A Good Weekend

 On Saturday, David and I took the ferry to Vashon Island, where we spent part of the day helping with set-up at Camp Goodtimes West. We had the pleasure of working in the craft shed, assisting the staff in getting the supplies ready.

The staff at camp are all kind, compassionate and fun. The craft ladies are a SCREAM. I laughed and had a great time as we chatted, cut ribbon into lengths and assembled blank leather nametags for staff and campers to use in creating their own. Campers use their real names, while staff all have "camp names." Staff names like Beef, Daffy, Mooselips, Pineapple, Jiffy, Watermelon, Puck, Sparkle, etc. are the sort of thing you might hear at camp.

Everything looked great, calm, happy and ready for the campers to arrive today.

When we were walking to a building in the south area of camp, I noticed this beautiful butterfly lighting on a gorgeous flower:

You may know that I see butterflies as signs of Katie's love and presence. It was deeply moving to see this huge, luminous creature at camp, exactly a year after we scattered Katie's ashes there on the bay (according to her wishes).

While we were at camp, Gregg was helping his siblings move their parents into an assisted-living facility in our town. Everyone then gathered at the family home for dinner, before Grandma and Grandpa spent their first night in their new place. Now, the house will be put on the market for sale. It's a big change, but as Grandma and Grandpa are both turning 90 in the upcoming months, it was a decision to support their health and safety.

Today is my birthday. We had originally planned to go to my favorite beach, but the tide calendar shows that the tides will be much lower next weekend, so we postponed our beach day. We walked on Bainbridge Island instead, had a great lunch in the sunshine on our deck, relaxed, and then went to a terrific Mexican restaurant for dinner. We dined in the sun on their deck, and for dessert, the restaurant provided a dish of locally-made ice cream with a candle - a birthday treat to share.

Spending the day with my guys is the best present in the world. I feel blessed and grateful for family, friends and love.

This week, David and I will volunteer on "DA BOATA," the Camp Goodtimes cruise which is donated by Argosy Cruises for every camp session. More fun is on the way...