How did the great race happen? Well, Scruff and his sisters and brother finally got together to scatter Grandma Donna’s ashes at the beach.

Grandma Donna kept them from being separated and raised the kids together. It wasn’t an easy life, but she loved them fiercely and they wanted to honor her together as a family.

But it took a couple years to actually plan something and by the time we finally got together, we were the proud parents of three grumpy teens!

However, Scruff is great at talking the boys into having a good time. Here they are climbing a big rock and getting talked into a group photo. Love those boys!

The beach is a magical place and they ended up having fun despite us dragging them there.

They even posed for a photo with their cousins …

… and survived the dreaded family photograph.

But Scruff didn’t want to leave the beach without a race against his sons. Why? I’m not sure. But Scruffy loves to live life to the fullest and apparently, this requires a footrace down the beach. So, he talked them into just one race, to please their dear old dad.

The boys finally acquiesced, just to make him happy. Although, it appears that Theo is indeed sneaking off while the others run.

And they’re off! But what is this? Why is Scruff lagging behind after the first couple steps?

An injury? Could Scruff have wheedled and begged for this race, only to be horribly injured during the big event?

Yep, injuries and mayhem to finish off our weekend together.

The boys relished in their victory while Scruff limped back to the safety of the car.

While Scruff did spend the rest of the spring and much of the summer limping, he did bring great joy to his sons as they got to tell and retell the story of their great race!

Family time together and a story to tell for years to come. What could be better?

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Once upon a time, there was a teenage boy who purchased his first car. The old family kid car, had an excellent radio. The new car did not. Therefore, this intrepid sixteen-year-old set out upon a quest to switch radios. Theo watched Youtube videos that say to slide the radio out. The Kiwi’s radio slides out and yet Grond’s crackly old radio will not be budged. He watched more videos, emailed his aunt, pulled on the radio, got his brother to heave on the radio. Finally, I saw him stomp inside with a radio in hand.

“What did you do?”

“I just pulled harder … and found a couple of hidden screws.”

But there was a problem, the connections did not match!

He called his mechanic aunt again, watched more videos, and discovered that there is a way … just not an easy way.

“I need a soldering gun!”

I tell him to text his dad. However, Soldering is not the easiest word to spell as it sounds nothing like what it looks like and he ended up asking Scruff for a “sauntering gun.”

I ask what good advice his father gave him.

“He just sent me these dumb memes.”

There are several Gifs of people “sauntering” down the street.

Eventually, we figure out the spelling snafu and I attempted to explain to Theo what splicing the wires together was … all while having forgotten the word splice and therefore having to use about 10,000 additional words to describe the process.

Theo then disappeared. It was bedtime and I wondered where he was. He was outside in his car, spicing the wires like mad! I went to bed. His brothers went to bed. Scruff reported that Theo finally got the radio to work at 11:30PM! Victory!

The next day some of the wires somehow had slipped. Instead of eating breakfast, he sat out in his car, spicing and splicing again! He wolfed down food and took off for school. I did mention that buying the clips to hold the wires together that his dad suggested would only require a short stop at Napa.

He scoffed at such nonsense!

Later, his brother and father got a message. When Theo pulled out onto the highway, the radio slid out of the dash, and every single connection was abruptly severed! He mentioned a plan to visit Napa Auto Parts for those clips.

Yes, Theo’s car Grond now has a wonderful radio. Bonus, when Scruff was trying to fix an electrical issue on the camp’s snowplow yesterday, he borrowed some wire connectors from Theo!

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A battle occurs in our small two-bedroom apartment. Theo charges Judah with a broom and throws a box of Cheetos mac-n-cheese at him for some unknown reason.

*

Theo dishes up ice cream. Instead of a spoon, he gives Scuff a bulb syringe.

*

Theo loses wallet. We furiously look everywhere. Scruff finds it, in the garbage, in the pair of pants with the immodestly placed tears that I forcefully took from Theo (he wanted to keep them forever) and threw away!

*

Theo is cooking for Spanish class. He leaves the kitchen briefly and comes back to find a baguette on fire!

