A week of adventures

Cooking with the children

Our first boating experience!  She was so timid at first, but then really loved it

And yes!  She even went tubbing!

We spent several days with the dearest of families, the Nease family. And then on Sunday we traveled north to spend several days with my brother and sister in law in Canada on an island.  It was absolutely stunning and the epitome of a restful space.  I felt so close to the earth, nestled in a valley in the middle of an island, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.  I felt so small and yet so at peace.  It was a wonderful time to connect with our family, to breathe in Creation, and to have quiet and simple moments together.

Our days consisted of:

waking around 7 and having the first mug of coffee

Feeding the flock of sheep and the chickens.

Gathering a harvest of eggs and also a harvest from the garden with which to make breakfast.  (I think that was one of my favorite aspects of this stay!  Truly, one morning we gathered eggs, tomatoes, swiss chard, and fresh blackberries.  With them we made scrambled eggs with caramelized tomatoes (can you even make caramelized tomatoes?? I don't know what they did, but they were so deliciously brown!) and wilted swiss chard on the side, along with the freshest of berries.  It was amazing!)

Playing around the farm or going for a walk to the water's edge to see starfish and anemone

Two days Michael and Danae babysat so I could go spend some time by myself on this bench that overlooked the ocean.  This was the view from where I sat and spent three or so hours every day

One morning as I contemplated a Celtic Prayer which read: "Christ below me, Christ above me". . . this seal was sunning himself below me and a buck mule deer was enjoying his breakfast above me!  It was a really wonderful moment.

Once Tirzah had awoken from her morning nap, we would set out for long hikes, visiting another beach and the highest point on Galiano.

Cooking and enjoying fresh meals together

Sitting and reading and drinking tea together in front of a blazing fire.

(some nights I even enjoyed a luxurious bath!)


It was such a wonderfully slow and restful time and we were so grateful to have gone!


Upon returning, Tirzah and I have been scurrying about to be rid of our flea invasion.  Ugh.

Before we left I saw the first few of them and so had an exterminator to say it was just fleas, and then set off a few bombs before we left.  What a bummer to wake yesterday morning to find more fleas!  So, diatomaceous earth has been spread, more bombs have been lit so to say, the vacuum has been running constantly, and every blanket, sheet, comforter has been washed and re-washed within the last day.  Whew!

Despite my desperate attempt to get rid of these pests, Tirzah and I have enjoyed baking together, riding the bike in the evenings, and soaking in the last of the Washington sunshine.  We had our first afternoon tea time today, which was just glorious and everything that I had hoped it would be!  It came about quite unexpectedly, but just perfectly.

I absolutely LOVE the idea of afternoon tea, and I have been desiring to incorporate it into our daily rhythms here in our home.  I do have to say that it is quite hard to begin a routine of hot tea when it is hot outside.  So needless to say it hasn't been easy to do it this summer.  But today was a perfect day for it.  We spent ourselves making these delicious granola bars using coconut milk, see here and while we were cooking Tirzah began playing with the Beatrix Potter tea set that Miss Margery had given her while we were in Chicago.  Then tea time just came about!

We sat upon my father's old cedar trunk and had our tray set with our granola bars and our freshly steeped tea, Ruby Red Chai from Trader Joe's with a splash of milk and honey (Tirzah was loving it!) and we simply sat and read together.  She picked out the books to read, and the first she grabbed was Paddington, which was quite a perfect fit for our first tea time together.  I can't wait for this time tomorrow!  It was a really wonderful way to just sit and enjoy one another and to be still for a touch of time in the midst of a twirling toddler's world!