Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
It's My Ferryboat
Our San Juan adventure continued with Leo once again leading the reveille.
Meanwhile, Miles enjoyed the company of his friend Paloma.
She has a very bubbly personality.
Like any set of diligent youngsters, Miles and Paloma set to work on reshaping the beach.
It was important to lay claim to this strategic spot.
Each morning, a Washington State ferry steamed by through Spieden Channel, bound for Sidney, B.C., and every afternoon, the same ferry made the return journey. Miles was initially delighted by the appearance of the ferry, exclaiming, "It's my ferry. I wanna get on. I wanna drive it!" His mood darkened considerably when we explained that the ferry would not stop at our little dock.
He had to settle for a reasonable facsimile.
Leo maintained his equilibrium throughout it all.
He also behaved himself very well as Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a dinner out at Roche Harbor....
... and took a walk around the historic Haro Hotel.
A visit to Roche was also part of our morning routine, as it was necessary to secure fresh coffee....
... and donuts.
We marked a changing of the guard with the departure of Grandma Margee and her friend Jill....
... and the arrival of Grandpa Dave and Grandma Ba-Ba-Ba.
Miles was happy to go along for the ride....
... no matter what the form of conveyance.
As was Leo, for that matter.
Of course, there was no better way to get around in style than one's own tractor...
...unless, of course, you were tracking sea otters... in which case a kayak was indispensable.
Back on the beach, look what floated in with the driftwood!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Morning Has Broken
Our first full day on San Juan Island dawned; mercifully free of fire alarms.
Suddenly, Miles noticed that he had a younger brother.
It was a startling discovery.
A pretty cute little brother, it turned out.
Meanwhile, Miles scouted locations for his Hitchcock-inspired film project, Psycho Birds.
He conducted a few auditions as well.
The competition for parts was fierce.
But Miles was most excited about Lonesome Cove's friendly whippet.
Meanwhile, the adults enjoyed a sunset paddle in Speiden Channel.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
When he hears that fire alarm...
We had such a great time at Lonesome Cove on San Juan Island last fall that we booked a return trip this year.
For Miles, this meant an opportunity to take a much-anticipated ferry ride!
He was all set to join the crew.
Leo was pretty jazzed about it, too.
But the day's real excitement didn't begin until we landed in Friday Harbor. Because we had caught a much earlier boat than expected, the Saturday Public Market had not yet opened, so we parked ourselves at the friendly Mi Piace Coffee House. There was even a comfy couch and a DVD player for Miles to watch, so Mommy and Daddy could finally relax their guard and enjoy their coffee. Of course, they didn't notice that just behind Miles was a fire extinguisher. And just above that was a fire alarm.
No one saw it happen, but as soon as the alarm began bleating, we knew that somehow our little angel must be responsible. Unfortunately, it turns out that fire alarms--at least fire alarms in Friday Harbor--can't be turned off by anyone who is not an actual firefighter. No one in the shop fit that description (the closest thing we had was merely an aspiring one, and he had not exactly earned a merit badge by pulling the alarm). Still, as patrons clutched their ears and left half-eaten meals to drift into the street, Miles was the only one who stayed completely calm, reassuring anyone who would listen, "It's O.K.! It's not an emergency!"
We apologized profusely to the staff and, downing our coffee as quickly as humanly possible, left the largest tip in proportion to the bill that we had ever given in our lives. Out on the street our mortification only increased, as every shop on the block had emptied, and the alarm was seemingly audible throughout the entire town.
We drove sheepishly toward the market, only to see the entire San Juan Island Fire Department mustering for a sortie in full battle regalia. We stopped to assure them it was a false alarm, just an overeager toddler, they could put the truck away, really it would be quicker if someone just walked the two blocks over to the coffee shop and turned off the alarm. But no. They had to respond with every piece of equipment at their disposal. Standard procedure.
Miles didn't let the now infamous "Fire Alarm Incident" slow him down.
There was too much to do!
We arrived at beautiful Lonesome Cove and immediately began exploring the surroundings.
Yes, this place would do quite nicely.
Leo was in an expansive mood.
As the sun set over our little bay, we didn't dwell on the morning's misadventure. Nor did we put to much emphasis on any lessons to be learned, lest the correlation between pulling a fire alarm and the appearance of fire trucks become too obvious.
For Miles, this meant an opportunity to take a much-anticipated ferry ride!
He was all set to join the crew.
Leo was pretty jazzed about it, too.
But the day's real excitement didn't begin until we landed in Friday Harbor. Because we had caught a much earlier boat than expected, the Saturday Public Market had not yet opened, so we parked ourselves at the friendly Mi Piace Coffee House. There was even a comfy couch and a DVD player for Miles to watch, so Mommy and Daddy could finally relax their guard and enjoy their coffee. Of course, they didn't notice that just behind Miles was a fire extinguisher. And just above that was a fire alarm.
No one saw it happen, but as soon as the alarm began bleating, we knew that somehow our little angel must be responsible. Unfortunately, it turns out that fire alarms--at least fire alarms in Friday Harbor--can't be turned off by anyone who is not an actual firefighter. No one in the shop fit that description (the closest thing we had was merely an aspiring one, and he had not exactly earned a merit badge by pulling the alarm). Still, as patrons clutched their ears and left half-eaten meals to drift into the street, Miles was the only one who stayed completely calm, reassuring anyone who would listen, "It's O.K.! It's not an emergency!"
We apologized profusely to the staff and, downing our coffee as quickly as humanly possible, left the largest tip in proportion to the bill that we had ever given in our lives. Out on the street our mortification only increased, as every shop on the block had emptied, and the alarm was seemingly audible throughout the entire town.
We drove sheepishly toward the market, only to see the entire San Juan Island Fire Department mustering for a sortie in full battle regalia. We stopped to assure them it was a false alarm, just an overeager toddler, they could put the truck away, really it would be quicker if someone just walked the two blocks over to the coffee shop and turned off the alarm. But no. They had to respond with every piece of equipment at their disposal. Standard procedure.
Miles didn't let the now infamous "Fire Alarm Incident" slow him down.
There was too much to do!
We arrived at beautiful Lonesome Cove and immediately began exploring the surroundings.
Yes, this place would do quite nicely.
Leo was in an expansive mood.
As the sun set over our little bay, we didn't dwell on the morning's misadventure. Nor did we put to much emphasis on any lessons to be learned, lest the correlation between pulling a fire alarm and the appearance of fire trucks become too obvious.
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