*

Brennan is working in the kitchen and Kanga asks him to carry a 2 gallon bag of mac-n-cheese to our house. Somehow, the bag opens and is a giant soggy mess in his arms. He stumbles inside, oozing macaroni everywhere. Macaroni on the steps, on my chair, in the kitchen, in Scruffy’s shoes and also in Scruff’s boots.

*

I find a continuity error in my WIP. I have my doggy heroine eat a toy ferret once … but throw it up on two completely separate occasions!

*

Kanga tosses a pine needle bunch up in the air a bops it with her hand as though playing badminton. The pine needle bunch viscously stabs her hand, even drawing blood!

*

I am making Hungarian Goulash in the crockpot and as I am loading the crockpot while doing an online writing class, I rub cumin on my eyelid. It didn’t get in my eye, but just getting on the eyelid it soaked through the lid and was very troublesome. Don’t get cumin on your eyelids folks, even after washing face, it still burns.

*

We are taking dinner to Grandpa Del. I carry a dish of fresh rolls down the stairs. I trip, but catch myself. I hand the rolls to Judah. He falls on the icy driveway, lands on his stomach, and slides across the ice, but he saves the rolls. The rolls go skidding across the ice on their own. Leia gallops after the rolls in eager expectation! Theo grabs Leia by the scruff on her neck, saving the rolls again. As I walk back up the stairs, I trip again. Argh!

*

Brennan buys hot sauce called “Satan’s Blood!” I refuse to try a flavor with such a nefarious title. But it comes in a really cool and scary looking bottle like what one might find in Dr. Frankenstein’s lab. I pick up the bottle to look. There is some oil from the hot sauce on the outside of the bottle. I leave to talk with someone and forget to wash the hot sauce oil off my hands. I rub my eyelid. Once again the heat soaks right through the lid into my eye! I have my head under the sink running water and splashing it in my eye, alternating with splashing half-n-half from the fridge (milk products cut the heat) and the phone rings. Brennan says, “Yeah, she’s here.” And tries to hand me the phone. Ah, the life of a mom.

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How on earth do you have family time with teens?

Well, quite honestly, it begins by forcing them to spend time with you, ha! Yes, those delightful little boys that wanted to cook with Momma, spend hours with us and their trucks in the sand, or clamber over rocks with their pet chickens have been replaced. Now I have three grumpy teenage sons.

I dare not waste my time with these precious teens mourning the little boys they used to be. No, there are so many wonderful things about teens. I must soak up ever glower and exasperated utterance of, “Mom!”

Therefore, we begin with forced family time. I warn them ahead, “This evening, we are going to play a game as a family. So, get your homework and computer playing done before dinner because after dinner you have to be with us.” There were many teenish groans, but they prepared themselves for having to be with their dreaded parents. Then I shooed them off their computers and sent them over to the camp lodge. A fire crackled in the stove and an epic board game waited on one of the tables. Once everyone had been forced into a seat at the table, I curled up on the couch in front of the fire. With a good book and my furry friend warming my feet, I smiled and listened to them bicker with their father.

Scruffy was finally teaching them Twilight Imperium IV. Yes, this complex space opera adventure is the ultimate table top gaming experience according to many board game geeks. It is baffling and complex and takes FOREVER to play! This session took ten hours. No, we did not force our delightfully grumpy teen sons to sit for ten hours straight, although I have watched people do so at CamasCon our boardgaming retreat. We broke it up into four or five nights.

Once the boys sat down with their dad, knowing that they were not allowed to escape this terrible time together, something amazing happened.

The sighs, rolled eyes, mumbled sentences like: “This game is far too long,” and “I could be fighting dinosaurs right now,” ceased and they settled down and focused on how to totally cream their father.

They attacked each other’s planets, made highly suspect “non-binding alliances,” and formed fleeting trade agreements with their brothers. I read silently by the fire, soaking in the rowdy conversations and gasps of betrayal that filled the room.

I will only have these delightful young men in our tiny home for a few short years. Every moment is priceless. Time together is worth the grumbling and groaning. It is good for them to hang out with their parents for an evening. To learn to play an incredibly complex board game. To know that their mom loves to be around them, even when they’re grumpy. Family time, forced or not, is the best.

