Birch Bay in July

After Vancouver we stopped near Shelton to visit with Lew and his family. Getting a place to stay was very hard, so we were only able to stay two nights at a local casino. At least we got in a short visit.

We couldn’t add an extra day early in Birch Bay, so spent July 25th at a beautiful old farmhouse in Stanwood, the home of Julie & Bruce (she is Kathy Staley’s daughter). What seemed like a very “easy-peasy” back in parking was actually a real challenge. Turn too much to the left, hit the tree; too far to the right, hit the barn roof. Oh, and the driveway is slanted, coming off of a busy county road. No pressure!

Their home is just wonderful, over 100 years old, and retained that elegant country charm. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with them, met some of their family, and got a tour of their property. Stunning!

The next day, pulling out was MUCH easier than getting in, so we had an uneventful transit to Birch Bay, where we stayed at the beach Side RV Park. It’s right across the street from the bay, and we were able to ride our bikes a lot while there. Full hookup, and very quiet place to stay. We’ll most likely stay there again next year.

We spent two weeks visiting with Karen & Brent, and seeing how big all the great grand babies have grown in the last year. all 5 are growing like weeds! I also had the opportunity to spatchcock a chicken and do some BBQ thighs. One day Karen took us to a local garden park. it was cool, and the trees and water were wonderful.

Two weeks went by too quickly! We still have seedless blackberry jam from last year, so we picked some to eat. The heat wave ruined some of the fruit, so it was a good thing we already had enough. They were good, but not as sweet as last year. Jan & Karen had a lot of quality sister time.