Boomers on the Road 6/28/10

On Saturday the whole gang, all ten of us, took the Seattle - Bremerton ferry for a family picnic. Not to go to Bremerton as our destination, mind you. We just took the ferry for the ride, packed a huge lunch and watched the Puget Sound flow by. On a few occasions Mount Rainier was perfectly framed by one of the picture windows. It is so enormous one would think that it had to be just a few miles away. We were lucky to have a rare sunny day for our adventure and the clarity made all of the greenness of the landscaped yards really pop. Of course all of the homes located on the shores of the Sound are in the 'high rent' areas so they are not only beautifully landscaped but huge and stylish. The views were stunning, the day was sunny, the kids were well behaved and the food was bountiful...ahhhh, thank you God, for a wonderful day.
The crossing takes about an hour, then we were docked in Bremerton while the ferry unloaded and picked up a new group of vehicles and people which took another twenty minutes or so then back to Seattle for an hour which made the whole crossing just the right amount of time to enjoy without getting bored. The best part is we all traveled for less than $50. The ferry has a great cafe' on board if we had chosen to forego the packed lunch and everyone was able to enjoy touring the boat as we traveled. I think the kids have to have shared at least one loaf of the freshly baked French bread with the gulls. Eyes were big and the speech a bit stuttery when I heard about how one of the birds "just swooped down and took a piece of bread right from my hand, Gramma!"
After we re-grouped, once ashore, we followed Moses and Noel in their SUV to a south Seattle art district called Georgetown where the once thriving Rainier Beer Brewery has been reinvented as an art colony and 'condo' for shops. They were having a street fair with blocks cordoned off for various artists, where they galleried their works, and multiple bands. The people swarmed the area and the vision of the avant-garde and colorful costumes of those hipsters attending was all part of the days art offerings.
Tom and I were a little overwhelmed and glad that our sweet little great-granddaughter Izzy was asleep in her car seat so we had an excuse to sit and watch. We decided to head back to the family property in Redmond, where Moses and Noel and their four are living in a cabin my dad built in the 1960's. He moved our original cabin that my family used every summer, from the corner of my aunt's adjoining property and used much of that material to construct the current cabin. Both my parents had built the first cabin shortly after they had married in 1940. They would be delighted to see their great-grandchildren living there, exploring the creek and picking berries. It is very nostalgic for me to walk the property with them, and true to being the old granny, I share stories with them of my own youth, doing pretty much the same things they are doing now.
When Moses, Noel, Kaylanne, Chloe and Solomon returned home (we had taken Emma and Isaiah with us) we got to hear all about the artists and music and Kaylanne modeled her vintage coat that she found for $5. Noel and I made plans to re-create a crocheted head band she had seen and we left for our rolling condo. Sunday we attended a 'mega-church' in Redmond with the Scofields and the boys were signed up for Summer Vacation Camp. The girls are looking forward to the youth group activities that will be going on during the summer. Kaylanne and I enjoyed the service and we all found ourselves discussing the sermon over lunch back at the cabin.
Earlier in the week Tom and I had taken 'just the girls' into downtown Redmond for a little window shopping. The town has grown so much since I was living here in the 1980s that it was virtually unrecognizable to me. What had once been a golf course was now developed into a very trendy shopping area, much like an open air mall with escalators and fountains scattered throughout. We shared some specialty cupcakes from a cute little shop that has made quite an impression on the girls ($3 each!) and stopped at one of the sidewalk tables in front of the bookstore to have a cup of coffee while Kaylanne browsed. Another sunny day in paradise...and one to keep me wondering if it really does rain all of the time up here.
Tuesday we will leave. Boo hoo! I will miss seeing my beautiful kids, but Kaylanne has decided she wants to see the towns of Forks and La Push over on the Olympic Peninsula where the vampire series of books she has been reading are centered. I love this part of the world, but alas, my wonderful husband is not so enamored. Soon we will be heading south again. I'll let you know how things go...keep us in your prayers for safe travel!