Thank you Lord for a beautiful evening together.

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That is the sound of a forty-three-year-old woman as she sits, trapped, in a vehicle wielded by her enthusiastic teenage son. Only, she does not actually let herself make this sound, it stays deep inside, along with any curses she might be tempted to utter. Curses that might seem appropriate, but that might not honor her Lord!

Yes, indeed, Scruff and I have had the honor/terror of teaching both of these frolicsome young men how to drive. In fact, we even helped teach one of our camp interns last year.

Teaching another person to drive is terrifying. Anyone who says differently must not have been stuck in traffic for four hours because first responders were cutting a lady out of her car, must not have had an SUV flip and roll across the road in front of them, must not have watched wide-eyed as a truck burned along the side of the road. Perhaps these easygoing souls lack the imagination to put themselves in those crushed vehicles or to think what a slip of the wheel might do at highway speeds. Most of us have a healthy imagination and that means that teaching someone to drive is an exercise in mental control. It is also an incredible gift.

What we, as experienced drivers with great imaginations, immediately think of is our stark terror. We can forget how important it is for every beginning driver to have a calm and brave older driver in their lives. They need someone to put their faith in their ability to learn, to set aside their fear, and to show confidence in their ability so that they in turn have the confidence to proceed.

Yes, teaching another to hurtle down the highway can feel like an act of raving lunacy. But think about it, someone else was brave so that you could learn. I have a friend whose parents refused to drive with him. They each tried once and then told him that he would just have to pass the test on his own, without practice. The experience was too much for them.

When I choose to supervise a young driver’s practice, keep my voice calm when I feel like shouting out helpful things like: “By all that is Holy, that is a 100 foot cliff to our left, not simply a driving suggestion!”, and show that I am confident that they will learn this vital skill, it is a gift.

Whether you teach an eager teen or calm adult, the terror is just as strong. But I encourage you to remember the incredible gift you are giving instead of that near miss with the squirrel and unexpected parked car. Teaching isn’t easy, but we all need it and if you are just a bit braver than you would like, you can bestow a little bit of grace to another, just like you yourself received.

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Those of you who know me will realize the incredible bravery that occurred for me to photograph this black widow and then survive editing and posting it here for your viewing … pleasure? Viewing something-or-other, for sure! Well, this terrifying and yet also very interesting critter represents a harrowing moment this week and a blessing of protection from the Lord.

Black widows are not normally found at our house. The area is too cold and dry for them. Widows like moist dark locations and once in a blue moon, like when we pulled the lid off of my great aunt Lily’s old cistern, we see one. But in general, we don’t have them. I’ve seen them down in Leavenworth or Chelan, though, and I am guessing that this little lady hitchhiked home with us from the Bavarian village. Yes, I am incredibly arachnophobia. I’m actually squinting my eyes as I type so that I don’t have to look too closely at the above photo. It has always been a concern of mine that some spider will leap out at me while I am driving, because I have a strong visceral reaction to spiders that defies logic.

So, there I was, driving the boys home from school. Theo ran into the grocery store to buy snacks and then we left. After completing the drive, I put the car in park, looked over, and saw this critter crawling up the dash from either Theo’s grocery sack or his backpack. Knowing that he feels the same as I do, I told him to run. He ran, I pressed against the side of the car with a weapon in hand to smash the spider in case she moved. Thankfully, Theo also grabbed this jar and together we pooled our collective bravery and captured the spider!

We will gladly accept any statues built in our honor … as long as the spider isn’t too scary in bronze or marble or whatever they use. So, after verifying that it was indeed a black widow, Scruff tossed the spider to the chickens, thinking that it would make a good snack and not wanting to let a poisonous spider loose around camp. Mango attacked immediately! She pecked and pecked until she killed the black widow. Then she turned away, refusing to eat it. So interesting. I didn’t think it would hurt her to eat it, but apparently Mango didn’t want to risk a nibble. Mango loves bugs, but while she was quick to kill it, even after Scruff pointed the spider out to her again, she walked away without a single bite. So, we were saved from a spider bite, saved from a car crash, saved from the heebie jeebies, and perhaps our chicken was even saved from indigestion, maybe? What a day!

