Vacation: island time

Tuesday we went to Whidbey Island and my goodness, the weather couldn't have been better. Every time I go there, I'm amazed at how beautiful it is. I went there so often as a kid that I took it for granted and never realized how incredible it is. (This is the story of my life now, actually, and whenever my plane lands in Seattle I'm shocked by all the trees. I also finally understand why all the out of town relatives would constantly be commenting on the scenery, which I thought was soooo boring.) After a bit of auto-touring (rather hysterical if my father is in the car) because Grace was asleep, we went to Fort Casey. It was built in the late nineteenth century, probably to deter the Canadians. You think I jest, but that's just because you don't know about the Pig War, unless you too had the privilege of learning Washington State history in grade school. I digress.

We went to the Fort, a place I remember going with my cousins as a young child, running around the battlements and ramparts (I have a younger brother!) and skipping rocks on the beach. Grace had a blast climbing around on the fort, but we quickly realized it's an exceptionally dangerous place for a toddler and headed to the beach.

I think my dad was trying to convince me that she was small enough to crawl through the canon.

Climbing the ramparts (Mark, correct me if it's a battlement).

Grace was so NOT into having a family photo. Can you see Mt. Baker in the background?

Rocks and driftwood. She would have happily stayed all day.

She's almost ready to learn to skip rocks.

Washington beaches, so unlike California beaches. Olympic Peninsula in the distance or maybe that's Vancouver Island.

Gracie christened my dad "Pop!" (yes, always with an exclamation point) on this trip.

Later in the afternoon, we headed over to NanaNan's on the other side of the island. Sadly, I couldn't get a good photo of Grace with her, but we did have a lot of fun catching up and attempting to destroy her house.

On NanaNan's beach.

Here Grace is sitting in the old family highchair. Apparently it was bought new for the sixth child in my dad's family, and was subsequently used by all my gazillion cousins and me. I remember it being in my grandparents' house for years - it must be more than fifty years old now and has the coolest styling.