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If You’ve Got the Sun and If You’ve Got the Rain….

Without a doubt Maggie and I were the luckiest of girls this week to get to spend time with all our friends and family scattered around Skagit Valley. It is so easy and enjoyable to be in Anacortes during the summer months and my parent’s house never fails to feel like a little pocket of perfectness tucked into Fidalgo Island. I only wish that everybody was so lucky to have a place to return to and feel such a strong connection to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I spend time looking at all the work that my parents have done to turn their home into the gorgeousness that it is, I can’t help but wonder if their talents skipped a generation (me) and will hopefully crop up in Maggie. Maggie’s love of plants and flowers is already so blatantly obvious, with her insisting on smelling every single flower she sees and digging in the dirt without hesitation. The girl also has no qualms getting in the mix of things, helping out in every way.

My childhood is partially sprinkled with memories of eatting vegetables from my mom’s garden, but now that I’m on the other side of the fence as an adult, I have a deeper appreciation for all the work that must have gone into making sure those seeds got planted and nurtured. Seeing Maggie and my mom wander the garden, filling colanders with freshness, washing the dirt off and taking bites off and on, was incredible to see. Maggie was fascinated by the process and I have no doubt that she’ll be a great ‘helper’ for future harvests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve got Ella Fitzgerald’s Summertime stuck in my head.

Summertime and the livin’ is easy….

Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high….

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A Picnic in Devils Lake

I feel like if I don’t sit down immediately to document an event, I tend to move onwards and upwards quickly. As I look at these pictures of our picnic in Devils Lake I can’t help but wish I would have written down things that aren’t obvious in the pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that we’re back in the saddle again, so to speak, and doing things like swimming lessons and story time, it makes our trip to North Dakota seem all the more surreal and far away. I have no doubt that Maggie has wondered where all her peeps went and I certainly miss everyone too. I think next time we check into a hotel, Maggie is going to go knocking on a bunch of different doors to see if she can find all her family members that were our “neighbors” these past two weeks.

It was great to see Phil and Izak both with Maggie, Phil taking her into his arms to explore and point to her heart’s content.  Both my brothers are so tender with her in very different ways, Izak still a bit unsure about handling a munchkin. Either way, they both love on her and that’s what matters most.

Anyhow, nearly 65 Elvrums met up at a park to eat potato salad, play horse shoes and try to make connections to where on the Elvrum Family Tree we’re connected. All of my grandfather’s siblings were there and I believe all of his first cousins. I joked to Barry on the phone that if he listened carefully he might have been able to hear us all. We’re just not a quiet group of people.

It was super sweet to see my grandparents be reunited with some of the people that they grew up with, telling stories and smiling from ear to ear. It made me wonder what I’ll be doing in another 50 years and what stories will carry my friends, family and me into old age. Will the stories get better with age? More detailed?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who really knows. Maybe some of our North Dakota shenanigans will be talked about. Glendive, anyone? All I can say is that the day in the park, eating pounds of potato salad, was simply marvelous, mostly because we weren’t driving and my grandparents were extremely happy. By the time Maggie and I went back to our hotel room we looked like we’d rolled in the sandy part of the volleyball court and we took a shared bath, scrubbing away all the dirt and grime.

Later, when we all were sharing what our favorite moments from the trip were, my grandpa said that what enjoyed most was sitting around after the picnic with his brothers and cousins telling old stories. I wish I would have gotten a picture of it, but just hearing about it will have to do.

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Happy 4th of July!

We’re off to find the best possible popsicles and dig holes in the sand at the beach!

And tonight we’ve got a fierce, fierce dog to guard our house.

She barks at the sound of every single firecracker….because she is rough and tough.

We’ll placate her by popsicles and frolicking in the sand until the fireworks start.

Sydney considers this one of her busiest days of the year, guarding against fireworks and all.

Popsicles and sand, wahoo!!!