*

Also …

When the boys were little, we used to have to pick the lock on their bedroom door … a lot. Not that we were expert lock-picks or anything, they had the kind of doorknob where if you just poke something through the little hole in the knob and depress a metal piece, the door will unlock. Well, we did this so many times that this handy metal piece broke off.

Thus, when Brennan went to bed last week and forgot to unlock the door before falling asleep, we had a lot more trouble getting the door open so that Theo and Judah could go to bed. Brennan is a hard sleeper. Pounding on the door did not wake him. Shouting through the door did not make him stir. Pounding and shouting and a whole heap of brotherly complaints did not pull him from dreamland. Therefore, with the little knob thing broken, Scruff had to totally remove the doorknob from the door in order to get it open. As his brothers stomped across the room to their beds, Brennan finally awoke. Blearily he raised his head, mumbled something indistinct, and then fell back to sleep.

*

Leia tried to swallow an ice cream stick since it retained the faint scent of ice cream long past.

Therefore, I had to leap up, run across the room, and shove my hand down her throat to perhaps save her life. Ah, the life of a Newfy owner.

*

Leia sneaked into the kitchen behind me and stole the flour scoop while I was baking. She was discovered by one of Brennan’s buddies in the living room snorking down flour. Friend of Brennan–“Is she supposed to be eating flour?” Her whole snout was ghostly white, although she had the gall to pretend that she was not the one to eat the flour. It was definitely Daddy!

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Scruffy leaned a ladder against the outward opening door in Bobcat for “just a moment” to put foam insulation along the roofline. Judah had a question about their project and opened the door. The ladder flew out the door. The insulation gun went flying. The ladder hit Judah. Scruffy also goes flying and hurt his ankle. Scruff came home limping. This injury occurred after he’d previously tripped on a cord at work retreat, resulting in a large wound on his shin and the destruction of one of a special mug belonging to ‘Merica one of our board members. Scruff also got hurt spraying stain on the side of the lodge. After the stain sprayer got clogged and then unclogged suddenly, the spray gun splattered log stain all over which bounced off the logs and right into his eye. Maintenance work is dangerous. It’s a good thing we now have Bomber the Maintenance Intern!

*

And finally …

Theo dramatically waved an empty dinner plate while talking and accidentally hit me in the arm leaving a bruise. Mothers of boys are injured in such strange ways … .

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So … we wanted to celebrate Father’s Day together as a family. Why? Well, Scruffy is such a wonderful dad. He is fun and sacrificing and works hard to teach and of course tease his boys. What makes this even more amazing is that he had no positive examples of fathers growing up. His dad, grandfather, step-grandfather … pick a random man in his family and what you got were examples of adulatory, alcoholism, drug abuse, and anger.

While Scruffy did manage to be the first in his family to graduate from high school and to go to college, at the age of twenty-one, he was headed down the same road as all those other men. Angry, alcoholic, and testing out WSU’s reputation as a party school. Then … Jesus! The change was shocking. So shocking that one of his fellow classmates who had been dreading having to sit next to him in a lab, saw the change in him and ran straight into the arms of Jesus, too. Yes, this is the father of our delightful camp counselor Kanga.

You see why Father’s Day is so important for us? God was a father to my husband when his earthly father failed him. And that was enough. That was enough to teach my wonderful husband what it meant to be an amazing dad.

Well, last year on Father’s Day, I took an amazing photo of a friend and his two sons jumping off a rock together at Lake Valhalla. Scruff told me that he would love a photo like that with his own boys. So we tried, but couldn’t get the jump quite right and had to head home.

So this year, I was determined. I would make sure that we got that picture for Scruffy. So, while his Father’s Day gift had not arrived, I planned out the hike to Lake Valhalla and we headed out together. Then the car started acting strange on the highway. Scruff and I shared a charming argument (that was surely an inspiration to our sons on marital bliss) concerning what should be done about the oddly behaving vehicle. Then random drivers began to honk, flash their lights, and point at our car in a way that suggested destruction was quite possibly eminent.

