Washington Weekend>>Hood Canal

I grew up in the rain, in the lush, soothing green of the coastal northwest and Alaska. I think I considered myself more Cascadian than anything else most of my life. I know I rather snobbily thought the "Midwest" was bordered by the Cascade Mountains on the west wide and the Appalachians on the east. Now, of course, I live in the dry-side of Washington, and while my kids are probably the only ones in town with full raingear suits, they rarely wear them, never in our own town, and they've missed out on some of my childhood loves. Puddles, for instance, and the wonderfulness of jumping and splashing in them. Rainy days that last for days. Storms coming in off the ocean. The beach in the spring and fall, when it's empty and cold and gray and you feel like the last child at the end of the earth. Tidepools. Silent forests with thick, spongey floors and undergrowth and a million hidden hideaways. Ferns covered in rain. Taking shelter under a giant moss covered tree in a sudden downpour. Waking up to the sound of rain. The feel of your skin against a wet raincoat. It's true- they mostly think raincoats and boots are for dress-up.
Anyway, the weather was beautiful this weekend over on the Hood Canal. sunny and warm and perfect. Not rainy a bit. Here are some pictures- the few I took before my camera was the victim of a murder- well, accidental homicide, at least.
Ferns, unfurling. I grew up eating new baby ferns, called fiddleheads. A wet-side of the state spring treat. Now I'm rarely in the presence of ferns, and even more rarely somewhere I can pick them to eat. But I always like looking at them.

Our before supper treat Saturday night: fresh oysters, cooked in the shell in the campfire. Avery tromped around the Hood Canal with our friend Bob and found a bunch of oysters, they cooked them and we all ate them. Aaron's "trying to acquire" a taste, Miles isn't bothering- there's plenty of food that tastes good outright, I guess. Avery ate four, I think, and could barely eat supper he was so full. Mmmm. Food you hunt or gather yourself is always the tastiest!

Miles, refusing to look at the camera. Hmmm. I mean, Miles, looking angelic.

Avery, who spent the whole weekend making silly faces for the camera. This was the best I could get. He was proud to show me the oysters cooking, and excited to try one.

And, you know, the usual ridiculous baby picture. Because we don't want to leave him out, but he's almost always on my chest, in the wrap, and so I can only pictures of the top of his head. Which is sweet, but really. He makes the funniest fleeting faces, we're trying to capture his absolute chunkiness- we've never had a chubby baby before- and he's so delicious!