On holiday in Port Townsend

Lucy, Jasper and I spent the last four days back on the Olympic peninsula at Mom and Merrill's house - it must be the most peaceful setting on earth. I picked Lucy up from a play date on Wednesday. She joined Jasper in the van with a half eaten pop tart that the play date dad smilingly described as "organic." The three of us headed to the ferry in Edmonds with plenty of snacks. The timing was perfect, and we were all so happy to be off on an adventure with Grandma and Pop Pop, Charlie and Rose (the dogs) as our destination.

We got to the house in time for a lovely dinner. Water and sunset views, birds filling the lovely yard, big swing on the deck, lots of space for lounging in the house, plenty of kid books and toys. Every evening we watched the sun sink slowly and with colorful fanfare - eagles and cruise ships sometimes accompanying the main event. Jasper loves his Grandma, but he more than loves, adores Pop Pop. He spends as much time as he can following him around and in his arms. And Jasper is definitely the dog-lover of our family; fortunately Rose and Charlie are very patient and accommodating with his affections.

I actually finished half of a book during the time there (A Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion). We ate delicious food - roasted chicken, lots of vegetables from the farmer's market, salmon, pink beans - the world's tastiest, most creamy beans. We also spent an evening at a carnival - Lucy having a wildly fun time on rides, Jasper and I having a moderate amount of fun watching her and navigating the crowds. A few hours spent on a big sandy beach at low tide on Friday morning. Sea stars, sea sunflowers, big boats to discover, and Grandma and I got to watch the little ones running around so absorbed with the water, the sand, birds, and sticks.