Yes indeedy, we had a flat tire. So we limped into the only gas station for miles around (remember, we were off to hike in the wilderness) and put some air in the tire. The air poured back out with whistling insistence. We were not going to make it down the windy dirt roads to the trailhead, much less back. So we filled the tire and drove back to Leavenworth where we immediately got more air. The tire lasted to the other end of town where we had to pay two dollars for even more air. We then barely made it home before the tire was once again completely flat.

OK, so no Lake Valhalla and no Lake Valhalla photo. What to do? A local youth group had just put in a disc golf course at the camp where we live. Scruff decided that an amazing game of disc golf together would save the day.

During the very first hole of disc golf, Judah hit Brennan in the back of the head with a frisbee and he was done.

Then Judah and Theo played with Scruff and that went great until Theo had an allergic reaction to the heat and had to go inside and cool down. Judah and Scruff finished the course and had a good time. But then Scruff had to go back to work, although I did make some yummy shrimp for dinner.

Well, a month later there was a break in the summer camp schedule and I was determined to get that photo for Scruff. We packed up the family, invited some of the summer staff to come along, and actually made it to the trailhead.

On to Lake Valhalla! Yes, Brennan did the whole hike barefoot, but the key info is that regardless of footwear or lack thereof, we were all headed to Lake Valhalla!

Princess Leia Freyja was very pleased to find patches of snow, even in July.

Theo, as ever, was skilled at avoiding the camera. But if you peer closely past his hand and all that hair, you might just catch part of a smile!

We had finally made it! Now it was time to create that perfect Father’s Day photo of Daryl and his three boys.

Well, to start with, Theo refused to jump into the lake. We could have shoved him in if we’d worked together … but that kind of situation does not create the kind of happy family photo I was hoping to blow up and give to Scruff for his office (if he ever claims it back from Judah). Then Leia insisted on being in the photo, even though she is not a son or a child or even a person. She determinedly charged after everyone, got Theo wet, and plunged into the water trying to “save” everyone.

Finally, the “perfect” photo was achieved and yes, I did blow it up and give it to Scruff. All three sons are in the photo and two of them are even jumping and smiling. Leia is present as well, although she is of course galloping and “saving” along with her jumping. Mission achieved, we hiked back.

I am not in fabulous shape and everyone simply left me behind. Thankfully, Scruff stayed with me. Leia made sure of that! She would stop in the trail and pull him back with the leash if he tried to go ahead. If I tried to hold her leash, she would gallop down the trail after Scruff, causing me to trip while she barked for him to “wait up!” We finally got back to the trailhead … and our children were gone. The staff grew impatient and had simply left a note and taken our boys with them. I was decidedly disappointed in the ending to our family outing.

As I look back on these gorgeous photos and remember sitting in the car weeping while we drove home alone without our sons, I am struck by three things.

One, pictures can really make life look ideal for those on the outside looking in. As followers of Jesus, I think we need to be incredibly careful of painting over the heartbreak lest the young Christians around us think that God is making everything ideal for us while allowing them to still face pain. How many post a beautiful picture together on Father’s Day, when there is actually an insane story of disappointment behind it. We need to remember that everyone we meet is more complicated than they appear, they have hidden hurts and are sometimes feeling forgotten or left behind. They might choose not to dwell on the bad, but it is still there affecting their day. Also, family time is still family time even when it is a big disappointment. Life isn’t perfect, but it is life, a gift!

Two, there was a lot of joy mixed in with all of our frustration and hurt. There was the delightful fun of playing disc golf all mixed up with that head injury that ended the day for Brennan and the terrible hives that sent Theo marching inside. There was the grand beauty of the outdoors, the joy of hiking through beautiful country, fellowship with our delightful camp workers, and success in finally achieving that fabulous Father’s Day photo. Yes, one of our sons wouldn’t jump or smile or look at the camera. But we got to hear him laugh with his friends from camp and we were able to sit together as a family at one of the most beautiful lakes in Washington. Yes, the day ended with discouragement and tears. But it had been a great time together … some of it, that is.

