Carly was starting the wire transfer to pay for shipping to Israel when August got up at 9:10. So we switched and I finished the transfer.
Had some breakfast and I packed for camping, then Carly left on some errands: dropping off a lamp as a donation, t answering the title on our car, and taking our art to the Mail Boxes place to get it boxed up. August and I got going a bit later. I’d been calling Carly’s the Boeing errands and ours the fun ones. As we left at 10:35 he said “Yeah, but this is the fun errands.”
We walked to the visitor center and asked about a lost and found. They recommended the sheriff’s office. We went to the post office for customs forms and to check the mail, which was empty (dad had gone in to town already). We had a little adventure trying to find the wheelchair accessible entrance to the sheriff’s department but no luck. August walked in. And no luck with the sunglasses.
We walked back, and by Riverwak Park he asked “That’s where we saw uncle Paul?” Started to walk home, along the trail, but he wanted to see where mama rolled down the hill. So we ended up walking all the way to the end, past BC MacDonald’s, and taking the ramp and coming back along the lake. As we crossed the highway, someone in an old pickup truck said “Hi, Ryan!” I didn’t catch who it was.
As we got close to the house, I was running to get us out of the sun. August started singing Eine Kleine Nachtmusik quickly and said “The machine is working cuz we’re making a lot of power.” We we’re back at 11:25.
Back home, he put the handles on his bike with grampa. And he and Carly Skyped with Vivian and Cherie, etc. – Vivian took his photo and he did funny faces. Cherie said he learned that from Carly, who won’t take a photo with a straight face. But I take credit, as when I would do the morning photos for Carly, if I wanted him to look at the camera I would tell him to stick out his tongue. And the guy at the science center is when he started using his hands to make a funny face.
Anyway, Carly then headed back to Mail Boxes but didn’t really have luck in getting them to package our art. Downstairs August played with the vacuum cleaner. Kept asking “This is gramma’s old vacuum cleaner? But it still works?” Paul showed August all the attachments, and made it so it was “taller than uncle Paul” when August held it up.
We had a bit of a pillow fight in our room, then he and Carly nursed. We were all, but specially my parents, getting ready for the camping trip all day. We finished up, grabbed a little to eat, and got going. August first walked under the back porch and petted Cynde in the bushes.
We left at 2:15, Carly driving. Carly got out the geese and crackers and when I put cheese on his cracker he said “So you can have some protein?” Before we got to Twisp, August got upset about not having a straw for my drink. Thought he might nap but never did. Got to the grocer store at 3:15. Did our shopping, then August spotted all the dead animals they had above the aisles, and the lion and warthog at the front.
Left there at 4, me driving. Played a Ken Stringfellow album, and August repeated one of the last lines to a song. He was then getting frustrated because he wanted us to be there “Are we there?”
We got to our campsite at the far end of the lake. We first set up our tent, and Carly got him riding his bike on his own. He did a little more with me, and had his first tumble on it going down a slight hill. I caught him. He helped with the other tent, then Carly took him to the bathroom. We saw a couple of fighter jets, and one flew by really low. He threw rocks over the stream with mom, then said “I’m going to get out of that.” Meaning the stuff along the edge of the stream. He was then excited by idea of food, repeating “Is it food time?” Mom gave him some of his drink. He got his Peter Rabbit cup and remembered he was upset by having a breakable cup earlier when this cup was already packed.
I noticed smoke coming from an empty fire pit, so before we ate we went and got water and August used a cup to pour water all over the embers. We then went and had hot dogs and berries and Sun Chips for dinner.
He played in the small piles of dirt several times, getting pretty dirty. The three of us walked down to the lake and threw rocks in. He saw a paddle board and floaty with a woman and boy by them. He plugged his ears and said “Can I do that?” The boy’s name was Parker. He kept trying to step on things, so Carly tried to pick him up, which led to a fun chase across the grass. Once we got him he wanted a “Family hug”. He would ask for several more through the evening.
Got back to the site and he got in the dirt again. I took him to the bathroom. He’s used to the sensor toilets here. Washed his face and hands, but right outside he grabbed some dirt and wanted his hand washed again. Back at the site he played in the dirt some more and told Carly “Look how dirty I got.”
We set up the beds. The pump for my air bed wasn’t charged, so I was blowing it myself. The woman at the site next to us offered me the pump attached to her car.
August sat next to grampa in the chairs. Earlier today he gramma a big hug at some point.
8:45 Carly took him to ththe bathroom and washed him a bit
Zinnie machine shutting down noises
Tried for bed about 9. I had time to make tea and drink a cup before they came out. Carly made tea and I went to the bathroom. When I came back August was all excited and said “Bread, dada!” Carly had given in and given him a snickerdoodle.
They went back in at 9:30 and were reading the Spanish Spot book. It got really windy, so we had to put everything away. It calmed down a little at 9:40 and I let August come out. “It’s not blowing so hard.” He sat on the bench and talked with gramma about how liked the wind. “I like gramma. And I like grampa and uncle Paul and the kitties.”
I took him to the bathroom. Came back and found mama standing by the stream. He told her that his pupils were big. Did a family hug, then August was walking by the stream and conducting Eine Klein Nachtmusik. Gramma came back and he took her flashlight to look at the stream and found a pink flower in the grass with it. “It’s soft leaves, dada” when he found a mullin (sp?) with the flashlight.
Carly took him in and I went and got ready for bed. I came back and they were nursing. A few minutes later she thought he was asleep, but a few seconds later he popped up, asking to go find gramma and grampa. Carly went to the bathroom and he and I hung out, using a flashlight, for a few minutes: “Can I use it for a second?” She came back, he played with the flashlights for awhile longer, and she got out some Cheez-its. He was then saying “I can’t do anything” a lot, which was cute and funny, but he just kept staying awake. At about eleven he just started crawling all over me and the air mattress for several minutes. He did go to Carly, but a minute later said “Well, but I have a lot of energy.” We r ad the Smokey Bear book, which was nice as I had mentioned it earlier when we poured water on that campfire. He listened to the whole thing, and just as I was finishing he said he wanted to nurse. He went to Carly, but then played more with a flashlight. We left it on and set it next to me and we left it on for more light. He was finally asleep about 11:50.
Showing Paul his scrapes collection:
