In addition to our annual pilgrimage to Fort Flagler, we’ve made a tradition of spending a weekend roughing it on Bainbridge Island with the gang. Since the campground is just a few miles from the ferry terminal, Shane usually opts to get there by bike. This year he brought a buddy:
Look who we found on the boat!
I was ever-so-slightly anxious about these two biking on the hilly roads, so I was extra-happy when they rolled into camp (with big ol’ smiles on their faces).
Tent: check!
Best bud: check!
Bunny ears (they had no idea): check!
Everyone had arrived by evening and we gathered around the campfire for s’mores. No matter what we’re doing, Jordan always seems to up the ante – this time, it was with whiskey-soaked marshmallows.
Scrolling through these pics makes me a little misty eyed. These folks. These are my people.
We went down to the beach after dessert and watched the kids haul wood into their fort for a pretend campfire as the sun set.
We woke to gray skies and a chill in the air on Saturday morning, so after breakfast and more log-hauling, I was ready to head toward civilization for a little pick-me-up.
The guys decided to go to town by foot while the moms and kids went by car. We pulled up at the tail end of their very public glutes and quads workout.
Ah…camping!
We took over Fletcher Bay Winery, ordering wine flights from the bar and pints of beer from the next-door brewery.
We returned to camp just as the clouds parted, so La Verne and I headed out for a paddle.
In hindsight, this looks not-so-safe…
Dinner on Saturday was family-style, with chicken and hot dogs and tacos and twelve different kinds of chips.
Emily and Daniel saw a slight chance of rain in the forecast for Sunday morning and used that as their excuse to high-tail it back to Seattle on the 8pm ferry. Ah, well – all the togetherness was good while it lasted!
Isaiah did us the service of reading the kiddos their bedtime story. Next year, we’re just going to throw all the kids in their own tent for the whole night and see what happens.
While Shane broke down camp on Sunday morning, I took the kids down to the beach so that Juliette could hide the special treasure-rocks she had decorated at home.
Some kid is going to be so excited to discover this carefully-hidden hand-painted stone (or so Juliette believes).
We closed out the trip with a little Spike Ball, a little fireside chatter, and a round of hugs.
Jules, your chariot awaits! Catch you on the flip side.