Three, the reason we were celebrating in the first place still remained. God our father had so healed Scruffy, that he was able to step out of incredible darkness and be a wise, kind, and loving dad for our three sons. This miracle remained even in the middle of life and disappointment, that is something worth celebrating!

2 Corinthians 12:9a–“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”

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As we plunged into the adventure of raising three sons, Scruff and I wanted to pause to celebrate certain rights of passage. Like getting to chew gum when they turned five, going on a camping trip with Dad at age ten, having friends up for paintball wars at thirteen, and going on a father/son adventure at fourteen. Judah had an amazing kayaking adventure with Scruff the summer before his freshman year, but Theo just wasn’t interested in the same things. He didn’t want to hike or kayak and Scruff definitely didn’t think that our blond son’s suggestion of playing video games together counted as a father/son adventure. The only thing he showed some excitement for was learning to sail in the San Juans.

I started trying to contact anyone who might be willing to take Scruff and Theo out for a sailing adventure.

This turned into an exercise in futility.

Everything was priced for just one hour at a time and people didn’t just drop you off at different islands to camp. Well, not for the amount of money we had set aside. That whole year, I prayed about just the right adventure for Theo and asked God to provide a way. Then, when Theo finally turned fourteen, COVID hit.

Our son suggested that we just postpone his trip, which we ended up having to do. My heart hurt so much at that, but I kept praying even as I wondered if God saw this. I mean, I knew in my head that He saw. But was He willing to step into our lives and work His glory for something like this? Later, Theo suggested that a week with his dad was too taxing, would involve too much talking and too little screen time and really would in fact be a rare form of torture. What do you do when your sweet blond son grows undeniably grumpy and claims that he is done with adventures, especially if they involve his parents?

Well, we determined that even grumpy acquiescence to an adventure would be good for him. So we decided to force him to go!

That decided, I proceeded to search for an adventure that he would love … and came up empty handed. I came back to the idea of sailing in the San Juans, the only thing he begrudgingly showed an interest in. I contacted place after place. Everything was wildly expensive or not available at all. More praying, more emailing, more stressing. Finally, I asked Scruff to text one more person.

“Sure,” they said. “I can figure out something at that price.”

And so I packed up my wonderfully grumpy middle son and sent him off with his dad. I urged Scruff to sneak photos of their trip with his phone since Theo was sure to simply say, “Fine,” to my every inquiry about how it went. They camped for two different nights on two different islands, one of which Scruff declared the loveliest spot he’s ever seen in the San Juans.

Scruff also let him drive, for 10 hours, over two mountain passes and into Seattle! Talk about some serious driving practice for a kid with just his permit. Dads are brave though, and it was really awesome to see Scruff do something special for Theo that I wasn’t brave enough for, ha!

Then they went down to Oregon and visited The Ape Caves! Theo has always loved caves and bats have been his favorite animal for a very long time. I thought that even while resisting the whole experience, he would probably still find some things to enjoy in these lovely lava tubes.

Theo wears his grumpiness well, but I think that he had fun. Deep, deep, deep down under all that hair!

Yes, he still claims that his Father/Son Adventure involved far far too much time spent with a parent. But see that necklace he is wearing?

It is a silver oak leaf. If you have read the Ranger’s Apprentice books, you will remember that the silver oak leaf was what a qualified ranger received from his mentor to show that he had learned the skills needed to be a full fledged ranger and was ready to step out on his own. The silver oak leaf represents the moment someone takes his training and steps into the world making his own decisions about how to use his abilities and gifts.

Also, the oak leaf reminds me of Psalm 1:1-3—“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

So, while my adorably grumpy teen insists that he barely survived the horror of spending so much time with a parent, I happened to notice he hasn’t taken the silver oak leaf necklace that Scruff gave him on that trip off. Not even once.

Thank you Lord for answered prayers and all of the miracles that Your preform in our very midst.

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On our drive home, after camping at the ocean, we stopped at Franklin Falls for a short (only 2 miles roundtrip) but beautiful hike. Theo of course wanted to read in the car. Since Princess Leia Freyja had an injured shoulder (seagull chasing) and is apt to bark at all manner of things, we allowed Theo to stay to babysit our furry princess.

