Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Washington State by the Pictures... and Yes, I did see Forks

Hey Y'all. I'm still going through all the pics from our trip, but here's an initial rundown:

We hiked...




and carried sticks...

and hiked and carried sticks...
and hiked. And carried sticks.

and climbed through tree trunks... while carrying sticks.

We saw Mt. Rainier...
We saw giant tree trunks, of trees that were 500 years old. Or 5,000. We told the kids that these trees were around when hobbits ruled the world, because that's the kind of history lesson I like to teach.

We saved this tree from falling, thus missing out on our chance to find out the truth behind the old adage, "If a tree falls in the forest..."  Our kids are still there today, doing their service to their national park.

We crossed bridges, recklessly disregarding the silly sign that read: "One at a Time!"

We saw amazing views in the Olympic National Park

We rode ferries to Seattle...

and ferries to the San Juan Islands

We saw Orcas, or "Killer Whales".

We made necklaces out of seaweed. Yes that is seaweed. I later convinced him to leave it as an offering to this one lighthouse. I told him it was an ancient American Indian tradition, begun by the hobbits and carried forth by the unicorns.

We played frisbee with a jellyfish. Nephew A has since lost all feeling in his hands. But how often can you say you played frisbee with a jellyfish?

We had one DS for the six kids. Doesn't this picture look like something out of Oliver Twist? Like little Asher has the last piece of bread? Or they're all huddled around one little flame?

We scared Kid C to death by making him perch on the ledge for a picture, but achieved our goal of inducing a lifelong love affair with vertigo.

We held on to Daddy's hair for dear life.

We pulled the old Bella/Edward move on Second Beach in La Push. (I know, I know, it's not authentic because Edward would never be allowed on Second Beach...) I slipped a disc after this move. And tore another hole in my heart.

The requisite picture of me and the Forks sign. My family still has no idea why I stopped for this. All I can say about the city of Forks is... the public restrooms were just fine.

While in Forks, I discovered the store where Stephenie Meyer must have come up with the title for Twilight. (As a side note, isn't "twilight" just another way of saying "dusk"? Has anyone ever been dazzled by dusk? If anything, it's just harder to see...)
And that is an overview of our trip. I'll have some more stories on Friday. Now I'm off to a day of writing at Borders with Bree Despain. And by writing, I mean we'll dish about the latest goings on, and we'll grab some lunch. 

What are y'all up to?

16 comments:

  1. Thanks for the clarification on that last paragraph. Obviously I'm way too literal in thinking that "writing" = writing. I need to expand my definition to include more gabbing and eating, as we learned at the retreat. ;)

    Great photos!

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  2. Looks like so much fun! And can I just say I am so jealous that you saw.... ORCAS IN THE WILD!! I'm totally serious. They're one of my favorite animals. You thought I was going to say Forks or La Push, didn't you? Ha. ;) Enjoy your "writing" with Bree.

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  3. Oh no! I love the hiking with sticks. Seriously, if that isn't totally a kid thing! I love it!

    Good luck writing! I have my writing group tonight & I'm seriously in need of some writing pixie dust or something- send it my way!

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  4. Nikki- I have taught you well as to the meaning of "writing".

    Sara- We just walked up to the water and the group of orcas started swimming by. We didn't even have to wait!

    Olivia- I put the pixie dust in the mail. Check for an unmarked envelope containing white powder.

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  5. Okay...I am completely missing the point of the post but I have ADD...are you a blonde or a brunette? Or was that Erin? And, wait...Erin has 4 KIDS??? Or did you pick up a few strays on the road...and where do you guys come up with your family vacation ideas? Seriously, no cliche' Disneyland or New York City trips for the Ashtons - nope, nope, nope...give us Steven Kings house, hot tubs next to our bed and a nice small town to drop a hot one along the way.

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  6. Now I understand why that writers workshop threw you for a loop. Writing = visiting, not writing. Wow, I never knew. Was this started by the hobbits as well?

    Looks like a great trip! Did the kids get to keep their sticks or were they offered to the spirits of the hobbits?

    And due to your Edward/Bella moment on Second Beach, do YOU sparkle now?

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  7. Ha ha! Thanks for the laugh out loud moments, especially regarding the history lesson about hobbits and unicorns. I wish you were my teacher in my history classes!

    They moved the Forks sign since I've been there. Is that at the North end or the South end of Forks?

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  8. good luck with the whole dead jelly fish situation. ha ha.

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  9. Did you know that the best way to treat a jellyfish sting is to pee on it? True story.
    I was at the beach with a boyfriend in high school and he got stung and was having a really bad reaction to it. I saw a pharmacy down the board walk and ran in to ask what we needed to treat it. The pharmacist kindly shared that little "home remedy" with us. It worked like a charm.

    I'm jealous that I didn't see any hobbits or unicorns when I was in Washington. All I saw was a can of bear meat.

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  10. Looks like it was a wonderful trip! It's so great your family gets together like this. My favorite pic - The Oliver Twist look. Funny!

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  11. Cam- Yeah, that's Erin with the brown hair and the four kids. And we never do typical vacations. I'd give my left elbow for a typical vacation, where you lounge about on the beach or something!

    Jenni- I think it's on the North end. I could be wrong.

    Lily- I know. Gross, huh?

    Kayla- I totally remember that Friend's episode. Did you see it? Where they had to pee on Monica's leg? Classic! So... Did you pee on your boyfriend's leg? Tell the truth.

    Cath- That pic cracks me up.

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  12. I must have missed that episode!! And no, I made him pee on his own arm... we were close, but not THAT close! :)

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  13. My calendar is all thrown off this week. What? Yesterday was Wednesday? That's what happens when you don't have to work. :)

    Cool post. Loved the sticks.

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  14. Washington was awesome! And those pictures brought back so many great memories! I love the one of all the kids playing with the one DS..except for Abram. He looks so dang bored. Must of been the 10th ferry we had taken that day!

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  15. Kayla- peeing on a boyfriend is a sign of love, in my book.

    Robin- You're on vacation. I never know what day it is on vacation!

    Erin- 10th ferry? I sneeze at 10 ferries in one day. I think it was more like 20.

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  16. Wow those kids are strong! They sure know the true meaning of community service!

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