This afternoon as soon as Lake sank into the deep sleep of his nap I slipped out the back door. Nana and I went for a walk down the Peninsula Drive. I was so happy to have the time for another long walk again today. A touch of Tolle-time, free from responsibility. Feeling light. We were blessed to have Grandpa offer to stay home with Lake. They both had a good time. My dad liked the quiet. My son liked the quiet. I think they both napped a bit. Then by some good fortune Lake continued his nap for nearly three hours. Contentment. What a gift. Thank you fellows. 

And tomorrow we’ll have a nice long walk all together for Bloomsday! Looking forward to that experience too! I love a good walk. 

We have come over to Eastern Washington this weekend for our family tradition. It’s the annual “first weekend in May pilgrimage to Bloomsday” weekend. We’ve been staying at the increasingly winterized Point Petite cabin on Newman Lake for the past few years now when we come over. 

It’s early spring here. Very quiet. Just a few year-rounders out here at the lake shore. It’s predominantly a place of families’ summer cabins. I love this time of year here. The forest is just waking up with spring flowers. 

Hence, the Bloomsday festival. Spokane hosts the  12k Lilac Bloomsday Run every year for the past 40 years coinciding with the city’s many blossoming lilacs. We run or walk the 12 kilometers on Sunday to “earn our [finisher] shirts” and then drive back to Seattle. Along with a lot of other folks. Participation is generally 40,000 +. 

To maximize our weekend we drove over Thursday night in the storm. All the way we were following the lightening to the east. At long last we arrived down our long gravel driveway with forest branches ensconcing the way. We thankfully pulled up to the welcoming cabin. It was 3am. It was worth it to have the day here today. I got in a couple of walks and Lake got lots of time with Nana and Grandpa. 

Grandparents are fantastic. As the primary caregivers for Lake these days, Jo and I breathed in a bit of fresh air. And jumped for joy. We love Lake Bake and we love having a Lake Break too! 

I’m looking forward to a fun and relaxing family reunion this weekend at Newman Lake. Then on Sunday we have the Lilac Bloomsday Run and a post-race lunch with my brother’s family to cap things off! I like this Bloomsday tradition of ours… exceedingly.

Lake is getting really familiar with the stairs. He loves the feel of the painted fir and the challenge of the climb. He’s quite an avid stairclimber. If we are downstairs and the door to the upstairs is open, suddenly, faster than you can blink, he’s half way up to the landing. I don’t think he appreciates it fully, but it’s best if he has a spotter at attention in the background. His preferred method of descent is to go down headfirst like a wheelbarrow. Michael was trying to introduce the facing out downwards approach. He still prefers face forwards but he’s pretty mindful of his kinesiology and his surroundings. 

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