The first to arrive on Friday afternoon was Mike’s sister Marva, with her daughter-in-law and two grand children who are 5 and almost 11. Eventually her son along with a buddy arrived an hour later, but they were “right behind! We were all getting hungry so Mike started his famous fish chowder. When we didn’t think we could wait another minute to eat, Marva’s daughter (who was also “almost there”) arrived with her family. The chowder was worth waiting for! We ate around the campfire and visited the rest of the evening
.Saturday morning 6 of the fellows took two boats and went fishing. Marva’s son in addition to catching salmon also landed a very nice Halibut. It was fortunate that Halibut season was on that day!
We 4 ladies, visited, and watched the 2 kids and 5 dogs have a great time exploring the woods. On Friday evening our almost 11 year old was allowed to drive one of the quads. On Saturday she was itching to ride the quad again but had to wait until my son Claude came back from fishing and gave the OK! So Mom, Grandma, and Aunt took them to the Ilwaco Saturday Market and the beach to expend some of their energy.
When Claude returned with his crew and did give the OK, it was like race night around here. She did very well and didn’t get going too fast even giving her Grandma a ride. Then her older cousins took her for a ride, “just to show her how it’s done” of course! But they all had a great time.
At one point we had a total of 6 dogs who made several mad dashes at top speed around the camp. They seemed to be having a great time as well but they raised quite a dust storm! They went so fast I didn’t get a picture but here are 4 of the 5.
I had promised to make a Mexican paella for Saturday night dinner. Prior to this, I had only assisted in this process. Assisting and being in charge yourself are two entirely different things!! When we made a couple last winter, I had written her instructions, but left out a few of the details. Fortunately my friend who lives in New Mexico suffered patiently through my 5 frantic phone calls and helped me through it. She is a great teacher because the family all seemed to enjoy it. Even by those who aren’t too keen on spicy foods.
Sunday morning Marva went fishing with her son and his buddy. She was able to land a very nice Chinook estimated at 20 to 25 pounds. The rest of us enjoyed a substantial breakfast of Bacon, Hotcakes, and eggs cooked by master chefs, Mike & Claude. And we did a lot more visiting around the campfire.
