Whoo boy.  Quite a week.  I’m going to start with last weekend.

In spite of the fact that we had just returned from France and have, um, kind of a lot going on in our lives right now, we decided to go up to Lopez Island for the weekend.  Randy suggested it and initially I resisted.  Then I realized that if we didn’t go, it would be the first time in 31 years that I did not spend one summer night on my most special island.  So we packed up the boys and went.  (If you are new here, this post kind of sums up my relationship with the island.)

We flew kites while waiting for the ferry.

We ate at the funky dive bar that serves really good food.

We drove along our favorite road.  The beauty up there is breathtaking.

We had to visit “our” church – where we got married.  It will be 10 years on August 24th.

This is the living room of my family’s house.  I love it.

Randy and I were on kayak moving duty.  We took them from their winter resting place to their spot on the beach. Yes, “winter” can sometimes extend into July.  This is no small task.  The boats are not particularly heavy but they are large and cumbersome and there is a steep slope and sharp turn and rickety stairs to navigate.

It was drizzly when we went to Watmough beach.  I recounted to Randy the overnights I spent there while at Camp Nor’wester shivering under a blue tarp tied to driftwood while the weight of the accumulated rain on top pressed down on us.  This is where Randy proposed to me.

We dinner at the Bay Café, where we had our wedding reception.  It is under new ownership so the menu is very different.  Randy and the boys loved their dinner, mine suffered a bit from a lack of imagination.  But overall a lovely experience.  And thankfully, they still have the Chocolate Gateau on the menu.  It is one of the most delicious chocolate things I have ever tasted and the new owner said I could have the recipe, maybe.  Fingers crossed!

Holly B’s.  Pain au Chocolat, Cinnamon Roll, Berry Scone.

We drove home a different way.  Instead of just heading down I-5, we went Fidalgo Island, and across Deception Pass.  It is an incredible view, huh?  Then we drove down Whidbey Island, stopped in Langley for lunch, and took another ferry back the mainland.

Then the next day we put our house on the market.  A day and a half later, we got two offers.  We accepted one.

I made a delicious quinoa dish and actually posted about it.

I took the boys to Central Cinema.  Talk about a genius idea.  Every Thursday they show old school cartoons for free.  Bring your kids, get them a $1 giant bowl of popcorn, get yourself a beer, and hang out.

We spent the weekend in Oakland/San Francisco.  We slept in the city but spent an intense two days looking for houses.

Guess which one the boys liked best.  (We didn’t like it as much.)