Rafting rocks. Seriously - SO much fun! The boys were so adventurous - riding the bull (aka riding on the tippy front of the raft and hanging onto the ropes), paddling us through rapids and even jumping off of a 15+ foot rock into the water! (That one almost killed mom to watch!)
You can see everyone except for the little guy in these photos. Matthew is up front between Mike and Paul...having ten thousand gallons of water dumped on his head over every rapid...
Here's a calmer spot, where you can see the little one, too. Could anyones smile be any bigger? :)
Once we finished our day on the Deschutes, we headed back to Black Butte Ranch for our annual summer trip. We had lots of pool time, roller blading, bike riding and relaxing on the deck. There's nothing like the smell of Ponderosa Pines (once the forest fire smoke let up a bit on our second day).
These cutie boys were outside almost all day, every day. Great way to cap off the summer!
Playing chicken with Uncle Paul. Car vs. bike/blades. Hmmm...
We celebrated Andrew's 9th birthday (again!) with Amy's delicious peach cobbler and some fun camping gifts for the boy...
Golf course soccer is becoming a tradition, as we stay on a home right near the course - when the golfers go home for the evening, the boys run out and play until the bats come out!
It was so lovely to have time to spend together in such a relaxing environment. Black Butte Ranch has a special place in my heart, since visiting our family's cabin as a little girl. I love sharing the tradition with my kids now. (If only I could get us back into that same cabin someday!)
The damn chickens ate my green beans. Not all of them - just the ones they could reach.
I still got some. Enough for one dinner.
We'll see if the top keeps growing or not. I'm pretty bummed. Damn birds. They aren't even giving us eggs yet - I'd probably be more forgiving if they were doing something in return for all of the plants they destroyed. At least they're cute...
I saw an itty bitty artichoke growing - so exciting! This picture makes it look regular sized, but really it's just barely bigger than a golf ball (and the little ones on the side - SO cute!)
This sunflower seeded itself last year...it's so gorgeous!
These aren't growing in the garden...but I'd bet I could catch some fish with them if I dangled them in the river...
Going home day isn't that much fun. It's actually kind of sad. Puts you in a bad mood...
We parked in the ferry line and walked over to The Doctor's Office for breakfast sandwiches....
After eating our breakfast outside, we tried one last time to see Popeye - she still wasn't there (but we later learned that Grandma Margaret saw her a few days after we left in this very spot!)
The seafood shop that Popeye hangs out at is the cutest little place, right on the dock!
Then we walked over to the aquarium on the dock and checked things out.
This crab was crazy colorful!
We watched our ferry arrive...
(just another plant/flower photo - I love succulents!)
Our drive home took much longer than our drive up...
...but eventually, we made it. It's good to be home, but even more exciting to think of the next trip up!
Our last full day in the islands...we decided to make it a laid back, do whatever kind of day. The boys started by exploring a different part of the yard -
They picked apples from the little tree that the deer couldn't reach...
Spent their reward money at Ositos (a Playmobil ferry) and Ace (camping gear). The reward was more of a bribe - Pop told the boys he'd give them each $10 a day if they didn't play any video games/watch tv/anything electronic. Guess what? Not only did they do that, but they did it so well! It was as if they didn't miss it at all! As you can tell if you've been following the past few days on the blog, there is PLENTY to do up in the islands!
(This is Andrew's not another picture, mom! face..Matthew thinks he's hiding.)
....relaxed at home with new toys and Emma...
At 5pm, some guy on the island feeds the eagles. We got there at 4:46 - just in time to see all the ravens take off with chicken legs. A few eagles showed up, swooped and one perched in a tree. Pop says it's typically much more spectacular than that, but the boys and I enjoyed hearing the ravens caw and watching the eagles swoop overhead. It was really an amazing experience.
Here's a video of the ravens - it's more of a hearing thing than a seeing thing. They make quite a racket at feeding time!
We watched this eagle fly - SO close to us - it was awesome!
Went and checked out a future fishing/swimming spot - Egg Lake. It was the neatest place - it almost looked like it was a set for a movie or something - so charming!
Andrew can't wait for his next summer trip so he can swim in the lake! Matthew can't wait to fish, but doesn't want to kill them. (Both of them are so sweet about not hurting ANY critters - they caught dozens of shrimp over our 6 days there, took care of them and threw them back in...so sweet!)
After dinner, the boys were posing in the little fountain at the park...
...when suddenly, Pop noticed this coming up the dock:
I tell ya...if you think Portland has some weirdos, go people watch in Friday Harbor. The locals are interesting...the nicest people you'll ever meet, but I dare you to figure them out. I think it's the artsy fartsy ones that intrigue me the most. Like the people who were "taking St. Francis for a walk" - I kid you not, those were their words. Three people decided to bring the patron saint of animals to visit the statue of Popeye. It makes sense. The boys were thrilled to get a closeup look...
...but then informed me that it was 'really creepy'....
....and, it really was. They stayed for a few minutes and then packed St. Francis back up and left. Things that make you go 'hmmm....'...
This little park is a favorite for the boys - the fountain, Popeye to snuggle, people watching (we saw a guy doing martial arts in the park one night, heard a Jazz band another night)...
We only caught one brief glimpse of the real Popeye on this trip. We were walking to the boat and some guys were tossing crab shells back into the water - she popped up out of nowhere, kind of freaking me out (her face is somewhat human like - and when you're looking into the depths of the water and that face comes out of the darkness, it makes you jump a little!) Hopefully next time, we can get a better look at her and maybe even throw her some fish scraps. We tried in earnest to find her every day (including as we waited for the ferry)...she must have been busy. :)
Here's the backside of the fountain the boys were climbing on. We liked the little croc chlorinator. He looked like he was waiting for a kid to fall in...
Back at the house, I had to catch one last sunset - this one was PINK! So gorgeous...a little iPhone instragram photo simply cannot capture the breathtaking beauty behind these sunsets. I did my best...
I turned around to come home, and saw how cute and cozy the little (huge, actually) house looked from inbetween the oak trees...
Instead of late night shrimping, we opted for roasting marshmallows in the firepit...good times for all!
