| Spending so much time with Charlie is wonderful. She is so sweet, so good, so precious. Her eyes are the most amazing blue. |
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Her parents adore her. |
| Especially her father. |
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Liam spent a couple of days working really hard on landscape projects. First he constructed some beautiful steps down to Pingree Rock out of madrone logs. He drilled holes in the logs and pounded rebars into them so they were not going anywhere. Then he filled in with slate tiles and pea gravel. So great to have solid steady steps! He also put in a landing station with a block at the top of the kayak logs to make it easier to launch the kayaks down those rocks. |
| Another shot of the steps. |
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Then he did the same thing with fir logs over by Hawk's cove. |
| Meanwhile, we were figuring out the tile. We met with the tile guy who put down our membranes, and he gave us lots of advice. We learned from Ray's fiancee Jenny, who owns a tile store in Santa Cruz, that it would be really easy to cut curves in our limestone tiles. But looking at it, we think it's better just like this. |  |
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We also took the pedestal sink out of upstairs and replaced it with a cabinet. No more nasty looking plumbing in the guest house! Well, there's still nasty plumbing. You just can't see it unless you are looking for it. |
| We celebrated our week together on the Island with oysters and a campfire down by Hawk's cove. The next day, Haley and Liam and Charlie drove off island to visit Amanda and stay with Haley and Rusty. |  |
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When they left, it was such a beautiful day -- warm, sunny, no wind, no seas -- we decided to get our kayaks out and test Liam's new launching system. The extreme low tide made it really hazardous getting to the water with those kayaks, but we did it. Then we had a discussion about who needed help getting into their kayak, because only one of us was going to get it. |
| We figured it was a toss up (I'm clumsier but I'm more experienced with boats), so I got to be the lucky one who got help. I'm already in my kayak a few feet offshore with my camera here, as Hawk steps into his. |  |
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He made it all the way in, but kept going. I didn't actually catch the dunking, I was mesmerized. |
| Here's a close up of that face, knowing he's about to hit the drink. |  |
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It wasn't really funny at the time. We still aren't quite sure it's funny. He's a little less sure than me. But what a good sport! He pulled his boat out of the water and emptied it, climbed in again this time successfully, and we took off with the tide. |
| Here's a shot of Hawk in front of our beautiful house. |  |
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And another one getting close to the lighthouse at Lime Kiln Point. |
| Right off Lime Kiln point. |  |
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We went about 8 miles south very fast with the tide, thinking we would do the same thing coming back. The tide was so low when we left it had to be changing. We never found that north bound current. It took us three hours to get back. So so tired. But wonderful, anyway. Hawk looks great against the snow covered Olympics. |
| And I think George followed us all the way. |  |