Day Trippin'

The Russell Family summer stay-cation is in full swing! With the goal in mind of getting on a ferry and heading somewhere, we ventured downtown and grabbed the boat to Bainbridge. I'd never been to Winslow, the little town just off the landing, and it was quite charming in the way that many coastal tourist communities can be.

Naturally, the ferry ride was a hit with the three-year-old, although she was a little preoccupied with the idea that there could be sharks in the water. How did she know there might be sharks down there? Because we told her. Lord knows we wouldn't want her growing up not knowing every possible danger she could encounter. #Parenting.

First stop: lunch. The Madison Diner was featured in Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives a few years ago. Not that they would let you forget about it [cut to shot of dedicated Food Network TV above our table]. But they had a very decent beer selection, so that was nice.

The sun was out after lunch so we went to a little park near the water. Ella even got out and played on a park bench while her big sister worked off her chocolate milk.

Did I say it was sunny? And warm? Never mind. As soon as we left the park some serious looking clouds rolled in. We took refuge in Eleven Winery's conveniently placed tasting room right as the downpour began. This place had everything: metalwork dog sculptures, a magnet building set, WINE, and look over there in the corner: it's a Simpsons chess set!

Lucy's opening move left a lot to be desired, and her unorthodox playing style (i.e. total disregard for the rules) made for a contentious match.

The finale on Eleven's tasting menu was a dessert wine served in a chocolate cup. Lucy wasn't big on the wine, but chocolate cups are pretty cool.

We stopped at Mora Iced Creamery for a little pre-ferry treat. Jen informed me that it was recognized as some of the best ice cream in the country (world?!), and it was definitely good stuff.   The ferry ride home was fun, too.

Now for a shot of Ella, just because we all know that's why you're here.

Zoo Camp: Fun for the Whole Family

For the kids: Animals! Crafts! Enrichment!

For the parents: three blessed, quiet, peaceful hours without your kid.

Jen and I wrung our hands a bit before sending Lu to a day-camp. Would she let us leave her with strangers every morning for a week (without throwing a fit)? Would she even enjoy her time? In the end, would it be worth the money? We chose the Woodland Park Zoo for Lu's first day-camp experience and the answers to all of these were a resounding "yes." 

It wasn't without some hard work from our side. We started prepping her weeks in advance: going over the game plan, how to meet her new teachers, "No, Mommy and Daddy aren't staying with you", "But you'll have a snack", you know, the important stuff. It's amazing what this child will do for a sqeezy apple sauce.

I had the privilege of doing drop off on the first day. I have to admit, I was nervous. As we met the camp counselors and walked into the classroom, and despite all of our prep work, I still felt like I was juggling vials of nitroglycerin. Any second this stuff is going to blow. And yet, no problems. It was like we'd been doing this for months.

And so, success! Fun times all around. Lu had a great week and absolutely didn't want to leave on Friday. 

Final Impressions

Lucy: Yeah, that was cool. "What we doing after my nap?"

Us: Holy Cow! How can we sign her up for these every week?