Deception Pass (Take 2)

September 6 – 14

The sound was deafening. I was certain they were about to take a crash landing straight into our campground. After a week spent outside of Seattle, we were back at Deception Pass. This being our second stay here, we were well used to the fighter jets rumbling across the sky at all hours.

The Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island, was a few miles away from where we were staying. And tonight the jets were out well after the campground “quiet time”. My husband and I sat peacefully in the camper reading, the boys fast asleep, when the jets began roaring just over the treetops of the campground. My husband and I jumped up and ran outside, watching the lights of the jets dart across the black sky. It was exhilarating.

Our first week at Deception Pass, I met a woman at the campground playground. Our kids played together on an old wooden ship while she and I talked. Her husband worked on the air base, and they lived there at the campground in their fifth-wheel RV. She was obviously more seasoned than I am when it comes to tiny living, yet we shared the same feelings and sentiments over how good it feels to pare down and live simply.

During our second stay at Deception Pass, we met another family who lives in their RV while the dad works on the air base. They are a fellow homeschooling family, and she and I shared struggles and hopes for tiny living and home education. Connecting with old friends and meeting new ones–these have been one of my favorite parts of our trip.

What we are eating:

Lox grilled cheese (gluten-free) at San Juan Cheese Restaurant

Instant Pot gluten free gnocchi soup

Steak, potatoes, green beans

Fajitas

We are becoming very comfortable cooking in our tiny kitchen!

What we are learning:

I am a person who does best not leaving home in the morning. I love slow mornings.

My husband can still run a sub 8-minute mile. He’s a stud.

How to replace the awning on an RV

I am finally learning how to enjoy reading fiction. We are reading through some of the classics–Living Books, as Charlotte Mason called them, timeless fiction or non-fiction with lessons for all ages–before we begin reading them with the boys. On the topic, Susan Schaeffer Macaulay in For the Children’s Sake, says, “The adult, whether teacher or parent, has to be able to enjoy and understand what he or she is reading with the children” With the purpose in my mind of learning the messages in these brilliant books, and enjoying them with my children, I am loving reading them.

Started reading:

Wind in the Willows (Favorite quote so far: “By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spellbound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea.”)

936 Pennies manuscript – final read through before it goes to press next month!

Questions of the week:

Zeke: “What do krill eat?”

Ellis: “How do octopuses walk?”

It felt good to be back on the Puget Sound. This place has quickly woven itself around my heart. We took a day trip on the ferry over to Friday Harbor where we found delicious food, intriguing antiques, and a cozy little bookshop.

Grayson took all three boys on a hike through the woods down to the beach. With our first rainy days, we found ourselves grateful that we bought everyone a new rain jacket for the trip!

My highlight of the week was when we explored the Ben Ure Spit at sunset. We all learned how to identify different types of clams and cockles as we made our way around the Spit. The sun began to descend around us, and we watched the tide come in and begin to fill the tiny creeks throughout the spit. A perfect, unrushed evening.

At a bookstore in Coupeville, Zeke picked out a Beachocomber’s Guide to Sea Life. He set out straight to the beach and identified a stranded Lion’s Mane Jellyfish–the biggest type of jelly in the world, which he now tells everyone about. I am pretty sure he believes he found the (one and only) biggest jellyfish in the world.

Our final stay at Deception Pass had a refreshing pace about it. After a month on the road, we finally felt like we were settling in and able to rest. The week was marked by family hikes, home (or trailer!) cooking, beach combing, and bookstore exploring. I pray Deception Pass–Growler fighter jets and all–will always hold an important place in our family history, with many more visits to come!