Kory was up an hour before I was this morning, still trying to catch that elusive salmon. He saw his cousin Odd’s photo posted on Facebook of a salmon he caught in Norway, and I think there is some secret desire to trump him. Still nothing, though.
Kaleb slept in because after we got home last night from the concert, he couldn’t get back to sleep. We were all sitting around the dining room table with our various electronic devices at midnight, surfing the web. Too modern.
One of the songs the group sang last night at the concert was entitled “Who Ordered the Waffles.” Kaleb thought that was pretty funny so he asked if we could have waffles for breakfast this morning. Thanks to our recent guests from Norway, they brought genuine Norwegian waffle mix with them, so I fired up the griddle and made some. We topped them off with whipped cream and fresh blueberries and sat out in the blazing sun on the deck and enjoyed yet another glorious summer day in Skagit County. Pinch me, I’m dreaming.
While we were sitting at breakfast, the subject of Kaleb’s new trampoline came up. Kaleb was complaining that the pitch from the pine branches above drops on the surface of the trampoline and he doesn’t like it. Unbeknownst to us, Kory started designing a “roof” to attach to the netting walls that surround the darn thing. Yesterday he bought a bunch of supplies to build some kind of structure to protect the trampoline. He started telling us about it this morning at breakfast.
When we told Kory that the kids bounce incredibly high on that thing and an attached roof over the top of it would be busted out in no time, Kory was a bit dismayed. I suggested the easiest thing to do would be to cut the branches that hang over the trampoline. Duh. Kory insisted that a roof was necessary since it would keep it dry for those rainy days. I pointed out we have a hard enough time getting Kaleb to come outside even when the sun is shining, so he certainly won’t be bouncing on the trampoline in the rain. It sounded like an argument was starting to brew so Kaleb threw his two cents worth into the mix and said, “I agree with Mama. Cutting the branches is the easiest solution. There’s often just huge gaps in your common sense, Papa.” I cracked up, but Kory didn’t think it was so funny.
Kory and Kaleb went fishing for about an hour after breakfast only because Kaleb was hoping for a fast five bucks if he caught one. The river is about two miles from our house and a friend that lives along the Skagit has offered to let us use his dock anytime we want so it’s not a big effort to go. Kory was thankful they were the only ones down there, since Kaleb still hasn’t perfected his casting skills. They caught nothing.
After lunch we loaded the kayak up on the van and inflated a small rubber raft. We went out to discover a lake we’ve yet to kayak on with Kaleb in tow behind us in the raft. Kory isn’t totally sold on the whole kayaking thing because just gripping the oars makes the arthritis in his wrists swell up, so I had to do most of the rowing. I think next time Kory will have to be in the rubber raft with Kaleb and I towing him.
It was a hot enough day I decided to start a water fight with Kaleb so we went at it pretty good towards the end of the trip. We were all dripping wet by the time we got back to the car. It was a good way to wrap up an otherwise peaceful outing. There were dozens of blue dragonflies skimming the surface of the lake. We saw a kingfisher diving for insects and a mature bald eagle keeping watch from a perch on high. A few fishermen were out but they missed the fish we saw jump out of the water, and several kayakers also glided by. It was serene and beautiful and just how I’d want to spend a hot Saturday afternoon in the summertime.
We’ve wanted to own a boat for several years but we are too cheap to buy one since they require insurance and other on-going expenses. We try to keep our monthly budget as low as possible, so the kayak seemed the perfect solution for getting out on the water on hot days, and today proved our point. Triple loved it.
Kaleb still has the purchasing itch so he was pestering me for more work to do after dinner. We sat out on the deck again to eat, watching the long shadows grow across the valley floor. It was warmer outside our house than in it today and the deck was just the perfect temperature. We stopped and bought fresh shrimp on our way home to top off our salads tonight and we enjoyed them until the wasps showed up. We’ve been eating vegetarian every other night so we haven’t had a problem with them, but tonight they were relentless. We ate fast.
While Kaleb was pulling weeds after dinner he spotted a wild turkey on the roof of the house below our hill. It was pecking at bugs or something. Too funny to watch. LaConner made the wild turkeys that showed up in town one day their town mascot until there got to be too many of them and they started ruining people’s gardens. The flocks were rounded up and shipped out of town, except this one, which apparently got away.
Just before sundown we went out and had dessert under the plum tree – finding the very few ripe plums that grew this year. They were real juice bombs and I’m so glad we got that taste in our mouth at least once before we have to wait another two years to taste them again. Chances are we’ll be in Norway next August, when those golden treats return. It was just the ticket to end yet another sweet summer day.
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