As a family, we decided to play it safe this holiday season and just celebrate in our own homes. This worked out particularly well for me and mine because, as of 9am, all our hurdles had been cleared and we were free to build our last (last?) wall of the project.

Piper cooked up a 2pm breakfast for us as Kyla and Wes helped Dwayne and I build this entire 8′ wall in 4 hours. With the wall done, perhaps real progress can start next week.

After eating the yummiest pancakes and bacon, I organized another Forced March of Misery, aka a pleasant walk through a neighborhood trail. Candy canes and a read-aloud both ways barely made a dent in the woe-is-me whining spewing from the mouths of the youngers.

Somehow, St. Tom Turkey managed to overlook the infractions and still left holiday jammies and a game on the kitchen table when we returned from our healthful jaunt. With lamb shanks, roasted veggies, and sparkling cider, we were plenty ready for our feast in our newest jammies.

Cheers!

Our wall needed caps and after hearing that I was going to work on it on Friday, my mom volunteered to come over and help (Dad was also hoping to come, but had an appointment). Of the previous 5? 6? 7? wall projects we have constructed, it hasn’t really been my job to mix the mortar, cut, and attach the caps. So I went from unskilled laborer or foreman just like that. I torqued my wrists, again, from mixing mortar and Mom did the heavy labor of bringing and placing all the caps. It was exercise with the best outcome–a beautiful, completed project.

Here’s the before and after pictures!

Thanks, Mom! Really, you should know better, but it was fun working with you!

I’m not sure exactly what about 2020 cemented, and deeply entrenched, my role as sole family event planner, but to get us out of the house during what was supposed to be the Year of Adventure, I always have a half-baked plan moldering somewhere.

Tonight, it was to see the new WildLanterns at Woodland Park Zoo.

I loved it! Pretend it didn’t cost <$100 for the 5 of us (just focus on the needed financial support of a beloved zoo), and enjoy the magic world it creates around you.

Using reserved time slots and a one way path around the zoo, this quarantine-approved outing got five thumbs up, an almost unheard of rating from this family with two very contrary youngers. It was both novel and beautiful and I appreciate the kick-off to a much needed festive season.

If one gets a day of celebration per decade of life (and one should), then this birthday checked all the boxes.

Again, I have to thank my mom for giving birth to me, and I appreciate her timing. November is a little cold, but always having the day off after your birthday? Worth celebrating!

Day 1: Drove, in separate cars for apparently no good reason, to Bainbridge Island Saturday midday. Dwayne and I hilariously took separate ferries to get to the island, but he met me and the kids at Grand Forest for a few mile frolic through the woods. At some point, Wes and Piper picked up and dragged 15′ branches behind them. This is what happens when you don’t buy them a dog….

Then I wanted to check out what the BI Labyrinth was. Loveliness, that’s what! Wes was pleased to find that it was not another 2 mile walk, but a fun twisting rock path with Mama blah-blah-blahing about the symbolism of each ring. Bainbridge is embarrassed if you can go more than a few feet without an epic view and the short walk around did not disappoint. I was also thrilled with the prayer well that chimed on precisely the 9th rotation.

We found the rental house, take out dinner, and the soaking bath in that order, and accidently stumbled across network TV–serendipitously airing the Biden and Harris victory speech. That gave me enough energy for our Sunday itinerary.

Day 2: The reason I wanted to visit Bainbridge–Bloedel Reserve! Dwayne had already bought tickets, so we just had to show up at our time slot and be vague when the kids asked us how long the walk was going to be. (Spoiler: 2+ miles.) It certainly helped that not only was it not raining, but it was that perfect golden autumn sun highlighting the formal gardens, natural ponds, and rolling pastures. Now I need to see this place in all seasons….and in non2020, when we can also tour the mansion. [Please ignore the kids sacrificing each on the stones. We’re just being, ahem, historical.]

From Bloedel, we jumped off the island to Kingston, home to not only the iconic PNW shot (ferry, Mt. Rainier, Seattle skyline across Puget Sound), but also a creperie, which my kids think is the best excuse ever for eating a month’s worth of Nutella in one sitting. It reminded us of preCovid travel.

I was also excited to explore the Japanese-American Exclusion Memorial. Not only did I teach this part of American history back-in-the-day, but Kyla was shocked to learn about internment camps in her history research last year. The final part of the memorial is still under construction, but it already left an impact on me.

We had enough daylight left for Dwayne and I to walk down the beach back at the rental while the kids quickly invalidated the fresh air and exercise of the day with video games.

Day 3: Kids logged in to school and Dwayne and I went exploring! Found ourselves at Blackbird Bakery before walking into the BI Art Museum. It was exactly this time last year that Dwayne and I found ourselves enjoying being adults in the Portland Art Museum. I love spending time with Dwayne this way!

We got back in time to deliver the kids lunch before continued our day at the Eleven winery, before exploring by car as many nooks and crannies of the island as we could stumble upon. I even found myself a pirate!

Day 4: Technically my birthday. Officially 46, I’m no longer the younger woman. Got the kids started on their day before Dwayne and I drove over to Poulsbo, explored some of the shops, walked the boardwalk and “Skittles” neighborhood and then took off in search of the famous Butcher & Baker bakery in Port Gamble that we were assured would have the best birthday cakes…if they were open on November Tuesdays. Ah, well, I finally got to see the <cough, cough> downtown of the historical port that I had also assumed was just the 12 houses one passed between real towns. Turns out there are a solid 6 stores in addition to those dozen homes. One hosts the world’s 2nd largest shell collection upstairs, and they all sell completely unnecessary items, plus a sandwich. I was a little charmed in spite of the non-cake thing.

