Summer is breathing its last smokey gasps here in Seattle, but I’ve still got a couple of sunny hurrahs on the photo reel. We spent a long weekend in Idaho back in July – I was eager for a change of scenery and wanted to leave Juliette there for a few extra days at “Grandma and Grandpa Camp” (we needed a break from being all at home, all together, all the time). We spent our most of our weekend in Idaho lakeside, walking or wading or floating.
Juliette hasn’t been on a set of monkey bars for six months, so she was pretty pumped to see that the playground across the street from my mom and dad’s house was open for business.
With an ice cream truck to boot!
Juliette and my mom were always the first up in the morning – I rolled out of bed each day to find that they had already made their mug muffins and brewed their tea. These two also apparently shared some good heart-to-hearts – my mom says Juliette is wise beyond her years…
But when the chit-chat ended, it was right down to business…
Juliette has been asking for awhile to go fishing, so we took advantage of Grandpa’s gear and the quiet little pond at Falls Park and spent Sunday morning with a line in the water.
No bites, but she was a good sport about it.
I was bound and determined to watch Juliette reel in a fish, so that evening we tried our luck on the Spokane River at Corbin Park.
Still no bites, but she got some excellent casting practice and the water cooled our heels after a 90-degree afternoon.
I had an overwhelming sense of deja vu, watching Juliette poke at the worms and take casting lessons from my dad – the childhood memories came flooding back. It was like I got to vicariously be six again.
Juliette came up zeroes on fishing, but she and my mom blitzed that puzzle. Success!
My mom and I took an evening walk around the neighborhood on Sunday and I got all googly-eyed over the wheel lines and chaff and barns. Country stuff looks so good at sunset.
Shane and I worked from my mom and dad’s house on Monday while Juliette bopped around with Grandma and Grandpa, then all of us got out in the evening for a paddle at Black Bay Park.
Make a wish, kiddo!
Shane and I headed home on Tuesday while Juliette stayed back with my mom and dad. It was nice to be able to focus on work for a few days without a bored six year-old as my office mate, but gosh, we missed her! And I know it was a little tough for her to be away from us after so many months of being all together, ALL THE TIME, but she knocked out several more puzzles with my mom, caught two fish with my dad, and apparently devoured a pancake twice the size of her head at my parents’ favorite local breakfast spot. She was in good hands. In fact, maybe I need to make my reservation at Grandma and Grandpa camp?