Not content to hike along the trail, Judah rock hopped barefoot along the creek.

Brennan stuck with Epona and I on the trail, which was lovely in its own right winding through some gorgeous country.

Scruff joined Judah along the creek, but he did more scrambling than hopping. He also dropped his phone and had to go back and hunt for it. To be fair, Judah is pretty much a mountain goat and he runs along the rocks with baffling proficiency!

They also crossed the creek on fallen logs.

Some more easily than others. Seriously though, I was holding my breath waiting to see if Scruff would fall while pretending to fall for the camera.

We saw some gorgeous old trees along the trail.

Plus, several smaller falls as we approached the main waterfall.

Here, Scruff and Brennan are balancing on logs.

Finally, we made it to Franklin Falls!

Yes, Judah the mountain goat literally ran up this rocky cliff as though it were part of a cross country race course. I closed my eyes lest I witness his demise. Thankfully, all turned out well and I was able to enjoy his baffled expression as I explained why I was wildly waving for him to return.

And the tradition: making CMBC (camas meadows Bible camp) instead of YMCA. Since Theo was in the car with Princess Leia Freyja, Epona kindly agreed to step in. There you have it, the hike to Franklin Falls. Since it is so short and yet takes you through such beautiful country, this is a great hike if you are just discovering the joys of the trail. Or, like us, if you simply need a good place to stop and stretch your legs on the drive home over Snoqualmie Pass.

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Summer camps were over and school was fast approaching. What does that mean? Yes indeedy, it was once again time for our family Vacation … make that Family Adventure! We stopped calling them vacations years ago as that word brings to mind unrealistic expectations of relaxation and peace, ha! With three sons and a large and slobbery dog, we like to focus on what we will for sure achieve on any family outing, an adventure! This year, we broke up the normal all boy event by bringing along Epona, one of our wonderful camp interns.

It was a good thing, too. Epona (and everyone who is not Theo’s parent) has amazing powers that the rest of us do not possess! She was able to talk Theo into leaving the car and joining in the sand city building fun without the stern parental consequences required from us! We were very grateful as there was also a decided lack of the teenish sulking that we have grown accustomed to. Man, I love my teen boys, but the battles have changed a lot from back when they were begging to go and play in the mud four times a day instead of just three, ha!

And there is the whole herd, outside, enjoying the sunshine and headed to the blustery beach!

Tuesday was our first day camping at Ocean Shores, Washington. As we broke through the trees that surrounded our campsite, the ocean wind blasted our faces, flinging our hair and bringing with it a fresh salt scent that made Princess Leia Freyja’s ears prick.

Princess Leia Freyja galloped around the beach with wild abandon.

She stopped for a nice roll.

She then promptly tripped while chasing a seagull and hurt her shoulder!

She did spend some time limping during the rest of our camping trip, but recovered enough to enjoy the beach at a slower speed. Here, Scruffy is telling her to wait until a passing vehicle zips by before crossing the sandy “road” and playing in the waves with Scruff.

Our first day at the beach we simply took a walk along the shore, knowing that sand structure competitions would come the next day.

After our walk on the beach, we grabbed pizza and ate it at our picnic table while watching Lego Masters on Scruffy’s tablet.

Wednesday was gorgeous and the boys immediately showed Epona their favorite thing to do at the beach.

Just like in the Calvin & Hobbs books, the boys love to build Stupidopolis and then sit back and watch the waves destroy their creations.

Judah’s sand creation usually wins, he is able to move an incredible amount of sand in a short time by slicing out chunks of sand with his hands, but that doesn’t stop the rest of us from having a great time.

Everyone builds in a line so that the waves hit each structure together.

Once the first wave hits, it is time to stop building and sit back and see which sand building or sculpture holds out the longest!

Once everyone’s structure is destroyed …

It’s time to run in the waves!

Or wrestle or even sit.

Much peskiness toward brothers occurred.

That peskiness inevitably resulted in both sogginess and sandiness.

But Scruff and I were delighted to see even our most determined teenish frowner unable to help the occasional smile.