One more trip to the southernmost nooks and crannies of Bainbridge we hadn’t seen the day before, another stop at Blackbird Bakery to get a chocolatey-chocolate cocoa truffle cake, and we returned to our children and the wrapping up of the four-day birthday extravaganza adventure.

So why did we have to take two cars on my birthday weekend? [Subtext: Why did Dwayne get a car all to himself while I had all the kids in my car, again?] I know he had a box for me that he was sure I would recognize if I ever saw it, so I had to leave the house before he did, close my eyes during transfer, and pinkie swear not to go into certain rooms.

Finally, the moment came for the unveiling. Dwayne had told Wes in confidence that this oversize box was a flat-screen TV, assuming Wes would pass the rumor along to his sisters. The honorable Wes kept the secret, but did have his hopes dashed when it wasn’t a TV.

I, however, did not recognize the size and shape. In fact, it wasn’t until I got all the way down to the bubble wrap that it dawned on me that this was the piece of art I fell hard for at a Cannon Beach gallery in August. I flirted with ‘Mar Asul’ for a good part of that afternoon before giving it up for the lost cause it was. And then tonight, after much mystery and anticipation, I opened this, my own blue sea.

I love it!

Kyla has spend this year upping her puzzle game, and when she was whizzing through 1,000 piece puzzles in a day, I bought her a 2,000 piece-er to slow her down. Turns out, it isn’t twice as complicated or as long. It’s far more. It took her months, with long breaks in between. On my honor, I will never bring in more than a 1,500 piece puzzle into our home again!

I’ve been doing a lot of gravel-scraping, back-breaking, wall building this last week so after meeting with our contractor this afternoon and prepping for building yet another wall, I was ready to organize another Family Forced March of Misery, this time at Bellevue Botanical Gardens.

Anything that is still blooming like this on November first is going into my garden next year! Er, can anyone tell me what it is?

Wes was in such a foul mood that even Piper couldn’t compete and she became more cheerful. We finally realized that Wes hadn’t eaten since breakfast and a sandwich bought at the coffee stand couldn’t really save the previous hour of our Little Black Rain Cloud. I just (purposely) annoyed him further by chirping, “I’m enjoying this enough for all of us!”

The colors were magnificent. Dwayne was wonderful. Kyla was loving. Piper was not the worst. It was a good enough afternoon.

Covid is trying to kill a lot of things, but we were still able to celebrate the last day of October, and even made it one of our best Halloweens ever.

The cabin was between guests, so we decided to go over just for the day. [I didn’t to have to wash sheets and do the extra work for just a night there.]

Piper stayed behind to spend the weekend with her BFF. She dressed all in green and spent Halloween as a very happy pickle. But first, she finished up the costumes for the video game creatures she had already knitted for Abby. I’d tell you more, but that’s all I understand myself.

Wes was excited to spend every spare minute with his BFF at the cabin. And Kyla spent an afternoon in her happiest happy place–by the gas fire in the cabin, putting together a puzzle, listening to her story, and mostly being left alone with too much fruit. And she was dressed as a hunter.

Dwayne and I did our favorite things–a beach walk together and then a car drive to run a few errands and explore more of the island. I had only a handful of chores to tackle there, so it was truly a day at the cabin for fun.

Our neighborhood encouraged socially-distant trick-or-treating, with many neighbors joining in. We had a few favorites. One neighbor made cotton candy, and pinned the bags on to lights strung across the driveway. Another dressed in black in the shadows and used a puppet-on-a-stick to give out candy. Hands down favorite was the rooftop wizard who would cast a protective spell to save you from the front yard zombie (“That’s not a zombie–that’s my wife!”) and shot down candy in the magical gutter.

Candy baskets were out until 7pm, and Dwayne already had a bonfire going as the blue moon rose. Neighbors came out and joined us around the fire and we had the usual sausage and s’more offerings. A quick cabin clean up before guests the next day, and we made the 10:30 ferry–just in time to be grateful for the extra hour this weekend.

The day was that good.

We have a rule, recently enacted, that Piper can’t do any baking until she has completed all her school work. The list is long. But she was motivated to make Grandpa fruit custard tarts that she got done just as dinner finished. Not one to meet deadlines with time to spare, my Piper.

They say the best way to make an atheist is to raise him as a religious fundamentalist. If that’s true, our children will grow to be devout wall non-builders.

To ensure this, we put them to work today. Yesterday, Dwayne and I prepped the line and started putting down the foundation blocks. After we did a dozen, we realized we started too far from the dirt wall, and started again.

But today, we were going to get this thing done.

Piper started out by bringing us brunch.

Then I continued placing the foundation blocks, which are still the same 80 pounds they were when we last did this 2 year ago, and the same as they were for all our other walls we’ve built in the last 15 years.

Dwayne built the wall over my blocks, and the kids had to dump drainage rock into each placed block.

Wes, who loved being a Bucket Head when he was two, has now matured into a Bucket Butt. This amused him all afternoon.

We ran out of the foundational blocks –and daylight– before we could stamp this one complete, but my goal is to finish this 110′ monstrosity by next weekend. Because we’ve got two more walls to build before we can move on to the next phase: Asphalt.

Can’t wait to blog about the entire project being done. So…. January?