Hike to the light house!

There we are: A happy little family enjoying the view from the top of the Dungeness Spit lighthouse. We don't look a bit frazzled, over-heated or exhausted.
Well, maybe a bit. It's actually a hike of over 5 miles to get from the mainland out to the end of the spit, where the lighthouse sits. Here's a view from the mainland:
Can you see that tiny speck way out on the horizon, just to the left of the trees? Probably not, but that little speck was our destination.
As we started out, we thought, like all the other times we'd come to the Spit, that we'd just walk a ways and then turn back. After all, it was only mid-morning and already verging on intensely hot. But as we got a mile or so away from shore, a breeze picked up and it became bearable. By the time we stopped to eat lunch, we were far enough along that there was no sense in turning back, and we decided to go the whole way.
We made a deal with Silas that if he walked all the way to the lighthouse, Drew would carry him back.
We were all very proud of ourselves when we beheld this sight:
Still a 10+ mile hike with no shade did leave it's mark, although Silas was magically spared sunburn. Poor Drew was sore for days after carrying our 35 pound son on his back for 5 miles. But it was all worth it.

The Spit is a national wildlife refuge, particularly for birds. Along with a few seals, we saw...
A Bald Eagle...
a Peregrine Falcon (much bigger than an eagle, which I wasn't expecting)...
And a lone Brant.

Silas has spent the past week talking about lighthouses, and this morning, we built one out of blocks. This hike definitely left an impression on all of us :)

The Olympic Mountains behind you, the Canadian coastal range in front and water all around...If you are ever out on the Olympic Peninsula, DO NOT miss Dungeness Spit. Even if you don't go all the way out to the lighthouse, this is still one of the most gorgeous places you could ever find yourself.

Boats and Water photoshoot

As promised, here are a few pics from our weekend photo shoot. Silas always asks to go see the boats when we're downtown, so taking a walk to the marina, and the Waterfront Park, is pretty commonplace. Up above: Silas and I are at the end of one of the piers, next to a boat that's named, no joke, "The Knotty Nurse."

Here we are at the Waterfront Park adjacent to the marina.
You probably can't tell from these shots, but this is the hull of a boat that's been planted in the ground and is used as a stage for events in the park.
Silas loves to run around on it. Clearly it's also a favorite of local graffiti artists.We determined that the paint chipping looked like a bat. Silas now requests to see the "bat pictures."
The kid is looking none too pleased in this next image. But it's a decent picture of me, so whatever. I'm posting it.
And a couple more of the waterfront: People dock rowboats next to shore and then take them out to their houseboats, yachts, or even their houses across the harbor.
Out-of-service ferries in the distance (in service ferry is a bit beyond them, but not in view).
I will post a few more from the farmers market and whatnot some other time.

Beach boys, or, a Pisces shows his true colors

We went to one of the Island's beach-front parks yesterday morning. Silas sported the cool shades Auntie Jennie sent to him, as he splashed in the water. It was impossible to keep him out of the waves. Not pictured is Silas taking a header into the Sound and his parents freaking out a wee bit about it: He had been headed up the beach towards some dogs when he suddenly veered right and plunged in before Drew could stop him. I was down the beach a bit and didn't catch him going in, but looked up in time to see Drew extract him from the water. Was he upset? Yes. But not because he immersed himself in the water. He was quite irate that his dad removed him from the water and wouldn't let him go back in. I think it might be time to get him some swimming lessons, yes?