Brennan enjoyed flying a kite. I helped fly it and of course crashed it several times.

Those of you who know Brennan will be able to insert his maniacal laughter here!

Ah ha! Another smile.

Here, Brennan is soaking wet and sandy and presumes that hugging his dad is akin to torture! He forgets that hugs from teenage sons are rare and parents are likely to accept them with joy even when the hugger is drenched.

An action shot of Judah. Who is he chasing? There’s a good chance it was one of his brothers.

The boys have always loved our chilly Washington ocean and blink in confusion when people site the cold as a reason to stay dry. Yes, the waves are at their warmest in August (typically about 60 degrees Fahrenheit) but that is still fairly cold. Not cold enough to dissuade our determined sons from enjoying the waves though.

If it was safe to swim here, they would be WAY out in the deeper water.

However, Ocean Shores is a beach for wading only due to rip tides and sneaker waves. Our park ranger one year gave us this handy rhyme when I asked about safety: “Ankles OK. Knees, no way!” He had even witnessed another ranger in a jeep be totally engulfed when a sneaker wave appeared out of nowhere. Of course, my boys had a solution for my sensible rule-following. If they were supposed to avoid water as deep as their knees, then just bring the less-than-knee-deep water closer! Thus, they sit in the shallow water allowing the waves to pummel them more effectively.

Princess Leia Freyja loved the beach, but when it was time to rest, she figured that we had blown up all those air mattresses and spread out the comfy sleeping bags just for her. We spread a nice fluffy towel at the bottom of the tent for her. She lay down on it when we made her, but spent a fair portion of our trip sneaking onto Scruffy’s sleeping bag or sneaking onto mine. Apparently, the boys beds were not nearly as nice as ours because she left them alone.

Thursday was rainy and blustery, but that didn’t mean we stayed in the tents reading!

Yes, Judah is patiently posing for a photo with a raindrop running down his nose. Why?

Because it would be a terrible shame to waste a day at the beach! It was time to build Stupidopolis again!

Theo is clearly eager to be photographed in his soggy state.

Brennan had a great time flying, and crashing, the kite in the heightened wind and blowing rain.

Judah looks perhaps a bit cold as he poses beside his sand duck.

However, Princess Leia Freyja declared that the beach was the perfect temperature.

When Judah, Theo, and Epona rushed back to camp to warm up, only Brennan and Scruffy remained.

And me, someone had to photograph all the madness!

Scruff wanted to build a replica of one of his favorite board games, Terraforming Mars!

I built an amazingly realistic reproduction of Princess Leia Freyja. See the clam shell ears and the slobber made from a dead jelly fish!

Even in the cold, all six of us got some kind of sand creation done for the competition.

Terraforming Mars ended up looking a lot more like another of Scruffy‘s favorite games, Underwater Cities!

Judah’s monstrous sand duck won the day and survived the longest.

On Friday, it was time to go, but not before Scruffy brought me an adorable caterpillar to photograph.

Of course, for those who pack quickly, there is always time to climb a tree.

And view the world upside down.

And also just enjoy the beautiful moss and being barefoot on a glorious August day.

Of course for Scruff, packing takes longer as he had to load the roof carrier. Much smashing occurred, but finally, everything was set and we had just enough time for one more visit to the shore before heading out!

To the sand, with a frying pan in hand!

This is Judah’s amazing way of moving a ton of sand in a short amount of time. He jams his fingers straight into the sand like shovel blades, cuts out a rectangle of sand, and then lifts the whole chunk out and tosses it onto his build. I am not sure why this does not cause horrible pain. None of the rest of us can do it.

In lieu of hand shovels, Scruffy used a handy frying pan from the thrift store to dig up sand for his sculpture. Can you guess what he is making?

The fortress is rising.

And so is the kite! Yes, Theo is reading in the car. At least we coaxed him out on the other days, right?

Yes! Scruffy’s sandy Leia is enjoying the waves.

A job well done! The waves surrounded our sand sculptures on our final day at the shore, just as they had each time before. It was time to wash off the sand and say goodbye to the seaside. Until next time, Stupidopolis. Until next time.

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