to for years and years, originally purchased as a Christmas tree farm by her Great-Grandparents. So while we "camped" in the bus, to allow others to use the cabin's bedrooms, we had access to the huge bathroom, modern kitchen, and spacious dining room table.

Sonia has a lot of friends. She invited 35 people, and most of them showed up at some point during the weekend, although there were about 20 of us who stayed overnight. Annick and Sean brought their new baby Eadon, and Will and Kathleen brought their daughter Gretchen. Kate and Torey brought their kids Claira and Zoe.

This meant my Zoe and Cassie had plenty of kids to play with. Zoe was especially surprised to be the second oldest kid there. She's used to being the littlest, but rose to the "be a role model" challenge just fine.

We had awesome weather for Saturday. Activities included pickleball, swinging in the large swing, relaxing, reading, talking with friends, swimming (for those brave enough to ignore the cold), canoeing/kayaking, and hanging out. Saturday evening the party really got started with great food and loud music. After S'mores, the girls joined the patio dance party and had a blast!

Check out the photo album here:
Hartstine Weekend

Sunday morning was fairly nice, but most of the guests had to leave to prep for work on Monday. By the afternoon, we were the only guests left. It started pouring really hard, and so we made use of our indoor games and activities. We took naps and worked on craft projects. Sonia was leaving the next day for the desert- going to the Burning Man art festival in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. One of Sonia's favorite traditions about this is the many costumes that people wear. So she worked on her costumes and got them organized for later when she would be tired from travelling and unwilling to search through unsorted stuff.

The sunset that evening was spectacular, I couldn't stop taking pictures, and then they all turned out so good that I had a really hard time weeding them out. Check out the full array here:
Sunset Photos

We were sad to leave on Monday morning, but happy that we came and created yet another fond Hartstine memory.

Labor Day Weekend

Wow! School starts in just a few short days. Last Thursday, we went to the supplies night & Ice Cream Social, where we met the girl's new teachers, delivered their supplies, and met up with friends we didn't manage to run into over the summer.

Zoe will have a desk for the first time- her teacher prefers desks to mere tables, and so Zoe is really looking forward to being a big kid. Cassie will have a planner this year, a daily log of what she's working on and a different way to track her daily homework.

So today we went out on the town, "downtown" Newberg. We checked out the new Saturday market, sparsely filled with booths and shoppers. I liked their approach to this car Illegally parked in the middle of the no-car zone. These signs are in front, behind, and on all sides, forcing the driver to move the signs before getting in or pulling out.

We visited the new toy store, Hey Diddle Diddle. And as you can see, we also visited Critter Cabana, the local pet shop that takes full advantage of the 40's style wraparound display windows.

One side they have converted to a terrarium, complete with Koi pond, iguanas, and snakes, lounging in the warm glow of heat lamps. On the other side they have the kittens, all curled up. This side is open on the inside of the store for you to go in and hold the babies. What could sell better than cute kids in your store window interacting with cute kittens?


We did NOT bring one home, no matter how tempting, but we did pick up some supplies for Camilla. But when we got home Peter did ask her how well she would adjust to a new kitten after 10+ years as a solitary cat of the house. She just stared back at him in that cool cat way, a mystery in her lithe older years.

School Shopping

Ah, that new crayon smell! Don't you just love that? New crayons and blank paper- the endless possibilities! Thanks to Jeanne Mom for reminding me to post something new already!

Last weekend, the 15th-16th, we had planned to go the Ochoco National Forest to camp with my Mom's cousin Betsy & family. My Mom's brother Mike and his wife Leigh were able to make it, along with Betsy's son Neil, his wife, and father in law. Whew! Lots of people! It would have been really fun, except. . .

We realized that we've been really busy. Too busy, in fact. Camping nearly every weekend is fun, and makes for wonderful memories. But we just needed a time to relax. Zoe mentioned that she was worried about starting first grade with no crayons or pencils for school. Reluctantly, I contacted Betsy and canceled our RSVP. My Mom & Dad took pictures.

So instead of spending $200 to take Peter to my reunion, we took the kids back to school shopping! We got all the required school supplies, plus a few extras to donate. On Saturday I took the girls to McMinnville where we found good deals on clothes to accommodate growing bodies and changing tastes in clothes.

Meanwhile, Peter went to Oregon City to help friends of ours remodel their house. Tim is an electrician, and he is doing most of the work himself. Ben & Peter joined him to help destroy existing stuff in the attic, to replace it with new stuff. As Peter described coming down from the hot dusty attic in 104 degree weather and walking right into the spray from a garden hose, I was really glad we didn't join him.

Sunday we didn't go anywhere. We read books, relaxed, and sorted all the school supplies.

Tomorrow, August 22nd, we are leaving for a 4 day weekend on Hartstine island. It's in the tip of Puget Sound, near Olympia. We've done this every year for a few years now, and we all look forward to it. We're staying in a cabin with Sonia Honeydew, a good friend of mine from Jr. High and High School. we only see each other once a year, but it's always like we were just talking yesterday. So stay tuned for more amazing photos next episode!