Fort Ebey

What a great weekend. We camped two nights in Fort Ebey on Whidbey Island in Washington State. Usually this time of year we go to Deception Pass, but it was full. Turns out we had an even better time. It was hot in the afternoon but cool enough at night for sweatpants and zipped up sleeping bags. We heard foghorns and bouy-bells and walked on a spectacular bluff trail. I accidentally caught the sunset when I sneaked out of dishwashing time to stretch the dog. A big mango disc slipping remarkably quickly behind on of the San Juan Islands with the water and sky all around it just like old hydrangeas. I thought I was by myself, but then I heard applause and cheers for the sunset from twos and threes of fellow sky-watchers perched on the bluffs and parked on the trails here and there. That's the goodness of camping, you can just stand there and watch the sky and it's the best show there is.

Speaking of the dog, she suspended her morbid camera fear on the beach one day and we got some good shots which is wonderful. She's been with us 2 1/2 years, and I think I have one photograph that isn't of her butt in frightened retreat.

We had a campfire both nights with enough s'mores to keep the kids all sticky and happy and saying things like "shmellow time!" It's so damp there from the morning ocean fog that they rarely ban fires. My friends Louise and Robin and Ralph and my parents were there too. We shared the cooking and washing up and the kid-watching and did a bit of exploring and some sitting and relaxing. My big triumph is learning to park the trailer (with a little help from Louise).

Now there's laundry and gear stowing. We won't camp again this summer, so I'll transfer the stuff like the stove and the little tent into our emergency bin in our shed. We're already talking about where to go next year. Summer is so short.

question: is marshmallow liking/not liking genetically determined?

mompoet - not liking