Summer vacation, Tuesday

 I woke up really early and went for a nice long walk exploring the Village.  good to get a lay of the land and enjoy it without anyone else around.

 came back and took Mom out to show her the lay of the land.
this is an original chair lift.

 Off on our bikes, 2.5 miles to Lost Lake!

 gorgeous!

At the people beach, we found ?millions? of tadpoles.  We rode around to the dog beach instead and swam out to the platform (swim #2!)  Grandma rode her bike around and around.

 I chilled at home with boys and dogs while folks were getting E, I, and my husband suited up with rental bikes, passes and gear!

 They had great weather and enjoyed the experience. although everyone fell and got injured to some degree.

We rode at the jump park practicing technical skills, checking back in on the downhill bikers now and then.  M & E were both fearless on these tracks.

Summer vacation, Monday

R did an awesome job packing our car. 

 I haven't been to Canada since I was a teenager. This was a nice bridge in Vancouver area.

 We met up with the group at Alpha Lake.  They had all come up early, dropped D and T off on the first day of their 3 day downhill biking pass, then come to Alpha Lake with A's awesome paddleboards and inflatables. 

 Alpha Lake had an amazing dog park area with a separate pier.

 happiness!  So this was day 1 of jumping into the lake and swimming out to the platform. 

 a beautiful ski resort, but we enjoyed so many activities without getting on the lift.

 our condo was walking distance from the "Village" where A's condo was.  a lot of shopping and bakeries and restaurants, and even a great grocery store.  A nice playground for the kids.

Summer vacation, Sunday

 After church, we ate a quick lunch, then drove to Ballard Locks for a free afternoon concert in the park. It was not a marching band, but a Ballard Sedentary Sousa Band playing the greatest hits of marching band music.  We all, and especially Grandma loved it.  it was the perfect activity for a Sunday afternoon.  the kids could run around in the park and go watch the locks filling up, then come back to lay on the blankets and listen to the music.  The big channel was filling with boats when we arrived and finally emptied when we were leaving.

Summer vacation, Saturday

 Our awesome summer vacation started with the arrival of Utah cousins and Grandma.
they are used to Mountain time zone, so we got an early start to the day, at the Market by 8:30, and out by 11:30 when the crowds were thick. 

 We got energy from piroshky's and only had to wait in line for 5 minutes, then walked up to Seattle Center.

 played on the awesome playground that replaced the lame-o kiddy carnival rides.

 back to our parking spot via the monorail.

 and then home in time for lunch and running down to the beach when we heard the cannons announce the pirate's landing. 

 These two silly dogs got along really well for the whole week.

 back home for a quiet afternoon where Aunt J played games with kids.

new walkway & Mailbox

 these stairs were made of wood that was rotten and crumbling and not safe. but these are the stairs that guests most frequently use.  so we are excited to get them replaced with a good-looking long-lasting concrete walkway.

I was dying to get out in the woods, and fortunately have a friend who is a good match for my skills and bucket list.  We summited Mailbox Peak on the 4th of July.  it was a hard hike and i got some blisters, but we taped them up with medical tape and kept going.
9.4 miles, 4000 ft elevation gain.
  

  a lot of switchbacks on the first half, and not much sun.

 we spotted an owl watching us from the trees.

Less than 1 mile to go, and the trees break to view a mountainside of rocks.  that girl in the orange was complaining a lot and actually turned back at this point.

 beautiful wildflowers are especially abundant in this meadow near the top.

 Ms M is pointing to the mailbox!